Imagine that you’re about to take your very first flight. 

Not to Disney World.

Or to visit family. 

And not even a quick hop on Southwest. Nope. 

Your introduction to flying is a float plane loaded with gear, skimming over endless Newfoundland wilderness to land at a remote hunting camp accessible only by air.

That’s exactly how Dawson kicked off his flying career.

For a hunter, is there really any better way to do it?

This past Fall, Jon and his sons Dawson and Dakota headed north on what would become one of those trips that gets talked about for decades. 

The kind where every detail becomes a story. 

Where “remember when…” becomes a regular part of family dinners. 

And the kind that bonds fathers and sons in ways that only the wilderness can.

Their destination? Portland Creek Outfitters in Newfoundland. 

Their mission? Eastern Canadian moose. 

Their result? An adventure none of them will ever forget.

Getting There is Half the Adventure

Jon and Dawson loaded up the truck in Eastern Pennsylvania and pointed it north. 

Dakota, being smart about space and logistics, caught a commercial flight to meet them. 

The road trip through Canada had that electric anticipation that only happens when you’re heading into real wilderness.

Rolling through Nova Scotia, watching the landscape change with every mile, crossing that invisible line where civilization starts thinning out.

And this is where the adventure really begins. 

When you’re driving toward a place where roads end and float planes take over, you know you’re in for something special.

Then came the ferry.

Jon and Dawson loaded the truck onto the massive vessel. 

As the ferry pulled away from Nova Scotia, heading toward Newfoundland, father and son bunked down for the night along with the other hunters, fishermen, and adventurers all heading to the island. 

There’s something about that overnight ferry crossing.

You’re literally crossing into a different world.

When they finally reunited with Dakota and they arrived at the dock where the float plane waited, Dawson got his first good look at his ride. 

No TSA, gate announcements, no rolling suitcases. 

Just a bush pilot, a plane with pontoons, and gear getting strapped down for the flight into the backcountry.

The aerial views of Newfoundland’s endless forests, countless bogs, and complete remoteness told them everything they needed to know: 

They were truly heading into the wild.

No roads.

Almost no cell service.

And no turning back.

Moose Camp Life at Portland Creek Outfitters

Portland Creek Outfitters runs the kind of operation hunters dream about.

Small, family-run, and genuinely personal. 

When you land at their camp, you’re not just another client number. 

You’re guests in their remote corner of paradise.

The cabin wasn’t fancy, but it had everything that mattered: four walls, a roof that kept the Newfoundland weather outside, and a wood stove that crackled all day and night. 

After hours trudging through boggy terrain, that warm cabin was pure luxury. 

The smell of wood smoke mixed with Kim’s cooking? 

That’s the scent of heaven for a tired hunter.

And speaking of Kim…

The Unsung Hero

Every hunting camp has unsung heroes, and at Portland Creek Outfitters, that hero was Kim. 

While the guides worked their magic getting hunters on moose, Kim worked hers keeping everyone fed, warm, and ready for the next day.

So, what set Kim apart?

Fresh bread.

Every.

Single.

Day.

Not store-bought, and not from a mix. 

Fresh, homemade, warm-from-the-oven bread that filled the cabin with that incredible smell that makes you forget how sore your legs are from traipsing through the bog all day long. 

The kind of bread that ruins you for anything less.

Jon, Dawson, and Dakota fell hard for Kim’s daily bread ritual. 

And now? 

Well, let’s just say Gina, Jon’s fiancée, is paying the price. 

The guys came home with bread on the brain, and poor Gina’s been stuck trying to recreate Kim’s magic ever since. (Gina say thanks a lot, Kim!).

But Kim’s contribution to this hunt went way beyond incredible bread. 

On the morning that would become legendary, she also happened to have eagle eyes at exactly the right moment.

When the Moose Rut Doesn’t Cooperate

But first, there’s one thing about moose hunting that separates the dreamers from the doers:

Nature doesn’t care about your schedule.

The bulls weren’t in full rut yet.

 That magical time when testosterone-fueled moose throw caution to the wind and come charging in to calls? 

Yeah, that wasn’t happening. 

The guides tried calling. 

They worked their expertise. 

But when bulls aren’t fully rutting, they’re cautious, wary, and a whole lot less interested in responding to even the most skilled caller.

This is where hunting becomes HUNTING.

 No shortcuts, no guarantees, just long hours in the bog, glassing endless terrain, and hoping to catch movement in a landscape that seems to swallow up animals the size of horses.

The challenge made every sighting that much more precious. 

Every opportunity that much more critical. 

When you can’t call them in, you have to hunt them the hard way: spot them, stalk them, and make your shot count when the opportunity finally presents itself.

Which is exactly what happened next.

The Legendary Deck Shot

Let’s set the scene, because you’re just not even going to believe this one:

Morning at camp. 

Guides getting ready for the day. 

Jon’s on the cabin deck with his coffee, rifle nearby but not exactly expecting immediate action. 

They were about to head out into the bog like they had every other morning, knowing that without the bulls responding to calls, it was going to be another long day of glassing and walking.

Then Kim spotted movement.

“JON! MOOSE!”

Jon grabbed his rifle and ranged the bull. 

401 yards.

That’s not a chip shot from anywhere, let alone from a cabin deck. 

At that distance, everything matters: wind, elevation, steady breathing, and years of shooting experience all coming together in one moment. 

Jon settled in, made his first shot, and connected. 

But at over 400 yards, he wasn’t taking chances. 

He put a second round into the bull to make absolutely certain.

While everyone else was gearing up to trudge through miles of boggy Newfoundland terrain, Jon tagged his bull from the deck. 

All that challenging landscape out there, all the planning and preparation, the bulls not responding to calls making everything harder.

