CITYnews halifax: Antlerless deer hunting stamp draw to open Monday

CITYnews halifax / By Emma Amodio

The antlerless deer hunting season is kicking off, with a draw for one of 6,025 hunting stamps opening on Monday, July 6.

The minimum age for deer hunting has also been lowered from 16 to 12, and youth hunters aged 12 to 15 can enter the draw as long as they meet licensing requirements at the time of applying.

This antlerless deer hunting stamp draw helps “achieve healthy and balanced deer populations,” according to a release. It says hunting stamp permit hunters to harvest antlerless deer in specific deer management zones.

The stamp limits hunters to one bag, or one deer, for the season and the antlerless deer stamp must be in addition to the general deer or archery/muzzleloader stamp.

Antlerless deer stamps are available in five of the 10 deer management zones in mainland Nova Scotia: 103, 104, 106, 108, 110. In Cape Breton, both zones 111 and 112 have stamps available. Stamps are not necessary in the other mainland zones (101, 102, 105, 107 and 109), where hunters may harvest deer of either sex.

Here are the eligibility requirements for this upcoming stamp draw:

• Be a resident of Nova Scotia
• Have a valid Nova Scotia Wildlife Resources Card
• Be eligible to purchase a deer hunting licence, including having a valid hunting certification(s) on their HuntNS profile before applying, such as Hunter Trained (HT), Bow Trained (B).

If you wish to apply, you may do so through a HuntNS profile, by phone (toll-free: 1-833-302-0750) or by mail: Antlerless Deer Draw Application, Citizen Services Division, Business Registration Unit, Box 1529, 6N-1505 Barrington St., Halifax, N.S., B3J 2Y4.

The fee is $8.04 plus tax for electronic and phone applications and $11.70 plus tax for paper applications.

Applications close July 31, and results will be posted online August 18.