Mauna Kea pig hunt

[doccherry]

Going up to the dry side of Mauna Kea after work this afternoon. It certainly doesn't look like pig habitat. I'll get some photos to show you guys what the environment looks like up there. It's barren and dry as a popcorn fart. Knee-high brown grass, lava rocks, and bushes that look like mesquite. We'll be hunting from 7000-8000 foot elevation. I was up there a couple weeks ago and walked in off the dirt road about 500 yards. I came to an area of 1/2 an acre that was torn up completely and there were beds under every bush. Hog poop was actually piled up in some areas and the flies were still working it, it was that fresh. Now that the turkey hunters are gone I'll take another look there. Then we'll drive along the Hunter's Road [a rough 4WD graded road] at sunset and watch for hogs crossing up from the Parker Ranch. Odds-wise, I'd say we have about a 1 in 3 chance of getting a hog, maybe a bit more.

Nic Barca---Happy birthday!! How does Sunday, May 6 sound for Laupahoehoe? I can meet you at the hunter check station where the Mauna Kea Access Road joins the Saddle Road, say around 5:00 AM. The road into Laupahoehoe is 4WD and takes about 1 1/2 hours. I promise not to have a heart attack and die on the trail, although if I do, you can take all my stuff except for my truck. That goes to my wife.

OK, guys, I'm on the record. If I croak on the trail and and shuck these mortal coils, Nic gets my hunting gear, at least what I'm carrying at the time. I've attached my thumbprint to the bottom of this post [it's probably hard to make out], so that makes it a legally binding document.

 

[Surfswest]

Good luck up there and am looking forward to seeing some of those pics.

Frosty

 

[beastslayer]

Doc,

Good luck.

Be safe and don't croak. We don't want this source of good adventure and awesome hunting stories to stop. (Although you'll probably realize the Indian dream of dying in a happy hunting ground - LOL).

 

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

sounds great Doc, look forward to a good story and photo's! good luck...........tra

 

[Nic Barca]

Thanks doc. Sunday May 6th sounds fine but I'm not exactly sure why you want to meet there? You are talking about the 4-way with the checkin box next to the fenced off cinder cone, right? The Mauna Kea Access road leads up to the observatory, right? Are you not passing through Hilo? Or if you are going around waimea side, I can meet you in Laupahoehoe?

 

[doccherry]

Nic:

The access to Laupahoehoe is up the Mauna Kea Access road for 2 miles, then right on the Mana Road. Then it's 17 miles on the Mana Road to the Laupahoehoe Wildlife Area [or whatever it's called]. So, yes, that's the hunter check station I'm talking about. We hiked into the cattle country at milepost 16 on Saddle Road, and this check station is somewhere around milepost 25 or 27 or so. If that sounds good, let's firm up the deal.

Hope you had a nice birthday. Talk to you soon.

 

[XDHUNTER]

Good luck DOC

and bring a nitro just in case!

 

[doccherry]

Well, the rifle did its job perfectly, sending the bullet exactly where the crosshairs were centered, which from what I could tell after everything calmed down, was about 3 inches over the boar's back. I blew the shot.

We got up to Mauna Kea at about 3:30 PM, right after work, and found our hunting area dry as a bone. [See photo attached]. Drove around for awhile but didn't even find a track. Parked and walked in a few hundred yards and found fresh pig poop everywhere. Paused at a fenceline and looked around. The sun was setting and the bushes were sending out shadows like long spooky fingers. Perfect pig time. My buddy pointed toward the fenceline and I saw two pigs scurrying thru the tall grass, one 50 pounds and the other about 125. The larger pig scooted beneath a bush and I threw my rifle to my shoulder and took a snap shot as it disappeared. It grunted and squealed and all we heard was crashing from the bushes. We waited 5 minutes and went to investigate.

Nothing. Nada. The grass was 2-3 feet high and dry and brown. Any blood at all would have shown up. We spent 15 minutes circling the area, really digging in to find a body or some evidence of a hit. Nothing at all. Oh, well. There's one happy and lucky pig running around out there today.

Drove up the Hunter Road 1/2 a mile and a very large black boar trotted up alongside the truck, slammed on its brakes as I slammed on mine, did a 90 degree right turn, and ran across the road, going uphill into the grass and brush. We followed on foot but lost it in the gathering dark.

Drove back down toward the hunter check station and a fat pig of 70 or 80 pounds, like a butterball porcupine, threw up a cloud of dust as he ran across the road and dived into the brush.

That was it. No pork in the pocket but a great time in the wilderness and lots of pigs. Didn't see a soul anywhere.

I'll go back up on Sunday and drive way back in, back to the waterholes, and try for one of those 400+ pounders I saw a couple weeks ago.

How's that for a life, huh? Go bull hunting with Nic Barca on Sunday, out for pigs on Thursday, and another monster pig hunting adventure this Sunday? Life is tough over here.

The photo attached shows the view from the Hunter's Road looking uphill. Notice how open and dry it is, not exactly what you'd think of as stereotypical Hawaii, but this place is loaded with pigs.

 

[Speckmisser]

Life IS tough, Doc... we all hate you.

Seriously, again, great tales and you're making it hard to wait for a trip to come hunt out there.

I may have to make a solo recon trip before I can get my brother out there with me. Hmmm...wonder how that would fly on the homefront?

 

[beastslayer]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (doccherry @ Apr 20 2007, 09:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Life is tough over here.[/b]

I feel your pain, Doc.

I've done deer hunting every late afternoon after work at D11 for one whole week towards the end of the season. Never shot at anything but it always felt like TGIF -- even on a Tuesday.

 

[Lurediver]

Doc, it kinda looks like Texas from that photo.

 

[MikenSoCo]

Doc, you need to go on another Death March w/ Nic Barca. More pigs and belly laughs for us all!

 

[larrysogla]

Doc,
Thanks for the funny as heck hunting stories and the unparalleled Hawaii hunting adventures. Never thought there were wild cattle hunting here in the U.S. of A. until Nic and your hunting tales. Very exciting. 'Nuff said. God Bless and take care.