And his moose presented itself 401 yards from the cabin.

The guys are still laughing about it. 

A 401-yard shot from the cabin deck? 

During a tough hunt when nothing was coming to calls? 

The story gets better every time it’s told, and Jon’s legendary deck shot has already achieved permanent status in family hunting lore.

Dakota’s 420-Yard Challenge

Dakota faced a similar long-range scenario, connecting with his bull at 420 yards out in the bog. 

That’s serious shooting in the Newfoundland wilderness, where conditions can change in an instant and there’s no such thing as a perfect shooting position in the bog.

With the bulls not responding to calls, spotting them required patience, persistence, and covering a lot of ground. 

When Dakota finally got his opportunity, he made it count.

But dropping the moose was just the beginning of Dakota’s adventure. 

Getting his bull back to camp through that endless, spongy, wet terrain that defines Newfoundland hunting? 

That’s where the true test began.

Every step in the bog sucks at your boots. 

And every hundred yards feels like a mile. 

It’s physically demanding in ways that don’t show up in camp photos. 

Multiple trips hauling meat and antlers back to camp through that same unforgiving terrain became the rhythm of the next several hours. 

Load up, trek back, drop it off, go back for more. Repeat.

But for Dakota, this hunt became something special: Jon jumped right in alongside the guides to help Dakota get his moose back. 

Father and son, working together with the guides, earning every single pound. 

That’s what family hunts are really about.

Not just the shots, but the shared work, the mutual respect, and knowing your dad’s right there alongside you when the real labor begins.

You earn every single pound of moose meat in Newfoundland. 

Dakota’s bull wasn’t handed to him. 

He worked for it, sweated for it, got himself stuck in the boggy mess, and felt it in every muscle by the time that meat was hanging at camp. 

And having his father there, working just as hard? 

That’s the kind of memory that outlasts any trophy.

Two Moose, Three Hunters, One Incredible Experience

Jon and Dakota both tagged out on beautiful Eastern Canadian bulls, both with impressive long-range shots, both earned through skill and dedication during a hunt that wasn’t easy. 

When the bulls aren’t rutting and calls aren’t working, success requires patience, persistence, and seizing your moment when it finally comes.

Dawson’s tag went unfilled, but every real hunter knows that not every trip ends with a trigger pull, and that doesn’t make the experience any less valuable.

Dawson got his first-ever plane ride over some of the most remote wilderness in North America. 

He spent a week in a rustic cabin heated by a wood stove.

Ate Kim’s legendary bread

Trudged through challenging terrain.

Saw moose in their natural habitat.

Learned what it means to hunt when conditions aren’t ideal.

And he shared an adventure with his father and brother in ways that don’t happen in everyday life.

That’s an adventure!

The three of them came home with stories that have nothing to do with antler spread. 

First flights.

Jon’s 401-yard deck shot during a challenging hunt. 

Dakota’s 420-yard shot and the grueling pack-out that followed. 

Jon helping his son bring that bull home. 

Kim’s eagle eyes and incredible bread. 

The lessons learned when nature doesn’t cooperate. 

The shared meals and shared exhaustion and shared satisfaction of doing something genuinely hard, together.

These are the moments that define what it means to be family.

Coming Home

Back in Eastern Pennsylvania, Sara, still pregnant and eagerly awaiting their baby’s arrival, was ready to hear every detail. 

Gina welcomed the guys back, probably not yet realizing she was about to become the family’s permanent bread baker. 

The excitement was real!

Two bulls were coming home, and two stunning Newfoundland moose were about to become permanent fixtures in their homes.

The stories started flowing immediately. 

Jon’s 401-yard deck shot, with Kim’s assist, gets told with a mixture of pride and disbelief. 

Dakota’s 420-yard shot and the epic pack-out get the respect they deserve. 

The challenge of hunting bulls that weren’t fully rutting yet makes the success even sweeter. 

Dawson’s float plane adventure gets told and retold. 

Now the trophies are in our shop, and we’re honored to be transforming Jon and Dakota’s bulls into beautiful European mounts. 

Two Pennsylvania hunters brought home two impressive Eastern Canadian moose, and we get to be part of preserving those memories.

What’s Next for This Crew

Now this crew has caught the bug. 

One remote hunting adventure wasn’t enough. 

They’re already planning the next one.

Up next? A Maine/Canada bear hunt with a different outfitter. 

Different terrain, different species, different challenges. 

But the same father-and-sons crew, building on what they started in Newfoundland.

This isn’t just about filling tags or hanging trophies (though those are pretty great too). 

This is about building a tradition. 

Creating a legacy. 

Making memories that’ll outlast the mounts on the wall.

And we can’t wait to see what they bring home next.

From Eastern Pennsylvania to the remote bogs of Newfoundland, this trip had everything.

Adventure, challenge, success, laughter, and enough bread to keep Gina busy for the foreseeable future.

Jon and Dakota brought home two impressive bulls.

Both taken with impressive long-range shots during a hunt that tested their patience and skill. 

All three hunters are bringing home something even more valuable.

An adventure they’ll never forget, stories that’ll get better with age, and bonds that were forged in wood smoke, bog mud, and Kim’s kitchen.

A father and his two sons, facing Newfoundland wilderness together. 

That’s the kind of hunt that matters.

And every single time the stories are shared? 

They’re right back in that cabin, wood stove crackling, listening to Kim bustle around the kitchen, watching Jon make that incredible 401-yard shot from the deck, and reliving every moment of their Newfoundland adventure.

That’s the magic of hunts like these. 

The trophies are beautiful, but the experience is priceless.

From the bogs of Newfoundland to European mounts in our shop, we’re honored to be part of these hunting memories.

Stay Wild!