An “Outdoor Card” story

If you ever fish Canada – Ontario that is, By now you are familiar with the “Outdoor Card”. It’s about a $10 item, good for 3 years, and you need to buy one/have one in order to purchase a fishing license. I bought one in the summer of 2009, and forgot to bring it with me on a lake trout fishing trip in February 2011. #@##!!! So I had to buy a new one, and assumed the 3 year cycle would begin again from that time with the new card.

Getting ready for this summers trip discover that I don’t have a card from 2011. Called the number on the paper form from 2011 (waited on the phone for 20 minutes), only to discover that my card really is expired. The 2011 purchase does NOT start a new 3 year cycle.

Just thought you should know.

That’s why I go to Manitoba…. that and the BIGGER & BETTER fishing

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That’s why I go to Manitoba…. that and the BIGGER & BETTER fishing

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I stopped in at the Ontario provincial booth at the sportsmans show every year, simply to let them know WHY I stopped going to Ontario. I wasn’t an a-hole about it, I just told them that I really wanted them to know the genuine reasons why I went from 2-3 fishing trips per year to their province to zero trips for over a decade.

Ontario’s “sock it to the rich Americans” philosophy is much loved by the luxury lodge owners who benefit most from it. And everywhere else it’s driving visiting anglers away and it’s costing Ontario government and businesses money.

The outdoors card was just another great example of another visitor-unfriendly and totally unnecessary expense that makes visiting anglers feel (very rightly) like their being shaken down. Again.

Honestly, Ontario provincial officials. The biggest fans of your “Outdoors Card” are to be found in Manitoba. Think about that.

Grouse

It is a $10 card for 3 years? I really don’t understand what the big deal is. I imagine the amount of time it took to post this you could have bought an outdoor card good for 3 years. They also send you a reminder in the mail to order when expiring. Often times you must pay to play, but I certainly wouldn’t let 10 bucks stop me from fishing Ontario.

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It is a $10 card for 3 years? I really don’t understand what the big deal is. I imagine the amount of time it took to post this you could have bought an outdoor card good for 3 years. They also send you a reminder in the mail to order when expiring. Often times you must pay to play, but I certainly wouldn’t let 10 bucks stop me from fishing Ontario.

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You’re missing the point.

It’s Ontario’s insistence of adding layer upon layer of needless bureaucratic paperwork that puts an additional burden on the visitor. I’m not coming to Ontario to start a business, I’m going there to have fun. Yeeeeeah! Can I please fill out another form that requires me to carry another card that has another number and another expiration date that I have to track?

I agree, it ain’t the money. Where did I say anything about the money being a big deal?

But if, to the province of Ontario, it IS just about money, than here’s a tip for big thinkers up there: Add $3 to the license and dump the stupid card. And therefore you also get rid of the adminstrivia and more importantly the negative message it sends.

Of course, I can only come up with these solutions because I am, in fact, a genius.

Grouse

I get the overwhelming feeling from the province of Ontario that I am unwelcome there. High fees, strict limits, and a general feeling of being viewed as a nuisance to their gov’t and a pariah on their resources. It seems to me that every trip I used to make in Ontario (it used to be about a dozen trips a year, some years far more), I was subjected to checks by the wardens that gave me the impression that they were unhappy that they could not write a ticket. In all those years, though, I never received a citation (or even a warning). On a couple of occasions I did receive some serious reprimands because they thought something was amiss but couldn’t find anything……that’s a heck of a way to make a guy feel welcome.

Manitoba, on the other hand, gives me the exact opposite impression. I think I will continue to spend my money where I feel welcome.

T

Do I have to preorder this card or can I get when I buy my fishing license ?

Maybe Ontario’s reasoning is that Americans would feel more at home in their province and choose them if there were layers of inefficient, unneeded and inane bureaucracy?

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I get the overwhelming feeling from the province of Ontario that I am unwelcome there. High fees, strict limits, and a general feeling of being viewed as a nuisance to their gov’t and a pariah on their resources. It seems to me that every trip I used to make in Ontario (it used to be about a dozen trips a year, some years far more), I was subjected to checks by the wardens that gave me the impression that they were unhappy that they could not write a ticket. In all those years, though, I never received a citation (or even a warning). On a couple of occasions I did receive some serious reprimands because they thought something was amiss but couldn’t find anything……that’s a heck of a way to make a guy feel welcome.

Manitoba, on the other hand, gives me the exact opposite impression. I think I will continue to spend my money where I feel welcome.

T

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That exactly summarizes my feelings and experiences. It’s the overwhelming sense that Ontario views me as a plague on their province and that I’m not a visitor, I’m a suspect.

Totally agree about the attitude of thier conservation officers as well. I’ve been repirmanded for the “unsafe” construction of “our” fire ring once. We had not constructed that fire ring, there was no fire burning in the ring, nor had we ever had a fire there. But it’s typical of the conservatio officer attitude I encountered everwhere Ontario: Every American’s doing something wrong, and it’s my job to catch them. And if I can’t figure out what it is that they’re doing wrong, I’ll make something up. Just to let them know that I’m onto them.

