CANADA: Newfoundland Woodland Caribou & Moose Hunt With Red Indian Lake Outfitters

[JES Adventures]

Fall was in the air this past week with temperatures dropping to the low 50’s in the Texas Hill Country. I got my bags packed well ahead of time and made way to Toronto yesterday and now on to Deer Lake.

The service was good on Air Canada however I was promptly chided for my mask slipping off my nose by a Canadian passenger waiting to deplane. Living in Texas, I haven’t worn a mask in nearly two months and had forgotten how paranoid so many people are. To get on the plane I had to show a vax card, negative pcr test and a confirmation code from the ArriveCAN app so what difference is a mask going to make.

This latest installment of my quest for the NA 29 has been booked for nearly 3 years as it was derailed last year by Covid. I got the J&J shot three weeks ago to be able to enter Canada and felt worse from the shot than I did when I had Covid earlier this year. About ten days into it I felt tired and flu like for the better part of a week. Still not 100% but will push through it on the hunt.

I have the week to hunt these two species with the Woodland Caribou being first on the list. The plan is to charter to the main camp then transfer by helicopter to a remote camp where I will meet up with my guide. The forecast has weather partly cloudy and temps from 40-60. Of course, as with nearly all North America hunting in the Fall there is always a chance of rain so I brought my Sitka gear.

There will most likely be a gap in posts as I don’t expect there to be internet in the bush camp.

The good Lord willing and with some hard work I will harvest the moose and caribou this week and that will put me at 26.

 

[TwoTracks]

Good luck! I look forward to your success and you sharing it with us. Thank you for taking us along.

 

[gillettehunter]

Good luck. Always look forward to your hunt reports. Shoot straight!
Bruce

 

[AES]

Good luck! My trip to do the same was pushed to next year, unfortunately.

 

[Ragman]

My wife’s family are all in Corner Brooke. The brother-in-law and niece are moose hunting this week. Wishing them and yourself the best of luck!

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 1
I flew Air Canada from Dallas to Toronto and we’ll take a flight tomorrow up to Deer Lake.

After standing around the baggage carousel for the better part of a half hour with no success I went over to the baggage counter to inquire about my luggage.
The Air Canada representative checked the computer and said that my luggage was already sent over to the terminal for my morning flight to Deer Lake but my rifle case was here so I needed to take it and check in with customs. I found that a little odd as typically whenever you enter a country you have to claim all of your bags and go through customs. Not the case in Canada they checked my bag all the way through to my final destination and the only thing I had to deal with was my rifle. The RCMP officer was very polite, I had my import document prepared in triplicate so I was out of there in about 20 minutes.
I had to overnight in Toronto so I booked a room at the Sheraton that is located in the airport. It was convenient, a short tram ride and walk from terminal one. My flight is at 8:45 in the morning so I was up a little before six had a cup of coffee and a shower then headed over to drop my bags and go to the gate.

The flight to Deer Lake was about a half hour late getting out of Toronto so I arrived at 2 PM and took a short cab ride over to the helicopter hanger where I met up with a husband and wife from Ohio headed to camp with me. It was a beautiful day for flying and the Bell 407 offered a smooth ride and spectacular view of the scenery below. We spotted some Moose and Caribou on the way to main camp. Once there we offloaded some gear and they loaded up two other hunters and took them to their camp. About 45 minutes later the chopper showed up again and took the couple to join the other two hunters at that camp. A half hour or so later he was back at main camp and I loaded my gear along with one of the guides, Reg White who will be with me this week. When we arrived at the remote camp on a small lake, named Alex Pond. Dwayne King the other Guide was there to meet us.

A nice, remote Northwoods camp comprised of two large cabins one for the guides and the kitchen, the other being 3 bedrooms and a bath for the hunters. A generator for lights, wood-burning stove to keep warm and hot and cold running water - all the comforts of home!
I’ll be the only hunter here this week and I look forward to getting out tomorrow and seeing more of this beautiful land.

