Maple Gold Mines expands Douay gold system at Douay Gold Project, Quebec
Maple Gold Mines Ltd. [TSXV: MGM; OTCQX: MGMLF; FSE: M3G0] reported assay results from 14 drill holes completed during its ongoing, fully funded 30,000-metre winter drill campaign at its 100%-owned Douay Gold Project and Joutel Gold Project (together, Douay/Joutel) located along the Casa Beradi-Douay Gold Trend in Québec, Canada.
Results include 12 drill holes from the Nika Zone and two drill holes from the Porphyry West Zone, targeting higher-grade southeast-plunging shoots to confirm continuity and extend mineralization at depth following encouraging results from the 2025 winter program.
Highlights: In the Nika Zone, drill hole DO-25-57X returned 2.8 g/t Au over 13.5 metres within a broader interval of 1.1 g/t Au over 74.0 metres, located approximately 100 metes down-plunge from previous drill hole DO-21-282X which returned 5.5 g/t Au over 9.6 metres within a broader interval of 1.6 g/t Au over 132.5 mteres.
Also in the Nika Zone, drill hole DO-25-353 returned 1.4 g/t Au over 21.6 metres within a broader interval of 0.4 g/t Au over 358.5 metres, located approximately 150 metres below previous drill hole DO-25-338 which returned 4.9 g/t Au over 17.0 metres within a broader zone of 2.1 g/t Au over 108.6 metres.
In the Porphyry West Zone, drill hole DO-26-369 returned 1.9 g/t Au over 30.0 metres, including 3.1 g/t Au over 9.0 metres, within a broader interval of 1.0 g/t Au over 138.0 metres located along a similar moderate southeast plunging shoot as is demonstrated in the Nika Zone.
The ‘Nika Plunge’ model is now confirmed at both Nika and Porphyry West, supporting the broader geological interpretation at Douay and resource expansion potential to depth.
Ongoing exploration drilling continues to demonstrate that gold mineralization at Douay extends well beyond the 2022 Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) and remains open in multiple directions.
The company has completed 51 holes (~24,000 m) to date, with 28 reported and 23 pending assay results; additional drilling is planned in 2026, including 2,000 meters to follow up on recent high-grade intercepts at Joutel.
An updated Douay and maiden Joutel MRE, excluding current drilling, are expected in H1 2026.
“These results validate the continuity and similarity of higher-grade plunging shoots within the Nika and Porphyry West zones, while successfully extending bulk tonnage gold mineralization to depth,” stated Ian Cunningham-Dunlop, P.Eng., Executive Vice President of Maple Gold. “With the largest drill program in the company’s history nearing completion, our team is now in the planning phase for even more aggressive fully funded drill programs in H2 2026 and 2027 that will target near-term resource expansion opportunities at Douay/Joutel and the significant district-scale growth potential we see across the broader property.”
Discussion of Douay Drilling Results – Nika Zone: The Nika Zone lies in the northwestern portion of the Douay MRE and is hosted within a mixed basalt-syenite intrusive sequence, including thick syenitic dykes that are well mineralized.
In May 2021, drill hole DO-21-282X returned 1.6 g/t Au over 132 metres, including 1.8 g/t Au over 100.3 metres, including 5.5 g/t Au over 9.6 metres, which was the best intersection reported in the Nika Zone at the time.
In April 2025, the company reported step-out drill hole DO-25-338, located 300-metres down-plunge from drill hole DO-21-282X which returned 2.10 g/t Au over 108.6 metres, including 3.2 g/t Au over 55.8 metres, including 6.2 g/t over 7.8 metres, and including 5.2 g/t Au over 17.0 metres, representing the best hole drilled to date in the Nika Zone based on gold accumulation (grade x thickness). Step-out drill hole DO-25-54EXT, located 30 metres north of drill hole DO-25-338, returned 1.3 g/t Au over 60 metres, including 2.9 g/t Au over 20 metres, and including 5.5 g/t Au over 7 metres.
Drilling reported today includes 12 drill holes which tested the breadth of the higher-grade core of the Nika Zone from shallow drill holes within poorly drilled portions of the Nika modeled open pit, infill drill holes between drill holes DO-21-282X and DO-25-345 (approximately 100 m down plunge from DO-21-282X), and step-out drill holes located 50 m down-plunge from drill hole DO-25-338. Drilling has confirmed the continuity of the Nika plunging shoot with wide intervals intersected in new drill holes DO-25-57X and DO-25-353, including 0.6 g/t Au over 185.5 metres, in diamond drill hole (DDH) DO-25-57X, including 1.1 g/t Au over 74.0 metres, including 1.7 g/t Au over 26.5 metres, including 2.8 g/t Au over 13.5 metres, including 5.6 g/t Au over 5.5 metres; 0.42 g/t Au over 358.5 metres, in DDH DO-25-353, including 1.4 g/t Au over 21.6 metres, including 2.3 g/t Au over 9.0 metres, including 3.2 g/t Au over 5.0 metres; 2.2 g/t Au over 11.8 metres, in DDH DO-25-367, including 2.7 g/t Au over 9.0 metres, including 13.5 g/t Au over 1.5 metres.
