News Release

FREDERICTON (CNB) – An additional 810 licences are available in this year's annual moose draw for New Brunswick residents. Natural Resources Minister Bruce Northrup announced today that residents can apply for the computerized draw until the end of Friday, June 10.

"The number of available licences for New Brunswick moose hunters has been increased this year by 23 per cent compared to last fall as a result of adding licences in wildlife management zones where we have seen a high number of moose-vehicle collisions,'' said Northrup. "Our goal is to reduce accidents while providing more opportunities for moose hunters.''

The increases will not reduce the current moose population in the high-accident zones but will control the rate at which the population is increasing in those areas.

Northrup said the draw for this fall's hunt will use the new pool system announced last month to improve the odds for hunters who have not had their names drawn for 10 years or more.

The new pool system fulfils a commitment in Putting New Brunswick First to improve the odds in the moose draw for hunters who have not had their names drawn for more than 10 years.

Under the system, for every five years applicants who have applied unsuccessfully to the moose draw since 1994, they would move into a new pool where their number of ballots in the draw would triple.

New hunters or those who have been drawn within the past four years will be in Pool 0, with a single ballot in their name.

Hunters who have been unsuccessful for at least five years will be in Pool 1, with three ballots in their name.

Anyone who has been unsuccessful for at least 10 years will be in Pool 2, with nine ballots in the computerized draw.

Pool 3 is for those who have been unsuccessful for at least 15 years. Applicants will have 27 ballots.

"Compared to the system now in place, the success rate for applicants who have failed to get drawn for the last 10 years will double under our new system,'' said Northrup. "There are still going to be many more people applying for a moose licence than available licences, but this improves the odds for New Brunswick hunters who have waited a long time for a chance to take part in this hunt.''

The three-day moose season for residents and non-residents runs from Thursday, Sept. 22, through Saturday, Sept. 24. There will be 4,364 resident licences available this season, which is up from 3,554 last year. Almost 63,000 applications were received last year.

There are three ways for New Brunswick residents to apply for a moose licence: by using a touch-tone telephone; in person at a Department of Natural Resources office or at any Service New Brunswick centre; or online at the department’s website.

Hunters have until 5 p.m. Friday, June 10, to apply for the draw in person or until 8 p.m. June 10 to apply on the telephone-application line. Online applications will be available until midnight on June 10.

Hunters can visit the department’s website for more detailed information. Fact sheets are also available at all department offices and Service New Brunswick centres.

The cost of applying for a moose licence is $9.38 (HST included) using the telephone system or online options, or $14.13 (HST included) if applying in person at a department office or Service New Brunswick centre.

Successful applicants will be drawn on an individual basis based on their entire nine-digit Medicare number. The results will be available July 11.

The following is a list of wildlife management zones and the 2011 quota of resident moose licences allocated for each zone with last year's quota in brackets:

1 - 40 (23)
2 - 323 (140)
3 - 250 (203)
4 - 427 (229)
5 - 268 (181)
6 - 193 (99)
7 - 295 (270)
8 - 266 (239)
9 - 54 (49)
10 - 96 (85)
11- 111 (103)
12 - 236 (208)
13 - 82 (79)
14 - 126 (101)
15 - 86 (86)
16 - 190 (168)
17 - 87 (55)
18 - 117 (111)
19 - 61 (51)
20 - 369 (400)
21 - 204 (194)
22 - 90 (100)
23 - 223 (234)
24 - 86 (86)
25 - 84 (60)

LINK:

●    Department of Natural Resources: www.gnb.ca/naturalresources