Weather is overcast, in the 50s with a steady wind and we are expecting some rain this week. Duane said the nighttime temperatures will drop down into the mid 30s, daytime temperatures will be in the 40s - 50s. The plan is to takeoff first thing in the morning and glass for moose. If we come up empty by mid morning will start glassing for Caribou. I am the first Caribou hunter of the year and they have seen several nice bulls in the area so we should be successful if we put the work in. Duane showed me a picture of that incredible bull he took across the lake from the camp about four hours before I arrived on Sunday. He said we need to try and find this bull he’s a monster.

Sunset was around 7:15, after a nice dinner of baked chicken and chips we visited for a while and then I headed off to my cabin to put my gear together for tomorrow and call it a day.

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 2

I woke to my alarm at 6 AM, slept solid last night and feel great. Doesn’t seem very cold probably in the 40s so I headed over for breakfast at 6:30 which consisted of coffee and toast. We were on our way shortly after day break, the cloud ceiling was very low and there was a light rain falling with a 10 mile an hour wind.

We took the Argo up and away from the lake and got into the high hills then stopped just short of a large patch of woods to call for moose. Dwayne put out the electronic caller which simulated the sound of a cow moose in heat. The wind was blustery so I had my doubts about success but we called for about an hour.

We moved on to a higher elevation to glass but the cloud ceiling was very low and visibility was 100 to 150 yards. By about 10:30 I could see some blue sky above my head and about 45 minutes later it started to break. We moved on to another high elevation to glass the river valley back to the northwest. Just before reaching the high hill we are going to glass from Dwayne spotted a Caribou. As we continue forward I spotted a couple more off to the side. It was a bull with three cows and we studied him carefully. He was a mature Bull, had very good bez on his right side but a little weaker on his left. His tops only had two points each so we opted to pass this bull.

As the Caribou moved off we hiked up the hill to start glassing. Just as we reached the top the wind picked up and here came the rain. I figured the gusts were over 20 mph and it rained sideways on us for about 20 minutes. Once the rain quit the wind blew for at least an hour and we just continued to glass.

Dwayne spotted a another group of Caribou about 4 miles away so we made our way that direction in the Argo. It was slow going as the terrain is rough and we had to cross the river but we got there. Once we were about a quarter-mile away we could see that the bull with two cows was not a shooter so we passed him and carried on.

By now it was about 2 o’clock so we stopped and ate a sandwich and got out of the wind for a while.

We headed down river glassing all along the way and by about 4 o’clock Dwayne spotted another group of Caribou. It took us about 45 minutes to get down to them and once we were within a quarter-mile we could see that neither of the two bulls met our standards.

We got back to a high spot and continued to glass and about 6:30 Dwayne spotted two Caribou bulls off in the distance. We made a beeline for them and got there just before dark one was very nice, Dwayne said “this looks like the bull I saw with the monster I took a picture of on Sunday”. The big one was nowhere in sight so obviously he has made another plan and moved off with his female. Being day one and with the thought of the monster bull out here somewhere Dwayne insisted that we wait and see if we can locate him.

Back in camp by 8 I hit the shower right away then enjoyed a dinner of spaghetti and salad. I was fading fast and turned in by nine.

Newfoundland is a beautiful place to hunt, but the weather today was trying. Half a day or rain followed by high winds. Add to it the walking on rocky, unstable terrain and the day took its toll on me.

Will be at it again tomorrow, leaving camp at seven we will start out hunting Moose then glassing for Caribou.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Sounds like a great start to another epic adventure John Ed. Looking forward to reading this report. Glad to hear getting into Canada went smoothly for you. I am headed to BC in a couple of weeks and getting all the forms and PCR tests is a pain. Flight schedules are a pain too.

Riding around in an Argo is a bumpy ride, isn't it. It beats walking but it also beats you. Glad you are seeing lots of caribou, that's encouraging.

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 3

I was up before the alarm today, it was a beautiful day as I could see a clear sky as the night gave way to the morning.

After coffee and biscuits we were on our way shortly after seven, a stark contrast of the way the day started yesterday.

