NF moose hunt story

[adamkolesar]

Great story. I hunted that same place and knew it quickly by the pictures you posted. 3 brothers owned it. Roger, Trevor and i dont remember the other, but all great people. My guide was Trevor and his wife was the cook and I ate really well. I was the only hunter in camp except for the last full day I was there. A muzzleloader hunter came in and the next day I was scheduled to leave, he shot the biggest racked Woodland caribou i seen that week...and i saw hundreds. I shot a 36" well palmed bull moose and a decent caribou. Trevor was fantastic...and yes, he liked his cigs. That was back in around 1995..a moose and caribou hunt for $2750. Sad to hear its sold....but those original owners are getting old. Last time I saw Roger at the sportsman show in Pa was probably around 2015/2016. Yes, its a great area to hunt and they got plenty of moose and caribou there.

That's interesting about the caribou. Neither me or the other hunter in camp saw a one. I wonder who Roger sold that hunt area to? The camp really seemed to check all the boxes. I imagine you're correct that as the owner's got older managing such far flung camps became a real chore.

 

[pacoalcracker]

The caribou do migrate on that island just as they do in other locals, just not as far....and always on the move. You have to hit it just right. Ive heard recently that the caribou numbers have thinned out over the years so that could also play a part in not seeing any while you were there. In the week I was there I saw a few hundred and many bigger than the one I shot on the 1st day of hunting. But, a caribou on the ground is better than no caribou as its a hit or miss with caribou anywhere. I hunted in 1995 and was 35 at the time...the owners were probably in the early 50's so at least in their mid 70's now. Everyone working for them were members of the family and I have to say it was a fantastic trip. I brought home, by airline (5) 70 pound boxes of boned out flash frozen/vac packed meat between the bull moose and the bull caribou, at $35 per box as excess baggage....wont ever do that today. The wife and 2 kids loved the meat....it was so tasty and not tough at all.

 

[Trial153]

NL is good job keeping caribou numbers down and stable. Long term that’s the only hope for tundra regeneration and preventing population crashes.

 

[adamkolesar]

The caribou do migrate on that island just as they do in other locals, just not as far....and always on the move. You have to hit it just right. Ive heard recently that the caribou numbers have thinned out over the years so that could also play a part in not seeing any while you were there. In the week I was there I saw a few hundred and many bigger than the one I shot on the 1st day of hunting. But, a caribou on the ground is better than no caribou as its a hit or miss with caribou anywhere. I hunted in 1995 and was 35 at the time...the owners were probably in the early 50's so at least in their mid 70's now. Everyone working for them were members of the family and I have to say it was a fantastic trip. I brought home, by airline (5) 70 pound boxes of boned out flash frozen/vac packed meat between the bull moose and the bull caribou, at $35 per box as excess baggage....wont ever do that today. The wife and 2 kids loved the meat....it was so tasty and not tough at all.

Agreed on the moose being first rate table fare. A chef friend of mine sliced a raw sliver from the back strap for me to taste and it was fabulous. Can't do that with my local whitetail!
The cost of an NL caribou hunt has sky rocketed in recent years (as an aspect of careful management) equalling or exceeding the cost of a DIY drop hunt in AK. Reminds me of Jason Hareston's mantra "Don't Wait".

 

[AKDoc]

I enjoyed rereading the enthusiasm and excitement of your experience and seeing the photos...you did it sir, well done!

You are so right-on about moose meat and excellent eating...my children grew-up eating it, and still love it today.

 

[PA Hunter]

