Black Bear and Moose season changes announced for September 2014
The New Brunswick government announced changes for September seasons affecting black bear and moose hunting. The moose season was extended to five days ( Tuesday- Saturday ) from the previous three.Correspondingly this resulted in a higher harvest percentage than previous years, however it was 6 % lower than predicted partially due to significantly higher than normal temperatures during the last three days of the new 5 day hunt.
Clay Harrison, the owner/operator of Long Lake Adventures, a New Brunswick Moose hunting outfitter located near Plaster Rock told me " We welcomed the new five day season but traditionally we've had little difficulty tracking down good bulls within the three day season". This held true again in 2014 as their non-resident hunter took a fine bull at 10 A.M on the first day. "The season extension certainly has tweaked the interest of more non-residents", he added.
Changes affecting the bear season took the form of both an extended season as well as the addition of a second licence being available. The fall season was extended by a full month to commence around September first whereas in previous years it started in the first week in October. The fall season runs until about November first. The spring season remains unchanged commencing April 15 and running until the end of June. Hunters may also now purchase a second licence from select outfitters; previously hunters were limited to one bear/one licence per calendar year. This change was enacted in response to an increasing bear population and subsequent increased incidents of human/bear contact.
Frank Hathaway, proprietor of Haley Brook Camps, a long-time New Brunswick black bear hunting guide who's camps are near Riley Brook says the changes should help draw more non-resident hunters to New Brunswick " The opportunity to harvest a second bear gives us an advantage over other provinces and states that allow only a single bear to be harvested" he said. The second licence does not have to be purchased until the first bear is harvested according to New Brunswick DNR. .In the nearby state of Maine black bear hunting regulations state that a hunter can only harvest one bear per year.
As of this writing ( December 3, 2014 ) no announcement has been made regarding the 2015 Moose season dates but they will be posted on this blog as soon as they are available.
