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My Newfoundland Moose hunt!

Daveboone

By Daveboone,
in Out of New York Hunting

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Daveboone Proficient

Daveboone

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Darn it, I wrote up a more extensive summary, but lost it...Here is the basics!

After most of a 3 day travel from Oswego Cty including an overnight ferry trip to Newfoundland, we found ourselves at Patey and Sons Outfitting in River of Ponds, NF. This had been a 3 year scheduled, 10 year planned and 40 year dreamed of hunt for me, ever since reading "Look to the Wilderness" at the age of 12.

After efficiently and pleasantly processing our paperwork (including licenses, butcher processing orders ...that's confidence?) and driving to the base camp, we had a fantastic flight out to our unnamed lake, about 45 minutes flight time away. We were awed by the untouched glacial wilderness, with probably 100s of thousands of glacially formed ponds, lakes, streams and rivers. we easily imagined woolly mammoths wandering in past times.

After arriving at our camp, our pilot hurriedly headed back, racing the atlantic storm bearing down on us, which hampered us for the next 5 days.

Season opened on Saturday, but heavy fog, rain and wind kept us indoors. Sunday was a no hunt day by law.Monday....a break in the weather!

To condense the story, Both Ed and I realized poor weather for the rest of the week was coming, and we both were going to be happy with a bull with palmation. Only after about an hour into our sit to glass from a rocky hill situated in the middle of a sprawling valley, my guide spotted 3 moose- two cows, a good bull and 2 big bears. I  had shot plenty of bears, so aftr a quick discussion, we planned a stalk on the bull, who was est. about 900 yards away, across the easterly valley on a hill just below tree line.

After backtracking and crossing the valley, we approached the last seen location , using three large boulders as land marks. We knew he was bedded, so  settled down to wait him out, I saw him stand, with a perfect angling shot behind the r shoulder. The shot should hit both lungs and take out the L shoulder....which it did! (about 170 yards, taken with my upgraded  1933 mfg. Oberndorf Model 98 Mauser, 8x57 mm.)

The bull dropped in his tracks.

My hunting partner Ed shot a similar sized bull about 2 in the afternoon with his 30-06 Remington pump.Over all a pretty dang fine day.

We couldn't say more about the organization, planning, accomodations, etc of the outfitter. It is a fly in hunt, so it isn't cushy, but is certainly comfortable with plenty of good home style cooking, and VERY attentive and cordial guides. We left early due to the continuing foul weather, and a window allowing us to leave wed. a.m.

We hope to return asap, but it will probably be 5 years or so for my pocket book.

 

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Pygmy Experienced

Pygmy

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Great hunt and story !!  Nice Newfie bull, also..!!

 

A buddy of mine did two hunts with Patey and he and his partner killed nice bulls both times....

 

I love moose hunting....Good vittles, too !

 

What load did you use in your 8 x 57.  .?  I also have an Oberndorf K98K , circa 1938, but it's all original and too valuable now to sporterize...I'd like to have an 8 x 57 sporter, though...A young fellow I worked with a few years ago was making some very nice full stock sporters  from 8 x 57 Yugos...I wish I had him make me one..<<sigh>> Another opportunity squandered..

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Daveboone Proficient

Daveboone

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Thanks all.

Newfie has a very high moose population, with very respectable bulls possible, but not comparable to Yukon or Alaskan moose for size. We did see a 52" rack at the border.

The guides packed the boned meat out on their back (about 4 miles)to a skiff to cross back to where the camp was, then it was flown out with us. Once back at basecamp the outfitter immediately drove it to a butcher about 30 miles away, who had it processed for us within 4 hrs so we could boogy to make that nights ferry! All four qtrss, back strap and loin totaled approx. 300 lbs, with 234 lbs vacuum wrapped wt.

I used a beefed up load I had used for years...A Sierra 175 gr.Power point pushed by 53.5 grains of 748 with magnum primers for a chronographed load of about 2740 fps.

When we put our deposit down 3 years ago, cost including license, meals, fly in, one on one guide was 4600.

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