Going out today

[EvBouret]

Got home from California two days ago. It feels so nice to be back on Kauai. Im going out tonight for an overnighter 8 miles in 8 miles out hog/spanish goat archery hunt. I'll let you know how I did when I get out, I should have a good story or two.

wish me luck

 

[Speckmisser]

Good luck, Ev!

Did you get up into the Los Padres yet? Let's touch base when you get back to CA, and let's see what the winter time brings.

 

[BobcatJess]

Good Luck Ev,

It is always great to hear about your adventures in the brush of Hawaii.

Jess.

 

[bigtusker]

Good luck bro, whack 'em and stack 'em.

 

[One Track]

Stick a few Ev. Looking forward to hearing about it.

 

[EvBouret]

Got one pig, three goats. Am waaay waay too tired to write about it, but I'll get it up in a few days. I got 4 hours of sleep last night because there were so many hogs running around our camp. In one half mile stretch of the trail we literally ran into 7 different groups of hogs. This place is absolutely ridiculous. ITs almost a full moon so all the hogs were up all night and sleeping during the day.

 

[bjake21]

Great job Ev

Looking foward to hearing about and seeing some pics if ya got some. Sounds like you got a sweet spot out there.

 

[BobcatJess]

Nice job Ev

Can't wait to hear the details.

Jess.

 

[Orso]

Sounds like an awesome hunt. I can't wait to here the details.

 

[EvBouret]

We started our hike into our secret spot at around 5pm, right before dark, it got dark about 3 miles in, right when we started to hit all the fresh hog sign. At the 4 mile valley we heard to big boars fighting like 100 yards off the trail. Heart stopping squeals and grunts. It for sure had my heart going, standing there with my buck 110 and led headlamp. We spooked 3 more small groups of hogs on the way in to camp and set up camp at the 6 mile marker. After we got camp set up and made some food and a fire it was about 10pm. We went out looking for hogs again (this time minus the 40lb packs). This whole next part was kind of a blur but I'll recap it as best I can. For about a .5 mile section of the trail about .25 miles from our camp we hit hog heaven. We'd be walking and hear something stirring up the leaves and freeze, turn off our lamps and listen. A few came in close enough to light up with a flashlight and we had one big boar come withing sight. Literally every 100 yards something like this would happen, wed stop and listen and hear pigs like 40yrds off the trail. All different groups too. Then finally after about 6 or 7 of these little groups we came across one that was oblivious to us. SHe was sitting there rooting under fallen kukui leaves and not paying attention to the two sweaty humans staring at him from 35 yards away. I shined him with the light and my friend let a shot go. The pig dropped instantly. It was a small 60lb sow, all black. After this we got back to camp, skinned, deboned, salted it and ate some ribs. We didnt end up going to bed until 3am because all the action had us pumped up.

The next day we woke up around 7:30 I chose to go back the way we came to the 5 mile valley and my friend chose to go the other way (smart choice). After pushing all the way down to the bottom of the valley to check out the grass flats for goats, I had to push back up the ridge onto the trail. Didn't see anything except a few Erkel Franklins and some goats way up high on the ridges that I glassed. They were too high and I didn't feel like waiting for them to come down.

I talked to some hikers while I was resting on the trail and asked them if they saw any goats. They told me they saw a whole herd a few valleys back with one big billy with a full curl in his racks. These people raised meat goats so I figured they knew what they were talking about. I hiked all the way back to the 5 mile valley and only saw a few small nannys and kids up high again. It seemed like all the goats were on to me. And stayed high above the trail on cliff faces I couldn't possibly follow them on. So, I started back towards the 6 mile and some hikers told me they saw 4 goats off the ocean side of the trail. I crept up and saw the ones they were talking about there was about a 60lb billy with about a 12-13" spread. and a few nannys in the bushes. The billy ran out and was checking me out from about 15yards, perfect quartering away shot looking from above. Couldn't have asked for a better shot, but I didn't shoot. If I was going to shoot a small goat it would be a nanny because they taste better. And if a billy doesnt have a big old rack I wont shoot him but let him grow instead. I crept down on my butt, the hillside was almost vertical for about 50 yards then dropped about 500ft. So I was being really careful going down the almost vertical part because a lot of the foot holds are loose. I had an arrow nocked waiting for a shot. After about 10 minutes I started to get antsy and threw a rock at the billy. He blew and ran off, then 4 baby nannys came out of the bush. They were about 30-35 lbs, perfect eating size. I shot at a small stocky blue one but missed right over his back, the arrow hit the rock behind him and richoted into the ocean. I didn't compensate for the downhill shot and should have aimed right under her chest.

After this failure of a mission I walked back to camp, my friend was there with a huge old franklin and a 17" chocolate billy. I was starting to get pissed off because he had such good luck going the opposite way I did. So I ate some lunch and headed off the way he went. Needless to say there were no goats after about 2 miles of hiking, so I turned around. About .5 mile from camp still no goats so I figured I had to do something drastic. There was a small drain filled with kukui nuts and small boulders. I started hiking straight up the drain for about 250yards and I could see it hit a dead end at a lava rock 300ft cliff face. When I was about 75 yards away from the cliff I heard something rustle. I froze and got behind a tree. I poked my head out and saw about 5 goats. The two biggest ones were trying to mate. A 40lb black nanny and a 35lb black billy. Both had tan/brindle patterns on their face. I got ready and as soon as the billy dropped off her back I let one rip, hit her straight in the armpit from about 30yards uphill. She ran off and the billy didn't know what had happened he was standing there broadside with his head turned at me. I shot at the front of his chest, the shot entered the center of his chest, pretty low down and exited behind his shoulder. He ran about 10 yards and fell, I wasn't sure yet if I had hit the nanny right and I waited a few minutes to track her, she was about 10 feet farther than the billy.

