Considering buying a place in Vernon - how's the hunting/fishing?

[jlirot]

With crazy Vancouver prices my wife and I are considering buying a place around Vernon. We're unfortunately priced out of Vancouver. We have found a couple of nice places - 3x the size and 1/3 of the price of Vancouver. We have to stay in Vancouver now for some personal reasons but it would be the 2nd home with an eventual move.

Vernon is towards the top of the list right now. I need to be an hour or less from an airport for work for the foreseeable future. Wife and kids like to ski so being close to silverstar is a plus. I would consider being close to big white instead but haven't looked over there yet.

How's the bird hunting? I saw a pheasant and a few quail just driving around Armstrong so it looks promising. Thoughts?

And, I'm more of a stream or river fisherman. Looks like there are a few trout streams around - pretty good fishing? I don't mind dredging lakes with a chronomid once in a while but much prefer skinny stream water.

Also, looks like deer hunting would be pretty easy peasy....

The only problem with having a spot in the Okanagon is the 6 hour drive....

[Backwoods]

I moved from reg 8 to 7b 6 years ago, sure miss the hunting down there and the lakes! Beautiful country, great game and fishing on all the mnt lakes and big lakes throughout the valley!

[dakoda62]

Lots of hunting and great fishing, however it is very busy.

[Dannybuoy]

I lived in Vernon from 1982 -2015 and know the area very well . While there are some pheasant left , getting permission to hunt them is very difficult ,ducks an geese is somewhat easier .
Very little stream/river fishing .... Shuswap being one of the few ...
Still fairly easy deer hunting , anyone going out more than a few times should be able to tag out on either Mule deer or WT with the any buck season , 4 point Mulies are bit more of a challenge .
There are some area's in Vernon that it would be wise to stay away from due to the increase in druggie population /crime, do your homework in that department .

[bigredchev]

I lived in Vernon from 1982 -2015 and know the area very well . While there are some pheasant left , getting permission to hunt them is very difficult ,ducks an geese is somewhat easier .
Very little stream/river fishing .... Shuswap being one of the few ...
Still fairly easy deer hunting , anyone going out more than a few times should be able to tag out on either Mule deer or WT with the any buck season , 4 point Mulies are bit more of a challenge .
There are some area's in Vernon that it would be wise to stay away from due to the increase in druggie population /crime, do your homework in that department .

Any specific areas to avoid would be appreciated. If you feel a pm is more low key that works too.

I too am considering the area, although I'd like to begin the outskirts on 20 plus acrea

[mike31154]

Any specific areas to avoid would be appreciated. If you feel a pm is more low key that works too.

I too am considering the area, although I'd like to begin the outskirts on 20 plus acrea

Not sure there really is a specific residential area to avoid other than downtown near the Upper Room Mission. That's where most of the societally challenged folks hang out & other than apartments, condos etc. not much worth buying or investing in. It is still a relatively small city compared to where you are. The real bad actors are mobile & get around, so IMO you're not much safer in one area as opposed to another. I'm in an older area a few minutes walk from downtown and the only trouble I've had was one crackhead who tried to break my car window with a piece of wood some 6 or 7 years ago. Vehicle is in a carport, I heard a loud thump in the night. Went back to sleep & saw the evidence next day. Person must have been too freaked or stressed to try another blow at the window with a stump. Apparently the area I chose to live was called crackhead hill at one time.... No problem since then & there have been raids in newer neighbourhoods/developments busting drug/crack houses.

[Dannybuoy]

Any specific areas to avoid would be appreciated. If you feel a pm is more low key that works too.

I too am considering the area, although I'd like to begin the outskirts on 20 plus acrea

If you are considering acreages , the only concerns you should be aware of are : water ... ie up towards silver star = no water on some parcels (dry wells)
and I am not sure what has been going on the last year on the land between Armstrong and Vernon ( contaminated water?)
the areas to stay away from IMO in Vernon would be towards the OK Landing ie sewage plant , Happy days store ... that area , Alexis park area ... lower east hill and downtown area in general , just because it is easy access for the lowlifes .

[Chopper]

i find with hunting these days ... dosent matter where you are, the further you are from the city center, The better it is. I think Vernon is a nice central launch pad to go to other places. Id probably rather live in Kamloops or Kelowna

[mike31154]

i find with hunting these days ... dosent matter where you are, the further you are from the city center, The better it is. I think Vernon is a nice central launch pad to go to other places. Id probably rather live in Kamloops or Kelowna

Launch pad sounds about right, it is great in that regard, not only for hunting/fishing, but also skiing & backcountry skiing. Must disagree about the city center thing though. Damn Mulies raid my garden regularly throughout the year & I'm a 10 minute walk from Vernon city center. Too bad there's no GOS in town, since I haven't been successful out in the boonies around these parts!!!

[mike31154]

Pretty good synopsis from Dannybuoy. I migrated here in 2004, the Okanagan was on the radar for a place to retire since my folks moved to Penticton in the mid '70s. I wasn't a hunter when I arrived, but have been trying to bag a deer for 2 seasons now. Got me a duck last season up in the Monashees on a beautiful remote lake.

I chose Vernon for the ski hill, real estate prices, small city feel & access to 3 lakes. Things are changing rapidly though, I fear Vernon may end up bursting at the seams like Kelowna in the not too distant future. Traffic is insane in the summer tourist season, although to a lower Mainlander that may seem trivial, comparatively. It can be tough to get out of the valley in the winter since making it over a pass is the only way out in almost any direction. There are plenty of closures due to snow, avalanche control work & just plain nasty winter weather. Drive to the Kelowna airport from Vernon is about 40 minutes on a normal day with good driving conditions. I wouldn't want to do it daily, especially in the winter.

Daughter moved back to Vernon after pursuing better employment in the LML for a few years. She brought her boyfriend, now husband back with her. Son in law's Dad as well as Aunt & Uncle escaped to Vernon from the LML last summer. It's a growing trend. Seems like most newcomers to the area in the past were from out of province, now it's predominantly folks from the LML. Better hurry if you want to beat the rush. Personally I'd like to see the growth slow down or even stop, things getting a bit busier around here these days.

One more thing, water rates are among the highest in the valley. City Council/Regional District can't seem to get their act together in that regard.