Cities & Export from Newfoundland
Bears
Has anyone had issues with receiving their bears back from Newfoundland Canada? We harvested 2 bears back in October 2023 and have not yet received the hide, skulls or any of the meat. The outfitter “Conne River Outfitting” is stating it could take up to 2 years. Which we all know is BS.
We bear hunted Newfy in 2019. Drove all the way from Wisconsin and had to take the Ferry the whole 9 yards. This took several days each way, but were able to bring everything back. 2 years and still waiting is crazy. Hope their taking good care of the meat and hides for you. We hunted with Parsons Pond Outfitters.
I've not hunted Newfoundland but have always taken hides, meat and skulls with me from every other canadian province I've hunted.
Probably should take a road trip at this point and just retrieve your hides
Seems like lots of question to me.
First off he actually said October of 2023, that is 6 months, not “2 years and still waiting”.
Who has them now, who is actually sending them? Taxidermist, outfitter, broker? Are they green? Getting tanned? Lots of variables.
I agree, if logistics allow definitely best to bring them home with you directly, but sometimes that is just way more difficult that is seems too. I killed a nice moose in Sept, all I’m getting is the boiled/cleaned skull, no cape. I’ve got an invocie from the taxi for the cleaning, but don’t expect to actually get it for a while longer. I’m fine, I don’t really care, but some guys get way more excited about their trophies too, I get it. I’d say depending on who is handling all that stuff 12-18 months isn’t wildly unreasonable. And it’s always easier to say 24 months and deliver in 18 and look like a hero than the other way around…
Just my thoughts from my experience of importing plenty of critters.
—Jim
No experience importing from Canada, but our coues outfitter shipped our trophies from December ‘23. We received ours in early April this year, so a little over 4 months.
JTreeman is correct. It can take some time, but unless you are tanning hides and cleaning skulls, you shouldnt have an issue. I would be asking the outfitter for the import/export persons contact info at this point.
I hunted for Caribou with Conne September 23… I remember being told that the company that ships everything from the season all at once … I would think you should have it by now.
Have you tried reaching out to the company that actually ships it?
I was fortunate that two hunters in camp drove from Virginia and were passing through NJ on the way home and transported all my stuff for me. I met them in a rest area on the highway
Black Bears going to the USA do not need a CITIES permit. In some cases Bears being shipped via commercial vehicles, including planes do require CITIES permit. Also the hunter applies for the permits here in Ontario and it's a federal permit. So should be across Canada. Sounds not right.
I believe that any bear hides left behind after the hunt and shipped from Canada do require a federal CITES permit and it can take some time to get it. How long I don’t know? The hide needs to be prepped to ship also, everything needs to be turned, split, salted and dried at least. Again that takes time and skill. If your hide, and meat is sitting in his freezer it isn’t going anywhere for awhile. Some shipping companies, tanneries, taxidermists want to tan it before they ship it too, again more time and $ and the outfitter has to actually do it. So yes it could take years if the start date is who knows when? Probably several months even if he decides to get going on it today.
If your hide goes as extra baggage on your flight home or in your vehicle at the end of the hunt or even soon after, then you don’t need a CITES permit. Your hunting license acts as your export permit and the USA requires a one page import permit filled out at the border. I can’t remember if it’s a 30, 60 or 90 day window for you to accompany it but it would be over by now.
I would simply phone him, not text or email him, every day, until you talk to him and get the specific details of what is going on? Could be some honest problems, laziness, some shippers, taxidermist fault?
Here in Ontario, you have to buy a export permit at a fee of $35.00. Even it's just going out of province. Alhunter didn't mention it was being taxidermied. Now it makes sense.
Thanks for all your replies. Let’s see if I can answer all your questions. I drove to Newfoundland on 2 prior hunts with different outfitters. no issues at all bringing anything back with me both moose & bear. We didn’t want the hassle or spend the time driving this time. I don’t know who has the bears at this point, I can’t get any confirmation from the outfitter. Robert of Conne River refuses to reply to any of my text msgs. But that’s another story, let’s just say I wouldn’t recommend hunting with Conne River until Robert is no longer the manager. We received all the moose meat, hides and rack back in December. There were no bears on the truck at all. The “up to 2 years” wait was told to me by admin person for Conne River. I am now trying to obtain the correct information from Newfoundland Fish & Wildlife. My guess is Conne River waited to long to process the bears and have the skinned & fleshed and they went bad. I hope I’m wrong but it sure seems that way.
Now, anyone who brings or ships a bear over the border for a client, not only needs an export papers, he still has to apply,pay for and receive a commercial importers license from the head office of the USFWS. As Mike said, some provinces Bear license includes export. But not Ontario I also wonder if outfitter still has to get a cites as it's a clients. *** Next time bring your Bear home with you
Your outfitter probably had no idea the hassle of sending or bringing a clients Bear over the border.
I brought a Bear rug to a show in Indy way back. Had cites, export. Thought I had it all. Then USFWS sends me a nasty letter that a outfitter needs a Commercial importers license issued by them to bring a Bear rug finished over the border.
Spike buck. How did that end up? Did they issue a citation?
They gave me a month to send a check for the Commercial Importers license. Cost $50.00 USD. No citation but a warning.
