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| I'm very lucky in that my Bro' owns a camp on the Manitou , up near Eagle Lake and we cross the border several times a summer in Int' Falls . This year , by far, many more visitors to our camp have been completely shook down at the border , delaying getting to the destination by 1-3 hours , a few times when people were meeting at a remote access area with no cell phone service it has created a mess by worrying about the arriving party. So Do you guys thats cross frequently think the "hassle" factor is going up alot. Do you think it's really about security or collecting the extra cash on beer,liquor, tobacco etc etc ?? They collected duty on USED wood clothes hangers that were purchased at a yard sell for a buck. ManitouDan |
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| sad but tru. border crossing is trying with the world the way it is. be patient honest and cheerfull. remove your sunglasses. we can all blame bin jerkoff for the world today. |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | nope, went through 4xs this yr and no problems. |
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Posts: 743
| Went through this year with my 16 yo daughter and was pulled aside for a quick check. I guess they didn't believe me when I said I had no alchohol,tobacco, or firearms. they took a quick look in my coolers and that was it. |
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Posts: 14
| Going into Canada has never been a problem for us, but coming back this year we got pulled over by the MN DNR and confiscated a legal fish that was not packaged properly. Thought there were more fish in the bag than one and now I face a $112 fine or come back to MN to fight it and win. Don't know which costs more the fine or the gas to drive up there and back from Chicago. Said he wasn't going to wait around to let it thaw out and whipped out his ticket book. Last year one of the cars in our group got all but stripped searched on the way back in. They confiscated some cigars and that was it.
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Posts: 572
| More than one fish in a bag? What's the regulations, etc.?????
Like to hear more about this situation.
Thanks,
Muskie Bob |
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Posts: 32880
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Each fish harvested has to be packaged seperately in plastic so the enforcement people can clearly identify the type and general size of the fish. A patch of skin has to be clearly visible on both fillets. I made it really easy and simply do not bring any fish back. |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | Here is a tip for people bringing back fish.......Invest in one of them food saver vacuum packaging "thingers". You can leave all the fish unskinned making it easily identifiable and easily countable for both you and the DNR warden that may check you. I have done this on every trip and it has worked quite well. Good luck crossing the border!
Mike Bolinski |
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Posts: 7037
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Is crossing the border getting more difficult ??
333 views, 5 complaints: the numbers say no. |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | I would agree with Slamr. Every time I have went through there has been no problem and the people have been quite friendly. Just be as friendly as possible. Tell them everything you have in your car, make it as easily unpackable as possible and dont raise a fuss if they ask to search.
Mike |
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| They ask more questions, and do more searches when driving. Flying can also be an adventure when you tell them you are musky fishing, especially if like me you have to travel to Canada for work as well  |
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Posts: 53
| Just got back two weeks ago and had no problems. One of our cars, out of four, got stopped going in. It was a random check and put us back about 30 min. One guy in that car had two zero tolerances and an assault on his record, all 10 years old, and had no problems. Just be cool and answer the questions honestly and you should be fine.
