Archery Moose Mania in Newfoundland ‘26
SEASON 26 | EPISODE 10
Quick Summary
- What happened: RJ Cianciarulo takes his bow into the Newfoundland backcountry with Aubrey behind the camera, guided by Thomas from Efford's Hunting Adventures. Eight days out of a helicopter-access spike camp, glassing off the top of a mountain for a bull moose inside bow range, and fighting unexpected heat, pouring rain, and fog thick enough to shut the whole country down.
- Best takeaway: Archery moose in that country is a glassing game first and a weather game second. You cannot make a bull show up and you cannot make the fog lift, so you hike, you glass, and you stay ready for the one window that opens.
- Also worth watching for: One stalk that got to 75 yards, a caribou that walked in close, bears out in the berries, and Aubrey's phone spending a night alone on the mountain with the footage for this episode still on it.
Hunt Information
Newfoundland Bull Moose
Hoyt RX-9
Fly-in spike camp, glass and stalk, archery only
Early September, right around the front edge of the rut
RJ Cianciarulo hunting, Aubrey Cianciarulo on camera
Thomas, with Efford's Hunting Adventures
Outfitter Information
Efford's Hunting Adventures
Lucas Efford
We have hunted with Thomas and the Efford crew off and on for years now, and this trip was a reunion as much as a hunt. If you want moose, caribou, or bear in Newfoundland, start with them.
Don't forget to let them know who sent you! The Choice Crew
Episode Breakdown
Eight days in the Newfoundland backcountry. A helicopter in, a spike camp, and one mountain we climbed every single day to see what the weather would let us see.
The Country
Shale slides, berry flats, bogs below, and no other hunters for miles. Bears out in the berries, cows and a calf on the daily hike, and a caribou that walked in close enough to make us forget what we came for.
The Weather
Unexpected heat, then rain, then fog thick enough to shut the whole country down. Days spent hunkered in the clouds waiting on a window that never opened.
Seventy-Five Yards
One good morning. One bull bedded behind a hill. A stalk that got us inside 75 yards with the wind switching the whole way, and Aubrey still trying to get to the top of the hill with the camera.
Then It Got Interesting
Aubrey lost her phone on the mountain overnight, with this episode's footage on it. Then Thomas spotted two incredible bulls three-plus miles out with a storm rolling in, and we went anyway. How both of those turned out is worth the watch.
Location & Conditions
Newfoundland backcountry, helicopter-access spike camp
Steep mountain with shale slides and loose rock, open benches and berry flats up high, timber and bog country below
Unexpected heat early, then rain and thick low cloud most of the week, fog that shut down glassing for days
Full moon during the hunt, which lines up with the slow daylight movement
Everything on foot from spike camp, straight up and back down every day
Nobody else out there, the country is as wild as it looks on camera
Animal Descriptives
Newfoundland moose are big-bodied and heavy-antlered, and the island holds one of the densest moose populations anywhere. A mature bull carries wide palms with long points off the top, and even at three miles they read as moose in the glass because nothing else out there is that dark or that square.
Timing matters more than most people expect. Bulls shut down before the rut and again after it, they lay up in the shade on hot days, and a full moon shifts movement into the dark. That is what we were fighting all week: plenty of moose in the country, cows and calves close, and the bulls holding tight where we could see them but not reach them.
Shot Placement & Tips
A bull moose is enormous, and that size fools you twice. First on distance, because a moose at 90 yards looks like a whitetail at 40. Second on placement, because the vitals sit further forward and lower than the middle of that body suggests. Broadside, pick the crease behind the front leg and stay in the bottom third.
With a bow you want him relaxed and you want him committed. A nervous bull that is already looking your direction is not a shot, he is a lesson, which is exactly what happened at 75 yards. Range something on his level before he gets there, get your camera person set before you close the last hundred yards, and drop your packs early so the final crawl is quiet.
Wind is the whole game in that terrain. Thermals swirl off the shale and switch on you halfway through a stalk, so plan the approach with an exit, and be willing to give up the stalk instead of educating a bull you might get another crack at.
