I just talked to a reference about a hunt in Canada and he told me the US charges $50 a gun to cross. Is that right? Any hints on how to eliminate any hassels when crossing?

the $50 charge is to the Canadian government to register your firearm when you come into Canada.

I don't know what the US Govt requirements are but this site might be able to help.

Canadian Firearms Center

The charge is to register your firearm and I haven't heard of a way yet to get around it. I have a friend who is an outfitter and he doesn't know of a way to get around it either.

Greg

Can you take ammo and reloading stuff across?And how much can you take.I know pistols and carbines with barrel so short are prohibited.I heard to have you birth certificate also .

If you're coming here from the US, pistols are pretty much off the menu. Yes, you can bring them in, but unless you're doing it to compete in certain sports (and handgun hunting ISN'T one of them), don't bother trying. Semi auto rifles must have barrels of at least 18.5" and are restricted to 5 shot magazines, with certain exceptions. Lever rifles and bolt rifles can have barrels as short as 16", but rifle overall length must be 26" or 26.5" (I forget which). Any firearms you bring in will require a temporary registration permit and a temporary firearms permit for the person bringing them in, which will cost you $50 CDN at the border (about $35 US +/-). Reloading kit, bullets, cases, etc aren't restricted by the Canadian gov't. in any way. The maximum amount of smokeless powder you can bring in is 10 kilos (22 pounds) I believe. There are limits to what you can bring in for monetary value without paying duty and tax, checking the CCRA (Canada Customs and Revenue) website will give you more info. Now, if you run into a dink customs officer, what you can legally do won't matter much, they will bust your chops no matter what (and this will happen in both directions at the border, trust me). Download the regs from CCRA and take them with you, be prepared to produce it and above all, be polite. A little friendlyness goes a long way. FWIW - Dan

As an outfitter, I provide all my hunters with the forms to enter, .....just fill in the blanks, name, address, etc., and particulars of the firearms, no limit on number for most purposes. Have the form filled out but unsigned, and upon arrival, sign it in front of a customs officer and pay your $50, and that's about it, no client has had any problem.
Powder, reloading equipment, etc. can be brought in, and unless excessive, no big matter, just be prepared to justify the quantity. Seems like a lot of my clients pack spare scopes and a supply of premium bullets in case they run out!
A birth certificate or passport is required by your customs if you want to return home .........I've had a couple of hunters that didn't believe me until their customs told them the same, and they had to have the papers Fed Ex'd!
Wish it was so easy for a Canadian heading south to shoot!

~Arctic~

Is it $50 each per gun?How much ammo can you bring?

It's $50 Canadian for the permit, the quantity of ammo allowed more depends upon whether you're flying and have to abide by the airlines rules, or driving, in which case 500 rounds could be acceptable to Canadian Customs.
~Arctic~

You can "preregister" your firearm with Canadian Customs. Give them your credit card number over the phone and all pertinent infomation. When you enter Canada, tell them you preregistered your firearm. They will check their papers and pass you through. Customs doesn't like to take the info over the phone....BUT IT CAN BE DONE. If I come across the phone number I will pass it along to you. Hope this helps.

I believe you can also pre-register on the net, check the gc.ca government website, justice dept, firearms registry. - dan

Above all......BE POLITE to Customs agents...if you come across as a arragant American...they can make it tough on you