It was really easy getting them back to the trail, the hillside was so steep that I just rolled them the whole way down, they covered the entire 300 yards or so in about 5 rolls. I got them to the trail and met my friend and got them field dressed and hog tied and carried them to camp. Skinned them and deboned them and packed up all our crap. We ended up leaving around 4pm and didnt get out until 11pm. We saw a family of 5 little 5lb piglets rooting around on the trail with no sow in sight. We watched them for a while and then clapped our hands, the piglets ran a few feet and played dead it was pretty funny to watch. They're pretty cute when they're little. We heard boars fighting again in the 4 mile valley. I was so exhausted hiking the trail that me and my hunting buddy actually fell asleep on the trail about a mile from our cars. I'll probably be recuperating for the next week.

Hope you all enjoyed the story

 

[muskeg]

Great story Ev ...... thats some kinda different hunting you got overthere

 

[Rancho Loco]

Great stuff Ev...

What are round trips running nowdays?

 

[EvBouret]

around 5-7 bills you can get a round trip. If anyone comes I can point you in the right direction, or even guide you if i'm here at the time. This place is seriously pig heaven, just time it for a small moon so the hogs aren't so nocturnal. During the day they bed down waaaaay waaaaay up on the cliffs with the goats so you can't find them during the day. There is some hogs that cruise around during the day though, usually the smaller hogs and piglets that get picked on by the larger boars. You might be able to catch them going back and forth from their beds, there's a few major trails, the 4 mile/hanakapiai saddle is a good spot. Its a saddle connecting two major valleys. Anyways, enough raMBLING......

speck: I'm down for a LPNF trip this winter. I've checked out La PAnza around navajo flats a few times, didn't see any hog sign, saw a nice forked buck and a few coyotes way off. I've been wanting to check out Ventana Wilderness though, go for a 2 night trip or so...

 

[SDHNTR]

Damn that sounds like fun! Got any pics? What's a Franklin?

 

[ozstriker22]

Hot dang...!!! Way to go EV!!!

I know where I'm taking my wife for our anniversary next year...

Of course, the "once in a lifetime hunting opportunity" that presents itself when you and I "accidently" meet in the hotel lobby and "just start talking" would have to be "unplanned" and "spur of the moment."

Do you think she'll recognize the coincidence that I "just happened" to bring my bow in my check in luggage? There's no question I'd be in the dog house, but It'd be SO WORTH IT!!!

Seriously though, GREAT job! EV we always love to hear your stories from over there. It's like an episode of "Lost."

Three questions:
1) WHAT'S A FRANKLIN?
2) Get us some pictures, bro!
3) On another post a while ago you said you wear some type of soft shoe - what were they again and where do you buy them?

 

[EvBouret]

Heres a Erckel Francolin, they're native to Africa but have been planted here as a game bird. They have a call kind of like a turkeys cluck that starts off slow and speeds up for about3 seconds. They're decent eating and get to be about the size of a pheasant.

All my pictures are on a disposable camera and I have about 20 pictures left on it, It'll probably be at least until the end of the month before I get them all developed. I have another camera too with some pics of a goat hunt I went on last summer.

The shoe is called a Tabi. They are basically a green split toe sock with rubber around your toes and heel with a felt sole. They are really flexible and silent when you walk, great for bowhunting. I'll look around and find a picture or a store that sells them.

 

[EvBouret]

Here's the best picture I could find, the sock part has rubber toe caps and a rubber around the bottom sides and heel to keep it locked in place. the white you see on the bottom is a pad of felt, these are split toed.

I'm pretty sure no one sells them on the internet, I looked around for about 20 minutes, if you want the next best thing check out the neoprene felt bottom wadeing boots with the zippered sides in cabelas. For a lot of hunting here in hawaii I use the same style boot, but the bottoms have rubber lugs and metal spikes. I use this anywhere that I dont have to be sneaking around, very good for chasing after the dogs.

 

[Bishop]

Those "tabi's" look like the Japanese "ninja" tabi's. If they are the same, you could get them at any martial arts supply store.

http://www.awma.com/index.cfm/action/produ...uct_id/6780.htm

http://www.awma.com/index.cfm/action/produ...uct_id/9270.htm

http://www.awma.com/index.cfm/action/produ...uct_id/6761.htm

 

[Live2hunt]

MAN.......what a hunt!!!.....great story EvBouret...

and congrats to the goat and hog harvest.

Now when will we have a JHO event in Hawaii?




L2H

 

[EvBouret]

The tabis are very similar to the 'ninja' tabis. They are the same concept but were designed for fishing instead of throwing roundhouse kicks to people's chins. I'm sure the ninja ones would work as well but I'm pretty partial to the felt bottomed ones.