Puma Exploration adds second diamond drill to McKenzie Gold Project, New Brunswick
Puma Exploration Inc. [TSXV: PUMA; OTCQB: PUMXF] reported it has mobilized a second drill at its McKenzie Gold project in Northern New Brunswick. This follows the start, on November 17, 2025, of the company’s inaugural 2,500-metre drilling program at the high-grade RIM Gold Zone (RIM).
Grab sampling at RIM in 2024 and 2025 returned impressive gold grades, including up to 601.33 g/t Au. The quartz vein system at RIM is characterized by a main shear vein to the south, mineralized along nearly its entire strike length, with an array of extension veins to the north spanning 35 metres in width. The zone remains open in all directions.
The first drill is focused on the continuous southwest portion of the shear vein, where surface sampling in 2024 identified the highest gold grades. To date, eight short holes have been drilled, with a cumulative total of less than 300 metres. The holes successfully intersected mineralized quartz veins containing disseminated sulphides, hosted within mudstone units. Hole MK25-03 intersected a quartz vein showing several (4-5) small grains of visible gold (VG).
It is important to note that VG in the core confirms that gold is present in the vein material, but only assay results will confirm the gold grades. Only preliminary quick logging of the drill core has been conducted on site to date. The core will be transported to our regional coreshack in Saint-Quentin for detailed logging and sampling before being sent to the lab for assaying.
The second drill has been mobilized to the newly stripped area located in the northern section of the RIM Gold Zone. The primary objective of this drilling is to assess the extent and continuity of the extension veins beneath the surface. Initially, the drilling program will focus on short holes, ranging from 25 to 50 metres in depth.
This approach is designed to provide a clearer understanding of the geometry and gold grades of the veins subsurface. The information gathered from these initial holes will enable more precise targeting of the veins at greater depths for future drilling.
Puma has accumulated a portfolio of prospective gold landholdings strategically located close to roads and infrastructure in Northern New Brunswick, including the Williams Brook Project and the McKenzie Gold Project. Both are located near the Rocky Brook Millstream Fault (RBMF), a major regional structure formed during the Appalachian Orogeny and a significant control for gold deposition in the region.
Puma’s work to date has focused on the Williams Brook property, but prospecting and surface exploration work on its other properties have confirmed their potential for significant gold mineralization. The Williams Brook Project was optioned to Kinross Gold in October 2024.
Puma Exploration is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on identifying and developing a pipeline of precious metals projects in New Brunswick, near the Bathurst Mining Camp, where it has worked on regional projects for over 15 years.