PDA

View Full Version : Smithers Area


msawyer
10-22-2009, 10:25 PM
Hello all...

I'm contemplating moving to the Smithers area in early 2010 and wanted to get some feed back on the the game populations in the region, the quality of the hunting opportunities and any other information that might be helpful to a new resident of the Bulkley Valley. And is there a good range and gun club there?

Many thanks

Mike
________
easy vape reviews (http://vaporizer.org/reviews/easy-vape)
Bowtime
10-22-2009, 10:28 PM
great gun club and range close to town. Hunting is great if you know where to go. Lots of moose, lots of deer.
BCrams
10-22-2009, 10:33 PM
Monster goats!!
25tikka
10-23-2009, 08:28 AM
And not a long drive to the Burns Lake 1000 yrd range
Toad Hunter
10-23-2009, 09:08 AM
Smithers is God's country.

Telkwa is the next best thing.

Good hunting.

Growing Elk population.

Decent bow opportunities.

pm if you want more details
silvicon
10-23-2009, 02:17 PM
truth about this area is:
-gun-club is run as old-boys club,
-bumper-to-bumper traffic once GOS for moose,
-lots of closed pivate land,
-big deer are from closed private lands, access only for a choosen few
(from the old-boys club).
-not much work up there.
Samsquantch
10-23-2009, 02:47 PM
-bumper-to-bumper traffic once GOS for moose,
Chapman FSR is a highway right now.
boxhitch
10-23-2009, 02:58 PM
No surprise, with an 7 day opening

Real estate was through the roof for a while. Has it leveled out ?
sawmill
10-23-2009, 04:59 PM
No surprise, with an 7 day opening

Real estate was through the roof for a while. Has it leveled out ?

Hunt around Hazeltons-Kispiox Rd.,Salmon River Rd,Bear Rd,Kitsguekla Rd(That one takes you in behind Mt. Roche De Boulle,the one right in town)
Forget anything towards Gran Ilse or Babine Lake,friggen ZOO and 7 day season.:icon_frowIt is an hours drive to Burns Lake.Very little work for a guy like me..logging,constuction.Real estate in the Hazeltons is 50% of what it was when the mills were running.Smithers is a nice little town with a lot of tourism jobs that pay dick-all.Awesome country and good salmon fishing if the water ain`t too high.I left there 10 years ago after living there for 19 years.Smartest move I ever made.A year or so before I left they changed the moose season from 2 months to 7 days saying that the F N harvest had been grossly under estimated,thereby neccesitating the season for non FN`s be restricted.Enjoy!
sawmill
10-23-2009, 05:21 PM
No surprise, with an 7 day opening

Real estate was through the roof for a while. Has it leveled out ?
Buddy,land was never going through the roof,even 10 years ago.It was dropping so fast guys were walking away from their houses.The sawmills close ,every one loses in a one industry economy.Guys with 4 or 5 shows and 5 million in equipment were selling the stuff at Ritchie Brothers Auction in P.G. for 25 cents on the dollar.
I left in`99,Repap sold our mill to the Chinese and it was dismantled and shipped there.It was state of the art German tech called a Link Line.
Five hundred thousand board feet a shift,two shifts a day.Lasted untill the easy wood was gone and then they walked away.Factor in the U.S.tariffs and even the small mills closed.For a while I ran loader at a chip mill in Hazelton that filled 100 box cars a day of decent saw logs,chip them and ship them.
That country is broken.Land is cheap if you have a decent paying job but I just don`t have a place there anymore.
boxhitch
10-23-2009, 07:51 PM
buddy, just going by a report from a friend there. Prices jumped about 5 years ago, about the time the skihill announced major development ? Maybe a jump up from bottom, I don't know. He did well in a couple of trades.
boxhitch
10-23-2009, 09:52 PM
Galore Creek ? another mine project scuttled ?
jml11
10-23-2009, 10:39 PM
Sorry -

Yes, it was a mine project that was turfed, west of the Bob Quinn lake area. They started construction, but stopped when they estimated it would take another $3 billion to have it up and running. Part of the deal was for the company to run a hydro line to Dease Lake as well.

Something like 1000 construction jobs over 4 years, and 500 permanent. Those northern communities would have been given a good boost.


