Moose Valley Outfitters
NewfoundlandWebsite Address posted for sponsors only
I hunted the Bear Pond camp of Moose Valley Outfitters from October 4, 2015 - October 9, 2015. I had 2 other hunters in camp with me, both hunting with rifle who went 1 for 2 (I was archery only). Dean Macdonald is a very nice man who was helpful with getting all of the arrangements made, and when we had to fly out early due to some bad weather he was very good with making sure I had a hotel room the day we got out.
The camp was everything that you can expect on a remote fly in camp. We had a nice wood stove with plenty of split firewood to keep a fire going every night. There was a generator that would be ran during dinner time to keep the lights on until around 9:00 PM. We could take a warm shower anytime we wanted, and the setting was beautiful. It was truly remote but had everything you'd need or want.
The guides and camp cook were great guys. Very nice people to talk with and be around in that setting. Max was my guide. I think for a rifle hunter during the right time of year he'd be a very capable guide.
I did let Dean know that I was disappointed with the number of animals I saw while hunting. In total I got to see 6 moose, 4 of which were over 1 mile away. The closest any moose came was 120 yards away so I never had a good opportunity. The main reason I choose Newfoundland was because I'd heard that it has the highest concentration of moose anywhere in North America. With that fact in mind it was very discouraging to only see moose on the 1st two days, and no moose for the other 3 days. I do understand that it is hunting and I don't discount that, but I felt that the areas were maybe seeing a little too much pressure and the moose were pushed off a little further than my guide wanted to get to.
I believe that if a person wanted to kill a moose with a rifle and you had no trophy concern you could likely get it done with Moose Valley. If you are a bow hunter or if you are concerned with a trophy moose (40"+) then I would suggest that you go early and hope for the best. I enjoyed my time in Newfoundland and I am completely fine with the fact that I did not harvest an animal, but it would have been a much better trip if I'd have been able to attempt a few stalks on some moose. With that in mind, as a bowhunter I would suggest finding someone who concentrates on bowhunting if you really want to get it done on a moose in Newfoundland. It's a big place and the moose could literally be anywhere.
Was the outfitter notified of problems? - YES
I would like to begin by stating that I do not disagree with everything Todd has said in his review; however, there are certain points that I would like to bring attention to. First of all, Todd’s review indicates that he believes the weather was not a factor. However, the weather must have been a factor since they had to leave camp early due to an incoming storm. Because of the weather, Todd missed out on a Friday afternoon hunt and a Saturday morning hunt. There have been many occasions that we have taken animals on those days. It was the hunters call to leave camp early and with this being said, they made the right call. We could not get the next group in until Monday morning which would have meant that two of the hunters in camp would have definitely missed their flights out of Deer Lake. Todd is also disappointed with the amount of animals that he saw and in all honesty – so am I. He feels that there was “too much pressure” put on the area, but during the same week, one of the other hunters harvested a really nice bull. I was also told that the other hunter, (who also did not harvest an animal that week,) had passed on five bulls. During the week prior to Todd’s hunt, there were three hunters in camp that harvested two nice bulls and the third hunter passed on a smaller bull. During the week after Todd’s hunt, there were three hunters that harvested three moose (two bulls, one cow) and two caribou. I certainly feel that I do not overcrowd my camps with hunters and I will only ever place three hunters per week at this camp. Todd mentioned that as a bowhunter he would suggest getting an outfitter who concentrates on bowhunting. I do not think that a "bow-hunting only" outfitter would have produced more moose sightings. Sadly, moose do not play by our rules. It is unfortunate that Todd did not see more moose. I certainly wish that he had the opportunity to stalk animals each day and had the chance to harvest the biggest one Newfoundland has to offer. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Todd for his review. I'd also like to commend Todd on sticking it out with his bow for the duration of the week for many bow hunters would have switched to a rifle by Wednesday. In closing, I take these reviews very seriously and I surely use them as a means of improvement for my operation. Dean Moose Valley
It was pleasant while we were hunting. We had fog a couple of mornings but if we got above it you could see fine. We did have to leave 2 days early to get out before an approaching storm, which was okay with me.
