Frederic Serre
The Advocate

The Quebec government unveiled the results of the 2024 hunting season in the province, saying it was a record year for the white-tailed deer hunting campaign, describing it as “historic,” with a record 40-per-cent success rate for first-time deer hunters.

The Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs also said it was a record year for wild turkey, while reporting excellent results for moose and black bear trapping.

White-tailed deer results

According to the ministry’s report made public Jan. 30, the number of deer hunters has continued to rise since 2020, once again reaching the threshold of 10 years ago. Game was plentiful and the harvest was the second-highest of any year, meaning deer populations are doing well, the ministry stated in its report.

The report revealed that more than 142,000 hunters harvested a total of 59,500 deer in Quebec (excluding Anticosti Island) during the 2024 season. This represents a 3-per-cent increase over 2023. About 15 per cent of hunters, or 21,700 individuals, purchased an additional licence.

“The excellent harvest in 2024 can be attributed in part to the fact that Quebec has not experienced very harsh winter weather conditions for deer since 2019 in most hunting zones, which has favoured their survival,” the ministry stated.

As for the situation on Anticosti Island, data compilation is not yet complete, as the hunt ended on Dec. 24. However, preliminary statistics suggest a record harvest, with more than 9,000 deer harvested.

Wild turkeys

The ministry reported that the overall harvest of wild turkeys in Quebec set a new record last year at 10,766. This represents an 11-per-cent increase over 2023. Spring and fall wild turkey harvests reached new highs, at 10,163 turkeys (up nine per cent from 2023) and 603 turkeys (up 71 per cent on 2023), respectively.

The number of licences sold set a new record, with 23,361 for the spring hunt and 2,964 for the fall hunt. The total number of permits sold in 2024 reached 26,325, up 5 per cent from 2023.

All indicators suggest that wild turkey populations are doing well, the ministry’s report stated, adding that the species is either expanding or stable in the various regions of Quebec.

Moose

Overall, moose hunting was very good in Quebec last season, the ministry said, with a total harvest of 20,431 individual moose, including 15,700 adult bulls, 2,578 adult cows and 2,153 calves. These figures reflect a total increase of 11 per cent over 2022 (when specific restrictions were imposed on hunters to limit the harvest of moose in a given area) and 6 per cent over the average of 2020 and 2022.

The harvest of 15,700 adult bulls is a record for both permissive and restrictive years. The harvest was 15-per-cent higher than in 2022, and 9-per-cent higher than the average for 2020 and 2022.

The government report said 167,618 licences were sold in 2024 – the lowest for similar hunting conditions since 2008. Nevertheless, moose remain a very popular game among Quebec hunters, the ministry said. On a broader time scale, population monitoring indicators suggest that the moose herd in Quebec is relatively stable.

Black bears

The 2024 black bear hunt in Quebec was positive and above the average of past years, the ministry’s statistics showed. The 2024 harvest was second only to the record year of 2018. In addition, the number of hunting licences sold reached its highest level in nearly 30 years.

A total of 6,142 black bears were harvested in 2024: 86 per cent by hunting (5,298) and 14 per cent by trapping (844). This harvest is 12-per-cent higher than the five-year average for 2019-2023, and the increase is observed in both hunting and trapping.

The total number of hunters reached 20,023 in 2024, including 18,632 residents and 1,391 non-residents. This represents an 8-per-cent increase over the 2019-2023 average, and the highest level in nearly 30 years.

The ministry said it is continuing to closely monitor the black bear harvest in Quebec. Telemetric monitoring of bears ended in 2023. However, some bears are still marked with a red ear tag.

“Hunters and trappers must continue to report the harvesting of these individuals to enable mortality rates to be properly estimated,” the ministry memo stated. “The ministry, in collaboration with universities, is continuing to analyze the valuable data collected under this project, with a view to improving knowledge of the species and its management.”