They are still building the road, our company works for Novagold and we still have guys up there as we speak!

Funding arrangements are nearly complete for the hydroline and it is expected to be under construction in spring 2010 if the BC gov can get it's act together.

It's considered one of the biggest ore deposits in N.A., the Mine will get built. It was never 'turfed' just temporarily scaled back to reevaluate the budget and development practices (basically turfed all the employees and started over). There has always been some form of construction up there since they started (except for winter shut down).
Maxx
10-23-2009, 11:18 PM
They are still building the road, our company works for Novagold and we still have guys up there as we speak!

Funding arrangements are nearly complete for the hydroline and it is expected to be under construction in spring 2010 if the BC gov can get it's act together.

It's considered one of the biggest ore deposits in N.A., the Mine will get built. It was never 'turfed' just temporarily scaled back to reevaluate the budget and development practices (basically turfed all the employees and started over). There has always been some form of construction up there since they started (except for winter shut down).


then why did they sell a bunch of equipment at the last Ritchie bros auction in Prince george? I think youngfella has it right...
jml11
10-24-2009, 02:25 AM
then why did they sell a bunch of equipment at the last Ritchie bros auction in Prince george? I think youngfella has it right...

The equipment sold at the auction was only a fraction of what is still up there! When they started there was literally hundreds maybe even into the thousands of workers (including myself and several colleagues), also hundreds of pieces of equipment and dozens of helicopters (it was like an airport up there!). Millions of dollars a day were being spent on the road at that time.

Initially they flew in all the equipment to staging areas with an MI-26 (amazing machine by the way) but then had their temp shutdown so all the equipment was just sitting. Novagold bought it all off the contractors as it was cheaper than flying it all out (MI-26 rate is ~$27,000 an hour :eek:). Since they have scaled back construction most of the equipment is still just sitting there. The equipment at the auction were 'extras' they could easily get out on a low bed. I wouldn't be surprised to see more equipment at future auctions as the road gets built farther back and they access more staging areas. Basically they are building the road from the start and working their way in which is significantly reducing cost (as no heli support required) instead of operating at multiple headings which required a ton of heli support (fuel and materials delivery, employee change overs, etc.). For more info check out their website and it is clear they fully intend to go ahead with the project still.

http://www.novagold.net/section.asp?pageid=3358
7mag700
10-24-2009, 08:44 AM
Initially they flew in all the equipment to staging areas with an MI-26 (amazing machine by the way) but then had their temp shutdown so all the equipment was just sitting. Novagold bought it all off the contractors as it was cheaper than flying it all out (MI-26 rate is ~$27,000 an hour :eek:).

An MI26 (the picker truck on the right is 14' tall):

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/MI26_-_Small.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=15852&size=big&cat=500)

I'm from Smithers - you'll love it there if you've got work.

7m7
325
10-24-2009, 09:59 AM
I spent the summer of 1996 in Smithers/Hazelton working for the Forest Service. I lived in the Nurses Residence at the hospital in New Hazelton. Incredible fishing, hiking, camping, and other things ;). Quite possibly the best summer of my life.
Stone Sheep Steve
10-24-2009, 12:36 PM
I spent the summer of 1996 in Smithers/Hazelton working for the Forest Service. I lived in the Nurses Residence at the hospital in New Hazelton. Incredible fishing, hiking, camping, and other things ;). Quite possibly the best summer of my life.

You know the rules...we require pics!!:p

SSS
Bowtime
10-24-2009, 02:00 PM
truth about this area is:
-gun-club is run as old-boys club,
-bumper-to-bumper traffic once GOS for moose,
-lots of closed pivate land,
-big deer are from closed private lands, access only for a choosen few
(from the old-boys club).
-not much work up there.

Sounds like you like to road hunt and Drive the Telkwa high road buddy.
Climbit
10-24-2009, 04:22 PM
my wife and I are in the process of moving to Terrace, so I am looking for work. We were going to go to Smithers but decided Terrace would be a better choice since it is larger. I love the North cant wait to get there.
lb_billy
10-24-2009, 04:35 PM
Moved to Smithers 3 yrs ago from Victoria, would never look back. Built a nice little place just out of town, riverfront, 5 acres. I could never afford that on the island...

