JES Adventures
AH elite
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My quest for the final specie to complete the North American 29 starts with a hunt to Newfoundland for Canadian Moose. The weather has been warm according to the outfitter so the rut has been spotty so we are hoping for better weather. My past experiences have taught me the colder, the better for Moose. I chose Newfoundland for the high density of Moose and after my successful hunt for Woodland Caribou with Red Indian Lake Outfitters a couple of years back, it was a no brainer to use them for this hunt.
Day 1
We started off early this morning, my son Grant joining me on the hunt for moose. This is his first trip to the Great North, and we are really looking forward to getting out in the woods together. The alarm jolted me awake at 4:30 and I made coffee and hopped in the shower. It has been a tough week, allergies and a mild case of bronchitis has had me down, but the trip has been booked for nearly a year and I was determined to go.
It took us about three hours to get to DFW Airport and checked in with Air Canada. The first leg takes us to Toronto, then after a lengthy layover we fly to Deer Lake and overnight before heading to camp.
Check in went fairly quick so we had a bit of time before boarding the plane. The flight was smooth, and we talked most of the way passing time. It is a relatively short flight to Toronto (less than 3 hrs) and after we landed and cleared customs, we went on to baggage claim to retrieve the rifles. After a half hour, nothing appeared at oversize, so I went to the Air Canada baggage help desk. The attendant informed me there is another oversized baggage belt at the end of the hall. Low and behold, the rifle was there so off to Customs. The RCMP Officer was very friendly and efficient with the paperwork. It was my son’s first time travelling with a rifle, so he got a good lesson and positive experience. After exiting, we took the gun box to the bag drop then went on to spend the next few hours in the airport lounge.
We boarded our flight to Deer Lake, and it ended up being delayed by about 20 minutes. The flight was another two and a half hours, so I caught a nap and woke before landing. The flight had a lot of hunters on it, including one gentleman that I had met in Texas previously, so we chatted while waiting on luggage. I was happy to see my duffle pretty quick then my rifle case followed. As more people retrieved their luggage the carousel finally stopped, and Grants bag was missing. So, he has no clothes but more importantly all our ammo is in his bag. The Air Canada Rep said there is a flight at 2PM and again at midnight so we can only be hopeful the bag comes in on the two o’clock flight as are set to go to camp today.
The shuttle took us and the last few hunters that also arrived without some or all of their luggage to the Holiday Inn and we were checked in and to our room by 2AM.
Day 2
I woke to the sound of a text at 6:50 from Fred Thorne the outfitter asking me what the status was. I went online to check the baggage tracer and it did not work. I called Air Canada, and the representative knows nothing except the last time the bag was scanned was in Toronto. She said it will take 24-48 hours for an update, totally unacceptable since we only have six days to hunt. Fred delayed our chopper flight to camp until late afternoon. Fred has a couple of loaner guns, and we took a half hour cab ride to Corner Brook to the Canadian Tire and bought boots and clothes for Grant. Back to the hotel then turned around and headed for the airport to see if the bag had arrived.
The attendant checked the computer and said the bag was there, but after more than 45 minutes of waiting she finally took Grant to look in the back at all of the unclaimed baggage and it was nowhere in sight. Not real sure what’s going on with Air Canada, but they don’t have a very efficient system for tracking lost bags. Two of the other hunters who didn’t get bags last night both got theirs, but ours are missing.
I took a cab back to the hotel, gathered up all the gear and we went to the helicopter charter hangar and waited a few hours to get ferried to the camp. It was a short twenty-minute flight to camp, and we settled in the freshly built cabin build on the shores of Caines Lake.
Grant and I will share a room and the other hunter in the second room. A modern cabin with all amenities, not large but very nice. Michael the other guide was starting dinner while we sorted our gear out and Morgan grilled the steaks. After dinner, we made plans for the morning hunt, we will have breakfast at 6 and head out. It’s great to be right in the heart of the hunting area as we don’t have to travel very far to be in prime moose country.
Day 1
We started off early this morning, my son Grant joining me on the hunt for moose. This is his first trip to the Great North, and we are really looking forward to getting out in the woods together. The alarm jolted me awake at 4:30 and I made coffee and hopped in the shower. It has been a tough week, allergies and a mild case of bronchitis has had me down, but the trip has been booked for nearly a year and I was determined to go.
It took us about three hours to get to DFW Airport and checked in with Air Canada. The first leg takes us to Toronto, then after a lengthy layover we fly to Deer Lake and overnight before heading to camp.
Check in went fairly quick so we had a bit of time before boarding the plane. The flight was smooth, and we talked most of the way passing time. It is a relatively short flight to Toronto (less than 3 hrs) and after we landed and cleared customs, we went on to baggage claim to retrieve the rifles. After a half hour, nothing appeared at oversize, so I went to the Air Canada baggage help desk. The attendant informed me there is another oversized baggage belt at the end of the hall. Low and behold, the rifle was there so off to Customs. The RCMP Officer was very friendly and efficient with the paperwork. It was my son’s first time travelling with a rifle, so he got a good lesson and positive experience. After exiting, we took the gun box to the bag drop then went on to spend the next few hours in the airport lounge.
We boarded our flight to Deer Lake, and it ended up being delayed by about 20 minutes. The flight was another two and a half hours, so I caught a nap and woke before landing. The flight had a lot of hunters on it, including one gentleman that I had met in Texas previously, so we chatted while waiting on luggage. I was happy to see my duffle pretty quick then my rifle case followed. As more people retrieved their luggage the carousel finally stopped, and Grants bag was missing. So, he has no clothes but more importantly all our ammo is in his bag. The Air Canada Rep said there is a flight at 2PM and again at midnight so we can only be hopeful the bag comes in on the two o’clock flight as are set to go to camp today.
The shuttle took us and the last few hunters that also arrived without some or all of their luggage to the Holiday Inn and we were checked in and to our room by 2AM.
Day 2
I woke to the sound of a text at 6:50 from Fred Thorne the outfitter asking me what the status was. I went online to check the baggage tracer and it did not work. I called Air Canada, and the representative knows nothing except the last time the bag was scanned was in Toronto. She said it will take 24-48 hours for an update, totally unacceptable since we only have six days to hunt. Fred delayed our chopper flight to camp until late afternoon. Fred has a couple of loaner guns, and we took a half hour cab ride to Corner Brook to the Canadian Tire and bought boots and clothes for Grant. Back to the hotel then turned around and headed for the airport to see if the bag had arrived.
The attendant checked the computer and said the bag was there, but after more than 45 minutes of waiting she finally took Grant to look in the back at all of the unclaimed baggage and it was nowhere in sight. Not real sure what’s going on with Air Canada, but they don’t have a very efficient system for tracking lost bags. Two of the other hunters who didn’t get bags last night both got theirs, but ours are missing.
I took a cab back to the hotel, gathered up all the gear and we went to the helicopter charter hangar and waited a few hours to get ferried to the camp. It was a short twenty-minute flight to camp, and we settled in the freshly built cabin build on the shores of Caines Lake.
Grant and I will share a room and the other hunter in the second room. A modern cabin with all amenities, not large but very nice. Michael the other guide was starting dinner while we sorted our gear out and Morgan grilled the steaks. After dinner, we made plans for the morning hunt, we will have breakfast at 6 and head out. It’s great to be right in the heart of the hunting area as we don’t have to travel very far to be in prime moose country.