My son's moving to New Brunswick looking for hunting info

Camp Cook

Camp Cook

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My son his wife and his two young sons live here in BC appr 20 klms away from me his wife just accepted a huge promotion but it involves moving to Moncton, New Brunswick it all is happening very fast they are leaving in just over a week.

My question is what hunting opportunities are there in New Brunswick and what firearms should he be taking with him.

Due to limited space where they live I have been keeping most of our firearms at my house we are looking for caliber suggestions so we can ship some of the rifles/shotguns he will need.

Appreciate any thoughts
 
I lived in Fredericton & miss NB, I'd move back in a heartbeat.

WRT firearms, there's moose (if you can get a license) and white-tailed deer (who's numbers are way down from what friends are telling me).

So, any big game centerfire will do..

On the small game front, I used a 12 ga for upland & waterfowl. Always ran dogs (pointers), so I rarely had use for a 22LR.

Forgot to say that unless the property is marked, you're good to go wrt hunting it. Unlike here in Ottawa where it's mostly private land, I could be hunting in 15 mins after leaving my place in Fredericton...

Cheers
Jay
 
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OP, I'm in Saint John area. Moncton is frankly the worst city in the province for hunting; the best deer hunting is south of the city but very heavily hunted by locals who do not like to share with each other, or newcomers, and it is mostly private farmland. Legal to hunt if not posted, and much of it isn't, but the farmers don't like it. You really have to put your groundwork in.

Moncton DOES have excellent waterfowl hunting opportunities. Tantramar Marsh is one of the best spots in Atlantic Canada, allegedly, and many other good duck shooting spots along the Northumberland Strait. Sackville area in general has a lot of waterfowl. Probably decent shooting south of the city towards Cape Enrage, but I never tried it down there.

If you get down to Sussex area and beyond, lots of good hunting there. There's also some half-decent shooting out in the Irishtown area and beyond, but I'd advise getting the iHunter app and using that, to find spots, as much of that is also farmland.

As far as what guns: A 12 or 20 gauge for partridge (ruffed grouse), rabbits, and ducks. Any sort of centerfire rifle for deer, or use the shotgun if you're in urban areas (can hunt as close as 200m to houses, if using buckshot). A .22 w/scope for partridge and rabbits in late-season, when you can actually see them.

A crossbow or compound is super-useful if you want to hunt where the deer *really* are, which is inside city limits. Lots of deer in the marshes along the Petitcodiac River, if you know where to look. Hunting regs allow crossbows and compounds to hunt as close as 100m to dwellings and businesses, meaning you can target city deer pretty easily, once you do your homework. Not everyone's cup of tea, of course! Bowhunting also adds 3 weeks of early season, too....


EDIT: If space was really tight, a 12 gauge shotgun will pretty much do it all out here. Hunting thick woods, they're good for deer and bear. He'll be lucky to get a moose tag once every decade or so.
 
Thank you for the responses.

Once they settle in and buy a house they will be able to afford one there unlike here then space should not be tight

Can someone explain the Sunday no shooting laws?

Also I was reading something to do with certain times of years you can only shoot guns under .23 dia is this true?

If it is true I could send a 19" barreled T/C Contender carbine chambered in 204 Ruger with them or a bolt action 17HMR.
 
The caliber restrictions have been lifted so no worries using bigger than .23 cal outside of big game season as long as you have a small game or varmint license and shooting during those seasons. Other than a license you can get a site in permit from dnr to go shooting if you don't have a license or outside of the season.

Min distances from dwellings to be legal to shoot are 400m rifle, 200m shotgun with shot, 100m bow.

Can hunt on Sundays during deer season now, not sure about outside of deer season, I don't think Sunday hunting is permitted outside of deer season.
 
300_savage said:
The caliber restrictions have been lifted so no worries using bigger than .23 cal outside of big game season as long as you have a small game or varmint license and shooting during those seasons. Other than a license you can get a site in permit from dnr to go shooting if you don't have a license or outside of the season.

