New Brunswick Big Game Harvest Reports, 2007
New Brunswick Big Game Harvest Reports, 2007
New Brunswick Big Game Harvest Reports, 2007
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Nouveau-Brunswick
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Kilometres
DEER HARVEST REPORT - 2007
Summary
New Brunswick residents harvested 98% of the total deer killed with non-residents
harvesting 2%. Approximately one in every 5 resident hunters harvested a deer for a
success rate of 20% and one in every 5 non-residents harvested a deer for a success rate
of 20%. Zones 10, 16, 20, 22 and 23 contributed 52% of the harvest with 33% of the total
harvest occurring during the first week of the four-week firearms season (Oct.22 - 27). A
total of 76% of the harvest was adult male, 20% adult female, and 4% fawns.
A total of 20,259 resident hunters applied for the computerized antlerless deer tag
draw of which 6,050 were successful. Hunters with antlerless deer tags harvested 3,470
deer in the 2007 season, for an overall success rate of 57%. Of the successful antlerless
permit holders 29% killed adult bucks while 71% harvested antlerless animals. The
remaining 47,673 hunters, hunting only antlered deer, harvested 7,100 animals for a
success rate of 15%.
2008 Synopsis
The 2007/8 winter was one of the harshest winters ever recorded in northern New
Brunswick. Winter losses were up compared to long-term average winter losses across
the province, with 14% herd loss estimated in the south, 24% loss in central NB, and
upwards of 34% losses in northern NB. It is expected that fawn and yearling survival rates
will be significantly affected by the winter conditions, and their proportion in fall harvest
numbers will drop accordingly. Thankfully, recent fall harvests have shown hunters
selecting for yearling bucks, and therefore pressure on older age classes has remained
lower. These factors will contribute to a decline in overall harvest numbers, as well as the
proportion of yearling bucks in the harvest – however, a much higher proportion of mature
bucks will be shot in the harvest this fall. In response to the severity of the 2007-8 winter,
antlerless permits have been reduced to zero across most of central and northern NB to
help mitigate these losses. Central NB Wildlife Management Zones saw only minor
reductions in permits, while southern zones that are growing despite severe winters, and
that have already reached carrying capacity will see increases in antlerless permits in an
attempt to further increase doe harvests.
Depending on weather, DNR expects the harvest to be in the neighbourhood of 8,000 deer
for the fall of 2008.
1
DEER LICENCE SALES AND HARVESTS
New Brunswick 1968 - 2007
LICENCES SOLD HARVESTS
YEAR RESIDENT NON-RES. TOTAL TOTAL RESIDENT NON-RES. TOTAL UNKNOWN TOTAL
BOW
GUN GUN BOW GUN SEASON GUN SEASON SEASON
2
o WMZ's 3,4,5 & 9 closed to deer hunting, "bucks only" in WMZ's 1, 2 6, 8, 11, 12, 13 & 15 (two week season in WMZ's 1&2)
DEER HARVEST (Gun & Bow)
1979-2007 New Brunswick
0 0
79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07
Year
120,000 7,000
6,000
100,000
5,000
80,000
4,000
60,000
3,000
40,000
2,000
20,000 1,000
0 0
79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07
Year
3
REGISTERED DEER KILL BY
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT ZONE
