The Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources, today announced details of the 2020-21 hunting and trapping season and the posting of the 2020-21 online Hunting and Trapping Guide.

Minister Byrne also announced the launch of an online public consultation at www.engageNL.ca seeking feedback as part of a review of hunting regulations being undertaken by the department. Topics covered as part of the consultation include aligning of Island Moose Management Area (MMA) season starting dates; permitting hunting with crossbows; and permitting the use of another small calibre (.17 HMR) rifle ammunition.

For the 2020-21 season there is a decrease of 780 moose licences on the Island of Newfoundland – for an overall total of 28,830 licences, including 17,224 Either Sex, 10,681 Male Only; and 475 allocated to Not-for-Profit groups. In Labrador there is a total of 384 Either Sex moose licences with an overall increase of 15 licences compared to last year.

Big game applications for the 2020-21 season are expected to be mailed in early March. The application deadline to be eligible for the moose and caribou draw for is April 3, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. NST.

Some new initiatives for 2020-21 include:

• Moose/Caribou Jawbone Program: Beginning in 2020, successful big game hunters will be required to submit the lower jawbone of a moose or caribou that has been harvested under their licence. A jawbone tag will be supplied with the licence (and) tags that accompany the big game licence. Jawbone drop boxes will be established at Department of Fisheries and Land Resources offices throughout the province.
• Black Bear:  Beginning fall of 2020, black bear licences in Labrador will be able to be purchased using the online process or mail-in application process. Hunters may choose to login to the Wildlife Information Management System or file a paper application. Black bear licences will no longer be sold at vendor locations in Labrador.
• Boundary Information:  Moose Management Area 51 previously known as Grand Falls is now named Baikie Lake.
• Small Game/Coyote/Wolf (Shooting Licence): The Labrador South Zone wolf shooting season will only be permitted beginning November 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.  The Island of Newfoundland wolf shooting season will open October 15, 2020 and close March 31, 2021.

For more information about season and application dates, and moose and caribou population estimates, please view the 2020-21 Hunting and Trapping Guide here.

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“I am pleased to acknowledge the fine work being done by our Wildlife Division to enhance the hunting and trapping experience for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for the 2020-21 season, including reintroduction of the Moose/Caribou Jawbone Program that supports our research and conservation efforts. We are also currently conducting an online public consultation as part of a review of provincial hunting regulations. I encourage the public to participate in this review at engageNL.”
Honourable Gerry Byrne
Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources

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2020-21 Hunting and Trapping Guide

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Craig Renouf
Fisheries and Land Resources
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