# Newfoundland Moose



## bwlacy (Jul 10, 2012)

My brother and I would like to do a Newfoundland moose hunt. Looking for outfitter recommendations. I would be interested in possibly a fly in hunt. Would also like the option to carry a bow or rifle.

Would like to go in 2020 so I'm sure we need to book soon and get a deposit in.

Also curious about getting meat and antlers home. Normal shot ranges. I guess all the normal things. Not sure what rifle I'd bring either. I could use 30-06, 7mm Rem mag, .300H&H. I am comfortable with any of them.

Thanks for any info.

Matt


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## bucko12pt (Dec 9, 2004)

Portland Creek Outfitters

https://www.bing.com/search?q=portland+creek+outfitters&form=APIPA1&PC=APPD

I was in Newfoundland in June and ran into a couple guides from this outfitter. I also have two friends that hunted with them a couple years ago. I believe one of the guides told me they have 7 different camps. My friend said they flew in 50 miles, or so. 

Portland Creek is about 4 hours north of the NS/NFL ferry dock in NFL. You're looking at 25-30 hour drive time, depending on how you time the 7 1/2 hour ferry crossing. 

PM me if you're interested and I'll give you my friends contact info.


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## MallardMaster (Nov 17, 2003)

I am leaving on Saturday to go hunt with Patey and Sons out of Deer Lake. They had favorable reviews from many people on this website. I booked with them at the end of January so booking that far out shouldn't be a problem. 
I am flying there so I will not be taking any meat or antlers home. I am told that they ship the stuff to DTW on a reefer a couple weeks after I leave. I spoke with my outfitter on Saturday and they would like for you to be able to shoot out to 200yds. I am dialed in at that range with my .338. It is probably a little too much gun, but I have one and don't see any reason why I shouldn't use it!
Hopefully I have a good report to give you in a couple of weeks!


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## bwlacy (Jul 10, 2012)

Anyone know anything about Spruce Pond Outfitters?


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## huntnfish2 (Jul 19, 2009)

bwlacy said:


> My brother and I would like to do a Newfoundland moose hunt. Looking for outfitter recommendations. I would be interested in possibly a fly in hunt. Would also like the option to carry a bow or rifle.
> 
> Would like to go in 2020 so I'm sure we need to book soon and get a deposit in.
> 
> ...


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## huntnfish2 (Jul 19, 2009)

Matt,
I have taken 7 moose in NF—- last trip was in 2007 so i dont have any current outfitter recommendations. Regarding what rifle to take—-i used a 300 wby with 180gr trophy bonded and that combo worked amazing with shots anywhere from 4 paces to 300 yards. Mostly 1 shot kills. I have also watched my buddys take moose with 30.06, .270 and 300 win mag. All worked fine. If you are dialed in with the .338 go ahead and take it. I didnt find moose that hard to kill. Like most animals, its more about shot placement. As you can see, i had moose as close as 4 paces and my longest shot was 300 yards, but if you are comfortable with longer shots, you can see for miles on some of the lookouts and the potential is there for a longer shot. In my opinion, half the fun is spot and stalk. 

We always flew from Windsor to Deer Lake usually via Halifax. Depending where in NF you go, you will find that most of the people on the plane are hunters, so you can imagine how much meat they are trying to get out of there . Alot of the planes are dash 8s or small CRJs, so cargo space is limited. In Deer lake they were real good with keeping meat in a reefer until it was able to ship. We would ship our meat to Windsor and go pick it up on arrival, which wasnt always the same day you flew out. So maybe anticipate an additional trip yo pick up meat. I dont believe that windsor has a reefer anymore, so you may want to check on that. Again, its been a few years since i went, but there were limited places that meat could come across the border so just check with your outfitter and they should be able to help you with that. 

Take good rain gear, it can tend to be rainy during moose season. Good rubber boots are also a must—-lots of bog. Its a great place to go—-most of the people are good , hard workers, scenery is good and a freezer full of moose meat is awesome. Enjoy the Rock, its a cool place.


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## pigeon (Jan 25, 2009)

I just got back from Newfoundland last week , it did not disappoint, Got bull the 1 st night and other guy in camp got one in the morning , I only seen 2 moose but only hunted one day so.. Lot of walking and need good rain gear !!! HOPE TO GET BAVK SOME DAY AGAIN


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## tgafish (Jan 19, 2001)

Great Bull!


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## bwlacy (Jul 10, 2012)

Who did you hunt with?


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## bwlacy (Jul 10, 2012)

That's a great looking bull. When you have time we need the rest of the details. A good story for sure to go along with that trip.


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

Nice! You'll be eating good for awhile.


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## pigeon (Jan 25, 2009)

Patey & sons outfitter out of river ponds NL


bwlacy said:


> Who did you hunt with?[/QUOTE


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## Wild Thing (Mar 19, 2010)

pigeon said:


> Patey & sons outfitter out of river ponds NL


3 of my buddies all went with Patey & Sons 3 years ago. They were all successful and they say that Patey boasts a 100% success rate on bull moose. It was a pretty demanding hunt physically from all the walking and climbing. One from that group and another buddy are back out there this week. Not sure why but they chose to go with a different outfitter this year. Will check with him and see why when they return.