2007 NEW BRUNSWICK
ANTLERLESS DEER
ADULT ADULT FAWN FAWN UNKNOWN TOTAL
WMZ MALES FEMALES MALES FEMALES SEX/AGE HARVEST
1 21 1 22
2 189 2 191
3 0
4 Closed Season 0
5 0
6 388 169 16 20 593
7 226 25 6 3 260
8 142 1 143
9 Closed Season 0
10 577 312 24 47 3 963
11 302 117 8 8 1 436
12 281 21 8 7 317
13 96 1 97
14 90 2 2 94
15 275 63 4 6 348
16 850 264 21 18 1 1,154
17 387 58 9 5 459
18 328 55 3 8 2 396
19 195 15 3 1 2 216
20 772 38 6 2 818
21 465 129 15 13 622
22 1,133 501 55 51 1,740
23 607 202 16 13 838
24 245 16 5 266
25 254 21 5 3 4 287
26 35 15 1 51
27 141 104 2 12 259
UNKNOWN 0
TOTAL 7,999 2,128 210 217 16 10,570
4
REGISTERED DEER HARVEST
BY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT ZONE
NEW BRUNSWICK 2007
TOTAL HARVEST NUMBER ( ) and HARVEST PER KM2 [ ]
3 5
Closed 4 Closed
Closed Closed
9
2
(191) 8
1 [0.07] 6 (143)
(22) 7 [0.03]
[0.03] (593) (260)
[0.23]
11 [0.04]
(436) 14
[0.17]
10 (94)
(963)
12 13 [0.04]
(317)
[0.34]
[0.09] (97) 19
[0.04]
16 18 (216)
17 [0.10]
(1154)
(396) 25
(459) [0.15]
[0.27] (287)
[0.14]
24 [0.14]
15 22 (266)
[0.13]
(348) 21 (1740)
[0.12] (622)
23
[0.59]
[0.24] (838)
20
[0.30]
(818)
[0.15]
26
(51) 27
[1.31] (259)
[1.67]
5
DEER HUNTER SUCCESS RATES
1979-2007 New Brunswick
% successful
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07
Year
6
REPORTED NON-HUNTING DEER MORTALITY
1981-2007 New Brunswick
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07
Year
1000
Wk.1 Wk.2 Wk.3 Wk.4
900
3486 2039 1989 2882
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
ct ct ct ct ct ct ct ct ct ct ov ov ov ov ov ov ov ov ov ov ov ov ov ov ov ov ov
-O -O -O -O -O -O -O -O -O -O -N -N -N -N -N -N -N -N -N -N -N -N -N -N -N -N -N
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Day
7
ANTLERLESS DEER VALIDATION TAG DRAW
SUMMARY
2007 New Brunswick
# # % Successful
WMZ Quota Applications Drawn Applicants
1 0 0 0 n/a
2 0 0 0 n/a
3 0 NO PERMITS
0 AVAILABLE 0 n/a
4 0 0 0 n/a
5 0 0 0 n/a
6 300 1,534 303 19.8%
7 100 961 103 10.7%
8 0 0 0 n/a
NO PERMITS AVAILABLE
9 0 0 0 n/a
10 600 2,154 609 28.3%
11 200 990 207 20.9%
12 50 798 54 6.8%
13 0 0 0 n/a
NO PERMITS AVAILABLE
14 0 0 0 n/a
15 150 418 156 37.3%
16 700 1,969 705 35.8%
17 150 663 157 23.7%
18 200 1,119 205 18.3%
19 50 588 55 9.4%
20 100 1,413 113 8.0%
21 400 772 401 51.9%
22 1600 3,601 1,619 45.0%
23 700 1,426 713 50.0%
24 50 537 52 9.7%
25 100 818 100 12.2%
26 50 41 41 100.0%
27 500 457 457 100.0%
TOTALS 6,000 20,259 6,050 29.9%
8
MOOSE HARVEST REPORT – 2007
Summary
Each year, moose licence quotas are established for each Wildlife Management Zone open to
moose hunting. The moose licence quota does not indicate the desired moose harvest level; rather,
it indicates the number of licences needed to reach the desired moose harvest level. Licence
quotas are affected by several factors, most importantly the estimate of moose population size, the
amount of unregulated moose harvest, and the success rate of hunters in the regulated hunt.
Changes in those factors often cause moose licence quotas to fluctuate up and down from year-to-
year, even when moose populations and harvest targets are stable or increasing, as has been the
case in the past few years. The resident moose licence quota in 2007 was 3,117 licences, an
increase of 3.8% from 2006 (3,002 licences).
A total of 57,442 NB residents and 1,875 non-residents submitted applications to the moose licence
draw in 2007; 3,110 resident and 100 non-resident applicants were successful. Of those successful
applicants, 3,061 residents and 99 non-residents purchased licences. A total of 79% of resident
moose licence holders chose to designate another resident hunter to accompany them on their
licence, a slight decrease from 81% in 2006.
The total registered moose harvest in 2007 was 2,120 moose, a decrease of 10% from 2006 (2,362
moose). Resident hunters harvested 2,052 moose, while non-residents took 68 moose. The overall
hunter success rate was 67%, although lower than the 2006 success rate (78%), it is still the second
highest success rate ever recorded for New Brunswick’s moose hunt. This high level of hunter
success despite less than ideal weather conditions was partly due to season timing. Moose hunting
season is set in regulation to be the last Thursday-Saturday of September, so the season timing
varies each year according to the calendar. In 2007, this resulted in a season of September 27-29th,
only one day earlier than the absolute latest dates possible, and closer to the annual rut than has
been the case in recent years. During the previous year (2006), the combination of late season and
excellent weather conditions resulted in that year’s phenomenal hunter success rate.
2008 Synopsis
New Brunswick’s moose population appears to be growing or stable in most areas of the province.
The resident moose licence quota for 2008 has been increased by 233, to 3,350 licences. Moose
hunting season occurs on September 25-27th for 2008.
Although the moose herd appears to be relatively healthy, it is difficult to accurately assess due to
the unknown quantity and distribution of animals being removed by unregulated harvest. The
regulated licence allocation must be conservative to insure sustainability of the moose population
until a moose harvest and reporting system can be established that accommodates existing
aboriginal and treaty rights.
9
NUMBER OF MOOSE APPLICATIONS, LICENCES ISSUED AND HARVEST
1960 - 2007 NEW BRUNSWICK
# # Licences Reg'd % Hunter # # Licences Reg'd % Hunter
Year Applications Drawn Issued Kill Success Year Applications Drawn Issued Kill Success
d
[Moose season closed 1936 and reopened in 1960] [Bulls only hunting from 1960 to 1965] 1996 res. 57,514 4,244 3,848 1,678 44
e
1960 8,321 400 383 174 45 non-res. 671 100 100 37 37
1961 17,221 800 771 262 34 1996 total 58,185 4,344 3,948 1,715 43
1962 16,354 1,000 963 297 31 1997 res. d 59,428 4,754 4,301 2,075 48
1963 16,359 1,000 1,000 296 30 non-res. 680 100 101 46 46
1964 17,380 1,000 1,000 307 31 1997 total 60,108 4,854 4,402 2,121 48
1965 18,460 1,000 1,000 314 31 1998 res. d 55,590 4,804 4,573 2,377 52
1966 26,500 1,000 1,000 606 61 non-res. 1,105 100 96 50 52
1967 16,500 1,000 1,000 469 47 1998 total 56,695 4,904 4,669 2,427 52
1968 12,724 1,500 1,500 724 48 1999 res. d 57,271 4,683 4,519 1,974 44
1969 16,009 1,600 1,566 707 45 non-res. 1,108 100 98 48 49
1970 14,016 2,000 1,959 858 44 1999 total 58,379 4,783 4,617 2,022 44
1971 18,334 2,000 1,959 931 48 2000 res. d 48,469 4,283 4,174 2,485 60
1972 21,639 2,500 2,441 1,043 43 non-res. 986 100 97 52 54
1973 31,558 2,500 2,460 1,127 46 2000 total 49,455 4,383 4,271 2,537 59
1974 a 39,157 6,000 5,580 1,085 19 2001 res. d 50,504 4,518 4,415 2,518 57
1975 17,587 6,000 4,528 969 21 non-res. 1,322 100 96 55 57
