I recently had the great fortune to be able to hunt Eastern Canadian Moose in Newfoundland. I had never had an opportunity to hunt any of the moose sub-species, so pursuing this specific animal on the gorgeous island of Newfoundland was going to be the adventure of a lifetime. And it was!
We arrived in Deer Lake after a very long and frustrating trip to Newfoundland. I, unfortunately, lost my first half day of hunting as my rifle did not arrive until a day after I arrived. Once I was able to collect my long-lost firearm, we made the journey to Corner Brook and found our way to the Where Ya’ Wanna Be outfit where we found our guides dressed and ready to roll. After a very quick change of clothing and a mad scramble to get my gear ready, I emerged from my cabin to find my guide, Barry, waiting in his “bike” (side by side with Americans!) with the engine running.
It was apparently time to get going for the afternoon hunt and we were not going to waste any time! Barry used to own WYWB and had recently sold the outfit but still worked as a guide as he grew up hunting this area and knew literally every nook and cranny in the region.
We trekked out for about 45 minutes on the bike then hit the terrain on foot to set up. After a 20-minute hike, we settled onto a hillside overlooking a gorgeous bog. Across the bog was a wooded hillside.
I got comfortable and got my shooting sticks set so they were ready if the need arose. Barry set to calling.
I have to admit, moose calls do in fact make me giggle and I found myself making these noises long after I made it back home to Colorado. The weather was gorgeous, the scenery was splendid and I was just so happy to be outdoors after 3 days of travel.
After about an hour, Barry spotted a bull at the top of the hill across the bog. We watched him for quite a while, but this bull was locked down and wasn’t very interested in working his way toward us. He soon disappeared into the trees and dense foliage.
We glassed the hillside for about 45 minutes hoping to catch any flicker of movement. Our patience paid off as we finally located him in the trees at the edge of the bog.
The light was beginning to fade at this point, but we still had time before we lost shooting light. Barry continued to call and rake. The bull was once again locked up at the edge of the bog with apparently no intention of working his way toward us. With the light dimming, we had resigned ourselves to the fact that this bull was going to keep his distance and that we would soon be heading back to the lodge for some hot eats.
But then it happened. The 6-point bull began making his way across the bog with intent! He was heading right for us! He continued on this trek until he was about 165 yards, at which time he stopped and presented himself to me broadside.
“Shoot that moose!”, Barry whispered. And shoot that moose I did.
He dropped with the first shot and I had to level off another shot to finish him off. I couldn’t believe it. It was literally almost the last light and Mother Nature (with the help of Barry!) provided.
We gathered our gear and hurried across the bog to the downed moose. I was thrilled! My first moose. I was completely taken by how incredibly large these animals are. Our light was gone, but we were able to catch a couple of photos before we set to work gutting him. We opened him up to cool him down and then worked our way back to the bike in the dark.
The next day was an incredibly fun experience. We headed back to pack out the moose in the fog and drizzle. Barry and another veteran guide, Birnie (we fondly refer to them as the Killer B’s) worked their magic with a saw and soon had every bit of that moose loaded onto an ATV to get it out of the bog and off the hillside. We shared a lot of laughs and made so many memories.
My Newfoundland hunt was now in the books and I got to spend the rest of the week hunting with my husband and our friends. We had a fantastic time with all of the outstanding guides at WYWB and definitely had to hit the diet plan after consuming the amazing fare placed before us each day by the camp cook, Deb. I’m loving our photos from this trip and can also confirm that moose meat is indeed one of the very best. Good thing we like it because we got 235lbs of it!
Until the next adventure…
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