I went up to the coffee trees at 6:00 PM today and was met with a light drizzle and very little breeze. I hiked 50 yards into the trees and immediately saw a pig, maybe 100 pounds or so, jet black with a really long snout and a razor back. It was behind a tree with only its butt sticking out one side and its neck and head out the other side. I raised my bow and took aim at its neck, feeling certain that it would bolt and run as all the pigs up there have done in the past. It didn't. I took a snap shot just as it turned to face me. There was a "thunk" and I thought I had hit the tree but the pig dropped and lay still. It didn't run one inch but just flopped. I slowly walked up and saw my arrow sticking out of its head, dead center between the eyes. I've never shot a pig or any other animal in the head with an arrow, let alone smack dab between the eyes. It was actually a lousy shot because I was aiming for the neck. I unscrewed my arrow but didn't even consider trying to retrieve the Muzzy 100 grain 3-blade because things inside the pig's head were really sloshing around. I dragged the pig down to my truck and then went back into the coffee trees to try for another pig. I heard some pigs moving in the brush but didn't see anything. I then went back down to the truck and began removing the tenderloins and boning out the hams. A loud squeal and then a grunt and then all sorts of racket broke out in the tall grass 50 yards away so I grabbed my bow and put the sneak on them. Nada. I went back to the butchering job and got about 30 pounds of good boneless meat that is destined to become sweet Italian sausage in a couple of weeks. The mosquitos had another blood drive and I was the guest of honor. They are really bad at sunset right after a drizzle. Luckily, I'm virtually immune to the after-effects of their bites, the itching specifically, having been bitten a zillion times when I used to live in Alaska, but I feel the bites when they occur and it is pretty miserable when you get bitten a few hundred times in 30 minutes.
Tomorrow at first light I'm off in my skiff to try for ono and ahi. The ono are thick but I have yet to catch a really big ahi. I had another very large tiger shark come up to the boat a few days ago while I was attempting to land an ono. The tigers I've seen have not been in the least bit aggressive but they really rattle me. When the first JAWS movie came out I was so scared that I didn't take a shower for 3 weeks, to give you an idea how phobic I am when it comes to sharks. But then again I need to remind myself that my wife and I moved to the most remote island group in the world, when you consider how far we are from the closest major land mass. Seriously, the Big Island is the most remote island in the world. Look at a globe and then find the Big Island and then look for the nearest continent. And now we're the closest target for that fat little bastard in North Korea to take a potshot at. Don't think I'll lose any sleep over that. Bet he'd look really cute with a Muzzy 100 grain 3-blade buried between his eyes.
That's it for now. And I do agree with Speckmisser---let's hear some more hog tales from the mainland, California especially. I really do miss the oak trees and the dry, brown grass and the vineyards and hanging around camp during the heat of the day and cussing the Kalifornia politicians and giving the finger to politcal correctness and bumping into other JHO'ers who live to hunt and popping a cool one or two, waiting for the sun to work its way down to the horizon and the temperatures to begin to drop and then to mount up and go out for the monster buck that I know is out there or to clobber the hogzilla that is hiding behind a manzanita tree or most probably, just being out there in the Real World and watching the light fade at the end of a perfect day.
Best of luck to all you A Zone archers.
Mahalo for now.
Tomorrow at first light I'm off in my skiff to try for ono and ahi. The ono are thick but I have yet to catch a really big ahi. I had another very large tiger shark come up to the boat a few days ago while I was attempting to land an ono. The tigers I've seen have not been in the least bit aggressive but they really rattle me. When the first JAWS movie came out I was so scared that I didn't take a shower for 3 weeks, to give you an idea how phobic I am when it comes to sharks. But then again I need to remind myself that my wife and I moved to the most remote island group in the world, when you consider how far we are from the closest major land mass. Seriously, the Big Island is the most remote island in the world. Look at a globe and then find the Big Island and then look for the nearest continent. And now we're the closest target for that fat little bastard in North Korea to take a potshot at. Don't think I'll lose any sleep over that. Bet he'd look really cute with a Muzzy 100 grain 3-blade buried between his eyes.
That's it for now. And I do agree with Speckmisser---let's hear some more hog tales from the mainland, California especially. I really do miss the oak trees and the dry, brown grass and the vineyards and hanging around camp during the heat of the day and cussing the Kalifornia politicians and giving the finger to politcal correctness and bumping into other JHO'ers who live to hunt and popping a cool one or two, waiting for the sun to work its way down to the horizon and the temperatures to begin to drop and then to mount up and go out for the monster buck that I know is out there or to clobber the hogzilla that is hiding behind a manzanita tree or most probably, just being out there in the Real World and watching the light fade at the end of a perfect day.
Best of luck to all you A Zone archers.
Mahalo for now.