Min distances from dwellings to be legal to shoot are 400m rifle, 200m shotgun with shot, 100m bow.

Can hunt on Sundays during deer season now, not sure about outside of deer season, I don't think Sunday hunting is permitted outside of deer season.
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Sunday hunting is complicated--basically starts midway through bow season in mid-October and runs all the way through sometime in December.

Personally, I do not mind at all, and think it is a great compromise between other recreational users of the woods and hunters. There are plenty of days in the year to hunt, even for the weekend warriors. When I had a Monday-Friday job, I took time off work to hunt, and do not understand those who won't do so, yet claim they are super committed and need Sundays to round out their season.

You can go to the gun ranges on Sunday, not sure about sighting-in permits, and realistically, you probably won't get in any sort of trouble for plinking on your back 40 in rural NB on a Sunday either.

"Can someone explain the Sunday no shooting laws?

Also I was reading something to do with certain times of years you can only shoot guns under .23 dia is this true?"

Also, as noted, the calibre restrictions have mostly been done away with, although you'll get some funny looks around here for a while to come, I'd expect. There are lots of great pits for shooting, but most people don't take their moose guns there ... yet.
 
Would single shot T/C Prohunters with shortened to 22" barrels in 30-06 and 375H&H and T/C Contender with a 16.5" 22LR barrel, a shortened to 19" barrel in 204 Ruger and a 21" factory tapered barrel in 7-30 Waters be appropriate for this area.

Other combo I'm thinking of sending is a 16" barreled Ruger American in 450 Bushmaster.

Thanks for the thoughts they are very helpful.

I just heard something about NB has a caribou herd that is huntable any info on this would be great.

Do you have to enter a draw for a moose tag?
 
Camp Cook said:
Would single shot T/C Prohunters with shortened to 22" barrels in 30-06 and 375H&H and T/C Contender with a 16.5" 22LR barrel, a shortened to 19" barrel in 204 Ruger and a 21" factory tapered barrel in 7-30 Waters be appropriate for this area.

Other combo I'm thinking of sending is a 16" barreled Ruger American in 450 Bushmaster.

Thanks for the thoughts they are very helpful.

I just heard something about NB has a caribou herd that is huntable any info on this would be great.

Do you have to enter a draw for a moose tag?
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NB has not had a huntable caribou herd for 100 years.

If space is tight, I'd send out a T/C Contender, but only if you had reloading equipment to go with, because I doubt you'll find much .204 ammo locally. You might find 7-30 Waters in stock at the Gun Dealer at the other side of the province, but I wouldn't bet on it ... SO you'd have to reload, and if space is tight does that make sense?

Hunting stores out here have all sucked since Cabelas folded into Bass Pro, because Cabelas made everyone else raise their game.

Ammo, the only place in the province that has had decent stock this year that I personally have visited, is the Gun Dealer in Macadam. I hear Fredericton's Canadian Tire had decent stock, but the two local C-tires are where everyone locally gets their ammo, and they're basically dry. Bass Pro has maybe 1/3 of what Cabelas used to carry, maybe even less, and could have the most disinterested hunting/firearms staff I've ever seen. Kids at Canadian Tire making minimum wage are more excited about their job.

You might find a gunsmith like Gord Whitman might have stock that others won't carry. But generally, it's all the familiar flavours, with no spice.

Everyone around here has a .30-30 or .308 or .30-06 or .270 or 7mm magnum, etc, all standard Fudd calibres for that reason. I went to Canadian Tire last week and they only had one box of 3.5-inch 12 gauge shells on the shelf, and that was two days into duck season, so they certainly hadn't had a massive stock that sold out.
 
Camp Cook said:
Would single shot T/C Prohunters with shortened to 22" barrels in 30-06 and 375H&H and T/C Contender with a 16.5" 22LR barrel, a shortened to 19" barrel in 204 Ruger and a 21" factory tapered barrel in 7-30 Waters be appropriate for this area.

