Newfoundland Black Bear Hunting
Trophy Bears & Cast and Blast
Most hunters come to Middle Ridge for a moose. Some of them add a bear tag. And then they go home and start planning a trip built entirely around the bear.
Newfoundland black bears are a different animal. Literally. The island’s geography has shaped a population that is genetically isolated, naturally large, and carrying far less hunting pressure than their mainland counterparts. Bears here grow slower and live longer than they do in hunted-out regions of North America.
Black Bear and Trout Fishing – Cast and Blast Package
Price: $7,995 USD
Season: Late May to Mid-June
Duration: 5 days
Guide ratio: 1:1
Package Includes:
- Return helicopter transportation to and from the lodge
- Airport pickup from St. John’s International Airport
- 5 days of fully guided bear hunting
- Guided fishing for brook trout and landlocked salmon on Kepenkeck Lake
- 1:1 guide-to-hunter ratio
- All meals and lodge accommodation
- Transportation of harvested game from lodge to meat processing
- Telephone and radio communication at lodge
- All applicable NL hunting licenses, bear tag, and fishing licenses
- Middle Ridge welcome package
Not Included
- Accommodations in St. John’s the night before departure
- Alcoholic beverages
- Meat processing and shipping
- Additional helicopter time beyond the standard package ($3,000 USD/hr if required)
- Non-hunter guest fee: $4,500 USD
For more details, see Things To Know.
A suggested 10%-15% gratuity is customary and appreciated as a gesture of thanks for the dedication and effort of our guides and staff in making your hunting experience exceptional.
Payment terms: 50% deposit due at booking. Remaining balance due 90 days prior to hunt date.
Want to add a moose or caribou to your trip? Ask us about combination packages.
Fall Bear as an Add-On
Not available for a spring trip? Fall black bear hunts run concurrently with the moose season (mid-September to mid-October).
A bear add-on tag is $1,000 USD, with an additional handling fee of $2,500 USD if successful.
Many of our moose hunters find that having a bear tag in their pocket gives them something to pursue during downtime in camp and more than a few have walked away with both.
95%+ Success Rate
That number is the result of 30 years of learning this land, guides who grew up hunting it, and running an operation where every detail is in service of putting you in front of an animal. We take that responsibility seriously.
Spring Cast and Blast spots are limited and tend to fill quickly. If you’ve been considering a Newfoundland bear hunt, now is the time to reach out. We’ll walk you through everything, answer your questions, and get you on the calendar.
Why Newfoundland Black Bears Are Different
Mainland black bears are widely distributed, heavily hunted, and conditioned to human presence. Newfoundland bears are none of those things. Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the island’s bear population has evolved largely undisturbed.
The abundant food: berries, bog plants, salmon, combined with a relatively short season and low hunt pressure produces animals of exceptional size.
Mature bears taken in our area regularly weigh 300 to 400 lbs, with exceptional boars pushing past the 500 lb mark. These are the animals serious bear hunters travel to find, and they’re here, in numbers, on Kepenkeck Lake’s watershed.
The Cast and Blast – Bear Hunt + Fishing
There’s one hunt at Middle Ridge that hunters talk about all winter: the Cast and Blast.
Our spring bear season runs late May through mid-June, the same window when Kepenkeck Lake’s trout and landlocked salmon fishing is at its absolute peak. Book a Cast and Blast package and you’ll spend your mornings hunting trophy black bear over bait or on the stalk, and your evenings casting for wild brook trout and landlocked salmon from the lake.
Two of Newfoundland’s best outdoor experiences, in one five-day trip. For hunters who’ve always wanted to combine a wilderness fishing trip with legitimate trophy hunting, this is the package. It’s also one of the most unique offerings in the province, not every outfitter can put you on quality bear and quality fish in the same week.
A Day on a Spring Bear Hunt
Your morning starts the way most good days in Newfoundland do: coffee while it’s still dark, a plan from your guide, and a short walk or boat ride to your position before first light. In the spring, mornings are cool and clear, and the wilderness around Kepenkeck Lake is waking up after winter. There’s a particular quiet to these early hours that you don’t find in many places anymore.
You’ll be settled and ready by the time bears start moving. Depending on your setup, this might be a blind near a bait station or a glassing position on a ridge overlooking open country.
Midday, you’ll return to the lodge for a meal and a break. If the bite is on, an afternoon session on the lake for trout is a natural next move. Evenings bring dinner, conversation, and the particular satisfaction of a day well spent in wild country.
Hunting methods
baited hunts
In spring, before the green-up fully arrives, bait sites are an extremely effective way to put you close to a mature boar. Our guides establish and maintain bait stations in locations chosen for their bear traffic; transition areas between food sources, travel corridors, and terrain features bears use repeatedly. You’ll wait in a blind or stand downwind of the bait, and when a boar comes in, you’ll have time to assess the animal and take a calm, ethical shot.
Baiting isn’t passive hunting. It takes patience and discipline, and knowing when to pass on a smaller bear is part of what our guides will help you with. We’re not in the business of filling tags for their own sake. We’re in the business of putting you on a trophy.
Spot and stalk
For hunters who prefer a more active pursuit, spot-and-stalk bear hunting in Newfoundland’s open barrens is a legitimate option. During the spring season, bears are frequently visible at distance as they work the edges of bogs and burns. Your guide will help you close the distance and identify a mature animal before you commit to a shot.
It’s a demanding style of hunt, and connecting on a bear this way is a genuine achievement.
Fall bear hunting is available in combination with a moose or caribou hunt. A bear add-on tag lets you pursue both species on the same trip, and many of our hunters walk away with a moose and a bear in the same week.
HUNT THE NEWFOUNDLAND BLACK BEAR
Since 1995, the Lodge at Middle Ridge has enjoyed a success rate of over 95%. Book your adventure today.