Newfoundland Semi-Live,,,,,,,

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I guess you showed them you didn't come to play! Congratulations on a very fruitful trip, it was looking like a success before you even got there.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
So you tagged out and headed back early or you got something else up your sleeve?

early???

Hunting days were Monday to Saturday morning at 1030 (short Saturday to allow for recovery time),,, I shot the caribou Thursday and the moose Friday. Friday evening took the moose to the abattoir to get cut and packaged (a first for me) and I cut/deboned the caribou this morning. As soon as the moose is done I hit the road south to retrace the adventure. Have a ferry reservation for tomorrow but if I can will move it to the night ferry.
 

nhn2a

Ten Pointer
early???

Hunting days were Monday to Saturday morning at 1030 (short Saturday to allow for recovery time),,, I shot the caribou Thursday and the moose Friday. Friday evening took the moose to the abattoir to get cut and packaged (a first for me) and I cut/deboned the caribou this morning. As soon as the moose is done I hit the road south to retrace the adventure. Have a ferry reservation for tomorrow but if I can will move it to the night ferry.
Congratulations! We didn't have quite as good of luck. Mom killed a young bull and I never saw a legal animal. We saw lots of Caribou but they don't give out tags in this area.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
so, the "rest of the story" to mimic Paul Harvey,,, Let's see, left off end of day 3

day 4 we went up a dang mountain to do some spotting for caribou and half way up we saw the fog/clouds rolling in,,, so yeah, hiked 1 1/2 miles in and up a mountain to sit in the fog for an hour. We decided to head back down (knowing the fog would lift by the time we got down) and saw a caribou doe on that mountain top in the fog,,, kind of cool,,

the fog,,, almost Alfred Hitchcock-esque,,,,

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we got off the mountain and headed for a new area,, turned a corner of the trail in the woods, and lo and behold there was a stag,,, not a giant, but good enough for the end of the week,,, so I shot him with ol' Betsy and he went 20 yards and folded,,, dang 160 grain Trophy Bonded Tips did a number on those lungs. So caribou down at 11 AM ish. Got him gutted and made us a path to get the UTV to him, loaded up and headed to meat shed, I already posted a picture of him,,,

After getting the caribou hung we headed out for an afternoon moose hunt with zero luck but we did have some fun with the Gray Jays (camp robbers),,,

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Lawnscaper

Eight Pointer
Contributor
Yes I
thatā€™s a big ā€œnegatoryā€,,,,

they can use vehicles up here anywhere for game recovery and them Argos can about go anywhere šŸ‘
Yes, those Argos are nice, and much difference in having guides help with the load and DIY Elk hunt on your own.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Friday came and it was wet,,, not raining hard but the wet was everywhere,,, basically the last day although you can hunt a few hours Saturday if needed

we hiked 2 miles in to the "Lookout" looking for moose on the way in,,, saw a cow and calf about 700 yards from the Lookout. Then on the ridge going up the final couple of hundred yards we saw a yearling bull and the guide asked me "do ya want a meat bull" (but in that Newfie accent that makes a downeasterner sound like a British Lord),,,, I was like "sure" but his vitals were obscured and the bull turned and went deeper into the brush so no shot

we finished going up the hill to the "lookout" and as he crested he turned and did the moose antler thing with his hands indicating a nice one

I got up there and the guide asked me "can you make that shot",,, I said I wouldn't try it in the wind that we had,,, it was blowing easy 30 knots and the bull was at 400 yards... the last thing I wanted to do was wound an animal from a hail mary,,,

we watched the bull go from 400 yards away to 900+, ignoring our cow calls. He stepped out into a bog and stopped and the guide did a rendition of two bulls fighting,,, THAT got his attention,,, he turned his head,,, then he turned his body,, then he started walking towards our general direction,,,

then the fog got so thick we couldn't even see him,, then we could see his shape, closer,,

He broke through 400 yards and was still coming,,, I told the guide "when he gets to that bog we go for it" as it was at 275 yds at a 45 degree downward angle,,,

my scope was covered with rain water,,,wiped it and barely did any good,,, I could just see the outline of the bull and I was tracking him going through that bog,,, then he stopped and I squeezed the trigger,,,

whomp,, you could hear the slap,,, he turned, trotted 25 yards and tipped over,,,

the guide was beside himself,,, not just for the nice bull that he lead a client to,,, but because that Lookout is named after a friend of his who he used to guide with,,, that friend died with another guide, 4 clients, and the pilot in a plane crash in Labrador back in 2019,,, and the morning of this hunt the guide's wife said "I bet Cliff is bringing you good luck today",,,

the odds were against us,, we hadn't seen any decent (even average) bulls all week, hardly any moose at all,,, the Friday we saw 7 before 9AM and had the nicest one taken this season (so far) dead at 9:20,,,,

God took care of us that morning,,,

the bull.,,, and the fog

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view from the place the bull died up to the shoot location,, lousy picture (I was set, cold, and tired by then) but that fog was about the same here as when I took the shot

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