Big Island boar

[doccherry]

I left my house in Kona at 3:30 AM and drove to the northeast slopes of Mauna Kea to hunt pigs in the Laupahoehoe forest. I posted info about my unsuccessful first hunt a couple of weeks ago. This time I was older and wiser and stayed in the cedar [I think that's what they are] forests and the open areas free of tall grass and passion fruit vines. On the hike in I saw my first green pheasant and many turkeys. The hillsides were all torn up and pig poop and other sign was everywhere. I was the only hunter in several thousand acres of virgin forest and jungle since there were no other vehicles in the parking areas. Anyway, at about 10:30 I bumped into a small herd feeding on the sidehill I was walking down. I nailed a smallish boar, 120 pounds or so, with my Winchester 100 in .308. Now here's the hard part. I didn't bring my packframe because this was really a scouting trip and I didn't have high hopes. So here I am, 800 feet downhill and a mile plus from the truck with a pig down with only a knife and a small fanny pack. Yeah, the word stupid comes to mind. I gutted it and removed the head, reducing the weight to about 75 pounds. Then I started dragging the thing uphill through the woods and jungle, lifting it over logs and lava rocks. Then I said to heck with that and wrapped it around my neck like a scarf and lugged it. Then I said to heck with that and dragged it again. An hour and forty-five minutes later, I was at the fence where my truck was parked. Right then I heard branches breaking and grunts. I loaded my rifle and then asked myself what the heck I was doing since I was so tired that I could hardly stand. The limit is two per day but one per day is just fine with me.

One interesting thing I've never experienced was that at one point I heard a commotion in the brush about 200 yards away and the sound of hogs in a fight. There was loud bellowing and snorting and brush being torn up and it lasted about 30 seconds. Any idea what was going on? I don't think it was any sort of mating activity because it sounded like one of the hogs was being murdered although I suppose that even hogs have their kinky side.

On another note, I got a nice turkey on November 30, the last day of the fall turkey season. Flushed a flock just like quail and nailed the lead bird. We had friends over last night for turkey tacos.

What happened to the upland bird forum?

Aloha for now. Mouflon sheep hunting next Friday.

 

[Uncle Ji]

Aloha Doc,
Congratulations on your first Hawaiian pig, and turkey. I thought turkey season was the same as all upland birds endding after 3rd weekend of January. Are these regs unique to Big Island? I'm wondering if what you suspect may be cedars are in fact Norfolk Pines? Hunting Laupahoehoe can be deceptive since you're hunting downhill so the going is easy until time to turn around to head uphill to vehicle and see how steep the climb back up really is, and how far down you have worked, hard enough without a pig, so I can easily relate to what you went thru. If you're close to the north or south border fenceline it's easier to work to the fence then hop the fence, and hike uphill on the ranchland which is free of vegetation. That Winny 100 of your's is a great pig gun. Where are you hunting Mouflons at, and what's the limit? I used to have connections with the Greenwell Ranch in Kealakekua and hunted it for sheep on a few ocassions with great success. I believe Pu'uwa'awa'a Game Management Area has both sheep and pigs and open to handguns. A buddy wants to give that a try when I have recovered enough after my back surgery, sounds fun, and can't wait. Thanks for your post and keep us up to date on your island adventures.

 

[doccherry]

Uncle Ji:

Things have changed since you were last at Laupahoehoe. All areas outside the hunting area have NO TRESSPASSING signs all over them, including the north boundary. The grass there is 2 to 3 feet high and hides all sorts of lava rocks and fallen limbs. It's almost impossible to walk in. The south area is much easier walking. No signs of cattle on the ranch property, hence the reason for that horrible tall grass.

The turkey season goes with the bird season but it closes the last day of November. That gives you about 4 weeks of hunting.

The mouflon sheep hunting is on Mauna Kea, unit A. It's all year with no limit. The feds have ordered all sheep to be killed on Mauna Kea and the problem with sport hunting is that the federal helicopter boys with their arsenal went out a few weeks ago and killed 139 sheep, which scattered all the rest on the sheep everywhere. Still, I looked at the record books at the hunter check station for Unit A and in the past 2 weeks 8 people have gone after sheep and 7 sheep were taken, although one hunter took four of them.

Later.

 

[Uncle Ji]

Originally posted by doccherry@Dec 4 2005, 12:17 PM
Uncle Ji:

Things have changed since you were last at Laupahoehoe.  All areas outside the hunting area have NO TRESSPASSING signs all over them, including the north boundary.  The grass there is 2 to 3 feet high and hides all sorts of lava rocks and fallen limbs.  It's almost impossible to walk in.  The south area is much easier walking.  No signs of cattle on the ranch property, hence the reason for that horrible tall grass.

The turkey season goes with the bird season but it closes the last day of November.  That gives you about 4 weeks of hunting.

The mouflon sheep hunting is on Mauna Kea, unit A.  It's all year with no limit.  The feds have ordered all sheep to be killed on Mauna Kea and the problem with sport hunting is that the federal helicopter boys with their arsenal went out a few weeks ago and killed 139 sheep, which scattered all the rest on the sheep everywhere.  Still, I looked at the record books at the hunter check station for Unit A and in the past 2 weeks 8 people have gone after sheep and 7 sheep were taken, although one hunter took four of them. 

Later.

WOW things HAVE changed, way back when I hunted there the cattle kept the grass in almost manicured park lawn conditions on both borders and trespassing by hunters was allowed since they kept the pigs relatively under control.

I'm surprised the FEDs are still pushing for extermination of the sheep when actual investigation has proved the sheep helps the environment of the endagered Palila bird. The reason the FEDs initially started this extermination program was because they figured the sheep were killing off the Mamane tree which the Palila nested in by eating the leaves of the lower branches which the sheep could reach. They started the systematic extermination of the sheep by helicopter sniping. What happened was the vast grassy rolling plains the Mamane tress grew in were starting to be taken over the the grass which prevented the limited rains from ever reaching the roots of the Mamane tree thus causing these trees to whither up and die. SURPRISE! what kept the grass from growing too long in the past were the herds of wild sheep! STUPID scientist/environmentalists. The sheep have been a part of the Hawaii ecosystem since the days of Captain Cook that IF they were going to do damage they already would have, they had over 220 years to do so.

 

[EvBouret]

Congrats on the hog...next time tie his right back leg to his left back leg and the same on the other side. make sure to tie them real tight around the ankle with each foot overlapping to the ankles. cut up his chest or hack it with a machete through the front of the chest to the neck, basically split his ribs. put your right arm through the right legs and your left arm through the left legs.

VOILA!

pig backpack. You maybe want to tie a rope to the bottom jaw and hold its head down to keep the tusks from clanking you in the head.

Or you can do what we always do. Field dress it, hang it from a tree and have a good drink of water and skin and debone the pig. Just carry the meat home. It always usually fits in one pillowcase. Throw that in a normal backpack and carry it right up the hill.

 

[EvBouret]

About the grunting you head:

If it sounded like two hogs it was fighting, a lot of times you can hear their heads bashing into each other. Like a punching sound. And eventually one of them will squeal and it'll stop.

It also could have been a hog mock fighting a tree. I have seen this before when I was bowhunting. Start looking at trunks of trees when you're walking through the forests inHawaii. cuttings can show whether there are boars in the area and give you an idea of how big their tusks are. Any place with hogs should have cuttings on the trees.

 

[Uncle Ji]

Originally posted by EvBouret@Dec 4 2005, 05:11 PM
About the grunting you head:

If it sounded like two hogs it was fighting, a lot of times you can hear their heads bashing into each other. Like a punching sound. And eventually one of them will squeal and it'll stop.

Amen to Ev, i've been within 10 yards of 2 boars fighting in the dense vegetation without ever seeing then wondering which direction the loser would bolt.

The dominant boar is very territorial and defensive always ready and willing to ward off rivals, cool experiance.