I enjoyed the beautiful sunrise as we made our way up to high elevations to glass for Moose and Caribou. About a half hour into the Morning the wind switched out of the South and started howling in excess of 20 miles an hour. It wasn’t long we could see weather approaching and the fog rolled in shortly thereafter cutting visibility down dramatically. Reg came along today and he put the moose call out while we glassed a patch of woods down below.

After sitting in the blustery wind for about a half hour I retreated to a low spot behind some big rocks to get out of the gusts. No telling how long this will last and the fog has rolled in very thick now. I spotted three Caribou cows about the half mile away, they bedded down on the hillside in the blustery wind.

We stayed in this location until about 11 then headed back towards camp to drop Reg off. Dwayne said we would go to the high peak where we glassed yesterday to see if we can spot Caribou. The wind is howling and it’s raining sideways but we’re staying with it.

We got to the peak about 11:45, ate our lunch and Dwayne went around the backside to glass back to the South while I glassed the valley down below to the East.

Not 10 minutes later Dwayne came and said he had spotted two Caribou off of the distance and one was definitely a mature bull. He said we should go have a look so we got in the Argo and took off.

From the location he pointed out we were about 2 1/2 miles from the Caribou so I figured it would take a half hour to 45 minutes to get there.

We crested a small knob with a stand of woods about a quarter mile in front of us and stopped to glass and see if we could locate the Caribou.

Fairly quick we located the female and scanning the patch of woods we found the bull a few moments later. It was obvious he was a big bull so we made a plan to approach. The wind is good so we got out of the Argo and made our way towards them as they fed about.

When we were about 300 yards out the female noticed us so we moved behind the cover of a spruce tree. We worked our way forward from spruce to spruce and she remained curious, looking our direction the entire time. We could not see the bull as he was over a small crest of the hill. Just as we were making our way to the next spruce to close the distance and increase visibility she spotted us again and froze. Duane said get set up to take a shot from here. I ranged her at 209 yards so I dropped the bipod on the 300 RUM and got into position. She still wasn’t quite sure what we were so out of curiosity she came towards us at a slight angle. We could see the tips of the bulls antlers coming over the crest of the hill and I slipped off the safety and waited for a shot. She came forward another 5 to 10 yards and he was slowly following behind her walking in a zigzag pattern. As his body was in full view walking towards me I settled the crosshairs. He was hard quartering and I squeezed off the shot and hit him in the neck angling back dropping him in his tracks. Duane slapped me on the back and said congratulations, this is the big bull I saw Sunday.

I was elated as I walked up on this bull I was shocked at his size. The Woodland Caribou is the second smallest subspecie of Caribou (Arctic being the smallest) but I could see this was an exceptional animal. The antlers on this bull were amazing. He has double shovels, large palmated multi-tyne bez’s and long main beams with excellent top points.

After pictures we dressed the bull and loaded him in the Argo and made our way to camp. We got a welcomes respite from the rain and it only started coming down on us again the last 10 minutes of the trip. Back in camp we had a couple of celebratory Molsons while Dwayne and Reg took care of the meat and hide.

The weather cleared off about 6 and the winds died down. After dinner of baked pork chops, potatoes and carrots I enjoyed a beautiful Fall evening with a cigar overlooking the lake thanking God for my Blessings.

A half hour before sunset, Dwayne spotted a moose across lake. A small bull about a half mile out but he responded to the call. He walked along the timberline on the lake edge for several minutes then disappeared.

We’re crossing the lake tomorrow to go into some new country in search of a bull moose.

 

[JES Adventures]

Sounds like a great start to another epic adventure John Ed. Looking forward to reading this report. Glad to hear getting into Canada went smoothly for you. I am headed to BC in a couple of weeks and getting all the forms and PCR tests is a pain. Flight schedules are a pain too.

Riding around in an Argo is a bumpy ride, isn't it. It beats walking but it also beats you. Glad you are seeing lots of caribou, that's encouraging.

Thanks @375 Ruger Fan, good luck in BC, I’ll be watching for the report. Be advised you have to get a negative test to return to the US. I was fortunate to get the cell number of the lab tech in Deer Lake last night and he set me up for a rapid test at the airport before my flight today.

