N.B. woman sets record for taking down giant bull moose with compound bow

Ashley Lomax waited 15 years for her name to be selected in New Brunswick's moose licence draw. 

Not only did she get her moose on the first day of hunting season this year, it was a giant  — and she did it with a compound bow, no less. 

It's also a record-breaker for bow hunting, according to the New Brunswick Big Game Club's record book. 

The Maces Bay woman was hunting with family members in northern New Brunswick in September, determined to bring down a moose with a bow, rather than a firearm. 

"I like the challenge of it," she said. "You have to get in closer and you have to use your own physical strength to pull the bow back."

She and her hunting party, which included her professional hunting guide and husband, Shane, headed out on the first day of hunting season and saw a couple other moose, including some smaller ones that didn't quite get her attention. 

There were some disappointing close encounters — she did, after all, have to get within about 30 metres to get a good and ethical shot — including one moose that became known as the "50-inch bull." They didn't know it at the time, but that moose would play a role in the hunt. 

In fact, said Shane, they ended up pushing the 50-inch one into the territory of Ashley's moose. 

They had just sat down to rest when they heard a crashing sound through the trees that could only be two bulls fighting. 

Sure enough, two large bulls were heading their way and more intent on each other than staying alert for humans in the forest. 

They were both trophy-worthy bulls, but Lomax set her sights on the larger one.

Each time the males clashed, Lomax edged closer, eventually getting close enough to take a shot. The moose immediately darted a short distance away, but Lomax believes the animal likely thought the pain was caused by his opponent. Her moose charged his adversary one last time before he dropped. 

The smaller male stood over him, vocalizing for a while and seeming to claim victory before he ran off. 

"I just wanted to make a good shot. Then afterward we really realized how huge he was," said Ashley.

Shane said he knew right away that his wife's moose was a giant — and he suspected it may be a record-breaker, especially with a bow. 

The province of New Brunswick doesn't keep records on the biggest of any game, but there are hunters' groups that do. The groups have to be alerted to a potential record claim and officially "scored" by a representative. 

In this case, since the claim is based on the size of the antlers, there's a 60-day waiting period, which allows the antlers to dry and shrink a bit.

That official measurement by the New Brunswick Big Game Club took place this week, and Ashley Lomax was confirmed to have the largest moose felled by a bow in the province.

The measurement takes a number of criteria into account, including width, girth at the base, number of points and symmetry. Lomax's moose ended up scoring nearly 185. But the real numbers on which that figure is based are easier to understand: the antlers weigh 14 kilograms, are 159 centimetres wide and have 24 points.

Ashley Lomax plans to have the head mounted, so now that the antlers have been officially measured, they'll be reunited with the head and will eventually be added to the large collection of taxidermy on display in their house. 

A family affair

Hunting is a true family affair for the Lomax family. All four children regularly join their parents on hunting trips, and brothers Elijah, 15, and William, 13, even have their own YouTube channel called Squirrel Pursuit Outdoors, where William recently celebrated his mother's giant moose. 

Shane, who co-hosts the English version of a Quebec hunting TV show called Bête de Chasse, also praises his wife's hunting skills.

"It was a special hunt — not only just because it was her first," he said. "We didn't even bring a rifle for her. She was really determined to take it with her bow, which, you know, kudos to her … there are a lot of things working against you when you're bow hunting."

Most of northern New Brunswick is considered good hunting grounds for moose, according to the province's annual Big Game Report. The northern-most quarter of the province regularly sees more than half of all moose killed during the five-day season. 

This year, 5,124 resident licences were granted. According to preliminary data provided by the province, 4,113 moose were harvested — an 80 per cent success rate.

That's up slightly from 2023, when 5,115 licences were issued and 4,081 moose killed, which is roughly the same success rate.

N.B.'s moose population healthy

As reflected by the harvest numbers, New Brunswick's moose population is healthy and stable, said Dwayne Sabine, a moose management biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Branch at the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development.

Sabine said that's largely due to the absence of "the only significant predator" of adult moose — timber wolves. 

Moose habitat is especially favourable in the north of the province, largely because there are fewer deer there, Sabine said. Deer carry parasites that are particularly harmful to moose.

Sabine said moose reach adulthood in their second year and males reach prime "trophy size" between eight and 12 years old, after which their antlers gradually diminish in size.