The woodland caribou is found in central Saskatchewan and Manitoba, northern Ontario, and areas of Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia but in small numbers and are not huntable in those areas. So if you want to hunt woodland caribou you have one choice – Newfoundland. This type of caribou has the smallest antlers of any of the caribou types, but don’t let that discourage you – they still sport beautiful racks and white capes. A mature stag will weigh between 350-450 pounds. They exhibit rutting behavior very similar to elk – a herd stag will have a harem of 20-30 does, as they are called in Newfoundland, often with a few satellite stags hanging out nearby. The herd stag will often grunt and repeatedly keep his harem close and corralled away from the satellite stags. It’s quite a sight to see him protect his does.
Our hunts target the Middle Ridge herd in Newfoundland. The Middle Ridge herd is the largest herd and typically produces the best trophies. The population of woodland caribou in Newfoundland peaked at about 95,000 in the middle 1990s and now stands at about 30,000 animals. The Middle Ridge herd is increasing in numbers – from around 9,000 in 2010 to almost 12,000 in 2018. There are very limited tags which impacts the cost of these hunts. Observations from our outfitters reveal that numbers are increasing. Trophy quality has been excellent the last several years.
Legacy Outdoors offers high quality hunts for woodland caribou in Newfoundland. We only work with the most reputable hunting outfitters in a region. We have been helping woodland caribou hunters find the best hunts for a long time. We constantly keep up with the outfitters and their hunting areas and many other factors that can affect woodland caribou hunting success. We can help you find the best hunts where you have the best chance of success at harvesting a trophy woodland caribou.
Woodland caribou can be hunted as a single species but are frequently combined with trophy moose or black bear. Or you may want to pursue the “Newfoundland Grand Slam” – all three species. Hunts can be drive-in or fly-in locations, nice lodges, cabins, or tent style accommodations. The use of boats, ATV’s, trucks, argo’s, and fly-outs are all used to put hunters into good caribou country. From there it’s lots of glassing from vantage points and then stalking on foot. Legacy Outdoors can tailor a hunt to suit almost anyone. So whatever your abilities are, after a discussion, we can find the perfect hunt for you. No matter what kind of woodland caribou hunt you’re looking for, we’ve got you covered.
Woodland Caribou are typically hunted from the middle of September through the middle of November. Heavy rutting activity occurs during the middle of October. A side effect of the rutting activity is that the bulls meat can get tainted and become inedible during this time period. So if you want to be sure you have great table fare, we recommend hunting in September to early October and then again from late October into the middle of November. If you hunt during the rut, you can run the risk of not being able to salvage the meat – this is not always the case, but it does happen frequently during this time. During the early and later hunts, the caribou tend to be separated into doe/fawn groups and groups of stags. During the rut, both sexes will hang out together and you will see that herd stag working hard to protect his harem.
Newfoundland is the only place to legally hunt woodland caribou. Our outfitters regularly produce record book animals. Low tag allocations and a healthy herd is producing many great stags for our clients. Legacy Outdoors represents the best woodland caribou outfitters in Newfoundland. We can discuss the type of experience and trophy quality you are looking for and recommend the right hunt for you. Click here to learn more about woodland caribou hunts in Newfoundland.
If you are looking for a great Woodland Caribou hunt, give us a call or fill out the form below and let us help you find the perfect woodland caribou hunt for you.
Legacy Outdoors
Offices In:
Idaho, Wisconsin, Alberta, Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania
