As Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, I’m happy to share the 2021-22 Newfoundland and Labrador Hunting and Trapping Guide. Within this guide is everything you need to know about quotas, season dates, regulations, and the work we do to manage wildlife and support conservation.
Tracking a moose through the woods on a crisp, fall morning, watching a new hunter take aim during their first outing, enjoying a boil-up after a long day’s walk – for thousands of outdoor enthusiasts, this new guide assists with planning those adventures.
The information we collect from annual field surveys and research studies and hunting licence and jawbone returns helps biologists and managers provide important recommendations concerning wildlife management that determine annual harvest quotas and seasons. For this coming big game season, we’re allocating 28,324 moose licences for Newfoundland – an overall increase of 369 licences. In Labrador, moose quotas have not changed, with 384 either-sex moose licences available for the upcoming season. To learn more about how we determined moose quotas for 2021, please watch this video.
For caribou, 575 licences are available for the Island again this season. However for Labrador, the hunting ban enacted in 2013 to protect Labrador caribou is still in effect. As a result of this ban, we are seeing increases in the George River Caribou Herd. Recent census information indicates the population has increased for the first time in 25 years. This is a positive sign for the future, and we’re eagerly looking forward to new survey information that will give scientists a clearer picture of the status of this important and iconic herd.
Last season our department asked successful hunters to help with scientific research into our province’s big game populations by re-introducing the jawbone collection program. Thanks to their stewardship efforts, 3,000 jawbones were received from all over the province, and each hunter received (or will receive) a Cooperating Hunter crest.
I hope all successful hunters participate in the Jawbone Collection Program again this season, and that you wear your Cooperating Hunter crests with pride. To see how wildlife biologists use jawbones and to learn more about moose health, please check out this video.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s wildlife and wild places are close to our hearts. I encourage everyone to respect our cherished outdoor heritage and resources, follow all conservation, safety and hunting regulations, and enjoy your time outdoors with family and friends this hunting season.
Sincerely,
Honourable Derrick Bragg
Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture