Hunting is part of life in rural New Brunswick, and most of it happens on Crown land: the big public forests of the north and the central highlands, where deer, moose, bear and grouse share the woods with logging roads and hunting camps. The rules come from the Fish and Wildlife Act and its regulations, summarised each year in the province's Hunt & Trap booklet. This guide covers the 2026–2027 season: who can hunt, what the licences cost, the main big game seasons, why visitors need a guide, where you can't hunt, and the safety rules that apply everywhere.
Before you buy a licence: education and orange
- Hunter education. Every gun hunter born on or after January 1, 1981, and every first-time gun hunter, must complete a Firearms Safety course and a Hunter Education course. Bow and crossbow hunters in the same group need a stand-alone Bowhunter Education course with a practical component. Hunters born before 1981 who have hunted before can show an earlier licence instead. Certificates from other provinces, territories and the United States are accepted.
- Young hunters. Hunters aged 12 to 15 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Hunters of 16 and 17 need an adult with them when using a .23 calibre or larger rifle, or a shotgun with ball, slug or large shot.
- Hunter orange. From September 1 to December 31, hunters, fur harvesters carrying a firearm and guides must wear a fluorescent orange jacket or vest and a solid orange hat, visible from all directions. Camouflage orange must be at least 50% orange. Waterfowl hunters, and bow hunters licensed for deer while in a tree stand or blind during the archery season, are exempt.
- Outdoors Card. As with fishing, you need a New Brunswick Outdoors Card number to buy a licence or enter a draw.
Plenty of other people use the woods in the fall without orange. Hikers, berry pickers and woodlot workers aren't required to wear it, so identify your target and what's behind it every time.
Wildlife Management Zones
New Brunswick is divided into 27 Wildlife Management Zones (WMZs). Seasons, antlerless deer permits and moose licences are allocated by zone, and the province publishes the exact boundaries online with an interactive map. Some zones are closed to some species altogether: WMZs 4, 5 and 9 are closed to deer, and WMZs 26 and 27 are closed to bear. WMZ 27 is Grand Manan, which has its own special archery deer hunt.
Licences and fees for 2026
Residents can buy species licences individually or in bundles. Bundles are the usual choice for a deer and bear hunter.
| Licence | Resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Deer and Game Bird | $34.00 ($19.00 at 65+) | $183.00, antlered deer only |
| Bird and Small Game | $19.00 ($13.00 at 65+); free at 12–15 | $82.00 |
| Black Bear | $42.00, 2 bears ($23.00 at 65+) | $163.00, 1 bear, by outfitter or draw |
| Moose | $72.00 by draw ($37.00 at 65+) | $548.00 by draw or outfitter |
| Big Game bundle (deer, bear, game bird, varmint) | $78.50 ($42.75 at 65+) | Not available |
| Deer-Bear bundle | $66.75 ($37.50 at 65+) | Not available |
Fees are as listed by the province, plus HST. Draws have their own application fees and windows. The resident moose draw costs $8.30 to enter, and in 2026 ran from May 19 to June 12. The resident antlerless deer draw costs $4 and ran from July 27 to August 21. Residents who buy a deer licence after the season opens must wait 48 hours before hunting deer.
White-tailed deer
The annual limit is one deer per hunter, whatever its sex or age or where it's taken. Any licensed hunter can take an antlered deer in an open zone. Antlerless deer (does and fawns) are for residents who win the antlerless draw, and only in the zone printed on their licence. Non-residents can't hunt antlerless deer at all.
| Zones | Archery | Firearm |
|---|---|---|
| WMZ 1, 2, 3 | Oct. 5 – Nov. 8, 2026 | Oct. 26 – Nov. 8, 2026 |
| WMZ 6–8 and 10–27 | Oct. 5 – Nov. 22, 2026 | Oct. 26 – Nov. 22, 2026 |
| WMZ 4, 5, 9 | Closed | Closed |
The archery-only period runs from October 5 to 25. A muzzleloader-only season follows from November 23 to 29 in certain zones, for hunters with an unfilled tag and a Muzzleloader Season Authorization ($9 resident, $46 non-resident). A harvested deer must be tagged immediately and registered at the first open registration station or online, and it's illegal to drive past an open station with an unregistered deer. After November 8, deer from other zones must be tagged and registered before being brought into WMZs 1, 2 or 3.
Moose
New Brunswick's moose hunt is short and allocated by draw. In 2026 the season ran from September 22 to 26, with a limit of one moose per licence, valid in a single zone. Residents enter the moose draw as a party chief and can name a designated hunter. Non-residents get a minimum of 25 licences by random draw each year, plus up to 95 allocated to New Brunswick outfitters for sale to non-residents, and every non-resident moose hunter must hunt with a licensed guide. Registering a moose online requires sending a tooth to a Natural Resources office within 14 days.
Black bear
Bear has two seasons. In 2026 the spring season ran from April 20 to June 30 and the fall season from September 1 to November 22, with a bow-only week from September 21 to 26. The 2027 spring season runs from April 19 to June 30 and needs a 2027 licence. Females with cubs are protected in the spring. Residents get two bears per licence, valid in every open zone. Non-residents get one bear per licence, can buy up to two licences a year, are limited to the zone on the licence, and must hunt with a licensed guide. Bear hunting is closed in WMZs 26 and 27.
