Newfoundland Fall Bears 2025

For my wife’s 50th birthday present I booked her a Moose hunt in Newfoundland Canada.  Her grandfather had a European moose rack above their garage that was the inspiration for Amy to go get a moose.  We got a referral from another

hunter that recommended a lodge that they had success with for moose in Newfoundland. We ended up booking a moose hunt for the first week of September of 2025.  In addition, I booked a two tag bear hunt.  Eventually my father decided he wanted to try his luck in Canada for a bear after a failed attempt in the 80’s.  

So on September 11th we left Maryland with the 3500 GMC loaded with gear and plenty of coolers for the Canadian Border.  We made it to Maine the first day, driving for 13 hrs.  A lobster diner and a bed was just what we needed after a long day of interstate driving. The second day we made it through the US/Canada border with no hiccups and got to North Sydney where we hopped on the ferry to cruise from Nova Scotia to the island of Newfoundland.  It was impressive that a ship could hold that many cars and tractor trailers.  We counted 30 tractor trailers just on one deck.  There were 5 decks that housed vehicles from side-by-side, cars, trucks with campers and trailers to semi’s.  It was a fun adventure to sleep, see the sunrise and have breakfast on this ferry as we cruised to “The Rock”.

We took a driving tour of Gros Mourne National Park.  We were all amazed by the steep granite mountains and all the ponds, lakes and bogs.  It reminded us of Alaska.  We saw an animal in a lake 2 miles away from a lookout.  So I busted out my binos and spotting scope.  We thought it was a moose but it turned out to be a black bear eating a moose carcass in a pond.  It was pulling on the moose’s head and every now and again you could see white paddles pop out of the water.  We toured some of the fishing villages on the coast and did the classic lighthouse tour.  On our way back out of the park we went back to the same lake where we saw the bear before.  We didn’t see the bear anymore.  I started glassing and saw a meadow above this lake and saw 3 black bear cubs coming down toward the lake.  Then I saw the bigger boar below the cubs getting ready to enter the water for a dinner time feast.  The rollie-bollies bolted once they saw the boar.  It was a cool experience.  

The next day we made it to the lodge and met the other hunters and guides.  The host and owners set the week up so that the other hunters' wives came so there was a good dynamic of family unity.  We all enjoyed the amazing dinner and stories of the travel adventures to get there.  Finally we all settled in for a sleep before opening day.

The first morning it was foggy and raining.  Our guide took us to a bog and we called for moose with his fox-pro.  With no success we went back to the lodge for lunch.  That evening our guide set Amy and I up on a bear bait that overlooked a bottom that had moose.  Trying to get a his and hers moose/bear opportunity.  We didn’t see any bears or moose but we enjoyed the spectacular scenery and we saw a red-tailed hawk and we were introduced to gray-J’s. 

The next morning the weather cleared and we saw a fox driving in, in the dark.  We drove the logging roads looking for signs, tracks and moose.  We ended up seeing caribou and moose tracks on our drive.  That evening my guide took me to a different bait site that was across a pond with a built-up spruce tree ground blind on one side of the pond and a bait site on the other.  Amy and Hazen (guide) went looking for moose while I waited for a black bear.  At 6:45 pm a bear came out of the thick brush.  It took a while for him to show its vitals.  As I was about to shoot it turned back and went behind the 55gal drum.  I waited for him , then he

climbed on a log and started eating the cookies in the lobster buoy hanging from a spruce tree.  I took a shot with him stretched out and he looked around and went back to eating.  I shot again and same thing.  Clearly I didn't hit him.  After the 3rd shot he got nervous and got down on all fours.  I shot one more time and he ran off.  I replayed the video and I didn’t hit him.  I eventually went over and there was no blood.  I was super disappointed.  Twelve years of bear hunting with no luck and I just blew my opportunity.  When we got back to the lodge I used the house computer with a bigger screen and clearly missed the bear.  I guess my scope got pumped on the 30 hrs of traveling.

On our third day of hunting we went out in the morning for Amy's moose without seeing a moose. We stopped on our way home and sighted-in the .30-06.  It was three inches off at 50 yards. That afternoon we drove to a new bear bait station that my guide just started that summer.  It was in a creek bottom at the end of a long logging road.  As we set up my chair behind the ground blind overlooking the bait.  We could see where the bears had been tearing up the moss on the ground 3-5 feet from where I was sitting.   Hazen said “you might want to look behind you cause these tracks weren't here a couple of days ago”.  As darkness fell I never saw a bear.  But Amy had better luck.  They went to the bog that we set up on the first day and called.  Amy had 2 bull moose bugling in the bog and came in just to the edge of the trees.  She could see trees moving but they never came out for her to get a clear shot. 

Thursday we drove the roads and glassed.  We had a cow moose on the edge of the logging road.  So Amy and I got out but she couldn't get a shot as it ran up a rock face in the fire-burn timber.  We climbed the rise but couldn't relocate the cow.  Later that evening I was dropped off at the first bait site that Amy and I sat at the first night.  They went on looking for moose and I waited for a bear.  At 4:40 pm a bear showed up at the bait.  I took my time and wanted to redeem my missed opportunity early that week.  I shot and the bear disappeared.  It didn't run and I couldn't see any brush or hear movement.  I wasn’t sure if I got it or not.  After replaying the video I was pleased.  It dropped instantly when I shot.  I walked down and she was right below the “cookie jar”.  Yay, I finally got my first bear.  I was stoked and went back to the blind to message Amy on my success.  I rewatched the video over and over.  An hour and a half later another bigger bear came to the bait at 6:10pm.  I had to wait for it to get to a good broadside shot.  As it started to head over toward the other dead bear.  I wasn’t sure what that bear would do with the dead bear.  “Would it run away or eat the dead bear?”  Luckily I was able to make a shot before the second bear found the dead bear.  So I shoot and this bear runs straight toward me.  I shoot again as it is heading full speed toward me.  It got below me 15 yards away and I couldn’t see so I stood up not knowing where this wounded bear was going.  I heard a faint death mown below and waited.  As I made my way around the brush I could see black in the grass.  It was dead.  It was a good size bear and I had just killed two bears 5 yards apart at the same bait within 90 minutes of each other.  When we got back to camp.  We found out that dad shot a sow that evening too.  They brought his back and hung it up for processing.

The next morning we took an argo to retrieve the 2 bears.  We got them back to camp and weighed, skinned them and butcher the salvageable meat.  The first bear weighed 190 lbs and the second bear was 240 lbs.

What an adventure and amazing experience.  Three bears all in the same evening.  Although Amy didn’t harvest a moose.  We all had a great time and have tons of memories of our Newfoundland bear/moose hunt experience.