Here's an update on my pig hunting on the big island. I go up to a private residence about 5 minutes from my home perhaps 3 times per week, right at sunset. I see or hear pigs every evening and have clobbered 3 so far with my bow. The pigs are tearing apart the owner's exotic landscaping so he has given me the green light to come up whenever and shoot them. The other night I was sitting in my ambush spot and it got too dark to see so I stood up to leave. Two large boars were standing right behind me and let out a loud "whoosh" when I stood. I couldn't get off a shot.
This afternoon, I went up to a house that my wife and I own on Hualalai Mountain, only 800 yards from the house where I archery hunt. It is rented out now but the tenants are leaving so I went up to see how much work we need to do in order to get it ready for the next tenants. We plan to sell the house we're living in now in 18 months and move into the Hualalai house. There is a lava rock wall along the south side of the property and beyond that is empty brush country where cattle graze. I thought to myself that when we do move in eventually it would be nice to sit on the rock wall with my bow and hunt for pigs, assuming any pigs are around there. Anyway, I went up to the rock wall, which is about 3 1/2 feet high, and looked over. Within 40 yards were 4 pigs, the largest maybe 200 pounds. This was at 3:00 PM. Sunset is not until 7:00 PM. I could hear other pigs in the tall grass out 75 yards or so. I wish we were moving into that house tomorrow.
A hunting buddy and I are going to Laupahoehoe on Saturday to hunt pigs. He's never been pig hunting before, although he's killed many deer and turkeys. He's also a recent So Cal transplant like myself, so the hunting around here has his eyes bugged out, same as me.
I went Mouflon sheep hunting last week up on Mauna Kea at about 10,500 feet. These are really wild sheep that look like Rocky Mountain bighorns, only they weigh about 125 pounds or so. They are super skittish. I stalked two really nice rams and then a band of ewes, but the wind shifted each time and I blew it. There is no limit on the sheep and no closed season. It's really tough hunting, but so far it's my favorite. I had the whole mountain to myself and never saw another soul.
In the past two weeks I took another turkey, a wahoo [ono], a mahimahi, several tuna, and hooked a 700 pound blue marlin on 40 pound line. This is in my little 15 foot aluminum skiff, so the marlin had me whipped before the fight began. I had her on for 15 minutes before the line broke and she went about her business. She jumped a dozen times, once within 40 yards of the boat, which was a huge thrill. Then on Monday I was out about a mile offshore in very calm waters with brilliant sunshine. I saw a dorsal fin and part of a tail fin so I cruised over quietly and a 13-foot tiger shark was cruising along the surface. What a magnificent animal, particularly with the sunlight shining through the blue water and onto the shark's hide. The bars along its side were very easily seen.
This is the life I've always dreamed of. I go big game hunting 3 days a week on average, go out big game fishing 1 or 2 days a week on average, and my wife and I eat wild fish, wild pig, and gamebirds at least 3 times per week. We hope to add sheep to our diet, as soon as I develop the skills necessary to take them on a regular basis. There are wild Spanish goats everywhere and they are fairly easy to take with bow or rifle, but the Hawaiians I've spoken to about goats tell me that they are a lot of work to turn into table fare, boiling, rinsing, boiling, rinsing, etc., and then adding all sorts of seasonings to get the super gamey taste out. I think for now I'll pass on the goats UNLESS Ev Bouret or Uncle Ji can give me their secret goat recipes.
That's it for now. I'll report on the pig hunt at Laupahoehoe in a couple of days.
This afternoon, I went up to a house that my wife and I own on Hualalai Mountain, only 800 yards from the house where I archery hunt. It is rented out now but the tenants are leaving so I went up to see how much work we need to do in order to get it ready for the next tenants. We plan to sell the house we're living in now in 18 months and move into the Hualalai house. There is a lava rock wall along the south side of the property and beyond that is empty brush country where cattle graze. I thought to myself that when we do move in eventually it would be nice to sit on the rock wall with my bow and hunt for pigs, assuming any pigs are around there. Anyway, I went up to the rock wall, which is about 3 1/2 feet high, and looked over. Within 40 yards were 4 pigs, the largest maybe 200 pounds. This was at 3:00 PM. Sunset is not until 7:00 PM. I could hear other pigs in the tall grass out 75 yards or so. I wish we were moving into that house tomorrow.
A hunting buddy and I are going to Laupahoehoe on Saturday to hunt pigs. He's never been pig hunting before, although he's killed many deer and turkeys. He's also a recent So Cal transplant like myself, so the hunting around here has his eyes bugged out, same as me.
I went Mouflon sheep hunting last week up on Mauna Kea at about 10,500 feet. These are really wild sheep that look like Rocky Mountain bighorns, only they weigh about 125 pounds or so. They are super skittish. I stalked two really nice rams and then a band of ewes, but the wind shifted each time and I blew it. There is no limit on the sheep and no closed season. It's really tough hunting, but so far it's my favorite. I had the whole mountain to myself and never saw another soul.
In the past two weeks I took another turkey, a wahoo [ono], a mahimahi, several tuna, and hooked a 700 pound blue marlin on 40 pound line. This is in my little 15 foot aluminum skiff, so the marlin had me whipped before the fight began. I had her on for 15 minutes before the line broke and she went about her business. She jumped a dozen times, once within 40 yards of the boat, which was a huge thrill. Then on Monday I was out about a mile offshore in very calm waters with brilliant sunshine. I saw a dorsal fin and part of a tail fin so I cruised over quietly and a 13-foot tiger shark was cruising along the surface. What a magnificent animal, particularly with the sunlight shining through the blue water and onto the shark's hide. The bars along its side were very easily seen.
This is the life I've always dreamed of. I go big game hunting 3 days a week on average, go out big game fishing 1 or 2 days a week on average, and my wife and I eat wild fish, wild pig, and gamebirds at least 3 times per week. We hope to add sheep to our diet, as soon as I develop the skills necessary to take them on a regular basis. There are wild Spanish goats everywhere and they are fairly easy to take with bow or rifle, but the Hawaiians I've spoken to about goats tell me that they are a lot of work to turn into table fare, boiling, rinsing, boiling, rinsing, etc., and then adding all sorts of seasonings to get the super gamey taste out. I think for now I'll pass on the goats UNLESS Ev Bouret or Uncle Ji can give me their secret goat recipes.
That's it for now. I'll report on the pig hunt at Laupahoehoe in a couple of days.
