Hideaway Lodge Newfoundland Review

[Junder28]

Ok so here goes nothing. I wanted to give an accurate up to date review on my experience with one Newfoundland moose hunting and two Hideaway lodge outfitter. So I started calling outfitters that were recommended on these forums here at RokSlide last august. I very much appreciate all the help and information available here which made it a much more educated process. Because of all the help with reviews and outfitter advice I felt that I needed to contribute as well. After my conversation with Jason at Hideaway I decided that I would give them a try. We landed on the week of September 16th-22nd which Jason said should be the start to the rut in there area of Newfoundland. I took my Dad and two other friends and we all paid $6,400 a piece grand totaling $25,600 for the week. We were the only hunters at the camp. And to give a quick backdrop no-one going on this trip has been to newfoundland nor has ever moose hunted. But three of us have been with several guided hunts for different species in the past so we have experience with outfitters and guided and semi guided hunts. My dad also went with us who is 65 years old and we were not sure if he would be able todo another trip like this so we really wanted to make this one special and of course successful. We landed and it was about a 2hour plus ride to the camp and the camp was pretty remote which was nice. They did have wifi because of Elon Musk and his starlink technology which made it nice to call the wife and kids a night. The accommodations were decent and the food was good. But this is where I believe the good ended. Ill save ome time and just say that 3 of the 4 guides this was there first season guiding and it showed. My guide required me to have my magazine in my pocket and not in the gun while we were walking in. Which i respect their decision because i understand the dangers of having a loaded firearms while hiking but generally what i have experienced s that they allow you the have ammunition in the gun but not loaded so that when an opportunity arrives all you have to do is load and round and your in business. Well this magazine in my pocket thing cost my a pretty big black bear because i had to fish it out from under my rain pants. This prob could have been avoided if i had a more seasoned guide. Now in addition to that we had not great weather. A tropical storm was passing through that same week so we had a good amount of wind and warmer days the first few days and later in the week turned to cooler days but still windy. What i learned from speaking to the guides independently and some successful hunters in the airport is that when its windy like that moose want to be in the woods. So that brings me to my other issue. We were hunting bogs all week and not seeing anything. I saw one young bull about a 2 1/2 yr old that i decided not to shoot because my goal was to shoot a paddle horn bull. When i came back to camp and told the outfitter that he questioned me on why i didn't shoot the bull and made it seem like it doesn't get better than that. Well he was right. My dad hunted all week and didint see a single moose or bear or any animal of any kind outside of grouse. Now what i figured out after talking with some other hunters in the airport was that all of the moose they shot were off of roads because the moose were not venturing out into the bogs with winds like that. Which is funny because the only bull we shot was from my buddy walking a road into another hunting spot and they stumbled upon a bull. Out of the entire week the 4 of us saw a total of 8 moose and two opportunists to shoot very young moose or a cow. now i understand we do not have control over the weather and i can chalk one up to mother nature...but the facts are that every hunter we talked to in the airport which was many did not have the same issues we experienced. Most of them saw at least what our total number of moose sightings were for the group as an individual and had opportunities to shoot a paddle horn moose. Now i will say i may have figured out why the reviews were so good for this outfitter prior. The previous owner was Jason's dad and Jason bought the outfitting group last year. Jason is a nice guy and all and I'm sure fun to drink a beer with and hang out. But as a n owner of an outfitting organization i would have expected more effort toward his clients that what we saw. He was running into town each day to see his girlfriend, or he went out to buy a new Argo which was 3hours one way. All the while we paid a group total of over 25k and were not seeing any moose. I have had situations with other outfitters where the weather wasn't cooperating and then went to great lengths to figure out how to get us game despite the circumstances. This was not the case with Jason and it felt very much so like a turn and burn operation assuming we would not come back because this is a "once in a lifetime" trip. Well unfortunately for him its not a once in a lifetime trip for me and i will be back. Just not with his organization. Now that brings me to Newfoudnland. What a cool place. I literally felt like i was dropped off into the Lord of the Rings saga. Beautiful country and tons of Moose signa as well as a good healthy population of black bears. considering the price of getting there and the general cost and availability of outfitters its very appealing for a big game hunter and like i said i will be back. I may also consider paying a bit more and going more remote so that i can get opportunities at a paddle horn moose. Overall i felt l was lied to on many fronts. I spoke clearly and often about what i was looking for early on and he should have told me that the opportunity of shooting a mature bull moose is very low at his camp. I found this out during the trip that they will generally shoot 22-24 bull moose a year and only 3-4 will have paddles. His year they have only shot 1 so far that they have posted that has paddles and it was on one of their remote hunts. That's fine and all and i have problem with that as long as it was disclosed up front of the expectations and i would have pursued a more remote or more expensive trip if that's what it was going to take. But now i feel like i burned $6400 plus tip and travel. If all you are looking for is to kill a moose for the meat then by all means give them a ride but if you are looking for a better opportunity to hunt a paddle horn bull moose then i would consider many of the other outfitters available on that island. If you have any recommendations of better outfitters please let me know in the comments as im starting over for a planned Moose hunt in 2025 or 2026 year. I am hoping my Dad is still able to hunt then but we will see.

 

[bmrfish]

Sorry to hear a story like this. Everybody’s worst fear. Time spent with dad is priceless though. Not too much I wouldn’t give to see mine again.


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[buzzy]

My guess is any drive in camp will be close to your experience with quality. Fly in camp would give be you a much better chance.

Check out Deep Country Lodge. I hunted bou with them but they do fly in camps for moose. Great guys and I found Dean, the owner, to be a straight shooter.