1976 17,347 6,000 4,753 1,131 24 2001 total 51,826 4,618 4,511 2,573 57
1977 15,815 6,000 4,746 1,246 26 2002 res. d 53,916 4,293 4,191 2,020 48
1978 18,547 6,000 4,604 1,547 34 non-res. 1,586 100 95 51 54
1979 25,007 6,000 4,786 1,360 28 2002 total 55,502 4,393 4,286 2,071 48
1980 24,503 6,000 4,935 1,230 25 2003 res. d 47,029 2,779 2,714 1,518 56
1981 33,500 6,000 4,892 1,436 29 non-res. 1,559 100 94 50 53
1982 35,000 6,000 5,032 1,344 27 2003 total 48,588 2,879 2,808 1,568 56
1983 38,302 6,000 5,065 1,287 25 2004 res. d 50,585 2,769 2,694 1,727 64
1984 36,727 6,000 5,175 1,618 31 non-res. 1,539 100 96 67 70
1985 41,104 6,000 5,063 1,346 27 2004 total 52,124 2,869 2,790 1,794 64
1986 39,127 6,000 5,228 1,625 31 2005 res. d 54,026 3,266 3,207 2,026 63
1987 37,625 6,000 5,210 1,838 35 non-res. 1,824 100 97 58 60
1988 35,890 6,000 5,185 1,473 28 2005 total 55,850 3,366 3,304 2,084 63
1989 b 28,895 6,000 5,243 2,022 39 2006 res. d 55,972 3,002 2,913 2,290 79
1990 33,894 6,000 5,250 1,657 32 non-res. 1,744 100 98 72 73
1991 39,314 6,000 5,234 1,753 33 2006 total 57,716 3,102 3,011 2,362 78
d
1992 39,212 6,000 5,321 1,899 36 2007 res. 57,442 3,110 3,061 2,052 67
1993 42,332 6,000 5,320 2,061 39 non-res. 1,875 100 99 68 69
1994 c 54,030 5,655 5,010 2,094 42 2007 total 59,317 3,210 3,160 2,120 67
1995 53,791 5,649 4,989 2,326 47
a 3 day season begins; b Moose licence fee increased from $25 to $50; c Allocation of hunters by Wildlife Management Zone begins;
d Resident licences issued are party chiefs. Resident success is for party regardless of number of hunters.; e 100 non-resident
hunters included in the moose hunt in 1996 for first time.
10
MOOSE HUNTING APPLICATIONS
1976 - 2007 New Brunswick
# Applications
70000
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07
Year
Resident applications Non-resident applications
- 76-93: 5 year waiting period
-1994: no waiting period or test; $6 application fee
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07
Year
party chiefs non-residents designated hunters
- 76-93: test req'd; 6000 applications drawn
- 1994: no test; fewer applications drawn
- 1996: 2-person parties allowed; non-residents allowed; fewer resident applications drawn
- 2003: permits reduced to mitigate impact of unregulated aboriginal harvest
11
MOOSE DRAW DATA, LICENCE PURCHASE AND KILL
SUCCESS OF RESIDENT MOOSE HUNTING PARTIES
New Brunswick 2007
Resident
Principal Designated
Licence Hunter Hunter 2007 Licence
Quota Applicants Licences¹ Licences2 Reg'd % Quota
WMZ 2007 # Applicants Drawn Purchased Purchased Kill Successful 2008
1 31 775 31 31 29 23 74 31
2 98 1,811 98 98 78 78 80 102
3 182 3,644 182 181 158 167 92 181
4 154 1,729 153 149 107 107 72 177
5 140 2,662 139 138 92 94 68 162
6 96 1,376 96 94 61 73 78 102
7 190 7,281 190 185 145 148 80 251
8 189 3,536 189 187 133 113 60 213
9 48 1,030 48 47 34 23 49 56
10 83 1,577 83 80 50 71 89 76
11 82 1,238 81 79 44 74 94 93
12 208 3,357 208 207 158 149 72 195
13 53 1,617 53 53 44 44 83 69
14 53 1,565 53 53 46 33 62 91
15 88 1,585 88 86 65 59 69 92
16 144 2,543 144 140 110 99 71 162
17 30 842 30 30 28 21 70 40
18 99 2,644 98 96 95 51 53 104
19 55 1,134 55 54 47 36 67 53
20 457 6,429 457 450 375 222 49 448
21 190 1,592 190 184 123 103 56 211
22 83 612 80 77 67 22 29 86
23 211 3,989 211 210 184 136 65 220
24 84 1,492 84 84 76 59 70 78
25 69 1,382 69 68 67 47 69 57
Province 3,117 57,442 3,110 3,061 2,416 2,0523 67 3,350
1
Licences purchased are those of the resident principal hunters who were successful in the draw.
