This feature now available on our Backroad GPS Maps!

By popular demand, Backroad Mapbooks is proud to introduce a new Hunting section in the latest mapbooks. Sure we have always shown the Wildlife Management Units or Zones on the maps, but people always want to learn more. Now if you are interested in hunting black bear in Ontario, whitetail deer hunting in Alberta, elk hunting in BC or duck hunting in the Maritimes you will know where to go.

Not only do we point out the best areas to hunt for your preferred big game or game bird species, but we also offer detailed maps to show where you can get to. From remote backroads or logging road to swamp areas and low lands there is no shortage of information on the maps. Even better we also show relief topography so you can really see the lay of the land. Hunters will also be interested in our Backroad TOPO series and the Digital Edition maps. The later can be overlaid onto Google Earth to do a fly through of your hunting area before heading out. How cool is that?

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Thompson Okanagan BC: White-tail Deer
White-tailed deer are about 3/4 the size of mule deer with body and tail of pale brown hair and “normal” sized ears. They are wary animals and when alarmed, they usually run quickly away with their broad tail lifted to expose its white underside and broad white rump patch (hence the name). The bucks’ antlers grow with separate tines rising from a main beam.
White-tailed deer are not widely distributed in this region, being absent from much of the Thompson (Region 3) areas, except around Salmon Arm and Merritt. However, in the Granby (MU 8-15), Kettle (MU 8-14), West Kettle (MU 8-12) and Shuswap (MU 8-23) River drainages, these deer are abundant. They prefer tighter cover and lower elevations than do mule deer and favour the edges of hayfields and riparian forests. Whitetails are alert and wary of humans so are often taken by hunters shooting from tree stands or ground blinds or other cover. There is a wonderful variety of calls, scents and rattles designed to mimic whitetail sounds and behaviours thus luring a deer to within shooting range. Hunter success is vastly increased during the rut (during late November).

Central Alberta: Moose
Moose are one of the most prized animals to hunt in Alberta. They are the largest member of the deer family, and the largest ungulate in North America. Moose are quite distinctive looking (some would say downright ugly). They have long legs, a large, drooping snout and a flap of skin in the shape of a bell under their throats. The have broad hooves and are usually dark brown to black. Male moose have large, broad antlers that are extremely prized among hunters. A full sized bull moose can stand 2.75 m (9.25 ft) tall.
Moose are found across the province, but are not as common in the prairies and parkland (their populations are on the rise in the latter areas). Moose prefer to live in muskegs, brushy meadows and groves of aspen or coniferous trees, especially where there are nearby lakes, ponds or streams. During the spring and summer, moose will feed on aquatic plants and browse on new shoots of willow, birch and poplar. During the winter, moose browse on aspen bark and around the edges of dense forests where there is less snow.
Places to try: WMUs 224, 248, 332, 507 

Northeastern Ontario: Black Bear
There are about 100,000 black bears estimated to reside in Ontario, over 10% of the world’s population. A large male black bear can get up to 175 kg (400 lb), although the average bear is usually about half that size.
The closer you are to the US Border and to the Metro Toronto area, the heavier the hunting pressure. Finding mature black bear south of Highway 11 can be done, but chances are, the bigger bears will be found farther north, where there has been less hunting pressure.
Of course, the farther north you get, the harsher the climate gets and the thinner the black bear population becomes. The sweet spot seems to be through the middle section of the map, in the Wawa/Hearst/Timmins/Chapleau areas.
Best places to try include Wildlife Management Units (WMU) 22–24, 36 and 37.

Nova Scotia: Geese
Canadian Geese are one of the most popular waterfowl. Hunting geese in a field is similar to hunting dabbling ducks. Find an area, put out decoys, and get under cover, either with camouflage gear or with netting. Geese like to land near where other geese are feeding, so set your decoys up so that you lead the birds to where you want them. The more decoys you use, the more likely geese are to land, as they find security in numbers. Feeding geese tend to make lots of noise, especially when they see competition approaching.
A few of the popular areas early in the season are Annapolis Valley (Map 18–20) and Truro (Map 30/F5), when they stop and feed in the agricultural areas. Later in the season when the weather gets colder, geese turn to eating eel grass in the coastal flats such as around Musquodoboit Harbour (Map 23/A7) and Port Joli (Map 7/G7). Hunters should note that much of the area around Port Joli is declared a Migratory Bird Sanctuary, and hunting is only allowed outside the sanctuary.

In order to improve your chances of spotting game birds and animals, wear natural colours and unscented clothing. Be sure to stay downwind and keep your movements to a minimum.