Field Notes & Takeaways
- Glass more than you walk. Thomas found bulls with his eyes that we would have hiked right past, including one tucked behind a hill three miles out.
- Rain gear and dry boots are hunting equipment in Newfoundland, not comfort items. A wet boot on day one is a long week.
- Fog does not always mean go home, but it does mean know when to quit. We saved legs on day two by heading down early instead of sitting in the clouds.
- Move glassing points. New vantage means new country, and the cliff point gave us moose, a bear, and a caribou in one sit.
- Keep your phone in a zipped pocket. Ask Aubrey.
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FAQ
How does a Newfoundland archery moose hunt actually work?
A helicopter drops you at a spike camp, and from there it is all on foot. You climb the mountain, glass for hours, and when you find a bull worth going after you plan a stalk around the wind and the terrain. No stands, no bait, just eyes and legs.
Did RJ get a bull?
You will have to watch. Eight days, one stalk to 75 yards, and a whole lot of weather.
What was RJ shooting?
Hoyt RX-9 with Easton 5mm FMJ arrows and Innerloc Devastation broadheads, wearing Cabela's Instinct in TrueTimber VSX.
From the Field
Three miles in the rain, no visibility, no bull, and I would go right back tomorrow. That country will humble you and then make you want more of it.RJ Cianciarulo
Bring It Home: Newfoundland Moose Stew with Pastry Top
Salt pork, root vegetables, and three hours of low heat — the pot that gets a Newfoundland kitchen through a gale.
Ingredients
- Moose
- 3 lbs moose shoulder or neck, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
- 4 oz salt pork or fatback, diced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
- Kosher salt & coarse black pepper
- The Pot
- 2 large onions, roughly chopped
- 4 carrots, cut in thick coins
- 1 small turnip (swede), peeled and cubed
- 4 potatoes, quartered
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 bottle (12 oz) dark stout
- 4 cups beef or moose stock
- 2 tsp summer savory (dried)
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Pastry Top
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 1 egg, beaten, for the wash
Recipe
- Render the diced salt pork in a Dutch oven over medium heat until the fat is out and the bits are golden. Scoop the cracklings out and hold them aside — that fat is what a moose has none of.
- Season the moose cubes, dredge them lightly in flour, and brown hard in the pork fat in batches. Don't crowd the pot. Set the meat aside as it finishes.
- Add the onions to the pot and cook until they take on colour, 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook another minute until it darkens.
- Pour in the stout and scrape the bottom clean, letting it reduce by half. Return the moose and cracklings, then add the stock, summer savory, bay leaves, and Worcestershire.
- Cover and braise in a 325°F oven for 2 hours, until the meat gives when pressed with a spoon.
- Add the carrots, turnip, and potatoes. Return to the oven uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the vegetables are tender and the gravy has thickened.
- Make the pastry while it braises: cut the cold butter into the flour, baking powder, and salt until it looks like coarse gravel, then bring it together with ice water. Don't overwork it. Chill until needed.
- Roll the pastry to fit the pot, lay it over the stew, cut a few vents, and brush with egg wash. Raise the oven to 400°F and bake 20–25 minutes until the top is deep golden.
- Rest 10 minutes before serving. Break through the pastry at the table and spoon it up with the gravy.
Chef Tips
- Use the hard-working cuts. Neck, shank, and shoulder are full of connective tissue that turns to silk in a long braise — save the backstrap for the grill.
- Newfoundland moose feed on birch, fir, and bog willow, so the meat is dark and clean with no need for a soak. Salt pork supplies the fat it lacks.
- Summer savory is the Newfoundland herb, not thyme or rosemary. If you can find it, use it — it's what makes the pot taste like the island.
- Add the potatoes late. Put them in at the start of a three-hour braise and you'll have a pot of paste.
- Better the second day. Make the stew ahead, then bake the pastry fresh on top when you reheat it.
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