2
Designated hunter licences allow principal hunters to be accompanied by one other resident hunter who can assist in filling their tag.
79% of residents who were successful in the draw and purchased a moose hunting licence chose to hunt with a designated hunter.
3
Resident kill only.
12
MOOSE HARVESTED & HUNTER SUCCESS
RATES
1976-2007 New Brunswick
# Moose killed % Success
3500 80
3000 70
60
2500
50
2000
40
1500
30
1000
20
500 10
0 0
76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07
Year
Moose Killed Hunter Success
1000
Age Male Female
0.5 234 225
800 1.5 466 415
1018
2.5 612 515
600 3.5 701 553
4.5 752 532
400 559 543
5.5 791 569
6.5 788 574
200 Saturday
Thursday Friday 7.5 748 535
0
8.5 866 573
27 28 29 9.5+ 785 584
September 2007 * Weights were obtained from 1017 moose registered at
Fredericton and Edmundston, 1986 - 1989 & at
Fredericton 1995 - 2000.
13
REGISTERED MOOSE HARVEST
BY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT ZONE
NEW BRUNSWICK 2007
TOTAL HARVEST NUMBER ( ) and HARVEST PER KM2 [ ]
3 5
(180) 4 (97)
[0.063] (109) 9
[0.030] (23)
[0.030] [0.020]
2 8
(80) (113)
1 [0.029] 6 [0.027]
(24)
(74)
7
[0.029]
[0.028] 11 (152)
(78)
[0.024] 14
(33)
10 [0.031]
[0.013]
(76)
12 13
(154) (47)
[0.027]
[0.045] [0.018]
19
(36)
16 17 18
[0.016]
(101)
(26) [0.019]
(51) 25
[0.024]
(47)
[0.008] 24 [0.023]
15 22
(61)
(22) [0.030]
(71) 21
(103) [0.007]
[0.025] 23
[0.040]
20 (138)
(224) [0.050]
[0.042]
26
(No Season) 27
(No Season)
14
SEX AND AGE OF MOOSE HARVESTED
from 1960 - 2007 New Brunswick
[moose season was closed in 1936 and reopened in 1960]
15
SEX AND AGE OF MOOSE HARVESTED
BY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT ZONE
2007 New Brunswick
MALE FEMALE
Age Age
WMZ Adult Yearling Calf Unknown Adult Yearling Calf Unknown Total
1 8 7 5 4 24
2 34 16 2 18 7 3 80
3 106 29 1 2 27 13 2 180
4 55 16 1 2 26 6 3 109
5 48 20 2 1 17 8 1 97
6 39 19 1 10 4 1 74
7 104 30 9 7 2 152
8 61 34 11 5 2 113
9 15 2 1 4 1 23
10 41 9 2 15 7 2 76
11 44 14 2 13 4 1 78
12 92 39 13 7 2 1 154
13 30 10 7 47
14 24 4 5 33
15 34 9 2 14 11 1 71
16 56 11 5 16 10 3 101
17 14 2 1 6 3 26
18 23 16 1 6 4 1 51
19 19 7 5 5 36
20 126 36 3 37 15 7 224
21 59 9 2 24 5 3 102
22 11 2 2 5 1 1 22
23 68 21 3 28 13 3 2 138
24 28 9 3 13 6 1 60
25 25 10 1 4 3 4 47
Unknown 0
Province 1164 381 35 5 338 148 44 3 2118*
* There were two calf moose whose sex was not determined
16
MOOSE SIGHTINGS PER HOUR HUNTED
FOR WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT ZONES
1990 - 2007 New Brunswick
WMZ Sightings per Hour Hunted
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
1 0.03 0.06 0.06 0.04 0.05 0.08 0.07 0.04 0.13 0.12 0.09 0.03 0.03 0.12 0.07 0.13 0.24 0.13
2 0.04 0.05 0.04 0.07 0.04 0.07 0.06 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.06 0.11 0.09 0.11 0.13 0.19 0.28 0.19
3 0.06 0.05 0.07 0.07 0.05 0.07 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.14 0.12 0.11 0.13 0.14 0.14 0.22 0.43 0.24
4 0.05 0.04 0.05 0.04 0.03 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.06 0.05 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.05 0.06 0.05 0.14 0.09
