Moose Outfitters - your thoughts
Moose
I have always dreamed of hunting moose with my bow and it looks like I'm getting one step closer to making that dream hunt a reality.
I've done plenty of searching and I've narrowed my outfitter list to the following six. I'm asking for comments from those who may have hunted with these outfitters in the past. Both good and bad, please!
I've placed them in order based on my initial reactions.
1. Wizard Lake Outfitting AB
2. Alberta Wilderness Guide Service AB
3. Moose Valley Outfitters NL
4. Efford's Hunting Adventure NL
5. Smoky River Outfitters AB
6. Conne River Outfitting NL
I hunted caribou with Moose Valley Outfitters. Extremely well run outfit, beautiful area, and I saw a ton of moose during my hunt even though we were not looking for them or calling.
Stekewood,
Thanks, that sounds very encouraging. Did you see any with any size to them? I'm not really looking for a huge moose, but it would be nice to at least know they are there.
Newfoundland is your best shot to kill a moose. They have a very good population. They are not known for really big racks but there are some around. I would saynthatbthe average moose there may be in the 35" range. A 45" moose is a good moose in NF. There are some bigger though. You will find bigger Canadian moose in Ontario and west. NF is a Beautiful place and worth making the trip. I have heard good things about MVO.
Seven times in nfld and five with dean at Mvo. If you are totally committed to doing it with a bow it is not any easy thing. Guns is slam dunk. Bow is crap shoot. Comparing nfld and ab hunts are apples and oranges.
Bou said what I was thinking. NL has way more moose but the kill percentages is higher in Alberta.
I hunted with MVO in 2010, killed a 40 1/2" bull(rifle). MVO is a very well run outfit. I did see a very large bull about 46"+, just could not get close.
MacMillion River Adventures during the rut and if the conditions are right don't think you'll find a better place .
for sure check out Tejio Villa (tao) he is the man when hunting moose in Ontario
[email protected],, see here http://www.ignaceoutposts.com/content/Hunting/
Korey, I did see some very nice moose in the 40" range including one exceptional bull.
You should have a great bow hunt in Newfoundland. A friend and I bow hunted with White Feather in 2011. I shot my bull on the second afternoon and my friend shot his the third morning. Both were 40" racks. I sure don't see it as a crap shoot as mentioned above unless you consider all bow hunts that.
I can only comment on #4 . I had a great moose / caribou hunt with Effords. Bob Efford is the pilot and a super nice guy!
Good luck
I think you have to reduce your search in terms of : 1.- Budget 2.- Size of the rack that you are looking for.
a hunt in Yukon (Mac Millan River) will give you a very nice rack, but you are talking about 13 to 20 thousand dollars.
Alaska & BC can give you a nice rack around 12, ooo us Alberta you can find a much cheap hunts with nice racks about 40 t0o 50 inches and cost around 5,000 to 7,000 us
Newfoundland has the biggest density of moose and their cost will be close to $8000
NL hunts are no where near $8000 unless you book with Shockey. Most hunts are around $4500-$5500 plus travel.
Chip, if it's a fly in hunt they may push 8k. there is a common fallacy that a fly in hunt in NL is better than a hunt where you may drive into the lodge. One thing that people don't realize is that most areas are accessible by road to a degree and many fly in hunts don't necessarily get you away from areas that can be accessed by road and a hike from another direction.. That myth is perpetrated by outfitters that use it as a sales tactic and regurgitated by clients that don't know any better. some fly in areas are necessary and you may have access where others cant reasonably get there any other way. most are smoke and mirrors.
Brian-You are probably right. Whee I have hunted his lodge is on hour or so from Gander and hunting is done from 4 wheelers or trucks down the roads back to the boonies. He charges $4200 including license.
Bou, I realize the differences between NL and AB for moose density, trophy quality, and size. There isn't that much difference in price that I see. What other factors make them different?
I hunted with Alberta Wilderness Guide Service in AB 2 years ago and had a great hunt. they run a first rate top notch camp and are extremely knowledgable of there area. They really work hard to get every client a Moose and have a very high success rate because of it, we were 2 for 3 of us when I was there and could have easily been 3 for 3 as the 3rd guy had a few opportunities. The year i was there all their camps and hunts averaged 66% on kills.
How about Ray's in Newfoundland????
Aren't the species of moose different between Alberta and Newfoundland?
