Went to my favorite pig hunting place in the known universe, Laupahoehoe on the northeast part of the Big Island of Hawaii. It's at about 6000 feet elevation. During the summer and early fall it's so overgrown that you really can't hunt it. I haven't been since May [I think]. Started hunting downhill at 7:00 AM and went down beyond where I have ever gone before. Lots of pig sign but no pigs. At 9:30 I took a break and sat on a lava outcropping overlooking a valley covered in green grass and brush. I was looking out over the terrain and saw absolutely nothing. Then I looked straight down beyond my boots and there was a small pig munching on grass. I checked him out for a few moments and decided he was big enough. The shot was 75 yards almost straight down. He never knew what hit him. I hiked down, boned him out, and then hiked back up to my perch. An hour later, still no sign of anything so I hiked uphill for about 1/2 an hour and found another perch overlooking a vine-choked ravine. I was tired [woke up at 3:00 AM and then a 2 1/2 hour drive and then all the hiking and I'm 18 months away from 60] so I blinked a few times and then one blink lasted a big longer than usual and then an hour later I woke up. I hiked uphill some more, heading toward my truck, and found some other perches overlooking promising territory but no pigs. Finall, at 4:00 PM, I came to a grassy glade surrounded by pine trees. In the middle of the glade was a streambed covered in banana poka and heavy brush. I saw a small black object out in the tall grass and figured it was a small pig. I watched it a while and then I thought it might be a feral cat a long way from home. Then the little black pig/feral cat became the head on a big pig that finally stood up. It began walking toward the heavy cover so I threw my rifle up and took a snap shot. The pig crashed into the vines and then all was still. I sat down and waited about 10 minutes and threw rocks into the vines but there wasn't a sound. As Ev Bouret or Uncle Ji can tell you, these vines are really thick and you get all tangled up in them as you crawl, climb, and bull your way through. I took my rifle off safety and crawled in, holding the rifle out ahead of me, figuring any shot would be at uncomfortably close range. The pig was there, all right, but it was deceased, the way I like my pigs to be, particularly the larger boars. I'd guess its weight at 175 pounds, another boar. Boned it out and hiked uphill another 1/2 hour to my truck. It was a really long day but the freezer is full of pork.
The photos are as follows:
1. The small boar
2. The vegetation where the small boar was feeding.
3. The larger boar
4. The vines I had to crawl into to find the larger boar. The banana poka [passion fruit] can be seen hanging from the vines. The pigs get really fat on the banana poka.
The photos are as follows:
1. The small boar
2. The vegetation where the small boar was feeding.
3. The larger boar
4. The vines I had to crawl into to find the larger boar. The banana poka [passion fruit] can be seen hanging from the vines. The pigs get really fat on the banana poka.