5 0.06 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.04 0.08 0.09 0.04 0.08 0.05 0.08 0.06 0.06 0.07 0.10 0.07 0.14 0.08
6 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.06 0.05 0.07 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.06 0.11 0.09 0.10 0.11 0.15 0.20 0.15
7 0.05 0.04 0.05 0.04 0.07 0.08 0.08 0.06 0.07 0.07 0.09 0.08 0.08 0.08 0.11 0.10 0.24 0.19
8 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.03 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.05 0.07 0.07 0.10 0.08
9 0.04 0.04 0.02 0.07 0.01 0.05 0.10 0.08 0.01 0.05 0.05 0.10 0.09 0.07 0.08 0.04 0.17 0.07
10 0.05 0.06 0.08 0.06 0.07 0.07 0.08 0.05 0.08 0.07 0.10 0.07 0.10 0.19 0.11 0.10 0.47 0.21
11 0.04 0.06 0.07 0.06 0.06 0.08 0.07 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.09 0.10 0.06 0.19 0.13 0.19 0.22 0.22
12 0.05 0.04 0.06 0.05 0.06 0.06 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.04 0.07 0.15 0.07 0.07 0.13 0.09 0.16 0.15
13 0.03 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.05 0.08 0.03 0.09 0.18 0.09 0.23 0.24
14 0.04 0.04 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.03 0.05 0.03 0.03 0.06 0.05 0.03 0.06 0.08 0.06 0.18 0.08
15 0.05 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.05 0.08 0.06 0.06 0.08 0.06 0.08 0.08 0.07 0.13 0.12 0.10 0.16 0.09
16 0.03 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.06 0.03 0.05 0.06 0.05 0.06 0.06 0.07 0.10 0.16 0.13 0.17 0.12
17 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.03 0.04 0.04 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.03 0.11 0.06 0.19 0.37 0.11 0.10 0.09
18 closed closed closed closed 0.05 0.05 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.05 0.06 0.04 0.04 0.06 0.07 0.05 0.09 0.07
19 0.03 0.03 0.02 0.04 0.03 0.03 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.03 0.02 0.05 0.04 0.06 0.07 0.04 0.13 0.13
20 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.06 0.04 0.06 0.07 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.08 0.06 0.12 0.07
21 0.04 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.05 0.06 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.05 0.10 0.05 0.06 0.08 0.05 0.12 0.09 0.08
22 0.02 0.03 0.02 0.02 0.01 0.03 0.02 0.07 0.01 0.02 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.04 0.02 0.09 0.02
23 0.04 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.07 0.06 0.07 0.06 0.05 0.07 0.06 0.07 0.04 0.08 0.10 0.18 0.09
24 closed closed closed closed 0.05 0.11 0.06 0.14 0.08 0.07 0.10 0.10 0.09 0.06 0.05 0.09 0.18 0.14
25 0.04 0.03 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.03 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.02 0.04 0.03 0.02 0.04 0.08 0.04 0.10 0.09
26 closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed
27 closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed closed
Province 0.04 0.04 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.06 0.06 0.05 0.06 0.05 0.07 0.07 0.06 0.08 0.09 0.09 0.17 0.12
Note: Report forms from both successful and unsuccessful moose hunter party chiefs were used to
determine the number of moose sightings per hour of hunting, see 2007 Moose Hunter Survey.
