Hunt Quebec – Anticosti Island Whitetail – Part 1: Getting There and Getting Back

Hunting outside your home state can be an intimidating feat, even more so is hunting abroad. Learning all of the ins and outs, and do’s and don’ts can certainly be a daunting task – so much so, it even prevents some from experiencing the wonders that exist outside of their own ‘home turf.’ I recently visited a magical place called Anticosti Island off the Northeastern coast of Quebec, roughly 25 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean. I was a guest of the fine folks at Safari Anticosti and the Quebec Outfitters Federation hunting Anticosti Island whitetail in a snow-covered jungle of conifer trees.

In this 5-part series, I will cover any and everything you need to know about travelling to & hunting in Quebec, that is: what to bring, sights and sounds around the island and most importantly.. the hunt!

Step one, and probably what keeps most from exploring Quebec, is getting there and what you need to do in preparation to make your travels smooth and seamless with little to no stress. Below are 4 things you should do beforehand prior to your long awaited departure:

Passport- If you don’t have one, get one and if you already have one make sure it is up to date. There is a long lead time for even renewing an expired passport, so this is not something you want to dust off one or two days before heading out the door.

4457 Form- This form should detail all of your big-ticket items that you are bringing to Quebec. It should include things like your rifle, scope, binos, GPS, rangefinder etc. This is to prove all of these items were brought with you from the US and not purchased in Canada. Without this form you could potentially be taxed on some of those items when you head back to the US.

Firearms Declaration Form: This is required by the CBSA to declare that you are bringing a rifle into the country to hunt, and it must be kept with the rifle at all times while on your trip. It helps to print this form out, along with the others, ahead of time and pre-populated with all of the info to save time at customs. DO NOT SIGN ANY OF THE FORMS UNTIL INSTRUCTED TO DO SO BY THE PROPER AUTHORITIES! The signature must be witnessed by the officers and they will make you refill out the form..

US Game Importation Form: You will need this to bring back any parts and pieces of your quarry – meat, hide and antlers. Again, this can be printed out ahead of time which will save you some potential headaches once you are out of the country with no access to the internet or a printer.

Once you have these 4 things in order you are already well ahead of the game and on your way to exploring Quebec!

Check back in for the remaining articles as I walk you through the hunt step-by-step including a gear guide, cool facts and history about the island, and most importantly my firsthand experience of chasing these elusive Anticosti Island whitetail.

Andy Husek

Andy has been a lifelong Outdoorsman and has hunted and fished all over the world but his home state of Michigan is near and dear to his heart. He grew up fishing the Great Lakes and mostly hunted waterfowl and small game until his teenage years when he quickly became an avid big game hunter and embraced the art of long range shooting. With the help of several long range courses he has become proficient at shooting out to 1,000 yards with his longest confirmed shots being in excess of 1,700 yards. He has hunted North America from the northernmost parts of Alaska to the southernmost parts of Florida and everywhere in between. He has even made the trip across the pond several times to hunt in Africa. When he is not hunting or fishing he is coaching travel softball and watching his two daughters play the sports they love. In between hunts and when they have a break from sports he and his family enjoy spending time outdoors in the beautiful state of Michigan skiing, boating and camping.