Hunting and fishing guides and pourvoiries in Québec

What hunting and fishing look like in Québec

Most of Québec is boreal forest cut by thousands of lakes and rivers, with farmland and hardwood ridges in the south along the St. Lawrence. That range gives very different trips: a moose hunt in a remote camp, a white-tailed deer (chevreuil) hunt near farm country, or a week of brook trout fishing on a quiet lake.

Moose and black bear are the big game most visitors come for. White-tailed deer is popular in the south, wild turkey has become a spring hunt in some southern regions, and ducks, geese and grouse fill the fall. Caribou sport hunting is closed in Québec.

On the water, brook trout (truite mouchetée) is the classic catch, along with walleye (doré), lake trout (touladi) and northern pike. Atlantic salmon rivers draw fly anglers to the Gaspé Peninsula and the North Shore, and ice fishing (pêche blanche) keeps many camps busy in winter.

How pourvoiries work

A pourvoirie is a business that offers lodging and services for hunting, fishing or trapping. Some hold exclusive rights on a defined territory, which means they manage the hunting and fishing there and only their clients can use it. Others operate without exclusive rights: they rent cabins and offer services, but the land around them stays open to other users.

Both can be good choices. A territory with exclusive rights usually gives more control over fishing pressure and hunting sectors. A pourvoirie without exclusive rights can be more flexible and closer to roads. Québec also has public territories such as ZECs and wildlife reserves, which work differently from a pourvoirie.

Getting there: road, boat or floatplane

Many pourvoiries in the southern half of the province are reached by road, often on gravel forest roads for the last part. Others sit on a big lake and send a boat to pick you up at the landing.

Further north, in regions such as the Côte-Nord, Abitibi or Nord-du-Québec, fly-in camps are common. A floatplane drops you at a lake with a cabin and a boat, and picks you up at the end of the stay. Ask about luggage limits and weather delays.

What to check before booking

Licences are sold by the province, and the rules for residents and non-residents differ. A visitor from another province, the US or France needs the right non-resident permits, and in some cases certain species or zones are only open to non-residents through an outfitter. Hunters also need a recognized hunter education certificate.

• Read the province's current hunting and fishing regulations for the zone you will visit
• Ask whether the territory has exclusive rights and how many groups share it
• Confirm who buys the licences and what is included in the package
• Ask about meat care, transport of game and fish, and cell coverage

Finding a pourvoirie with GuideHunter

Open GuideHunter, zoom the map on Québec, then filter by hunting or fishing and choose a species such as moose, black bear or brook trout. Each pin is a guide or pourvoirie with its offers: what is included, the region and a price per person from, or on request.

Compare a few offers in the same region, then call or write to the ones that fit.

Frequently asked questions