Out of curiosity, has anyone ever personally been checked for their RABC permit in Quetico or been in a group that has?

Just scratching a curiosity itch, nothing more.

I have only ever heard of one instance of actual CBP Officers being in the Q to check. The rangers I've interacted with cheerfully said they did not want to see the documentation.

We asked the same question when crossing into the Q via Prairie Portage last August, and were told that in busy summer months, CBP officers may be at the PP portage checking RABC paperwork. Our RABC has never been checked. The ranger relaying this information also said that a couple of US citizens coming through the portage with firearms had said firearms confiscated. Even though they were not heading into Canada, they were on Canadian soil at the end of the portage.

TZ

Last year I passed a boat load of Canadian border agents on my way up to Prairie Portage. As I finished clearing my permit with the ranger, the border agents convened below the ranger cabin, strapped on body armor and side arms and then asked me for my RABC. They were polite, professional and a little bit talkative. The leader of the crew had been stationed at Prairie the last summer the customs station was open there.

Three years ago, friends of mine were stopped by Canadian border agents while on Crooked Lake. Agents were in a small motor boat.

Never, but I haven't been to the Q since 2016.

It has probably been 15 years ago, but our first trip to Quetico, as part of an experienced party, our two canoes were stopped by a canoe with three park officials on Bailey Bay. They were paddling hard and obviously trying to intercept us so we stopped paddling and waited for them.

They checked all of our paper work and one checked RABCs, one checked our park permit and one checked our fishing permits. We assumed that each had responsibility for a different function since they had no interest in the documents that they were not checking.

Interestingly enough, the ranger checking fishing permits started a conversation with my 9 year old son as to whether we had been fishing and how many fish he caught. At first I thought they were just engaging him in conversation, but I then realized he was hoping my son would disclose some infraction. We were traveling and not fishing so it was not an issue.

Since then, we have been stopped twice by park rangers on Kawnipi, but they only examined our park permits and never asked for RABCs.

Never been checked on 3 trips up the falls chain and only once in the BW at our campsite on Long Island Lake way back in 2006.

"The ranger relaying this information also said that a couple of US citizens coming through the portage with firearms had said firearms confiscated. Even though they were not heading into Canada, they were on Canadian soil at the end of the portage."

surprised me a little. Wondered if just paddling and in CA water as permitted if guns were cause for arrest. (Not a gun person at all but interesting issue.)

billconner: ""The ranger relaying this information also said that a couple of US citizens coming through the portage with firearms had said firearms confiscated. Even though they were not heading into Canada, they were on Canadian soil at the end of the portage."


surprised me a little. Wondered if just paddling and in CA water as permitted if guns were cause for arrest. (Not a gun person at all but interesting issue.)"

It surprised us too, Bill. The firearms were handguns/open carry. We were told that the owners could pick up the guns confiscated by CBP at Prairie Portage could be picked up within 14 days and with payment of a fine at the Pigeon River Border Services Agency.

TZ

We’ve been checked once in the BW for a permit (first trip out of 6) and once in the Q (out of an additional 8 trips) as part of a portage clearing crew while we were portaging. Pleasant interactions both time. Both were just checking permits and not RABCs - haven’t ever had that checked to date.

As others stated Immigration/Border Patrol is a different agency than the Park Personnel/Rangers. I remember the first time I got checked in Quetico back in 2002 on Ted Lake. Tried to show my RABC and the Rangers seemed offended "that's not my job, I can't look at that". It was with my Q permit.

I got checked for Q permit and RABC on Argo Lake and Crooked lake by Float plane in 2015, 2016. It was the MN fishing opener and Ontario opened the next week. I guess that's an easy "sting" operation for them to run. It is a little intimidating as they are dressed like Police officer, have a gun, body armor...nothing wrong that, just not expecting it out in the middle of nowhere.

T

TrailZen: "

billconner: ""The ranger relaying this information also said that a couple of US citizens coming through the portage with firearms had said firearms confiscated. Even though they were not heading into Canada, they were on Canadian soil at the end of the portage."



surprised me a little. Wondered if just paddling and in CA water as permitted if guns were cause for arrest. (Not a gun person at all but interesting issue.)"

It surprised us too, Bill. The firearms were handguns/open carry. We were told that the owners could pick up the guns confiscated by CBP at Prairie Portage could be picked up within 14 days and with payment of a fine at the Pigeon River Border Services Agency.


TZ"

It's a gigantic leap to assume passage, as described in the treaty, entitles anyone to abridge the laws of the visiting territory. The "I just thought because I was passing through" defence would not be persuasive to anyone with a badge on either side of the border.

You can't carry handguns in Canada either concealed or open. You can't possess firearms in most provincial parks. Lots of potential fines or worse could have been imposed on these two. As it happens they got off lightly including being able to recover their guns and should be grateful their ignorance didn't cost them considerably more.