So here is part 2 of the story. Once I arrived at Port Au Basque the outfitter estimated a 5 hour drive to Portland Lake where the heleport was located.
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I was met by the outfitter as expected and he gathered up the remainder of the hunters who were arriving by car to the Helo area. There was a group of 7 or 8 of us going to different camps. We completed the paperwork, got our tags, settled up and then assigned an air craft. I met my bunk mate (he got the hunt my friend bailed on for $1500 off!) Great guy from PA. We would be flown to the mouse pond camp which consisted of two hunters and two guides. The Helo was loaded with our gear, provisions and building materials for the camp. Me and the guy from PA flipped a coin for co-pilot seating and the pictures are a result of my victory. A shortish 30 minute ride got us to camp at around 2pm local time for drop off and extraction of the two guys that preceded us in camp. The guides David and Sam greeted us and we're very proud of their 100% harvest rate to date. We were group 3 of 4 they would guide for the season. As mentioned, I really wanted a rut hunt, hence the choice of timing. The assignment of guide to client was fairly arbitrary. Despite paying full freight, I was assigned the apprentice guide, Sam. Good guy, and super laid back. I didn't want to start camp with some kind of conflict, or bad feelings. It was a contingency I hadn't thought to clarify. The cabin was appropriately rustic, but completely functional and reasonably equipped. Power via generator that was turned on at dark and first thing in the morning. David the head guide quipped that the moose were quite used to hearing the generator fired up each morning. Hunter bunks were arranged above each guide. There was a pit privy out back. All as expected given the remoteness of the location.
After a brief snack we set about glassing and getting oriented to the valley we would be hunting in for the next week. The guides let us go while they attended to camp chores. We would glass with the guides after dinner. We were able to spot far off bulls tending to cows and spotted a real monster at the top of a ridge miles away. Weather was clear, crisp and cool. We were called in for dinner (via the electronic cow call) and enjoyed a nice moose stew. This was the get to know you aspect of the hunt and all went well; that was until we reminded the guides that tomorrow (the first Sunday in October) was a hunt day. That fact caught both guides by surprise as they had been dropped in camp in mid-August. After a brief period of adjustment, all was well. The camp we were staying in was getting an extension built on to accommodate 2 more hunters and guides for the following season. I was happy we were only a party of two. After dinner we got our official orientation of the valley and the various high points the guides would use to glass for moose. Dark fell and after a brief time on the generator, it was lights out. One of the most important pieces of gear I brought was the robust supply of foam ear plugs. Sleeping in close proximity to this crew required substantial reduction in the volume of snoring. The one thing that concerned me as we drifted off to sleep was the very substantial brightness of the full moon. There were shadows cast throughout the cabin. Just sayin'
Dave promptly awakened the cabin at 6ish by firing up the generator via a remote switch on his bed post. Anxious to hunt, we got ourselves geared up and ate a hasty breakfast. The other morning ritual consisted of firing up the electronic call from the cabin's front porch. My guide Sam was responsible for battery maintenance as this was his method of calling. Dave used the tried and true Newfie call which is a tin can wrapped in duct tape with a shoelace attached through a hole in the bottom of the can. The key is wetting the shoelace. Dave and his client made it out the door first as my guide had to get his electronic call in order. The two guides stayed in contact via VHF radio which was mostly effective. Before we could leave the cabin, Dave called my guide with a bull sighting not more than a 100 yards from the cabin. He and his client were set up for a potential shot. We quietly exited the cabin and took up a position well behind Dave and his client. Sure enough Dave called with his Newfie Cow call and a decent bull probably in the mid 30s crossed the creek and took up residence on a small, wooded island. We were at about 150 yards and could see the whole thing. Dave and his man didn't have a good angle for a shot. The bull resisted re-appearing despite attempts at calling him out. Dave's client said he wouldn't have been inclined to shoot a bull literally in the first 5 minutes of a week long hunt within sight of the cabin. Fair enough.
After the excitement, both groups parted ways after a brief discussion on where each of us would hunt. The weather was clear with a high of around 50. No breeze to speak of. Perfect. As to footware I made the choice of 19" Lacrosse/muck type boots. These worked great and I had no foot issues in miles of hiking the bogs. Some attention is needed as you're always one step from an impossibly deep muck hole that will fill that boot with sludge and potentially wrench an ankle or knee. The guides we're very conservative about getting back to camp before nightfall to avoid such an injury. I brought a Cabela's day pack w/ a rifle harness for optics and lunch etc. We assumed our position after a short climb on the "smoking rock". Why was it called smoking rock you ask? Newfie guides (at least mine) enjoy a good smoke or two while glassing for moose. Scent control is definitely not part of this hunt. Neither is camo. These guys had eagle eyes, understood their animals, and were careful about wind (when they could). I signed on for a Newfie moose hunt, and I wasn't going to start second guessing the guy with how I thought the hunt should go. My bunk mate had some difficulty going with the flow however. I can certainly see it both ways. We spent the remainder of the day glassing and spotting two potential candidates tending cows many miles away. Too far to initiate a stalk and return to the cabin before nightfall. Nobody was really pretty aying attention to calling as no other moose were spotted. As the afternoon passed, the winds began to pick up, you can probably see where this is going....
We returned to camp as did David and his client, who passed on a spike. As you can imagine, the camp did not have a cook. David the head guide was on the hook for that responsibility and was none too happy about the prospect of guiding all day and then returning to cook the camp's dinner. Sensing I could contribute to a more harmonious camp atmosphere, I volunteered to cook. I dug around the camp's small chest freezer and found some pork chops. The last thing the guides wanted to eat was the abundant moose meat they had on hand. I regarded meal prep as a challenge, utilizing the modest pantry to create a decent plate of food. Have to say, the chow turned out pretty well. Some stories we're told, the meal cleared and it was lights out. As the night progressed the moon shone at full tilt and the wind persisted all night.
Day two of the hunt and David and his client beat us out the door again. As we took to the field, the wind remained as strong as over night. I would estimate between 15-20 miles an hour. If we spotted a shooter with some yardage between us the wind hold would be a challenge. We returned to smoking rock to see if we could find yesterday's bulls. No dice. We resumed our journey down the valley to another favored vantage point over looking the yellow bog. Hours of glassing and the bulls had disappeared. It seemed the unseasonably warm weather had delayed the rut as bulls we're just beginning to pay attention to calls without commiting either way. On top of that, we had a full moon and significant wind. Not the best recipe for encountering a moose. The other crew reported pretty much the same situation when they returned to the cabin. To be continued.View attachment 94657
The view from "the smoking rock"
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The pantry.
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View from the porch

Pennsylvania is greatly represented in Newfoundland because of the Harrisburg Sportsman's expo with all the outfitters.

 

[JoshOR]

Great read, nice work! Sounds like a sweet adventure, congrats on your moose!

 

[fred14462]

Great story and pics, Thank You

 

[adamkolesar]

Great story and pics, Thank You

Thanks. The Newfoundland Moose hunt is a unique experience. I was very happy with the outfitter and hunt (especially at the price point!)

 

[fred14462]

Thanks. The Newfoundland Moose hunt is a unique experience. I was very happy with the outfitter and hunt (especially at the price point!)

I am booked for October 2nd through the 8th next fall. My 2nd trip. I was there in 09. best trip of my life

 

[adamkolesar]

I am booked for October 2nd through the 8th next fall. My 2nd trip. I was there in 09. best trip of my life

Would love to go back for Woodland Caribou. That price point has gone through the roof!!! Can't imagine it will ever go down.

 

[fred14462]

Would love to go back for Woodland Caribou. That price point has gone through the roof!!! Can't imagine it will ever go down.

I agree would love to add that tag but can not justify the money. I am booked with Adventure Quest. Last trip I went with Victoria river