Baiting is common, and on Crown land it's legal within the season rules. In Class II Protected Natural Areas bait can go out no more than two weeks before the season opens, and containers must be removed within two weeks after it closes.
Birds and small game
- Ruffed and spruce grouse: October 1 to December 31, 2026, 6 a day and 12 in possession.
- Snowshoe (varying) hare: October 1, 2026 to February 27, 2027, 10 a day and 20 in possession.
- Ring-necked pheasant: October 26 to November 8, 2026, male birds only.
- Wild turkey: one bearded bird, May 3 to 22, 2027. Resident licences are by draw.
- Migratory birds (ducks, geese, woodcock, snipe) also need a federal Migratory Game Bird Hunting Permit, and follow federal seasons. Lead shot is banned for migratory birds except woodcock, and woodcock hunters in September must have a trained dog.
Non-residents need a guide
New Brunswick's rule is simple: all non-resident hunters must hunt with a licensed guide. There are two kinds of guide licence:
- a Professional Guide (Guide I) can accompany up to three clients at a time, can charge for the service, and can't hunt while guiding;
- a Licence to Accompany (Guide II) lets a person accompany one hunter at a time without charging a fee, and hunt themselves if they hold the right licence.
The Guide II licence is how a resident friend or relative can take a visiting hunter out. Anyone who accepts payment to guide must hold a Class 1 guide licence. Visitors bringing a firearm across the border also need to complete a Non-Resident Firearm Declaration with the Canada Border Services Agency unless they hold a Canadian firearms licence.
When you can hunt
- Hours: from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. Outside those hours firearms, bows and crossbows must be cased, except for night raccoon hunting under a special permit.
- Sundays: hunting is prohibited on Sundays, except those falling between October 14 and December 31. That window covers most of the deer season but none of the moose season or the September bear and bird openings.
Where you can't hunt
Crown land is open to licensed hunting unless something says otherwise. These places are closed:
- Provincial parks and the Sentier NB Trail;
- wildlife refuges, all of them;
- closed wildlife management areas: Burpee, Kings Landing Historical Settlement, MacDonald Farm Provincial Heritage Place, Minister's Island, Mount Carleton, Le Village Historique Acadien and West Collette, plus Mount Ararat (Gagetown Island) for hunting but not trapping;
- Class I Protected Natural Areas, though you may enter one to retrieve wounded game;
- Scout, Guide and youth camps, parks and historic sites;
- national parks, and federal rules apply in national wildlife areas;
- areas within the legal distances of buildings and roads, below.
Class II Protected Natural Areas and Nature Legacy conserved areas stay open to hunting, with the limits on cutting and stands described in our parks and protected areas guide.
Distances and firearms rules
- No rifle, or shotgun loaded with ball or slug, may be fired within 400 metres of a dwelling, school, playground, athletic field, waste disposal site or place of business.
- No shotgun with shot, or muzzleloader, within 200 metres of those places. Buckshot counts as shot, so it can be fired between 200 and 400 metres.
- No bow or crossbow within 100 metres.
- No firing from or across the paved part of a designated road, or within 10 metres of it. That covers almost every named or numbered public road.
- No loaded firearm in or on any vehicle, ATVs and snowmobiles included, even when it's parked, and including trailers and racks attached to it.
- Deer, moose and bear require a centre-fire rifle of any calibre, a shotgun with ball, slug or shot, a muzzleloader, or a bow of at least 20 kg (45 lb) draw or a crossbow, with broadheads at least 20 mm wide.
Private land, posting and forest roads
Much of the best deer country in the south is private. Landowners post land with 25-centimetre disks or painted bands: yellow means hunting by permission only, red means no hunting for anyone. Even unposted, the expected courtesy is to ask the owner first. Agricultural land needs written consent under the Trespass Act, posted or not, although you may enter to retrieve wounded game after notifying the owner or occupant. Our how to find Crown land guide explains how to tell Crown land from freehold.
On Crown land, it's illegal to barricade a forest road or to leave a vehicle or equipment where it blocks the road. Not all forest roads are maintained for vehicles. Main routes are usually passable by car or light truck, while branch roads are fixed only when they're needed. Avoid roads in active industrial use, use managed ATV trails where you can, and report road and crossing problems to the nearest Natural Resources office or 506-453-3826.
Before you go
- Check your education is in order, get an Outdoors Card and enter any draws on time.
- Look up your zone's season, and whether it's closed to your species.
- Non-resident? Book a guide, or have a resident with a Guide II licence take you.
- Find your area on the map: yellow Crown land, purple parks and green PNAs. Then check for closed WMAs and refuges.
- Wear orange, unload before getting into a vehicle, and know your distances.
- Planning a hunting camp? Read the Crown land camping rules and check the burn conditions in September and October.
Sources
Last reviewed: October 2026. Regulations change; always confirm with the official source before you go.