Other combo I'm thinking of sending is a 16" barreled Ruger American in 450 Bushmaster.

Thanks for the thoughts they are very helpful.

I just heard something about NB has a caribou herd that is huntable any info on this would be great.

Do you have to enter a draw for a moose tag?
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Yes moose tag is by draw. Unfortunately it's about 1/10 odds of getting drawn. White tail buck and bear don't need a draw (there is a doe draw in some zones), there is now a turkey draw as well.
Sounds like he'll have more firepower than most nbers lol, most big game is taken at pretty close range here in my experience so magnums aren't usually necessary as they may be out west, 7-30 would be fine for deer, bear varmints under most circumstances here, probably no rush to send a moose cannon as the probability of getting a draw is pretty low.
 
Excellent info guys thank you you are making it possible for us to figure this out.

As to reloading my son does not reload I do.

I would send out enough ammo with the rifles to last his limited shooting/hunting a lifetime.

Now thinking standard cartridges he is going to be taking his grandfather's Husqvarna featherweight in 30-06, single shot Prohunter in 30-06, Contender in the 204 Ruger and either 7-30 Waters or 35 Rem I will also give him the 16.5" 22LR barrel.

I do not use the 450 Bushmaster since I bought a 12.5" barreled Rem 700 PCR short rifle in 308 Win so he is taking the 450 BM as well.
 
Sunday hunting is pretty simple. It begins the first sunday following thanksgiving and runs to the 31 of december. any sunday that falls within that time period you may hunt.
If He is into bear hunting you are legally allowed 2 bears per calander year. as soon as one tag is fill / registered you may purchase a second. NB has a spring, fall Archery and fall rifle season.
 
Go on GNB.ca and you can get a PDF of the year’s hunting booklet. You can hunt a pile of stuff here: Deer, bear (twice a year), moose if you get lucky in the draw (terrible odds), coyote (all year - and there are a lot of them), grouse, rabbits, etc. and migratory birds as well. This is the first year there are no longer caliber restrictions so one rifle will do you for coyotes up to moose.

Moncton is city with a decent amount of stuff to do but you pretty much need a truck and an ATV to hunt from the city. Everything will be a bit of a drive but 30 minutes in either direction will get you well into the woods. People here are big on Hollywood hunting (drive around until they see something) so I recommend finding something that isn’t very accessible and hike in, even if it’s just a 500m walk you will be rewarded for your effort.
 
Camp Cook said:
Yeah yeah... LOL... was just sharing what a guy told me yesterday
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No problem brother.......just couldn't help myself friend.
Have a great day now.

Trivia: as Coach Zed mentioned previously it's probably over a century for NB & NS both had last remaining herds of caribou and herds of moose. I thought I read somewhere 1938 last known caribou shot in NS and it was a big deal even back then.
Whitetail deer was a 20th century resident in these Eastern regions.
 
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I was up the local mtn blacktail deer hunting and running my dogs took my son's grandfathers Husqvarna Featherweight in 30-06 I had put a Leupold 2-7x36mm scope on it several years ago but had never zeroed it.

I had purchased 4 boxes of 180gr Fusion 30-06 ammo from a friend after he passed aways estate I have it zeroed 1 1/2" high at 100 yards they are hitting 16" low at 300 yards.

More than adequate for any hunting my son can do out there so there is one rifle ready to go.
 
Brutus said:
One other interesting fact NB wildlife.
1888 was reported a wolf shot in this province and seemingly the last one.
1988 it's confirmed the coyote has made its trek into NB. It's like that Jurassic Park movie quote: Life finds a way.
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There was a confirmed wolf kill in NB back in 2012.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-...ed-dead-wolf-set-for-public-display-1.1300493

and a black bobcat that a trapper snared. which is really cool. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/black-bobcat-melanistic-christmas-1.3913761
 
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