Edited by J-Bird 8/16/2006 9:33 PM
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I fully expect to be thoroughly checked, after all it is their job to protect their country from terrorism, exotic species and over harvesting of game and fish. Like was mentioned before, be cool calm and courteous and you can expect to be treated the same. |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | Just got back from Ontario, and had no problems at all either way, save for the pull over for beer duty(which we expected) on the way out. Was much easier this year than last year as a matter of fact. |
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Posts: 32880
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | We were 'scanned' by a rather large truck mounted machine last time through, but sailed through the border easily. The wait was another matter, we were backed up about 4 miles on the Canada side of the border. |
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Posts: 336
Location: Lino Lakes, MN | I havent been heading into Canada nearly as long as some of you guys, but Ive noticed a difference in the amount of complaints from people in the 9 years that Ive been going up there. Us younger guys are always going to get it worse, but Ive been noticing the complaints coming from the dads and uncles that used to take us up when we were younger. I understand that these men and women are just doing their job but sometimes they go out of their way to make you feel like you did something wrong. Last year my brother and I ran into a situation at the border that still really gets to me. There is no feeling like being held in a building and questioned for a few hours while your car is torn apart from top to bottom. I honestly dont know what I did to deserve that because I was doing absolutely nothing wrong and was nothing by polite and honest when coming back into the US. I almost dont even want to bother going back up there if there is any chance of it happening again. Its a really long story that I typed out last year and dont feel like typing it out again. As I said, I know that in most cases the border patrol is doing their job, but they go way over the top from time to time. Im not the only one that has dealt with this kind of situation, but I guess its just the risk you run if you want to travel to Canada and happen to run into an officer who wants to make life difficult for you. |
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| Lazer--were you going in to Canada or coming back ?? We have had very little problems(ie 3 hour shakedowns --severe questioning for old minor crimes , not DUI"S or anything feloniuos or violent) coming back into the states , it's going in to Canada where the hassle seems to be increasing. The guy who got a 3 hour delay last time was 74. He was carrying fishing equipment for 6 other guys who were flying up later. They grilled the heck out of him about who each reel belonged too , the value of each, etc etc . Then they charged him duty on the clothes pins. His son got questioned in a private room for quite a while over a mistameanor that was 8 to 10 years old. He had no charges since. ManitouDan |
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Posts: 336
Location: Lino Lakes, MN | Dan-->This was coming back into the US. I have never really had a problem crossing over. Sure, we get searched every single time and they ask us a few questions, but nothing out of the ordinary or what I would consider rude. We have been treated with respect and welcomed into their country. I never really had a problem coming back until last year. I just couldnt believe the questions we were asked. Both of our wallets were taken and our cards(credit/id/printcards) swabbed to be drug tested. Lighters smelled and the tops taken off. Questioned about the cig butts in the car and would not accept that I put them in my pocket instead of the lake for an answer. I had a box of VMCs that I didnt have time to open on the way out so I just threw the entire thing in the truck. I didnt realize that would get me accused of international commerce without a license as they accused me of. The topper was seeing my stuff just thrown all over the car with no respect or regard. I am not one to complain and it takes me a lot to get truly upset, but I wanted to wring the neck of the guy and girl who did it. Like I said, we had nothing to hide, I was polite and respectful to the customs agent, and they found nothing at all except for the box of hooks. As an aside.....that is a customs office that is supposed to utilize the utmost care and security with who goes in and out....while getting questioned we saw a wife just walk in the front door and into the back room to bring lunch to her husband. I know that it shouldnt be a big deal, but how can you expect people to take your policies seriously if you do not follow them yourself. I seriously considered calling or writing to complain but it wouldnt have changed anything. They would told me that they would investigate, but then it would be my word against that of a customs agent...I lose. I also figured Id have a note added to my file for when I cross next time and that I would get bothered further. I didnt mean for this to turn into a rant, but it really does bother me to this day. Being safe and secure is one thing, harassing a couple of guys and treating them like criminals in the name of national security is another. As much as I applaud the efforts to make our country more secure, I seriously worry that more of our rights and freedoms will be thrown out the door under the guise of terrorism. No politics please...just making a point pertinent to the discussion. Any opinions from other with similar experiences? Where have your customers dealt with the most problems, Dan? |
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| I take a case of beer into Canada with me and normally bring fish (Pike) back with no issues. I've crossed the border more times than I want to count with no real problems or any noticeable changes lately. My worst experience by far was coming back into MN in 1988, big hassle twice in the same month by the same woman.
One thing I always do is have the passport and answers ready and I never joke around. One thing that may have helped me sail threw sometimes... I wear a Canadian lodge hat when going into Canada and a MN or MI (depending) hat when coming back. It certainly can't hurt:) |
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| Lazer--We cross in inl'falls, as I said , no problems coming home into the states, our problems are going in to Canada. I expect normal security and treat the border agents with 100 % respect , no sunglasses, no joking etc . and really don't mind a 15-30 min shake down. But twice this year shakedowns taking 2-3 hours have went down as desribed in my earlier post. Maybe we had just been lucky in the previous 15 years with virtually no long shakedowns, maybe the percentages caught up with us. I did'nt know , thats why I ask --I've noticed a few vague complaints here and on other sites , and wanted to see what others opinions are . Forgot one other major occurence -- Guy drove up from Ok, was denied entry due to an old tax evasion charge . Can't really whine or cry , thats the rules--but that does'nt mean it did'nt suck bad for that group of guys. ManitouDan |
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