The Nika Zone now extends to 900 metres vertical depth and remains open in multiple directions. The zone is also located 1,200 metres east of the existing Douay headframe and mining infrastructure. The company recently completed the construction of an all-season drill access trail at Nika to allow year-round drilling of the middle and upper portions of the Nika Zone on closer-spaced drill centres.
The Porphyry Zone hosts high tonnage, lower-grade, structurally controlled gold mineralization within the Porphyry West, Porphyry Central and Porphyry East Zones with >55% of the contained Indicated and Inferred gold ounces within the current Douay MRE. The Porphyry West Zone sits within albite- or K-feldspar altered syenites which are part of the Douay Intrusive Complex (DIC), with most mineralization occurring near the DIC’s hanging wall margin.
The company completed three drill holes, DO-25-341, DO-25-342 and DO-25-343, during the 2025 Winter Drill Program which all intersected the modeled Porphyry West Zone with promising gold mineralization hosted within the DIC, a mixed zone with basalt intruded by syenite dikes, and a new lower intermediate tuff horizon in the footwall to the DIC which may be part of the northern Taibi volcaniclastic units.
Highlights included 0.9 g/t Au over 31.0 metres, including 1.2 g/t Au over 16.0 metres and 1.1 g/t Au over 10.5 metres, including 3.1 g/t Au over 2.8 metres in drill hole DO-25-341, 0.6 g/t Au over 49.0 metres, including 1.8 g/t Au over 3.0 metres and 0.6 g/t Au over 16.0 metres in drill hole DO-25-342, and 0.6 g/t Au over 30.0 metres, including 1.4 g/t Au over 4.5 metres in drill hole DO-25-343.
Program drilling in the Porphyry West Zone has applied the ‘Nika Plunge’ model to target a moderate south-southeast plunging shoot. Drilling has focused on the areas between drill holes DO-25-341 and DO-25-343, and up-plunge from drill hole DO-25-342.
The company completed two holes, DO-26-368 and DO-26-369 along the projected ‘Nika Plunge’, both of which intersected wide intervals with promising grades including 0.5 g/t Au over 87.0 m, in DO-26-368, including 1.0 g/t Au over 20.0 metres, including 1.7 g/t Au over 9.0 metres; 1.1 g/t Au over 16.0 metres, including 1.4 g/t Au over 6.0 metres; 0.9 g/t Au over 158.0 metres, in DO-26-369, including 1.0 g/t Au over 138.0 metres, including 1.9 g/t Au over 30.0 metres, including 3.1 g/t Au over 9.0 metres, and including 2.4 g/t Au over 8.0 metres, including 15.2 g/t Au over 1.0 metres.
The higher-grade core of the Porphyry West Zone is located ~900 m southeast of the Nika Zone and now demonstrates a similar southeasterly plunge geometry. The zone remains open on all directions and additional follow-up drilling is planned.
2026 Winter Program Update: The company has completed 51 drill holes totaling ~24,000 metres as part of its ongoing 32,000-metre Douay/Joutel Program, with approximately 75% of the program now complete. At Douay, drilling has focused on testing of the down-plunge extensions of the higher-grade Nika, 531, Douay West, and Porphyry West Zones. At Joutel, drilling is following-up on encouraging results from drill holes JO-25-01/05/06/07 with 50-metre spaced step-out drill holes.
Assays have been reported for 28 drill holes to date, with additional results expected as they are received and validated in accordance with QA/QC protocols.
Concurrent development initiatives are planned throughout 2026 to advance and de-risk Douay/Joutel, including an updated Douay and a maiden Joutel MRE, both targeted for H1 2026, along with an internal scoping/engineering study.
A total exploration budget of $13.9 million has been approved for 2026, covering permitting, approximately 32,000 metres of diamond drilling, regional sonic drilling, assaying, personnel, and site support costs. The program is fully funded from the Company’s existing treasury, with planning for H2 2026 and 2027 drilling currently underway.
The Douay/Joutel Gold Project is located adjacent to Highway 109 in the heart of Québec’s Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada’s premier gold mining jurisdiction. This large, 100%-owned land package includes the company’s flagship Douay Gold Project, which hosts an established mineral resource containing 511,000 oz gold (Indicated) and 2.53 million oz gold (Inferred), as well as the past-producing, high-grade Joutel Mine Complex.
The property contains ~481 km2 of highly prospective geology within the influence of the major gold-bearing Casa Berardi Deformation Zone. Gold mines in the immediate region include the Casa Berardi Gold Mine, recently acquired by Orezone Gold Corporation from Hecla Mining Company, and the Detour Lake Gold Mine operated by Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.
Maple Gold Mines Ltd. is a well-funded Canadian gold exploration company focused on advancing its 100%-owned, district-scale Douay/Joutel Gold Project in Québec’s Abitibi Greenstone Gold Belt. Douay/Joutel benefits from exceptional infrastructure access and prospective ground including an established gold mineral resource at Douay with significant expansion potential as well as the past-producing Telbel and Eagle West mines at Joutel.
In addition, the company holds an exclusive option to acquire 100% of the Eagle Mine Property, a key part of the historical Joutel Mining Complex.
Maple Gold’s property package also hosts a significant number of regional exploration targets along a 55-km strike length of the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone that have yet to be tested through drilling, making the property ripe for new gold and VMS discoveries.