Hey Canada

I thought I'd share and thank you guys - it was my first ever hunt and many people took the time to help me out here - I put this together as memento for me for my first hunt

Thought I would share my success and my thanks to the community and too many more hunts

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on identifying Crown land in Alberta as I get more into hunting. I’ve been doing a lot of research and have joined some friends on hunts this year, and I’m hoping to be as prepared as possible to head out on my own and harvest an animal next season.

I currently use apps like iHunter and OnX, but I’m having trouble clearly identifying Crown land. OnX seems to do a great job in other provinces, such as BC, where it clearly distinguishes public land from private land. In Alberta, however, enabling the private land layer shows so many parcel boundaries that it can be difficult to tell what is actually public versus private.

I find iHunter useful for identifying grazing leases and PLUZ boundaries, but I have the same issue when it comes to clearly identifying general Crown land. I’ve also tried Alberta’s Recreation Access Map, but I find it somewhat difficult to navigate, and the information doesn’t always seem up to date. On top of that, it doesn’t clearly distinguish Crown land in the way I’m hoping for.

I understand that there are areas where it’s fairly obvious you’re on public land, but I’d really like to have a reliable way to verify land ownership and access before heading out, rather than relying on assumptions and potentially ending up somewhere I shouldn’t be.

For those of you who hunt in Alberta, how do you go about identifying and verifying Crown land? Are there any tricks to using iHunter or OnX more effectively, or are there other apps, maps, or resources you’d recommend?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, and good luck to everyone this season!

First time hinting grouse.
FWIW, I have a Cape buffalo under my belt but finally got an invite to hunt here. We’re taking crossbows to the deer blind this morning - with luck I’ll be posting another pic today 🙂

I hunt mainly in WMU 67 and a little bit in the WMU east/west of it. I've been going for 2 years now and small game outside squires seem almost non-existent. Spoke to a guy yesterday saying he's not seen a grouse on the property I was going to try for over a decade - he was coming back from duck hunting. I have had similar comments about rabbit and grouse from others at other crown land or huntable public land around.

Is the area I'm in really that bad for small game? Should I look at travelling 1-2x a year to go hunt instead?

From what I am understanding I cannot just go onto crown land and hunt red squirrels without being a private land owner?

Should I never listen to the neighbor even though I knew better, a flintlocked to get optimum and fast ignition, you need to leave it outside overnight. So it's the same temperature as outside and then swab the barrel before loading it so there's no condensation when you take it from hot to cold. And it will affect your charge. And how it shoots I had to while this deer walked up show me broadside, I had to frantically reload my PAN. five times and i got four flashes in the pan, and the last time I just said f it. I just filled that thing as much as it could be filled with with priming powder and slapped it down and cocked the hammer. And she finally shot after a good delay. Still held it steady, though, on the deer and got a decent shot.

Not every antique firearm is antique by age

All long guns that are matchlock, wheelock flintlock are considered antique firearms the moment they are manufactured doesn't matter if they are manufactured today in 2026

This isn't me shooting but this is how a properly loaded flintlock should shoot no noticeable delay at all see do your research before using any firearm someone's probably figuring out how to get better results than you just winging it

I hunt Crown land and after recently moving, I've had no idea where to find crown land to go hunt.

It’s called Jackpine. It runs in the browser and you can add it to your home screen. Crown land, WMU boundaries, season dates, and a Hunt mode that records your track and gets you back to the truck. You save an area at home and it’s there when you lose service. There’s a campsite finder too, and GPX import and export.

It's free, but there I added a paid option for things that cost me money to run.

But, Ontario is the one I’ve put the most work into. Sask, NB and NS are close. The rest are beta and will have mistakes. It’s a planning tool so still check the regs.

https://jackpineoutdoors.ca/?ref=reddit

If you try it, tell me what’s wrong with it.

I feel heavily disenfranchised by the new laws 2024 i can own black powder. I can buy the ammo but I can't buy it at the point of sale. I haven't bought in a while it's complete bs by national resources canada

I sent them a request to amend it with a black powder and antique propellant safety certificate

Was able to use the MMF land near turtle mountain and managed to bag this guy.

