Moose hunt Newfoundland QUESTIONS

[unclefish]

Thinking about a moose hunt in Newfoundland..
-anyone that has gone give me some tips
- I have been elk hunting for awhile and would like to do something else.
How you hunted-where did you stay-what guide or outfit-if successful how did you get the animal home . Thanks for help.

 

[grinnergetter]

Spot and stalk with Moose Valley Outfitters twice. Great people with great guides. Stay in Island Pond camp....only!

Brought meat home uncut the first time and butchered up the road from float plane base 2nd time. I'm in IN so that was a really long drive.

 

[Aoudad shooter1975]

Looked at this hunt myself...staying tuned

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I have hunted moose in Newfoundland several times and have hunted all over the US and Canada. By far, the best camp I have ever hunted in is Red Indian Lake Outfitters. They actually had the best hunting camp/experience by any measure of the term including:
overall service
modern facility
quality of food
memorable hunting experience
high success rates
general camaraderie
knowledgeable guides

And NO - I don't work for them or have any affiliation with them at all. But I am booked to return in 2019.
They also have a great web site that will help give you a feel for their lodge and services. They do have fly in camps too.

As far as the logistics - We drove a large SUV and hauled a 5'x8' enclosed trailer. The ferry form North Sydney takes 8hrs to cross and we took a stateroom for the night as it traveled across. You need to book the ferry well in advance.

You will need at least 3 - 151qt coolers for a butchered moose and probably a 4th for the cape. Some hunters take a chest freezer and generator but I have found the coolers to be very convenient. We had three hunters and took 12 large coolers.

The hunt - the terrain is very wet and rugged. Everywhere we hunted required an 8 wheel drive Argo. RIL has an entire fleet of Argos and its own maintenance shop because they are somewhat remote in location. "Locals" all drive quads and are not capable of hunting in the vast amount of terrain that we hunted for moose. Quads stay on the logging roads or wait for the winter freeze to set in.

Moose were mostly called in but a few were just spotted in the bogs. My last bull was taken at 315yds IIRC. Most shots were 100yds-150yds but its good to be able to take longer shots because they do present themselves. I spotted a few good bulls at 700yds-900yds but couldn't close the distance before they disappeared.

I don't give recommendations lightly but Fred and Shirley, RIL owners, literally run the finest outfitting service that I have ever used in 40 yrs of hunting.

Good luck with whomever you choose. Moose hunting is a lot of fun!!

 

[LoneTraveler]

I am with Varmit Hunter. I have hunted Newfoundland twice. The ferry is the big thing in the travel to Newfoundland by vehicle. You want to figure 16 to 24 hours in your trip for the ferry. It takes 2 hours or more just to load the ferry. 7.5 to 8 hours to cross and 2 hours or so to unload. You want to be sure to be at North Sidney in time to line up for getting on board. If you miss your reservation trip it cost about 75 dollars to reschedule the trip, Plus time loss getting to outfitter on time.
I suggest you take the 11 pm ferry and get a state room. That way you get on the ferry go to your room sleep on the ride over, And be ready to travel to your hunting area the next day. Coming back same way get a room and sleep. When the ferry docks in North Sidney, You are ready to start your return home.
The people that fly over can get meat, capes and horns back but it rather expensive. Some of the outfitters have contacts with trucking companies with freezer trailers who will bring meat back. But you may have to drive a ways to meet them at a truck stop or terminal and pick up your meat, Cape and horns, Not cheap either. Check with your outfitter if you want to fly on the hunt.
On my 2nd trip in 2017 we was hunting out of pickup trucks and a hurricane hit Newfoundland and the roads washed out till we could not travel to some of the places our guide wanted to hunt.
They don't seem to do much boat travel hunts in Newfoundland. Some of the fly in hunts you hunt on foot, or Other places you hunt out of Ar-Go's or pickup trucks. Ar-Go's are not very comfortable to hunt out of. They want to drive hard and fast. Our first hunt was with Ar-go's and we had to stay on our guide to keep from beating us and our guns up.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting if you go.

 

[gillettehunter]

Here is a thread from another forum:
https://www.africahunting.com/threads/canada-newfoundland-moose-hunt.46310/
Has one outfitter to stay away from and some other general info. Good luck.
Bruce

 

[unclefish]

Thanks , my cousin actually works with a guy that has gone for the last 7 and has done well. We will be the third set of hunters to go to the camp. For the year. Will have to see what happens.

 

[GreatCanadian]

Just want to give anyone who is planning a Newfoundland Moose hunt to do a little research before forking out your hard-earned dollars. I live in Newfoundland, and have hunted for years here for moose, bear, caribou, rabbit (snowshoe hare) duck, etc. I only mention that so you folks understand that this information is coming from an experienced hunter.

The moose population in Newfoundland is on a serious decline. Moose licenses have been reduced by over 2500 compared to 2 years ago, and most hunters believe that it needs to be reduced by at least 10,000 or our moose will be in serious trouble in 5 years or so. There has been a major uproar over the past decade or so where the general public has called for moose reduction due to moose/vehicle collisions. Again, people driving too fast for conditions and the moose gets the blame. Government responded by increasing licenses when they should not have, and the population was reduced (mission accomplished). Now the moose population cannot sustain the pressure from hunting. As it stands now, the government estimates about 110,000 moose on the island. Hunting groups believe that in reality the population is between 60,000 and 80,000.

This article is from a year ago, but the situation is basically the same:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newf...ces-cut-hunters-outfitters-reaction-1.4557296


EDIT: Can't post links because I don't have the required number of posts, so you may have to copy and paste.
GC

 

[jimbires]

Just want to give anyone who is planning a Newfoundland Moose hunt to do a little research before forking out your hard-earned dollars. I live in Newfoundland, and have hunted for years here for moose, bear, caribou, rabbit (snowshoe hare) duck, etc. I only mention that so you folks understand that this information is coming from an experienced hunter.

The moose population in Newfoundland is on a serious decline. Moose licenses have been reduced by over 2500 compared to 2 years ago, and most hunters believe that it needs to be reduced by at least 10,000 or our moose will be in serious trouble in 5 years or so. There has been a major uproar over the past decade or so where the general public has called for moose reduction due to moose/vehicle collisions. Again, people driving too fast for conditions and the moose gets the blame. Government responded by increasing licenses when they should not have, and the population was reduced (mission accomplished). Now the moose population cannot sustain the pressure from hunting. As it stands now, the government estimates about 110,000 moose on the island. Hunting groups believe that in reality the population is between 60,000 and 80,000.

This article is from a year ago, but the situation is basically the same:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newf...ces-cut-hunters-outfitters-reaction-1.4557296


EDIT: Can't post links because I don't have the required number of posts, so you may have to copy and paste.
GC[/QUOTE



your link works . I hunted moose there about 8 or 10 years ago . I had a great time . I'd like to go back . I hunted around the Gros Morne park area . thanks for the info.

 

[GreatCanadian]

@jimbires that's a fantastic area to hunt. The Moose population was actually too high in Gros Morne Park. Being a national park hunting was not allowed and the Moose population was extremely dense resulting in them eating any new forest growth. So they have instituted a Moose cull in the area over the past few years, resulting in new growth being able to develop. It's a beautiful area of our province.

GC