Another moose hunting season is underway at Gros Morne National Park in Canada in an effort to improve forest health/Parks Canada

Though there has been success with annual hunts aimed at reducing the moose population in Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, there's still a need to trim the population by 200-300 animals. Work towards that goal has resumed in the national park, with the annual hunt having kicked off on September 18 and scheduled to run through January 23.

Without a natural predator to control the moose population, the ungulates have ravaged the park's forests. Back in January ecologists for Parks Canada said some areas of the park consist of just “shrubby stuff” that the moose can’t eat, and that visitors mistakenly refer to the landscape as savannah.

Sixty-five square kilometres (25 square miles) haven’t regenerated from the over-browsing, and this impacts species such as  the threatened Newfoundland population of the American marten and various birds.

Modelling indicates that Gros Morne can sustain 2,000 moose, which means hunters need to remove 200-300 moose a year for the coming years.

The current hunting season divided the park into three different hunting zones with different opening dates for each zone, and a fourth zone that is closed to hunting. 

• Zone 1: September 18, 2021, to January 23, 2022. Includes areas more than two kilometres away from Highways 430 and 431, excluding any Zone 2 (back of Trout River Pond), Zone 3 or Zone 4 areas. Please note that opening date is two weeks later than adjacent provincial Moose Management Areas. 
• Zone 2: October 16, 2021, to January 23, 2022. Includes the area in back of Trout River Pond, areas within two kilometres of Highways 430 and 431, excluding any Zone 3 or Zone 4 areas. 
• Zone 3: November 13, 2021, to January 23, 2022. Areas adjacent to main park facilities and trails. 
• Zone 4: Closed to hunting. 

The opening dates and location for each zone are posted at trail heads, available on Gros Morne National Park’s website, and included in packages sent to each hunter. There are two significant construction projects ongoing within Gros Morne National Park and hunting is not permitted within 1 kilometer of the construction zones. 

Note that the following areas will be closed to hunting this season due to construction: 

• Within 1 kilometer of the Trout River Campground Kiosk and day use area; and 
• The area surrounding the Shallow Bay Campground west of route 430 bounded in the north by Slants River and in the south by the park boundary at the Cow Head Enclave. 

The Gros Morne National Park moose management program began in 2011 as part of a broader initiative to improve forest health that was being significantly impacted from over-browsing. The park’s moose population is managed in co-operation with the Wildlife Division of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, using the provincial big-game licensing system. 

During the moose population reduction period, some hiking trails will be impacted in different areas of the park, and visitors should pay attention to signage indicating areas where hunting is taking place. Individuals planning to visit Gros Morne National Park this fall and winter should review maps and safety information at: www.pc.gc.ca/foresthealth. 

Prior to their visit, visitors may call Gros Morne National Park at 709-458-2417 for information on trails and facilities.