Newfoundland ???

searcher

Active Member
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I see this forum isn't used a lot. Anyone on here hunt in Newfoundland? I'm planning a trip this Sept 2018 and would like to chat with someone who has hunted there before.

Thanks
 
I hunted moose/bear there last year, September 2017. What do you need to know?

I definitely would not recommend the outfitter I used, Steel Mountain.
 
Thanks for the reply.

1) How did you do.

2) I note your comment about the outfitter. What were the problems?

3) do you recall what area you hunted?

4) Did you see any caribou?

Thanks again. PM me if you like.
 
They hunt at Benabbey Lake, sw Newfoundland (section 11). If you google map it, it will come up. I did see 1 caribou, which really was a beautiful animal. And if I had a tag, I would of harvested it.

I did tag out on an 8 pt, 38? moose. I did see a number of moose in my 3 days of actually hunting. What I didn't know, was we were in a draw for tags. Most of us drew bull only, with only 1 guy having either sex tag. I'm pretty sure if you go, you will see moose. Just realize your not going to see a 1000 lb 45? spread moose (which I was told by the guides in camp). There are a few, but it's rare to get them.

The outfitter was horrible. Not to cry my tears about it, because I really did not enjoy much of the trip. I saw the owner twice during the week. For 10-15 mins, while he dropped off supplies.

The guides all had $50-80 binoculars, really cheap garbage. I have a $250-$300 pair, which you would think was top of the line stuff compared to their crap.

The guides were not interested in going out to hunt all day. They want to be at camp at 1-2 everyday. I'm the guy that will go out at zero dark 30, and return with the sun set. That's why I'm there, to hunt.

He had 1 small 14? boat, that all the guides used. You had to take turns getting dropped off. 1 hunter, 1 guide at a time. Why, because the boat had leaks. Always had to bail water out. The motor was hard to start.

The generator at camp would not stay on. The camp guy had to start 30-50 times a day..

All the employees complained about the owner, and how bad the equipment was, is lack of interest with the hunters, and 3 of the four said they would not be back next year.
The owner wanted us to hunt Sunday, which is not allowed by law. In the 2 weeks of hunters, only 3 tagged out.

My buddy got tore up with ant bites while sleeping in the lodge..

I bought a bear tag, and was expecting to at least see bears. They haven't taken a bear at camp since 2001. The put a bucket of syrup out to bait. Honestly... they should tell you this in advance. I wouldn't of bought a tag had I known this. That was a waste of $750.

The owner took 2 days to pick up my moose. I packed most of it out. My guide was 70 yrs old. They had no machine to help. The owner sold me boxes to ship my meat back. At camp he said, $7.00 a box. After I left, $10. On top of he took the meat to the processor, and never gave me a receipt. I'm very sure he pocketed some of my money.

Again, I'd not recommend the outfitter. Best of luck if you go. I hope you have a better experience.
 
Oh man, I am sorry to hear about your hunt. That sounds terrible. I looked up the outfitters website and I was not too impressed with it. How / where did you meet up with this outfitter? Did you go on a recommendation from someone else? I am going to the Great American Sportsmans Show in February. I have had a couple bad guided elk hunts and also a couple of decent ones. I am always struggling with how to talk to outfitters at shows. The guy who I thought was the most honest and seemed truly friendly gave us a very bad hunt a few years ago.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-26-18 AT 09:40AM (MST)[p]I went there on a recommendation from a guy I know, who hunted with the outfitters dad 15-20 years ago. A lot changed with how the operation is ran, namely the owner. The equipment at camp hasn't changed. The guy talked the place up. I had lots of doubts, especially with my communications with him. The guy (basically a hunting broker) that helped me book with him, down played my concerns.

Trust me, I was prepared for the hunt. I had the right equipment, based off my communications with the outfitter directly (wasted money on some of the stuff).

I saw the outfitters web page and was concerned with the out dated photos. He has the same outdated photos hanging in the lodge. They must of been taken in the hay day. The owner is also a salesman. But when it comes down to it, he is just throwing you a sales pitch. Again, I would not recommend the place.

