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Newfoundland Sportsman editor's concerns

Having hunted NL last October I picked up a copy of this in which the editor brought up a number of concerns with respect to the moose in the province. 1. the number of licenses for the past 5 seasons. 2. the financial cutbacks in the wildlife department. 3. an issue within the province of something called "charity licences". 4. the use of drones to locate a moose. 5. the Muskrat Falls transmission line that will open up a truck/ATV swath across the province. Was wondering if anyone out there had read/seen the article as I felt he presented a list of serious concerns. Having hunted there 7 of the last 8 years, I would hate to see such a great resource squandered by failed wildlife management.

Not sure about the amount of licenses, charity license or drones. But the Financial cutbacks for the department of wildlife has been an issue for quite a few years, It's been one of the issues with the Caribou. The Muskrat Falls Hydro lines will give people access to areas by ATV, not so much truck but it will be limited when you consider the terrain they will be following. Much of the construction will follow pathways for current lines, They build temporary roads where needed and destroy them when they're done. There's a lot of lakes rivers gorges and bogs that will be crossed, with temporary bridges, matts across bogs etc all are removed when done What they will end up with already pretty well exists presently, A couple of years after they destroy the roads it will be so grown in with alders you won't be able to walk it let alone drive it.

bb...according to his article he stated that the government upped the licences from 28,000 in 2010-11 to 31-32,000 range for each year up to and including 2018. He is very critical of the number of licences issued with respect to what he claims is a population on the island of 90,000 tops...quoted from his article. I agree with the growth of alders which should help sustain a population.

Without digging too deep, the NL Hunting website, claims 120,000 Moose. I can't tell you whether either amount is correct. I suspect if you dig deeper, you can most likely find varying totals depending on the source. http://www.huntingnewfoundlandlabrador.com However, the way tags are allocated to the outfitters could be a cause for concern. It seems NL Wildlife divisions past performance with Caribou could also be a cause for concern regarding Moose management. I can probably come up with additional info regarding tag info. I know basically how they are allocated, I just don't know for sure if there are limits per management area. One other thing that just caught my attention. The government doesn't normally come out with new license allocations until I believe Jan or Feb of the year of the hunt so 2018 wouldn't be out yet. I have not read the article so I'm at a bit of a disadvantage, I'm sure I'm taking some of this out of context and just giving generalities.

Newfi.....yes i read the article as well. Here is some answers to your questions. Based on what i know the NF governemnt has decreased licenses in 4 different zones and increased Moose license in Zone 7 from 600 to 700 tags. Not sure on the cutbacks to Wildlife Department but i know the provincial government in general has been cutting back. Charity license are available in NF and i know 2 guys hunting now looking for moose (i think 50 tags given out in total). Drones fall under aircraft regs and cant use for hunting (spotting) purposes in NF, except in the park where they have been flying local resident hunters in for few years know, bring the population down so the habiat can regrow. Yes the transmission lines have opened up allot new area for ATV and Trucks....Talked with a hunter today that hunted area 3 and drove truck in the new transmission line 100 km or so up the Northern Peninsula and didn't see a track in the snow. Moose season in NF is still open into the end of December. Allot local residents are just getting ready to start hunting. Newfoundland Labradro Outfitters Assocation meet in early December and if there is any changes coming they usually discuss them at that time. Hope this helps.

bb & Turkey... I went back and reread the article a bit more carefully. The author noted and i quote, "31,880 for the coming season". bb is correct in that would mean he was referring to the 2017-18 season so lic. nos. would not be out for 2018-19. I misread what he said. Being a non-resident alien hunter i have had the pleasure of hunting the outdoors in NWT, Quebec, and Nl. From about 1998 i enjoyed working for Norpac and I watched the George River herd go from hundreds of thousands to practically zero and his article mentions predation. I, to this day, do not fully understand its decline but lack of food supply and hunting in the wintering/spring calving areas hurt. He noted poaching also! Would sure hate to see the moose go the way of the caribou as both are beautiful resources.

Caribou in Newfoundland have stabled out and seeing good numbers calves and young cows....but still hearing about people shooting them in closed areas, which is not helping the herd to rebound. Lets hope the Woodland Caribou in NF keep the herd numbers healthy enough to conitnue to hold a limited season. Wasnt long ago that caribou tags were thrown in if you bought a moose hunt.

Turkeyhunter...I am very pleased to hear you mention that you are hearing about caribou being shot in closed areas. For the 2015 season my hunting buddy and I went for our 5th trip with the same outfitter. At that camp were a group of hunters from another CAN province who were there shooting anything that moved. The 'group' leader was bragging about a previous trip where he had to call out for more ammo as he had ran out as he was shooting caribou. That evening he asked my friend if he could put one of his moose kills on my friend's tag. He was politely rebuked. I spent nearly 6 months looking for a different outfitter to hunt with in NL and used numerous reports here on Bowsite to make my decision. 3 of us enjoyed a perfect hunt this past Oct. with a different outfitter! I have re-booked for 2019 with the new one!

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