Montreal/US Customs Issues

[gobblinglawyer]

Quick question, y’all. I’m headed to BC on a goat hunt in August 2022. Do any of y’all have any intel on how the Customs experience with firearms is in Montreal?

We had a damn awful experience in Toronto with those Customs Agents traveling home to the US on a bear hunt a couple years back. So bad, in fact, that I’m paying extra to avoid going through there. I expected a “welcome home, son!” from them as they were US Customs officials but we got a swift figurative kick in the crotch from them instead.

Tentative return flight is from Prince George to Vancouver to Montreal to Atlanta, GA. Would we clear customs in Vancouver or in Montreal or ATL? Back in the old days it was always the first Canadian soil airport you hit on the way up and the first US soil airport you hit on the way home. However, I went to Alberta for a mule deer last year and we cleared in Calgary coming home. WTF?! I’m confused….

 

[OMB]

I'm heading to NWT for sheep end of July and just wrapped up booking flights a few weeks ago. I started playing around with flights the first week of March, and after I sat on it for a couple of weeks, options were starting to dwindle to the point the only stuff that wasn't completely through the nose was through Toronto or Montreal. I've flown through neither airport, but I've talked to enough guys that have that I excluded them from all search results.

List of pre-clearance locations below, but you should be good clearing customs in Vancouver; I'm planning on doing the same in Edmonton on my return flight (through LAX, absolutely not trying to re-check guns/critters on a Sunday there.)

Preclearance

Securing America's Borders

www.cbp.gov

 

[Aluminum Rain]

I flew to Newfoundland last September from Chicago to Deer Lake via Montreal. French Canadian CBP were incompetent pricks. We had a 70 minute layover(no choice) and missed our Deer lake flight by a bunch because CBP couldn't inspect guns for 3 of us in less than an hour. First thing the cbp guy said when i got to counter was that I would be missing my next flight. He didnt even want to try to be efficient. Watching him open my case was almost laughable. It was like he was touching toxic waste. Figure 3 hr layover minimum. We came back through Toronto and cleared US customs there. American TSA guy inspected all 3 of our guns in under 20 minutes, all the while asking us how our hunt went. I had heard Toronto horror stories but he was fantastic.

 

[Aluminum Rain]

Oddly enough the Air Canada gals at the ticket counter in Montreal made us open our gun cases the next morning before the rescheduled Deer Lake flight via Nova Scotia. They did so right on the floor by the counter in front of 100 people. The Cbp guys wouldve went ballistic had they witnessed that. Regardless the Air Canada people were all very nice and helpful. I had heard stories to the contrary.

 

[Broomd]

I flew to Newfoundland last September from Chicago to Deer Lake via Montreal. French Canadian CBP were incompetent pricks. We had a 70 minute layover(no choice) and missed our Deer lake flight by a bunch because CBP couldn't inspect guns for 3 of us in less than an hour. First thing the cbp guy said when i got to counter was that I would be missing my next flight. He didnt even want to try to be efficient. Watching him open my case was almost laughable. It was like he was touching toxic waste. Figure 3 hr layover minimum. We came back through Toronto and cleared US customs there. American TSA guy inspected all 3 of our guns in under 20 minutes, all the while asking us how our hunt went. I had heard Toronto horror stories but he was fantastic.

Yep, they are total turds in the best of times, I always call 'em out on the way out the door. F ck those clowns....

 

[wyosteve]

I had a negative experience in Vancouver a number of years ago with both Canadian and American customs. Had a good experience in Edmonton if that would somehow fit into your schedule.