If you're coming to New Brunswick looking to see a moose, the best place to find a moose is probably in the northern part of New Brunswick. John Hudson and I were going hiking in Mount Carlton a few years ago. And the evening before we were going to take the hike, we went to the staging area where we were going to start. And as we were driving back to the tent, A moose came out of the woods on the left side of the car and, began trotting up the road ahead of me just like my car didn't even exist as I was following him. John said he was a yearling.
But even in the southern part of New Brunswick, it's possible to find moose. My friend Wendy and her sister came from Ontario three years ago. And as they were driving in the St. Andrews area around New River Beach. They saw a moose in the field. Another friend actually had a moose jump across the hood of his car in the same area.
For the individual who is driving in New Brunswick, there are few tips that I'd like to share with you regarding how to avoid having a collision with a moose on the highway. We have about 400 of these collisions a year, and because the moose is a large animal typically what happens is when the car will hit a moose, it knocks its legs out from under it, and that thousand pounds or so of animal body comes and hits the top of the car and pushes it down. So, if you happen to encounter a moose and have a collision, the best thing to do is to fall on the seat or get under the dash. Any way that you can, try to get as low as you can. But a better idea is simply to avoid that collision altogether.
As you're driving on these beautiful highways that we have in New Brunswick, you'll often see signs that will indicate to you that there are certain areas that there's more possibility. In those areas, if you're driving particularly around twilight, it's a good idea to be particularly alert. Scan the sides of the road make sure that you're aware of any wildlife that might be on either side of the road. Even if you 're on a highway that happens to have a fence on both sides to keep the animals off the road, do not assume that the fence will always stop the wildlife.
There was a period from 1938 till 1960 that it was illegal to hunt moose in New Brunswick because they were almost extinct, but through good forest management and good herd management, they were able to revive to the extent that now we have over 29, 000 in the herd and each year the Department of Natural Resources determines how many licenses can be issued. This last season in 2023, they issued 5, 115 licenses. One Hundred of these licenses are for non residents, so it's possible to get into a draw and if you're lucky enough to win, then you can come to New Brunswick and go hunting during that five day season the end of September. As a non resident, you are required to hunt with a registered guide. If you're a non resident, you must have a registered guide from New Brunswick. In 2023, about 80% of the hunters did harvest a moose.
If you did happen to obtain one of those 100 licenses for non residents, you will possibly need lodging and/or guide services. The following businesses could help you with that:
Red Bank Lodge – http://redbanklodge.com
Taxis River Outfitters – https://taxisriveroutfitters.com
Adair’s Outfitters – https://adairsoutfitters.com
In the summer time, moose like to cool off by submerging into a lake. While they were kayaking, a man and his son saw a bull moose swimming early one morning at Bennett Lake in Fundy National Park. That lake is very accessible by car, so I plan to go there next summer and kayak to the back part of the lake early one morning and see if I can have the same experience that these two gentlemen had.
Have you seen a moose in New Brunswick, and would you like to share that information with me? If you would, just go to my website http://www.nbtraveler.com and you can either do a voice message, or you can send me a text message. I might get back in touch with you and get more information about what your experience was with moose in New Brunswick.
Moose Photo by Shiven-Kumar
