Newfoundland moose hunting logistics
Moose
Hello, I have a first time guided moose hunt planned in Oct next year. For the experienced hunters, I have some questions. Should I use Canadian currency or US? Tip amounts for guide, cooks, etc? How to get meat back to US? I am flying there and back. I understand there is ground transport available. How to get antlers ( if any, ha, ha) back? Can I get a moose hide back to US? I have a friend who is from the Northwest Territories and would love to have moose to make ceremonial clothing as she performs/travels.
thanks in advance. Al
There are tons of past post on this. Lots of info I used for my hunt last year. US currency is what most use. Guides have no problem with it. I flew but my dad and friend drove and I wouldn't know any other "best" way of getting your animal back. And to get hide back all depends on when you shoot it and if you have a way to keep it cool. They where able to Argo out meet out every 3rd day. By the time we hunted and my dad driving back with two chest freezers full of meet I did t get my horns back over a week after I shot it. Even they stunk. No way I would have brought back a hide. Cooler trucks, drop stations, transport fees etc. glad I didn't have to plan all that Have fun and good luck.
Thanks for the replies guys. I would drive if time would allow but my job demands won't allow that much time( I live in southern Indiana)
I have read all the Newfoundland posts about moose and found info about meat and antlers but seemed to have differing opinions. I did not see anything about a whole hide.
You pay by the crate. No matter what's in it. Meat and hide would be all same as long as it fits. Outfitter should be able to give you info about how they keep your game while your there. Be ideal to get your stuff in a walk in freezer quickly. One thing that I loved about the place we went. Fly in but they Argo in every 3rd day for supplies and meat pick up. And they even had to Argo us out since we had bad winds, otherwise we would have been stranded for 3 days back there. After that it all depends on when and where they pick up and ship. I'm glad I could fly and dad drive my stuff back. I too from Indiana and no way could take extra 4-5 days off for just travel.
who are you hunting with?
Next year I am having my father fly from Dallas to Albany and them we will make the drive up together. I would with the airline about extra checked bags and see if you check frozen meat as baggage, depending on your plans for the rack that can be spit and packed as well .
you can use US currency anywhere but the exchange rate is very favorable for US $ right now and few places give you change at the exchange rate, so best bet is to exchange for some Canadian money for things like gas, meals, snacks, etc, and carry US dollars for tipping
Don't be scared of flying! Every form of travel has it's pros/cons.
I have done both to NF and will only drive again when I am retired (and if live on the east coast) - it's a long drive. I work full-time, have a family and busy job. Driving just kills too much time for me.
Can bad stuff happen when flying? Yes. Same thing with driving. As long as you are prepared either way you will be fine.
Flying does create some extra costs if you get a moose. If you live close to the trucking route like I did it's not an issue at all. If you don't just plan on extra fees bringing meat back.
I'm just back from NL. Use Canadian currency - $100 US = $128 or so Canadian! If you use US currency, its like a 28% tax!
We went to using credit cards for gas because of the difference and the fact that we exchanged too little US for CD money that we used up quick.
We did tip the guides in US cash. They worked for it!
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I prefer driving but I think it was much more expensive, everything in Canada costs a lot more, hotels, food, taxes, especially fuel. One thing I can tell you is make sure your guide has all the proper export forms filled out for you if you get a moose and bring it back to the US, this is for the hide, antlers, meat, hooves, whatever else from the animal. The exchange rate usually favors the US dollar so as far as paying for your hunt and tipping your guides US money would be fine but you probably want to get some Canadian cash for anything else. Both times I've been the outfitter did a great job of getting the meat/hide frozen as soon as possible, one was a drive in hunt, the other a fly in only hunt. Good luck and I'm sure you'll have a great time!
I took 1K in travelers checks! that was a mistake,nobody in Alaska or Canada would take them except one gas station owner, some folks had never even seen them before and it was a novelty to them hahaha....my frozen moose and cape from anchorage lasted 3 day driving! it was shrink wrapped on a pallet and covered in moving blankets in the back of a Uhaul van and plenty cold when I got home from the 2347 mile trip...and dont forget to tell your credit card company your going out of the country..and just know cell service is horrible in Canada FEDERAL GAME COMMISION must stamp your meat/paperwork for the trip across the border Imported or exported! you will be importing we hope good luck...double check everything
MikeC...Im ready to go ! oh wait theres more?