Funny thing, he was adamant about NO ALCOHOL at the camp, AT ALL. I am not one to get drunk, but I am an adult. I can drink one beer at dinner or before bed. I understand why he says this, because some people can not be responsible when they have beverages. I thought it was funny how much he emphasized this, only to never be there.

If your interested in a whitetail hunt in Sask., I have an outfitter that I would recommend. With my personal pics to show what I have taken.
 
Thanks for the heads up on the whitetail hunt. I have enough whitetail in my back yard. Sounds like you really did have a bad experience with that outfitter. Enough about him. How was the hunting? You indicated you got a moose. Did the guide call it in or was it spot and stalk? How far away? Gun or bow? I am debating on taking my bow but I am not much good over 50 yrs. I have watched a lot of videos of Newfoundland moose hunts on YouTube but few are archery hunts. Is it because the brush is so thick? When is the best time to go - early like first week of season or later in October?

Thanks again

Tim
 
The terrain is tough walking. Not much grows up, probably because of the moose. Everything grows horizontal. It's tough walking. I mean tough. You need 3 feet to keep your balance, but unfortunately for me I have 2 feet. It's slow and steady walking. You have to watch where you place your feet with each step.
The guide tried calling. If they aren't rutting, calling doesn't work (as told to me). Thus it's spot and stalking. I hunted with a 30-06, and took 2 shots to drop him. 1st shot was about 100 yards, 2nd shot was 330 yards (dropped him, and was able to range him).
The rut starts late September, early October. They say the rut changes the taste of the meat. Meat taste better before the rut.
I spotted the bull I tagged about 1 1/2-2 mikes away, coming down the side of a mountain. We quick stepped across a valley, and popped out on top of a rigid, above the bull, with a 2nd smaller bull.
The guide was yelling for me to shoot the smaller bull, which was about 75 yards from us. I waited for the bigger one to get a clear shot.
The guide did awesome gutting the beast. And we left it for the day, because the packer wasn?t at the camp. It sucked pretty bad having to leave it there. It was 70 degrees out, and the damn crows pecked at it.
I saw 4 bulls ( all roughly the same size) and maybe 6 cows, 3 calf?s over 4 days. Lots of walking... lots of walking.
I know some will disagree, but I would recommend only a gun hunt. For an ethical harvest. I got roughly 200 lbs of meat out of 650 lbs bull. I lost a quarter with the shots and crows. Meat is very good.
 
Ok. Thanks for all the information. I appreciate it. You have given me some good ideas about questions to ask the outfitters. I always struggle with how to talk to those guys and weed out the truth from the B'S. I haven't been on many guided hunts but I have to say I have been on more bad than good. Thanks again and good luck.

Tim
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-02-18 AT 03:33PM (MST)[p]I hunted Caribou in November with Ironbound Outfitters. I was successful, but I would NOT recommend Ironbound Outfitters. The guides and staff were great and the only saving grace. The outfitter was more concerned about his own convenience than getting me to my camp. I ended up stuck at a moose camp for the first 3 days of my hunt. I had purchased a moose tag from the outfitter, but I was not able to hunt moose while stuck at the moose camp because we had no idea when the helicopter would arrive to take me to my caribou camp and we didn't want to take a chance of missing it, so we had to sit in the cabin for three days waiting. We finally got transported to the caribou camp and we were told to only bring hunting necessities and a sleeping bag and that they would bring supplies on a second run that day...that didn't happen. Luckily we had grabbed some food when we left and we were able to scrounge together some canned food left in the cabin. Helicopter finally returned two days later to pick us up. There were several other coordination and communication issues that I would be happy share with you if you are interested.
 