Grouse

I go to mRainy lake yearly for years. I buy the outdoors card every 3 years for $10, thats $3 per year. You cant tell me you catch more fish in Manitoba.Go to Rainy and fish it , you will be amased. The extra money you spend in gas will buy you a outdoors card for years to come. Just my opinion

Stopped going to Ontario 30 yrs ago.They act to French for me.Manitoba or Saskatchewan for my family now.

I think it is more of Ontario trying to become more user friendly when issuing one of these cards which will make future licensing ordering a breeze….simply swipe the card like MN does with your drivers license.

Wow thank goodness the full moon was last night or is it the Venus Eclipse today has something to do with Ontario as well..

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I go to mRainy lake yearly for years. I buy the outdoors card every 3 years for $10, thats $3 per year. You cant tell me you catch more fish in Manitoba.Go to Rainy and fish it , you will be amased. The extra money you spend in gas will buy you a outdoors card for years to come. Just my opinion

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Before you make that claim, maybe you should hit buffalo bay in the summer time and hit lake winnipeg in the winter, then get back to me on that subject. I grew up and live just 85 miles from Rainy – fish it a lot, and stick to the MN now. Excellent fishing on our side as well…..the fish don’t know the border is there.

Tim

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Do I have to preorder this card or can I get when I buy my fishing license ?

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You can get one when you buy a lincense not that big of a deal.

I go to Ontario once a year. We make jokes about the outdoor card but it is not a big deal IMHO.

What a province does/does not do has little effect on my enjoyment of a trip. The company I am with and the resort/resort owner have much more to do with it then what province I am in.

I have always enjoyed my trips to Ontario and Manitoba.

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I go to mRainy lake yearly for years. I buy the outdoors card every 3 years for $10, thats $3 per year. You cant tell me you catch more fish in Manitoba.Go to Rainy and fish it , you will be amased. The extra money you spend in gas will buy you a outdoors card for years to come. Just my opinion

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Before you make that claim, maybe you should hit buffalo bay in the summer time and hit lake winnipeg in the winter, then get back to me on that subject. I grew up and live just 85 miles from Rainy – fish it a lot, and stick to the MN now. Excellent fishing on our side as well…..the fish don’t know the border is there.

Tim

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or Lake Brisebois… hard to beat a fish every cast… unless your using an umbrella rig and catch multiples every cast

I appreciate all the comments. I have gotten over the nerdy Outdoors Card. And you’re right 10 bucks is not the end of the world. What bugged me was that the new card at full price that I bought in 2011, probably should be good for another 3 years. How naive of me.
The talk about Manitoba has really got me thinking. My son just moved to Minot. I will be checking it out.

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That exactly summarizes my feelings and experiences. It’s the overwhelming sense that Ontario views me as a plague on their province and that I’m not a visitor, I’m a suspect.

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This is any different than you feel here in MN? That’s exactly how I felt the first 6 times I pulled my boat out this spring while having the DNR with their chin on my shoulder watching me get ready to leave the ramp

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That exactly summarizes my feelings and experiences. It’s the overwhelming sense that Ontario views me as a plague on their province and that I’m not a visitor, I’m a suspect.

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This is any different than you feel here in MN? That’s exactly how I felt the first 6 times I pulled my boat out this spring while having the DNR with their chin on my shoulder watching me get ready to leave the ramp

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x2!!! I was about to post the same thing. I’m starting to feel unwelcome here at home. No need to go to Ontario for that.

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That exactly summarizes my feelings and experiences. It’s the overwhelming sense that Ontario views me as a plague on their province and that I’m not a visitor, I’m a suspect.

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This is any different than you feel here in MN? That’s exactly how I felt the first 6 times I pulled my boat out this spring while having the DNR with their chin on my shoulder watching me get ready to leave the ramp

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x2!!! I was about to post the same thing. I’m starting to feel unwelcome here at home. No need to go to Ontario for that.

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From my experience, it is apples and oranges. MN may not be perfect, in fact I strongly disagree with our DNR on a tone of issues. With as bad as it has gotten here – it is NOTHING compared to what I see north of the border. Everyone has their own opinions, and they are all valid – but my opinion is that Manitpba welcomes me and my $$ and Ontario only wants my $$. I am not forcing a visit somewhere I feel unwelcome.

First of you need to understand that Ontario is run by goverment over in Toronto area and they generally could care less about the “hicks” that live in Thunder Bay, Atikon, Armstrong and any other community north of Minnesota. Thus you have alot of anti hunting legislation in the last 20 years that has hurt many outfitters in western Ontario. Spring bear hunt being a prime example. The card itself is a harmless $10, also I can now buy my fishing license on-line along with the card in a few miutes on the net. Also I find the hard working people of western Ontario to be friendly, warm and very kind. While a few Canadiens can get boorish towards us gringo’s those folks are few and far between.