Just got back from Manitoba were I drove and the other 2 hunters flew. For me, things turned out to be a nightmare at the boarder. It was part my fault for not doing the research and getting proper export permits. second was the guide not knowing the regs either.
Take U.S. cash for tips and final guide payment, this includes the cook. Remember the outfitter is being paid from your hunt and your guide works on tips. If the guide is the outfitter, tip accordingly. Let your credit card company know you are traveling. Use your CC for all travel expenses, your card company will figure in the proper exchange rate so you are not over charged.
Find out from your outfitter if he provides packing, shipping and creating as part of his guide fee or how much extra he charges. If he dose not offer these servise, you will have to find a trucking company and a place for dry ice. Need at least 100lbs if the meat is not frozen. Make sure the hind is good and salted and double bagged and well fletched. If you have to do all of these things yourself plan on staying a extra day or so at the nearest town and rent a truck to get around with all your goodies. Make sure the meat is de-boned and take game bags. You may even need to buy plenty of coolers to ship it in.
It is important you get back to a good size town that has everything you need. I had 2 moose with me and the meat was not frozen since we were out in the bush. After dropping my buddies off at the dirt runway airport. I then had to drive 4 hours on a nasty dirt road to get to Thompson everything was closed by then and I had to stay the night. So by now it had been 5 days of my meat not being frozen. I quickly found dry ice and started my 2500 mile treck home the next morning.
Remember if you are not the one crossing the boarder with any part of your meat, hide or horns you must get a export permit signed by whoever is. I had to back track and find a DNR office to get a export permit for my buddies moose.
Hope this fills in some of the gaps, John
I flew to Manitoba 2 years ago for a moose hunt. I brought home 90lbs of meat in 2 extra bags. I had an overnight in Winnipeg so I had the hotel put the meat in their walk in freezer. It was frozen solid in the morning, but still chilled when I reached San Antonio. The rest of the meat was donated. (The outfitter had something pre-arranged and my guide actually took 1/4 for his parents.) My outfitter had a taxidermist that prepared my cape and antlers and shipped them to me. I had a taxi at home do the shoulder mount for me.
This was a pretty convenient way to do it, but it did cost some money, especially the extra bags. That being said, the entire hunt was a fairly expensive endeavor anyway.
I plan to tip 10% of the cost of my hunt for my guide. Maybe more if he goes above and beyond. A couple hundred for the cook. US currency should be fine.
Good luck on your hunt.
Thanks to everyone who replied. Lots of good stuff.
Coming back from Newfoundland and crossing the border in Maine - no problem. Yes, had to do an export thing with US Customs, but filled out a form, painless. With our NL license, there was a page for export, it was simply meat and antlers for me. The US Customs guy was very helpful and it took maybe 10 minutes.
Check out the monetary exchange rate before you go. Notify your CC company and use the card as much as possible, as gas, hotels, etc. give you the proper exchange rate. We traveled in a group and exchanged some American currency for Canadian, but didn't get enough. Plus, if you get home with a wad of Canadian, then you have to go to a bank to exchange that. Tips are OK in American, the guides get the bonus of the exchange rate.
Taking guns (yes, we did a gun hunt) across the border was just a case of the usual Canadian Firearms Form (nothing about the nonsense chatted about this past spring).
We drove and would drive again. After the hunt, the Ferry was closed for out 11:45 PM crossing and were delayed until 2 PM the following day. Then it was a rough crossing with waves breaking over the bow of the Ferry SHIP. Many were puking, dinners flew off tables and the gift shop looked almost like it was from Ferguson, Missouri!
The people were very nice and chatty. We got along great with the guides; when we left, we were leaving friends behind!
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I'll add to this post. I always fly on my trips to Newfoundland. I've brought meat back by checking and paying excess baggage fees. That's a pain when traveling alone. I had to clear customs in Toronto with my bow, a duffle, day pack, 2 boxes of meat, one box with a cape and antlers. Good thing I allowed time when I booked my flight. All in all, though, I had everything when I got home and it was about the same price using the shipping service.
Next time I tried this, Air Canada didn't get my two boxes of meat on my flight. US Customs in Toronto told me to stay there till my meat arrived. This was Sunday. Air Canada located my boxes and told it would come Monday. I talked with the manager at customs and told I could not stay. I must have convinced him. I thought it was a lost cause when nothing arrived on Monday. To my pleasant surprise, when I got home from work on Tuesday, my two boxes of meat had been delivered to my door.
Since this experience, I have used Central Newfoundland Shipping.