I certainly feel your pain on that crummy operation you ran into ! That really stinks ! I have never hunted Newfondland, but I have hunted many other places except Africa. Not going there-- ever.
The rotten experience you had-- I've encountered some of those over the years, mostly in New Mexico. No matter how well you check out things ahead of time & the references-- you never know what you're getting into until you arrive & then it's too late if it's a Cluster F Up like we've both had. You're just in a sorry mess period. Ugh. Very first guided hunt I had in Alaska many years ago had 2 Superb Guides, but Outfitter was far less than great. He was only interested in the rich clients in his camp at that moment. Made me feel like an unwanted drop in lost person with bad ordors & bad breath. He also did not tell me about a critical item needed to hunt the tundra, Ankle Fit Hip Boots Only, not regular hip boots, I almost broke my legs trying to climb & walk in those regular hip boots !
Some other outfitter rip offs & fiascos are just beyond descriptions. I hope your other/next hunts with outfitters will be far better for you ! Good Hunting & Best of Luck Everywhere !
Jerry Gold in Ft Collins, Colorado
 
Thanks again for everyone's input. I am settled on an outfitter and if all goes well I will be hunting in Newfoundland in September. Sorry to hear about everyone's bad experiences. I too have had some bad experiences with outfitters. All you can do is make the most of it and move on. Very few of us have unlimited time and resources to hunt so when you book a guided hunt you hope for and expect a good experience. I am not a trophy Hunter and never go out expecting a B&C class trophy. I just want the opportunity to take a good representation of the animal I am hunting for. For me, the experience is the trophy and a good animal taken cleanly and ethically is the cherry on top of the thick icing on the cake. Most of my hunts are DIY hunts but I am really looking forward to going to Newfoundland. Best of luck to everyone in your future hunts.
 
LAST EDITED ON Apr-10-18 AT 00:50AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Apr-10-18 AT 00:42?AM (MST)

5 of us did a Moose Caribou hunt in 2002 with Mayflower outfitting out of Roddington. I scored on a B&C quality Caribou but was unsuccessful for Moose. I hunted area 40 for Moose but the area was over run with residents searching for their winter supply of meat. My guide was fantastic and we hunted hard for 6 days but didn't see a bull with palms,and I saw 60 moose! Area 40 has lots of good vehicle access. I think flyout areas would have been better. Rest of the guys in our party all successful for moose. One good one at 45", rest were small moose. We hunted in early October and the Moose rut was over according to my guide. The only thing that I can compare the walking with is like walking on a mattress and you will do lots of it. Get a pair of good ankle fit knee high rubber boots. LaCross or Xtra Tuff make great boots, you wont be disappointed in either one. I hope to return someday since I have unfinished business with a bull Moose. Camp food was excellent!! Good luck on your NF moose hunting adventure.
 
I wanted to follow up and let everyone who provided comments that we had a really great trip to Newfoundland. We ended up hunting with Portland Creek Outfitters and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone. Everyone in my group saw moose and killed something. None were trophy size but the experience was great. We saw a lot of bear sign but nobody saw a bear and the weather really sucked so I suspect the weather had the bears grounded. It either rained or snowed every day but one. The walking was tough. I did not expect it to be so hard. Overall we had a great time. I may try to post some photos later. Thanks again to everyone who provided their input.
 
Did a hunt Sept. '19 with Conne River Outfitters and had a grand adventure. Lots of game, good equipment(Argos), nice accomodations, knowledgeable guides, and hard working folks. Killed a dandy bull on thursday of our week and my buddy killed one the next day. Walking was soggy making knee boots a necessity. Great meals and fun folks in game rich country.
 
Did a hunt Sept. '19 with Conne River Outfitters and had a grand adventure. Lots of game, good equipment(Argos), nice accomodations, knowledgeable guides, and hard working folks. Killed a dandy bull on thursday of our week and my buddy killed one the next day. Walking was soggy making knee boots a necessity. Great meals and fun folks in game rich country.

Did a hunt Sept. '19 with Conne River Outfitters and had a grand adventure. Lots of game, good equipment(Argos), nice accomodations, knowledgeable guides, and hard working folks. Killed a dandy bull on thursday of our week and my buddy killed one the next day. Walking was soggy making knee boots a necessity. Great meals and fun folks in game rich country.
Shortmag I sent you a message-Brad
 

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