I have heard b4 that the moose in Newfoundland were all planted and they got moose from NW Ontario and Alberta, so the genetics should be the same, but taxonomically speaking they are separate moose species
Go to Outfitter Resources or Find a Hunt Tab, hit North America then Canadian Moose and you will see the Bowsite Sponsors. We have some really good options. C
I haven't hunted with any of these but would recommend Joe Shuster for an outfitted hunt. My brother and I both connected on 51 and 61 inchers last year. We didn't need the guiding and I think we could have gotten both of these within bow range but didn't have our bows. Mine was within 70 yards.
Wanted to tell all of you guys thanks for the recommendations...I checked and researched every single one. Lots of good options out there. I have decided to go with Smoky River Outfitters (number 5) on my list. Greg Sutley, owner, seems to be a great guy and easy to get along with. His hunt price was right at the very maximum of what I was wanting to spend, but his moose where also the largest in my price range. I'm going up in September of 2014 and really hope for a good hunt. Things are coming together.
Korey, Good luck and we look forward to your story and pics!
Mark
sbschindler...I checked that link...are you saying that this hunt in Ontario is over 10k for 2 guys and one bull? Yikes! In Ontario?
I hunted with Bob Efford this past September. We did fly-in and no it was not accessible from any road. You can do this hunt for around $5400 plus travel. We drove and it cost us probably about $1000 each for hotels, gas, food, etc. Plus we got to bring meat and antlers home with us. Still much cheaper than flying. Most flights will run you a minimum of $1400 into Deer Lake. So I really think NL is the best deal for the money. It is beautiful and if you do the drive you will get to enjoy the different provinces, culture and scenary. We had a blast, too include the ferry. Eat at the Lobster Pound right down the street from ferry in North Sydney. Get the overnight berth on the ferry or worst case the chair...We had no problems. PM for all trip details. P.S. Most outfitters can freeze your meat so you will need to get ice right away on your drive and check coolers often. I bagged my meat in trash bags before putting in cooler and all was well and frozen on third day when we arrived back in NJ and PA. I had a 110 Coleman and a 90 Coleman marine, buddy had a YETI and 110 coleman.....
Moose Valley has great genetics and runs a great operation
As I said above for me seven times in nfld and five with dean at MVO. If you are totally committed to doing it with a bow it is not any easy thing.
The MVO hunts are true wilderness hunts unlike some other NFLD outfits that are much closer to towns, rely on logging road access and run and gunning, ATVs to clearcuts, etc. At MVO you are 100% hiking and spot and stalk, glassing, etc. No mechanical access other than boats to drop off points. it is a wonderful hunt, but if you are looking for a place with 90% bow success you need to go on a less remote, more local hunt.MVO type hunting makes the timing with a bow all the more critical as calling is a huge benefit, but you can't call with equal success over a 6 week season.
Adrenaline Outfitters in Manitoba is a great choice. They are bowhunters and know moose. Great area too!
Bou'bound is right, it's a difficult place to be able to kill a Moose consistently with a bow. There is always the exception where someone goes and kills a Moose first time out within 5 minutes of stepping into the woods. But given enough opportunities at it, your success rate average will be much lower.
Most of the worst hunts I have ever had were in Alberta. The actual hunting area of the mountains is quite small, overran by R hunters and overregulated by government bureaucrats. There could be exceptions, likely are, but to me no way for a NR to get a good hunt there. Everything is stacked against it. JMO
Plains hunts might be different.
Ironbound Outfitters - $5,700
You have to go during the rut. If you do you will have a great shot at a moose over 40" - likely bigger. This outfitter regularly takes bulls over 50" in NF.
It's a helicopter flight in to remote camps and you will see a lot of moose. Camp is rustic so don't expect the Ritz.
I didn't go during the rut and hunted with rifle but the guys who did hunt the rut can tell you of multiple bulls being called in.
You HAVE TO BE IN SHAPE as their area is a lot of up and down. Once you shoot a moose they break it down and fly it out via the helicopter.
If you have the cash you can also hunt caribou.
I won't talk about outfitters, but I've done a variety of moose hunting in Yukon, BC and Alaska. The guys who kill a moose on their first trip will be the fortunate ones, and those who are committed to bow-or-go-home will have much lower odds of success. The two best things a bowhunter can do is to put themselves in an area with a lot of moose, and then use an outfitter (or someone) who knows exactly what it takes to kill a moose with a bow and gets it done regularly. Be wary of the outfitters who 'book' bowhunters and then blame them for not switching to a rifle when the 50" moose won't come all the way into bow range.
On the flip side, if you're a 2 weapon hunter...or if you just HAVE to have moose meat to eat...then by all means use the gun as a back-up plan. Just know yourself ahead of time and make the decision before you have to make THE decision.