Everything is on your doorstep. I found Smithereens a little tough to break into, socially... Terrace is nice, twice as big (11,000 or close), lots retail chains, not my style. To each their own...

I think if you are adaptable to different work environments, you shouldn't have a problem. The community seems to do well. Check out stats canada for info on demographics/industry/etc. Smithers is a diverse community, not dependent on a single industry.

With my work, I've travelled everywhere in BC right up to Yukon for 15 yrs. I could live anywhere, I chose Smithers area...
Maxx
10-24-2009, 10:48 PM
The equipment sold at the auction was only a fraction of what is still up there! When they started there was literally hundreds maybe even into the thousands of workers (including myself and several colleagues), also hundreds of pieces of equipment and dozens of helicopters (it was like an airport up there!). Millions of dollars a day were being spent on the road at that time.

Initially they flew in all the equipment to staging areas with an MI-26 (amazing machine by the way) but then had their temp shutdown so all the equipment was just sitting. Novagold bought it all off the contractors as it was cheaper than flying it all out (MI-26 rate is ~$27,000 an hour :eek:). Since they have scaled back construction most of the equipment is still just sitting there. The equipment at the auction were 'extras' they could easily get out on a low bed. I wouldn't be surprised to see more equipment at future auctions as the road gets built farther back and they access more staging areas. Basically they are building the road from the start and working their way in which is significantly reducing cost (as no heli support required) instead of operating at multiple headings which required a ton of heli support (fuel and materials delivery, employee change overs, etc.). For more info check out their website and it is clear they fully intend to go ahead with the project still.

http://www.novagold.net/section.asp?pageid=3358


extra's? then why did they sell all the 900amp brand new Generators stations? Weren't those supposed to run all the facilities? Did they not also sell all the camp living quarters, and main building? I hope you are right, but billions of dollars aren't as easy to find as they once were.... too bad, the Tahltans could have used the work...
ryanb
10-25-2009, 09:58 AM
I spent a lot of time working in the Smithers and north area in the last couple of years during the resource rush. I did fall in love with the town, and if employment opportunities were better I would love to live there. Unfortunately, opportunities are pretty scarce and real estate is not the cheapest.

There are no immediate plans to restart development of the Galore Creek project as far as I am aware.

Of course Novagold is going to say on their website that their primary property is still going to be developed, and it probably will, but not for quite some time. The issue was not the road, but a lack of suitable material to build the tailings dam. This is not a problem that will be easy to solve.
la river
10-26-2009, 09:12 AM
It's Gods country!!

Steelhead paradise...
Salmon fishing out ur ying yang....
Great deer hunting if you use your feet....
Lots of moose, yes a 7 day open season is a zoo but we are back to use your feet get off the beaten path...
World class Goats...
Snowmobiling is crazy....
Camping and hiking are superb...
Jobs are slim but the town as said doesnt rely on one industry...
Ski hill has wicked snow and isnt too bad....
Housing market not the greatest but is ok now u better get into it before the mine picks up its pace, and it will its a go, just takes a little time!!
oagie
11-29-2009, 05:29 AM
Interesting thread...

I fell in love with the area 15 years ago when my wife first brought me up for a visit. (She is from Hazelton).

All the negative things aside, we are moving to Smithers next spring, and I can't wait. I don't have a job, just faith.

Giving up my 15 year career in IT. I have had enough of the fat cat oil companies in Calgary. Time to get back to basics. Fishing, hunting, hiking, skiing, sledding, quading.

We are staying in Calgary until spring so the kids can finish out their school year. This will be the a long winter...

See you all next summer.:mrgreen:
hunter1947
11-29-2009, 05:57 AM
What I have heard and read about this area if your an outdoors person there is not a much better place to live.
sawmill
11-29-2009, 06:34 AM
What I have heard and read about this area if your an outdoors person there is not a much better place to live.

Sure there is!It`s called Kimberley:mrgreen:
hunter1947
11-29-2009, 07:11 AM
Sure there is!It`s called Kimberley:mrgreen:


You are right Joe ,Kimberley is right there as well as anywhere in the EK are as good http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif.
showoff70
11-29-2009, 02:14 PM
I will be heading up to Smithers tues morning and was just wondering if anyone is going out for the last weekend of bow season? haven't been out much this year and wouldn't mind going out one more time.Just looking for meat.