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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Bear hunters should focus their efforts in the south of QuebecQUEBEC
Much of Quebec saw a milder winter than normal, so there should be better than average deer survival, and hopefully a recovery from the previous severe winter. Moose generally shrug off winter and black bears sleep through the worst of it; their populations are considered stable.
In 2018, chronic wasting disease was discovered at a red deer breeding facility in southern Quebec’s Laurentides region. That triggered the destruction of the animals on the property, and the culling of nearby wild whitetails and moose. Fortunately, the samples from the wild game, including hunter-harvested animals, all tested negative for the disease. Monitoring will continue for 2020, and hunters should be aware of the special regulations put in place to control the disease.
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BLACK BEARS
Black bears are found mostly in the south of the province, below the 50th parallel. The harvest of more than 5,300 bears in 2019 was down somewhat from the previous year’s record high of more than 6,500 animals, but still around the long-term average. Hunting zones 10, 13 and 28 were the most productive for bear hunters. Since 2015, an ongoing research project has been examining climate change, forest management and bear population dynamics. Hunters should take note of Quebec’s new bear management plan for 2020 to 2027.
MOOSE
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Quebec’s 2018 slump in the hunter harvest of moose was reversed last year, with 26,200 animals taken, well above the long-term average of 22,000. The harvest success for adult bulls—the best indicator of population trends—remained stable. The hunting zones with the highest harvest levels are in a band straddling both sides of the St Lawrence River. Another good bet is zone 13 along the Ontario border.
WHITETAILS
Hunters took a total of 47,500 white-tailed deer in Quebec in 2019, down a bit from the previous few years. Quebec is at the northern limit of the deer range, so the most popular and productive areas are in the south of the province. In fact, five small zones (4, 5, 6, 7 and 8) along the U.S. border account for more than half of the provincial harvest. Zone 10 in the southwest corner is also a good bet. The most productive destination for deer hunters continues to be Anticosti Island (Zone 20).