Big game licence applications for the 2025-26 season are open until April 25 for resident moose, caribou, and black bear licences. Eligible hunters and trappers must have a Wildlife Information Management System account to apply for a licence.
Current population trends for most of the province’s game and furbearer species are stable and harvest quotas require only minimal changes for the upcoming season. The 2025-26 moose quota for the Island of Newfoundland is 27,515 licences, including 19,165 either-sex, 7,890 male-only, and 460 not-for-profit licences. This is a decrease of 75 licences from 2024-25, with quotas adjusted in 13 moose management areas (MMAs).
In Labrador, 348 either-sex moose licences are available for the resident big game draw, an increase of three licences with quotas adjusted in three MMAs.
The caribou quota for the Island of Newfoundland is 612 animals, including 353 either-sex and 259 male-only licences, an increase of 16 licences from 2024-25. Caribou hunting remains prohibited in Labrador due to the conservation status and limited recovery of George River and Boreal caribou populations.
Some important changes designed to support increased hunting and trapping opportunities on the Island of Newfoundland will be in effect this season, including:
- Establishing Caribou Management Area 80 for Upper Grey Island.
- Extending the season of Caribou Management Areas 71 and 80.
- Extending the fall black bear season to November 30 and re-structuring black bear management areas to broaden hunter opportunities.
- Adding a trapper’s beaver licence to permit trapping in unoccupied traplines. Traplines currently assigned to trappers and vacant traplines with waitlists will not be impacted.
- Making break-away devices mandatory on neck snares used for trapping furbearers.
To be considered eligible for the 2025-26 big game licence draw, you must:
- Be a resident of Newfoundland and Labrador.
- Be at least 16 years of age by August 31, 2025.
- Have a Hunter Certificate Number.
- Have already completed the Canadian Firearms Safety/Hunter Education Course or, for new residents, have transferred hunter education credentials by November 30, 2024.
For further information, visit the 2025-26 Hunting and Trapping Guide.
Quote
“It is heartening to see that hunting and trapping remain near and dear to the hearts of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Along with the essential contribution hunting and trapping make to food self-sufficiency and wildlife management, these traditional outdoor pursuits have a tremendous impact on our mental and physical well-being. The continued cultural importance of these activities reminds us of who we are, and the value we place on our shared natural resources.”
Honourable Gerry Byrne
Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture
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Learn more
2025-26 Hunting and Trapping Guide
Wildlife Information Management System
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