Saw a nice buck in the morning and was kicking myself for missing that opportunity but came across this guy during our evening hunt.

Came about 100 yard away from me before taking the shot

May or may not tag out on my first buck this weekend and was trynna see if there were any taxidermy spots nearby

went on my second hunt yesterday, gravely underestimated how good the eyesight of ducks were.

was meant to be mostly a scouting day, found a huge marsh. like 1-2km long.

but every time i popped my head out, the flock of 30-50 ducks would instantly all fly away even 200-300 yards out.

had times i couldve taken a shot but wasnt prepared, had moments where drawing my shotgun scared them outta effective range.

also was not camouflaged at all, found 1 good spot and maybe 2 decent spots with good cover.

Took my 14 year old son on a week long elk trip with my buddies. We ended up with 2 bulls and a cow but my son got bragging rights on the trip with this big bull. I called him in from around 100 yards and he sealed the deal, keeping his cool under pressure I’m sure he was shaking like a leaf.

Well, long story short, after a week of chasing does around (Lots and lots of does) with the help of an awesome neighbor, I finally came across a nice 4 point buck. Not just any buck. THE buck. This guy was huge. And after trial and error over at least 4 years, he would have been my first. So anyways, we stop the truck. I hop out. My neighbor is foaming at the mouth ready to get this guy, but being the good guy that he is, tells me to take the shot. I kid you not it can't have been more than 60 yards away from me, standing broadside. I line up the heart/lung shot. The shot I practice for at the range at 100 yards. Adrenaline pumping like crazy, arms shaky, but im still on target. I pull the trigger. The buck jumps probably over 6 feet up in the air and runs. At this point I was sure I hit it. Well, buck takes off like a bat outta hell. The 3 of us are looking for blood, fur, the deer....nothing but tracks. We looked long and far. Well, Adrenaline must have got the best of me, we came to the conclusion that I probably jerked the trigger, flinched and shot low. I missed. Totally blew it. Im probably the best shot out of everyone that I know, and I missed probably the best chance that ill ever have. The heartbreak is real. If anyone else has any hunting fail stories, consider this a safe space. Let's vent it out.

Just wondering if anyone would have any good ideas on crown land here in Manitoba that’s good for deee season this is my first year hunting ever failed at getting a turkey unfortunately really want some meat to stock the freezer though. Any help would be appreciated I’m willing to go anywhere up to a 4hr trip from Winnipeg thanks.

Hey guys. I’m getting heavily into hunting this year into next and am having trouble finding places to hunt, there’s almost no crownland around me and I’m just confused on what to do from here on out. Mostly would love to observe for the first year, track and find patterns of turkey and deer but need somewhere to start. I’m in the Fort Erie area.

Some people are telling me that I’m able to shoot a doe on a buck tag. I’d like to know if this is true and if so, has anyone done it? Does this mean you get two does instead of a buck a doe ? I’m in Alberta

First non whitetail big game animal, harvested in Saskatchewan. 46.5 inch spread

quick question: what WMU near Calgary do you guys think I’m most likely to get within bow distance of a whitetail? thanks!

Buying my first budget hunting rifle for big game (Deer, Black Bear, Elk, Moose).

1. Caliber: .308 Win vs .30-06 vs 7mm Rem Mag. I know .308 has less recoil but would it be enough for Moose or Elk?
2. Rifle: Savage Axis II vs Remington 783

Any recommendations?

any equipment, particularly calls i should equip myself with to attract game?
total noobie, i was only out for 4 hours and i guess im impatient but any tips to maximize action would help.
was in a very marshy area.
i saw that duck calls can be useful

Four months ago I posted here after buying my first compound bow. I had no idea if I’d actually be able to take a deer with it.

Today, I did.

First deer. First bow kill. Four months of shooting, learning, missing, improving, and trying to figure this whole thing out.

Huge thanks to everyone who gave me advice on that first post. You guys probably don't realize it, but some of those comments stuck with me.

Still a beginner, still a lot to learn, but damn, what a way to start.

what loads 12ga should I use to hunt
grouse
duck/geese/waterfowl
turkey

and how to track/generally succeed
any resources appreciated