At worst he might be sent home. At least he won’t be thrown into detention for weeks like the Canadian woman who had to leave the US to renew her work visa and ended up in multiple prisons/jails before she was released to come home.
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You do not bring guns across the border into Canada. Just not allowed.
Wow, here’s the story of the Canadian woman who was detained:
It’s bizarre and shocking that they didn’t just let her go back to her home country immediately and book a flight, as she wished to do so.
Although some of the people she was detained with had overstayed their visas (not that this excuses how they were treated), in this instance, a Welsh woman was put in chains because she had helped around the houses of the people where she stayed, which was said to be considered “employment.” (I’m putting this case, given in the horse industry, there are so many bartering agreements where money doesn’t technically change hands, so this maybe relevant).
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Thank you for the links. After the last week at work I’m too mentally exhausted to search for the supporting information.
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Yes, you can bring hunting guns across the border into Canada. He and his friends have been doing it for years. His friends have developed close relationships with farmers in Saskatchewan who invite them every year to hunt in their harvested fields. (It helps that my husband’s friends own a fishing boat and bring halibut and salmon as gifts for the farmers.) Last year, one of the families invited them to their Thanksgiving dinner.
The guns are usually not an issue at the crossing. My husband has all the paperwork in order. Right now, bird flu is the bigger problem. This fall’s trip may not happen.
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I have brought guns over the border several times now. You need to have them stored correctly etc but hunting and target shooting people do it every day I would guess. Not to mention all the people going to and from Alaska.
The border guards at the US Canada border have always been prickly and capricious. I have absolutely seen them pick on people for what appears to be no reason on both sides, the Canadians are no better than the US, in fact i have Canadian friends who would say they can be worse if you are Canadian in particular. I have friends who’ve been denied or in one case deported for absolutely ridiculous issues and you truly never know how they will react. Having said that I would not risk crossing now as a groom or assistant who was not born in the usa. It’s the disappearing people into South America or Guantanamo bay that’s the issue.
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I have only crossed at the I-5 border crossing or at the Vancouver or Victoria airport. Never had a problem. My husband did have a hassle at Heathrow, though, when a customs agent thought his bird watching binoculars were suspicious.
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Yes, the Canadian border guards have always been on the lookout for Canadian citizens coming home with undeclared purchases, since cross border shipping is such a huge deal. There have been periods where the currency rate has been favorable enough to make cross border shopping a huge savings. Plus access to American brands (less of a big deal now, but up through the 1990s a very big thing). The exemption, the exemption period, and the duties charged change over time but the two times I went across the border to pick things up at a commercial mailbox facility, I had to go in and spend half an hour paying duty. This was before 2019. If they thought you were actually snuggling undeclared purchases it could get ugly
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Same with the American side if they thought you were bringing pot back when it was legal in Canada and not the US 
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Suspicious in what way? 
I have no idea. They made him unpack his bag so they could inspect the binoculars. Once they figured it out, we passed through customs.
Huh. That seems weird. 
That’s odd. I have not ever had a problem with the Canadian border guards. They have simple questions, where have you been, how long have you been away, do you have anything to declare*, and then.‘welcome home’…
ETA: anything to declare they want to know what you are bringing into the country.
You are allowed to purchase a certain amount depending upon how long you have been out of the country. If you are over that you will/may have to pay taxes on the item. They also want to know if you have firearms, alcohol, etc. These are legitimate questions.
I think you only get into a problem with them if you arouse their suspicions or if you take an attitude.
You may then be sent over to another area where your vehicle will be checked/ examined - turned upside down.
Going in to the US, I have noticed a distinct difference in the attitude of the border guards, starting in 2016. And it is getting worse.
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No more weird than having his bag checked when he brings home 10 lbs. of cheese from our trips to the upper Midwest. 
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LOL! I remember once going through customs at the airport, and in the aisle next to me, a passenger coming back from Italy had a huge suitcase full of salami.
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When we lived in Michigan in the early aughts, we’d cross often at Port Huron and back into Buffalo, because my family lived in upstate NY.
The worst crossing we had was heading home one Christmas. We had the dogs with us, as we had a dozen times before, and crossing in to Canada the agent gave us a hard time about proof of Rabies vaccine. Both dogs had their rabies tag on their collars, and the agent went on and on about how anyone could fabricate fakes and bring rabid dogs into the country He made us turn around to go get copies of the certificates from the vet. It was a Saturday morning, and our vet’s office was open, so we went into Port Huron, got copies of the certificates faxed to a Kinkos, and headed back. Of course we pulled up to the next agent prepared with all our documentation, and she didn’t even look at the dogs, just sent us through.
My husband also had a dicey solo crossing coming back into Buffalo. One of my best friends was getting married there, so I went early to help with pre-wedding stuff but my husband had a work conflict and wasn’t able to come until the day of the wedding. So he rented a car, which I guess made him suspicious because we had a history of crossing together in our regular car. He got pulled and brought inside for a conversation. While he was inside and the car was parked near the office, someone actually hit the parked car. That was a nightmare to clear up with the rental company!!
I used to fill my suitcase to the brim when in France and Belgium. Between champagne, cheese, chocolate, different chip flavors, pastry flour, I don’t know how I never had an incident.
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A friend of mine loved Norwegian candy and chocolate and she took the candy out of the original bag so that it wasn’t a bulky bag in her suitcases, and she stuff the candies and chocolate all through her bags. The customs agent’s eyebrows went up and stayed up when going through her bags. haha
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O. M. G. Horrible!
A few years back, my young nephew was on a family trip to Scotland, and he discovered some soda that he thought was the best thing ever. I think it was Irn Bru?
But anyway, he was developing a great plan to either empty out a suitcase or buy a new suitcase or something like that so he could pack up a bunch of the soda to take home with him.
I forget if he actually went through with that plan or not.
But I’m pretty sure it turned out that the soda was available in the US. He had just never come across it before. So there was really no need to lug a suitcase of soda back across the Atlantic. Lol.
No offense, but I can understand why having the certificate might be required. My friend’s dog was bitten by an off-leash dog (the owner was there) when she was walking her dog in very posh Connecticut suburb. The off-leash dog had tags, but because my friend’s dog had to be taken to the vet and had extensive bills, she pursued restitution for said bills. The vet also urged her to make sure the dog was vaccinated. Turns out, despite having tags, the dog was not up-to-date his rabies vaccines. You’d be surprised how many people just don’t bother. Especially with all the weirdness about vaccines today. Some dog owners, just like some people with their kids are rabidly (ha) anti-vaccine, or think dogs are over-vaccinated.
I know yours were, but just adding that!
Funny story from the 90s. My friends and I drove into Canada in college on a fall break trip. Driving back:
Canadian Customs Agent: Anything to declare?
Friend (smiling, lifting up red shiny can in cup holder): Just some Coke!
Canadian Customs Agent (waves car through).
beat
Friend puts head in hands as we all burst into laughter.
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