 

[RS3579]

Sorry to hear about your disappointing experience. I don’t recall if I talked to you on the phone about my experience. I hunted with them 2004. We had a great hunt, 4 of 6 got moose. Jason was one of the guides at that time. That WAS 20 years ago tho. Good luck in the future trips.

 

[TxxAgg]

I'd pay $6400 for some paragraphs

 

[TxxAgg]

I'm just teasing. Stinks you didn't get a couple good opportunities in the group.

 

[keller]

Sorry to hear about your experience. My friend and I had decent experience in newfoundland .you need to remember when in rome do as the romans do its not the same as here. The country is so beautiful I plan on going back.

 

[Short Track]

Most of the NL outfitters are good. I only heard of 2 bad outfitters. One was a river outfit, and yours.
I got a Moose & Caribou from NL. Been there 3 times.

 

[INgunner54]

Jesus man, paragraphs!

Sorry you had a bad experience. Did the outfitter tell you that you'd have the chance at the caliber of bull you were expecting before you booked?

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[Rich M]

Most outfitted hunts do not meet the level of TV show quality hunts. The Monday morning quarterbacking and sniping make you look petty and "out to get even". Who cares if the outfitter goes to town or has something to do? You had guides to tend to your needs. You also assigned the guides the level of newbies and useless.

Did you even vet the guy? Call the referrals provided? Ask the questions to see if the hunt would meet your expectations? Reading reviews is nice but they are not always accurate like a conversation with as someone who has been there and done what you are hoping to do.

There is a reason that some outfitters post pictures of every animal they kill during a given season - did you look at those for the last couple of years, or at least ask for photos of ALL the moose taken from last year?

Seems nitpicky and like a lot of work, but it is necessary to have a level of confidence when you are gonna drop $5,000 and travel across the world.

You had an opportunity at a bear and a legal moose. That's not exactly a bad hunt. So, now you carry your magazine in an easy to access pocket at all times and ask the questions about what to expect so you know when to shoot. Yes, your guide should have told you to shoot - maybe he did, you didn't say.

Live and learn. I hope your next trip exceeds your expectations.

Bottom line is that you are disappointed that your dad didn't have the hunt of a lifetime. Woulda been better if there wasn't a windy tropical storm, but we can't control those. Does dad want a moose or is that your requirement? Just asking in case you had not, sometimes we have tunnel vision.

Good luck.

 

[thnksno]

What were your experiences on the other guided hunts you have been on?

Not trying to start an argument, but Ive came across alot of guys that are just not happy no matter where they go.

I was on a pack in elk hunt once and was disappointed, but after I got home and thought it out they did provide everything they said they were going to. They didnt guarantee me an elk and several killed elk there before and after me. So bad timing for me and one day I slept in. lol

To me they provided you the service you paid for. Transportation, Food, Lodging and a guide. And if you were hunting everyday then there is a chance to kill one I guess.

I know guys that have paid 3 times that and have not taken an animal at a reputable place, but the services were provided and they hunted their butts off.

The guide told you to take your magazine out. Not to stick it under another layer of clothing. To me the bear situation is on you. Ive done plenty of days for outfitters and have hunted numerous places and more often than not the failures are on the clients not being in shape, not experienced with their weapons or have expectations that are not attainable in the area they booked the hunt. NOT saying this is the case with you, but Ive witnessed it more often than not.

I guess those problems you had could have been alot worse I guess. hunting is hunting. I know a guy that hunted with Jim Shockeys Rogue river outfitters and did not take a moose.

It is what it is my friend

 

[thnksno]

And as far as the owner going to town who cares. When I go on a hunt I could care less if the owner was there or not. Thats a question I have never heard asked when someone is booking a hunt.

 

[MOVA]

My guess is any drive in camp will be close to your experience with quality. Fly in camp would give be you a much better chance.

Check out Deep Country Lodge. I hunted bou with them but they do fly in camps for moose. Great guys and I found Dean, the owner, to be a straight shooter.

X2 with Dean. Have had very good Moose, Bear, and Caribou taken on multiple trips with him going back 10+ years.

 

[Michigander]

the moose were not venturing out into the bogs with winds like that.

I had that same scenario happen to me on my Newfoundland hunt a few years ago. The guides would say "The moose are in da woods, nutting we can do." It really makes you feel like they aren't putting a good effort in when they won't let you go after moose you can hear and see.

 

[Charlie-NY]

Virtually all outfitters exaggerate (IME) when they are trying to get you to book a hunt. When the hunting starts, so do the excuses. "It's too hot, it's too cold, the wind is blowing in the wrong direction, they don't move in the rain, we slaughtered them last week, rut is starting late this year".

If you hire an outfitter, it's his job to do the pre-scouting work and to know where the game is likely to be spotted. When they take you to an area where there isn't even any fresh sign, you've got a problem.

I've been on both sides of the isle with the many outfitted hunts that I've been on. I think the owner/outfitter himself should be overseeing the operation because "guides" aren't always doing what's expected. We had guides in Newfoundland that didn't want to go out because it was raining. They sat in a barn drinking coffee until my buddy got annoyed enough to roust them out. He made it quite clear that we paid over $1,000/day to HUNT!. Shortly after we left the lodge, one of the guys tagged a nice bull.

We also had a guide that wanted to get the ball joint repaired on his pick-up while the hunter sat around waiting. That didn't go over well either.

But ... I've been on plenty of good hunts where everyone worked hard to help you have a great experience. Lodging was good, food was great, and guides seemed knowledgeable and were working hard for you to be successful.

Sorry that you had a bad experience in Newfoundland because it is really a great place to hunt or travel, we did both.

 

[Rburns28]

Man that sucks