17
BLACK BEAR HARVEST REPORT – 2007
Summary
Hunters harvested a total of 1,864 black bears during New Brunswick’s 2007 hunting
seasons. 1514 bears were taken in the spring season, 274 were taken during the fall
gun season, and 76 were taken during the fall bow-only season in September. Of
the 25 Wildlife Management Zones (WMZ’s) that have black bear populations, 8
WMZ’s (6, 7, 10, 12, 15, 16, 20 and 21) contributed 56% of the total harvest.
A total of 5,199 black bear licences were sold in 2007, down by 3% from 2006
(5,341). Of this total, 2,899 were non-resident licences of which only 2,707 were
actually used by non-resident hunters. The non-resident licences sold included 164
that were purchased by outfitters and guides but were unused by their non-resident
clients. Included as well were 28 licences purchased through the draw system by
non-residents who did not pick them up. There were 2,300 New Brunswick residents
who purchased bear hunting licences. Non-resident hunters harvested 1,517 bears
for a 56% success rate, whereas residents harvested 347 bears for a success rate
of 15%. Of the total harvest, 436 animals (23 percent) were taken by bow hunting.
Of 148 bears reported killed that were not taken by hunters, 103 were killed by
motor vehicles and 24 were destroyed as nuisance animals.
2008 Synopsis
New Brunswick’s black bear population is currently estimated at more than 16,000
animals. Bear hunters should expect to have an average year during the 18 weeks
of bear hunting opportunity in 2008.
18
BLACK BEAR HARVEST STATISTICS
1971 - 2007 New Brunswick
LICENCES SOLD BLACK BEAR HARVEST
Non-
Resident
Non- Licences Non- Unknown/
Year Resident Resident Total Used1 Resident Resident Other2 Total
1971 2,357 1,172 3,529 Unknown Unknown Unknown
1972 4,827 1,016 5,843 Unknown Unknown Unknown
1973 6,156 1,152 7,308 449 161 610
1974 7,783 956 8,739 Unknown 118 Unknown
1975 9,729 871 10,600 Unknown Unknown Unknown
1976 11,780 775 12,555 444 190 634
1977 5,459 730 6,189 Unknown Unknown Unknown
1978 3,535 470 4,005 Unknown Unknown Unknown
1979 5,032 547 5,579 587 190 777
1980 1,326 685 2,011 365 316 681
1981 1,233 790 2,023 180 172 352
1982 1,314 1,282 2,596 330 325 655
1983 1,438 1,420 2,858 352 449 801
19843 1,649 1,935 3,584 125 455 293 873
1985 1,519 2,124 3,643 133 498 87 718
1986 2,069 2,817 4,886 173 598 38 809
1987 2,130 3,235 5,365 154 770 52 976
1988 2,077 3,342 5,419 200 793 69 1,062
1989 1,119 2,599 3,718 182 798 71 1,051
1990 984 2,413 3,397 212 842 34 1,088
1991 887 1,827 2,714 168 612 36 816
1992 854 1,850 2,704 212 795 46 1,053
1993 1,022 1,980 3,002 288 865 51 1,207
1994 1,193 2,321 3,514 331 980 49 1,360
1995 1,131 2,659 3,790 281 1,103 108 1,491
1996 1,083 2,623 3,706 292 1,077 41 1,410
1997 1,068 2,685 3,695 2,304 254 1,046 30 1,330
1998 1,091 2,584 3,675 2,414 243 1,087 64 1,394
1999 1,263 2,589 3,852 2,357 236 1,198 86 1,520
2000 1,330 3,275 4,605 3,047 352 1,577 80 2,009
2001 1,599 3,199 4,798 2,998 264 1,517 113 1,894
2002 1,808 3,297 5,105 3,106 380 1,525 74 1,979
2003 1,868 3,512 5,380 3,015 293 1,663 87 2,043
2004 1,958 3,609 5,567 3,357 352 1,759 116 2,227
2005 1,920 3,416 5,336 3,225 297 1,681 107 2,085
2006 2,113 3,228 5,341 3,012 359 1,565 113 2,037
2007 2,300 2,899 5,199 2,707 347 1,517 148 2,012
1-This column reflects the number of non-resident hunters who actually hunted bears in New Brunswick.
