The hunt is on!
Wildlife managers across the land reveal this year’s hot spots for Canada’s favourite big-game animals
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Nova Scotia’s deer population promises a great fall huntNOVA SCOTIA
From a whitetail’s perspective, last winter was pretty good—quite mild, with a lot less snow than normal, particularly in the southwest. Even with the buckets of rain that fell, it was still a good year for winter carryover. As for moose, they’re equal to winter’s challenge, but even happier when it’s mild. Meanwhile, bears in their dens simply missed it all. Overall, this is a promising year for hunters.
BLACK BEARS
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The hunting statistics for last year were bang on average, for both effort and harvest. Black bears were taken everywhere in the province, but Cumberland County towered above the others in terms of harvest, almost twice that of the next most productive area, Colchester County.
MOOSE
Cape Breton Island has a stable population of moose, including some really nice big bulls. Moose-hunting licences are highly sought after, with the number issued remaining constant at 345. At 61 per cent last season, hunter success was its lowest in five years, but still decent. Confounding the picture, though, is hunter effort—the number of hours spent afield per moose kill—which was way down last year compared with the previous couple of years.
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WHITETAILS
Deer are doing very well in Nova Scotia, especially with last winter’s mild conditions. The deer harvest has risen steadily over the past five years, while the number of licences has remained steady, making for an increase in hunter success. The best bets are going to be zones 101 (Yarmouth) and 107 (Truro), which are traditionally productive, although hunters can find deer throughout the province.