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 4


A gorgeous morning, Only A few whispy clouds in the sky making for a beautiful sunrise. Reg made blueberry pancakes from the wild blueberries he picked yesterday morning, they were awesome.

We were out of camp about seven and got to our first location to call for moose just before eight. We called for about an hour with no response and moved on to another location. The same scenario played out we called for about an hour and no response. We carried onto the third location right now it’s about 11 o’clock uncalled for another hour.

Dwayne wanted to make way too high elevation where are you can see 360° for miles and miles. When we got up top he spotted four moose off in the distance about 4 to 5 miles away. We could tell there was a cow and a calf, a bull but not large as we could not make out antlers and the fourth one appeared to be an immature bull by the way he was acting.

We were out of camp about seven and got to our first location to call for moose just before eight. We called for about an hour with no response and moved on to another location. The same scenario played out we called for about an hour and no response. We carried onto the third location right now it’s about 11 o’clock uncalled for another hour. Dwayne wanted to make way too high elevation where are you can see 360° for miles and miles. When we got up top he spotted four moose off in the distance about 4 to 5 miles away. We could tell there was a cow and a calf, a bull but not large as we could not make out antlers and the fourth one appeared to be an immature bull by the way he was acting.

Dwayne checked in with Reg who was back in camp and he informed Dwayne that there was a nice bull along the lake that headed up into the timber above.

We glassed for another hour then headed back down and circled around into the general area where Dwayne speculates the bull may be.

We set up and a small clearing about 150 yards across and Dwayne turned on the call. The weather started to change in the last 30 minutes the wind switched out the East and some rain started to blow in. I hunkered down next to a fir tree and scanned the area for any signs of movement. The rain started to fall harder and I pulled my hood down a little farther to keep the rain out of my eyes but still able to see. It seemed like an eternity but what turned out to only be about an hour I heard Dwayne whistle I looked up and he was pointing across the opening, there was movement in the trees on the backside of where he placed the call. I caught glimpses of antler and it certainly appears to be a respectable bull but never had the opportunity for a shot.

We continued calling, but the weather deteriorated to a point where regardless of how good our equipment was we were soaked to the bone so we called the day about 5:45 and heard of the camp.

As we approach the cabins I could see the billowing smoke coming from each stack and was happy to know that my cabin would be warm and I can get out of these wet clothes. After a warm shower we dined on fried cod and chips, it was excellent.

By now it’s 9 and I can I feel the toll of the day wearing on me so I turned in. I fell asleep to the sound of blustery wind and rain, only having hope that it will clear out through the night.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Thanks @375 Ruger Fan, good luck in BC, I’ll be watching for the report. Be advised you have to get a negative test to return to the US. I was fortunate to get the cell number of the lab tech in Deer Lake last night and he set me up for a rapid test at the airport before my flight today.

Because of the bad flight schedules, we are overnighting in Vancouver both coming and going. We have an antigen test all lined up for the return trip.

Congratulations on the caribou! Beautiful animal.

 

[Lee M]

Good report. Looking forward to the rest. I just came back from a Newfoundland moose hunt as well. Same scenario - booked 3 years ago and delayed due to Covid. A beautiful location and great experience

 

[Edge]

Enjoying the adventure!

 

[gillettehunter]

That’s a great ‘boy. Congrats on getting him. I’m enjoying your adventure.
Bruce

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 5

I woke to dark heavy overcast skies, blustery winds and light rain. Not what I wanted to see you today but that’s what we have to work with. After breakfast and coffee we were out by a little after seven. visibility was very poor and we got to our first calling location around eight and with the fog we were fortunate to see over 150 yards.

The first location proved to be fruitless so we moved on and set up again. The rain comes and goes in the East wind has dropped the temperature today so it is noticeably more uncomfortable than yesterday.

About 45 minutes or so into the calling I got up to stretch my legs and was standing next to Dwayne whispering about the weather when he said “look there’s a bull”. I glanced up in there in the tree line 100 yards from us is a young bull. He stepped out and walked towards the call he was a typical two year old 3 x 3 with no palmation. Dwayne starting to grunt at him and he turned his attention our direction started walking toward us stiff legged. He got within 20 yards and provided for some excellent video footage, it was an excellent wildlife experience. Calling Moose in the rut is in my all-time top 10 favorite hunts. Watching these massive deer respond to calling is quite amazing.

