Just a couple days after my successful Thanksgiving weekend solo moose hunt, French and I headed back down the Southern Shore to have another crack at filling the last set of tags of the season. We were a little behind schedule this morning so we quickly unloaded just one machine, French's 2017 Argo Huntmaster and headed in the road to our hunting area.

French hiked over to the long skinny bog while I made my way towards the large open area nearby. I was walking down the trail in pre-dawn twilight and spooked two animals where I really wasn't expecting to see any. They darted into the woods and I worked to drive them out to Mark but they Continental Airlined their way back into thick woods where there were no openings or access (just like the trio on opening day).

We had a great morning in the woods as the weather was cool and clear, but alas no luck. We came back to the trailer early in the afternoon to cook up a quick scoff putting my MSR Superfly and GSI Pincacle gas stoves to work frying up some Moose and a little beef flavoured instant rice. Matthew  got off work early and soon arrived to join in on the evening hunt.

This time we took both machines with Matt and I riding in style in Project 6x6 while French piloted his Avenger Huntmaster 8x8. We parked the machines on a cutover and headed into the long skinny marsh for French to set up and get our electronic caller going.

French's Not for Profit Charity license permitted to carry two big game rifles as it's a partner license that follows the same regulations that apply to standard big game party licenses in NL. Unfortunately we were skunked once again this evening so we headed back to town after dark to regroup.

The following weekend, October 17th French, Stroh, Matthew and I headed down the shore early under cover of darkness for another day in the woods.

Skies were overcast and foggy which made for a wet day in the woods. The boys covered ground up on the hill while I went solo with my Benelli shotgun in hand scouting a new area in search of moose sign and possibly a grouse or two.

#SketchyBridge

I walked all the way around the gully and followed an old bike path to this beautiful, quiet, secluded pond which I figure could be a prime spot for hammock camping!

Early in the afternoon we met back on the poleline lookout and lit a fire to dry out our wet clothes and have a boil-up.

Stroh and Matthew took care of lunch duty today, they cooked up a deadly scoff consisting of Stroh's awesome homemade chilli and a variety of Matthew's latest homemade sausage creations.

It was another meal fit for a king!

After lunch French and Matthew headed across country and set up on the cold/wet long skinny bog for the evening hunt.

As Stroh and I were mostly on hand for labour duty if the boys were successful, we stayed on the poleline and cheated the cold damp weather by keeping our fire going until dark.

My Gearline organizer is still working great and really comes in handy for letting my cooking gear air dry after washing up at home.

The following afternoon Mark and I took a run back down the shore but were yet again unsuccessful seeing any animals.

On October 24th French, Matthew and I made another pilgrimage in search of a Moose. We are still seeing animals on our game cameras but have to date been unlucky to be in the right place at the right time, the camera activity keeps us optimistic.

Project 6x6 continues to run well and has logged quite a few hours this year on this longer than normal (for us) moose hunting season.

We stopped next to a different pond for our cook-up today. It was chilly so I set about getting a small fire going while Matthew fried up Bacon, Onion then added tins of beans as well as more of his excellent moose sausages on his classic Coleman White Gas stove.

Although it was another unsuccessful hunting trip, it was still an outstanding day in the woods with good friends and an awesome feed.

On November 4th Mark headed down the shore solo early in the morning, both Matthew and I had prior commitments and would head down after lunch. Since my Argo would be locked inside French's trailer, I loaded up Project Foreman for today's adventure.

I was first to arrive and French was way back in the county. I took my time riding, walking and scouting a number of areas for fresh sign and checking our game cameras.

Shortly thereafter met Matthew back at the trucks and headed back into the lookout for an evening setup. It's getting late in the season now so moose aren't moving for the electric callers anymore. Matthew and I drove the woods hiking on foot to try and pop something out for French, but alas there was nothing in the area.

We gave it a valiant effort again today but as in past years, once November hits it gets remarkably harder to find an animal in our favourite hunting area. Well after dark we packed up and headed back to the trucks for the drive home.

On November 8th I was in Trepassey for the last day of Partridge hunting with the Bassan's but Mark, Matthew and Stroh headed in the country for another kick at the cat.

The boys fried up a wicked scoff of bacon, beans and sausages on Marks MSR Multi-fuel stove, and boiled his Dr.Si collapsible kettle for a fresh cup of coffee.

Although unsuccessful the boys still had a great day in the woods, stopping to chat well into the evening with a couple of local fellas at one of the nearby cabins.

On November 21st we were back at it again, today I got to try out the new gun holder on Project 6x6. It's an old school simple yet stout setup made completely of metal and coated in thick rubber. Most of these kind of holders are plastic and are not very sturdy.

Bassan joined French, Matthew and I on today's adventure. He is good 'ol hand at November moose hunting and was a great lead for driving the woods.

Project 6x6 was loaded down with Bassan's and my backpacks plus all the cooking gear I'd use later to make a delicious lunch. French and Matthew rode in French's Avenger Huntmaster 8x8.

I took on lunch duty today and cooked up a scoff of my marinated moose and French onion rice, last seen by the crew on opening day. I got to try out my new Coleman Hyperflame camp stove which was more convenient & stable for cooking with larger pots for a larger crowd than my compact MSR & GSI backpacking stoves.

I like to use my mini 5lb propane tank as it doesn't freeze up like the 1lb bottles so the stove runs better, plus it's refillable. One of the great benefits of going in the woods with an Argo is the ability to carry more and larger equipment with ease!

Most of us took turns driving the woods today with Bassan taking the lead. We also covered some new to us ground in the same general area. This was an effort to become more familiar with and get used to hunting a wider area which may increase our chances of late season success.

With an unsuccessful hunt Saturday, French, Matthew and I headed back down the shore the following morning for another crack at filling French's NFP moose tags.

Matthew and I covered a lot of ground driving the woods but were once again unsuccessful in driving out an animal to Mark. We seen some fresh sign from the previous 24 hours but nothing relevant to a successful hunt today!

Om Monday the 23rd French I repeated our efforts.

Once again we had anotehr excellent feed.  This time we tried out for our first time freeze dried meals ready to eat which were actually pretty tasty! Plan B in case the MRE's didn't turn out well was a pan full of fresh fish white puddings which were as usual just epic!

Throughout December Mark made a few more trips down the shore as I my time was taken up with other projects including a few weekends helping dad with his shed in Bay Roberts. My last kick at the cat for the season was on December 28th when French, Stroh and I took advantage of a gorgeous day over the Christmas break to go up in the woods.

This time we took the bikes to change up the hunt a little. French and Stroh headed down early in the morning while I loaded up later and arrived lunchtime to cook up a scoff.

Today I fried up Bacon, onions, beans and a pan full of fresh fish white puddings using my Coleman Hyperflame stove on my tailgate turned countertop.

It was great to see French get his Yamaha Grizzly dirty for the first time in a few years, and Stroh's Kodiak is still running strong.

After lunch French wanted to head further in the road, I stayed back closer to our traditional areas and covered a lot of ground tracking fresh sign.

Unfortunately French did not fill the last set of tags, which sometimes happens. A lot of time was put into the hunt and a lot of terrific days spent in the woods, but a lot of it still comes down to a good solid hunting plan, techniques and luck of being in the right place at the right time. Matthew made a few memes throughout this story to help make French feel better!

Cheers, MIKE

Copyright © 2025 Michael Smith