If I recall correctly I think all of their shooting was in the 200 yard range. One of them made a 1-shot kill but I think the other 2 had to shoot them 2-3 times - even with a .338. Of course, as previously mentioned, shot placement accounts for a lot of that. 

I am borrowing the .338 for my December Bison hunt but I am loading up some 225 grain loads. I think my buddy used 200 grain .338 ammo on his moose.


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## Wild Thing (Mar 19, 2010)

Buddy just texted me. They are 3 hours from camp. They went with Victoria Outfitters on the Victoria River (Near Millertown) this time.

Victoria Outfitters: Welcome — Newfoundland moose hunting lodge ...


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## walleyebanger (Jan 28, 2011)

Try Island safaris out of Springdale. cog and bobby pelley run this outfit and has a nice outfit and I am planning a trip in 2020 as well.


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## MallardMaster (Nov 17, 2003)

I just got back from a hunt with Patey and Sons. I am going to try and be as objectionable as I can be here. I was successful in my hunt, but I was not pleased with things and did not leave the bush a 'Raving Fan' of Patey and Sons. Their office staff and set-up (house and lodge) is second to none. They had everything dialed in on what needed to happen and were able to answer any/all questions that you might have. Where I left disappointed was in the field operations portion of the business. I was put in an area that had no viable game present at the time. We were told this by the group that was leaving (they had shot moose too) and they were told the same thing by the group prior to them. That statement obviously raised some eyebrows to me and the other person who was hunting in camp with me. So there were sat on Sunday afternoon wondering what we were going to do (no sunday hunting until the 7th). I asked them if we should go and check our Zero, and they said if you were shooting fine before you left, then you will be fine now. They didn't want to scare any moose. I then asked if we could go and glass since it was a beautiful day there. They said no because they had been working the last 10 days straight and wanted to relax. That right there told me that our guides were not really into this at all, which once again raised my eyebrows. That evening we were talking and the conversation was brought up about what we were looking for. I made it clear once again that I was looking for something that was very representative of the species, which would be something with nice paddles. I had previously made that clear in my original conversations with the outfitter. I was told by my guide that I will not shoot anything like that here. That kind of pissed me off. I realize that it might be a little difficult to know what is currently in an area, but you should know what your clients are looking for, and if there is someone that is just looking for a any bull, then you might want to put him in an area where there are none. Just my thought though! Once again on Tuesday night the guide made mention to me that I needed to change my expectations because what I was looking for didn't live in this area. So Tuesday when I woke up I was already deciding on how I was going to properly make my displeasure known. A little after lunch time we were picked up in a helicopter and taken to an area that was a couple miles down from where were were glassing at. Someone had seen a bull in a basin there earlier in the day. We did end up calling for a spell and a moose did end up coming out which I ended up shooting. It was only an 8pt moose, which was far from what I was looking for. I really didn't like the fact that I was pressured into something. When I told my guide I wanted to do a european mount, the look on his face was insane. He didn't want to go above and beyond at all. 
I am really hopeful that what I had was an isolated incident and that the few people (Pigeon & Rick from the forum) had awesome hunts. I am thinking that I just got stuck in a bad area with a guide that didn't want to be there. their 100% success rate is correct because they want you to stack these things up like cord wood. I am not sure that there is any management plan involved here which is an area of concern when it comes to the sustainability of a quality moose herd. 
I have a bunch of photos and a report that I will put on here, but I did want to voice my opinion on what I thought the hunt was. Overall, if you are looking for great hospitality and if you don't have any trophy expectations, then I would highly suggest booking with Patey and Sons.


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## bwlacy (Jul 10, 2012)

Thanks for the in depth report. I'll probably just cross them off my list. I'd rather not chance it and have the same experience as you did.


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## deepwoods (Nov 18, 2002)

Thanks for posting the update. Sorry that it wasn't what you expected.


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## MallardMaster (Nov 17, 2003)

deepwoods said:


> Thanks for posting the update. Sorry that it wasn't what you expected.


It was still an adventure none the less! When I landed in Deer Lake, my luggage was not there. I did receive my gun though, which was weird. I was told at DTW that my bag would be in Deer Lake and there was nothing I needed to do in Toronto. I asked him again if he was sure, and he assured me. So along with 10 other hunters, out bags never made it to Deer Lake. Patey and Sons tracked the luggage for me as I left for the bush on early Sunday morning. I actually received my bag on Tuesday night, which also happened to be the night before I flew out of camp. It is all about the adventures you encounter on a trip.
As a side note, I was speaking with some people this weekend and they told me that I needed to be a little bit of a jerk on a guided hunt when it comes to the guide wanting to press their M.O. on your hunt. I have never transpired to that notion of thinking, but I do suppose you need to maybe be a little more stern in sticking to your guns.


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## MallardMaster (Nov 17, 2003)

deepwoods said:


> Thanks for posting the update. Sorry that it wasn't what you expected.


I do want to reiterate that while this may not have met my personal expectations, the services that they provide may meet someone elses. If you are looking to go on a meat hunt and have no worries about trophy quality, then this could be the place for you. They like to keep their success numbers high, so they will put you on any moose to make it a success.
There are a lot of outfitters on the island and I think that for the most part they are all the same in cost. Just make sure that you continue to follow-up on the references.


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