He circled around us and moved on, we called for another half hour to 45 minutes with no further success. We moved onto the next location where we had called for the big bull yesterday.

About an hour into the calling session a cow and calf appeared, intrigued by the sound they circled around past us and moved on. We called for another hour and the bull never showed. It’s late in the day and we’re pretty well soaked so we would try one more location on the way back to camp.

We set up and called for about an hour without success. The wind was gusty and intermittent rain continue to fall so by about 5 o’clock I so Dwayne let’s call it a day then we headed to camp.

Reg prepared a great dinner of steak and potatoes with lemon meringue pie for desert.

Tomorrow’s the last hunting day, I am praying for the weather to clear so we can have some better visibility but the forecast is not promising. Hopefully it clears some as I would expect the game to be moving after a day and a half of blustery rainy weather.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

@JES, do you regret not bringing the Helly Hansen rain gear instead of the Sitka stuff? BTW, it's pouring down rain, here at home, as I read your report.

 

[cls]

Excellent caribou. Good luck on your bull moose.

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 6

I woke a little before the alarm and listened for the rain. As I headed over for coffee it was not raining but the cloud ceiling was low and there was a light wind so I was optimistic.


Before we could finish a cup of coffee and the sun began to rise the winds picked up.
We were out by 7 and visibility was poor. Dwayne lost the track

Once but after a few minutes found it again. The first calling location was where we called the young bull and we stayed foe a couple of hours calling without success.

Dwayne wanted to try downriver by some woods and a bog but this location didn’t bring any moose.

The winds started to pick up and we moved to a third location where there were several trails leading into a thick stand of woods. Once again, we stayed a couple of hours calling without success.

Just as the weather forecasted the winds picked up in the afternoon as well as the rain. About 45 minutes into the fourth location I told Dwayne “let’s wrap up and head to camp”. The moose weren’t moving and the weather was poor so I made the decision.

It took about an hour to get back to camp and Reg had a good fire going somI hung my gear to dry and went over to have a beer and make plans for leaving tomorrow. The weather forecast is for winds and rain to get worse overnight and into the morning. My flight leaves at 1:25 so Dwayne texted Fred the outfitter to see if I should change to Sunday. Fred came back and asked if I could be ready in 30 minutes and the chopper will be in to pick me up. I was surprised as the cloud ceiling is low but told him to come on and I went to pack my gear.


When the Bell 206L arrived they didn’t power down, the co-pilot loaded my luggage and I said my goodbyes.


I’ve flown on quite a few helicopters over the years but this was by far the worst weather ever. When we took off, we flew +/- 100’ off the ground with 30+mph winds rocking the aircraft about.


The pilot did an amazing job and 45 minutes later I was checked in the Holiday Inn and organizing my Covid test for departure. The testing, re-testing, vax requirements and quarantine plans really make travel to Canada burdensome. If I was not hell bent for leather to finish’ then my North American 29 I would take Canada off my places to visit until they come to their senses.

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 7

I had a solid night sleep and headed to the airport for

my Covid test a couple hours early. Everyone at the airport were friendly and helpful throughout the entire process. Deer Lake is a small,

Rural town and with the number of hunters in the check in line getting checked in with guns was a breeze. Now on to Toronto and connect to a Dallas I’ll be back to the ranch before midnight.


This makes 25 of the NA 29 and I have 3 weeks at home before heading to Alberta for Shiras Moose. Hopefully I will finish out the year with 26 and close the book on this quest next Fall.


I want to thank Fred Thorne of Red Indian Lake Outfitters for his help. Most importantly I want to thank my guide Dwayne King for his hard work and dedication to the hunt and my success. Also many thanks to Reg White for his great cooking and attention to all the details in camp. This is a great group of guys and I highly recommend them if you want to hunt Newfoundland. Feel free to DM me with any questions, I am always happy to help.