Moose Licence Draw

The annual moose licence draw is scheduled for Tuesday, June 28, 11:30 a.m. at the North Highlands Community Centre, Cape North, Victoria Co.

A total of 11,051 applications were received from individuals wanting to hunt moose this fall. The names of 345 people -- 10 more than last year -- will be drawn, making them eligible to purchase a moose-hunting licence. The 10 additional licences will be designated specifically for the December season. The list of winners will be printed in the June 29 editions of the Chronicle Herald and Cape Breton Post.

There are three hunting seasons this fall: Sept. 26 to Oct. 1; Oct. 3 to Oct 8; and Dec. 13 to Dec. 15.

The Department of Natural Resources began using a zone- management system in 2003 with the introduction of four zones in Victoria and Inverness counties. They are the only counties in the province where moose hunting is permitted. Hunting permits are distributed among the four zones based on the number of moose, access limitations, and concerns with hunter crowding.

A three-day limited hunt in December was added in 2004 to help manage the moose population, which is creating nuisance and safety issues for local communities. This hunt will be limited to Zone 1, north of Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

All moose hunters are required to complete and submit a hunter report form, which is provided with the licence.

Last year, moose hunters achieved an 85 per cent success rate with 284 moose being taken out of the 335 available licences.