Some non-resident bear hunting licences are allocated to outfitters but not all of the purchased licences may
actually used by clients. As well, non-residents will buy licences in advance of their trip and sometimes fail to
come to New Brunswick to use them.
2- Refers to animals reported as being killed by motor vehicles, other accidental means, as nuisances or
poached.
3- Mandatory registration began in fall of 1984.
19
SPRING AND FALL BLACK BEAR REGISTRATIONS
1979 - 2007 New Brunswick
# Bears Killed
2200
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07
Year
Total Harvest Spring Harvest Fall Harvest
79-84 kill estimated from hunter survey
20
Registered Black Bear Kill
By Wildlife Management Zone
Hunting Mortality 2007 New Brunswick
WMZ Area (km²) #Males #Females Unknown Kill per km² Total
Sex Harvest
1 813 4 17 0.026 21
2 2,666 25 16 0.015 41
3 2,865 22 17 0.014 39
4 3,613 42 23 0.018 65
5 3,206 51 31 2 0.026 84
6 2,580 55 33 1 0.034 89
7 6,265 91 75 1 0.027 167
8 4,116 46 18 0.016 64
9 1,109 4 2 0.005 6
10 2,800 72 46 0.042 118
11 2,536 58 28 0.034 86
12 3,421 56 49 0.031 105
13 2,639 35 24 1 0.023 60
14 2,357 39 19 0.025 58
15 2,681 80 51 0.049 131
16 4,274 81 49 0.030 130
17 3,056 42 32 0.024 74
18 2,341 32 11 0.018 43
19 2,212 20 15 0.016 35
20 5,255 117 80 0.037 197
21 2,561 61 47 0.042 108
22 2,934 33 20 0.018 53
23 2,538 22 9 0.012 31
24 2,002 27 10 0.018 37
25 2,062 16 4 0.010 20
26 39
NO OPEN SEASON
27 155
Unknown -- 2 -- 2
Province 72,902 1,133 726 5 0.026 1,864
21
2007 SPRING BLACK BEAR HARVEST
BY WEEK OF KILL, NEW BRUNSWICK
# Bears
400 324
303 280
300
207
165
200
97 92
100 18 27
1
0
April 21 28 May 5 12 19 26 June 2 9 16 23 30
Week Ending
Males Females Total Bears
Season: April 16 - June 30
200
128
100 43 63
33 25 35 23
0
Sept 15 22 Oct 6 13 20 27 Nov 3
Week Ending
Bow season: September 10 - 22
Males Females Total Bears
Gun Season: October 1 - November 3
22
SEX RATIOS OF ADULTS [>3.5 Years]
1984-2007 New Brunswick
% of harvest
50
45 40
40
35
30 27
25 24 24
22 22 2222 21 2221 2322
25 2021 19 20 21 21 2022
17 18 18 18 1717 17 18 18 1918 18 1819 17
1918
20 15 1615 15 16 15 16
12 13
15
10
5
0
84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07
Year
23
2007 BLACK BEAR
Age and Sex Summary
(Spring and Fall Harvest, New Brunswick)
# Bears
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
5
.5
.5
.5
.5
.5
.5
.5
5
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
6.
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
>1
Age Class (Years)
Male Female
0
84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06
Year
Males Females All Bears
1984 data from fall harvest only
24
BIG GAME BAG LIMITS, SEASON DATES,
LICENCE FEES AND LICENCE REVENUES
New Brunswick - 2007
DEER: Bag Limit: 1 deer per year (antlerless deer by permit only)
25