Non-Res DIY Hunting in Hawaii

[Milo]

What is the feasibility of a do it yourself hunting trip in Hawaii? I know there are options with a number of guides and success with them is generally good, but I would rather do it myself, save the cash, work for what I get. I live in Alaska and have hunted on my own for everything I've got. I have no concerns about taking care of the animal if successful and I'm fairly good about working logistics to get it home.

I have only been to the Big Island once - 8 days - stayed a few days in Hove, volcano, Hilo, saddle road, Mauna Loa and did some fishing - all the tourist stuff I could cram in on a first trip. I'm thinking about going for about 2 weeks next time and adding in some hunting. Big Island for goats and/or sheep comes to mind but I would be open to anything with a reasonable chance of success. Other Islands or species? Where to get info to get started? Time of year? I probably wouldn't be doing this until sometime in 2011.

 

[Glass eye]

What is the feasibility of a do it yourself hunting trip in Hawaii?

I'm a NR in CA and all my hunts there have been DIY.

 

[Glass eye]

Do a word search in this section for "Lanai" I've given out info numerous times.

 

[rodneyshishido]

I would try the Dept. of Land & Natural Resources. The "game wardens" and wildlife biologist can be very good sources of information.

There is a hunting forum for Hawaii hunters. I do not know the web address or what name it goes under. Many locals are very open to taking out-of-state hunters with them.

If you want to come to Maui, I can take to out for pigs and goat. The animals in the area I hunt are generally not particular large (trophy size) but there are a lot of them.

 

[mossyoakhntr05]

well there are alot of things to factor in here: when do you want to come? what do you want to hunt? how do you want to hunt it/them? there are many awesome oppurtunities on every island actually: big island has a little bit of everything, big boars, feral and mouflon sheep/ as well as hybrids, wild cow, wild turkey; lanai has great public axis hunting (half private, half public draw), and pretty good mouflon sheep population try the lanai company you have to call them first to get all the info for hunting their private lands; maui has pig, axis deer, and feral goats, the deer are a free range herd but are maintained on ranches, dlnr states if deer are seen outside of the ranch they can be shot on the spot reguardless of sex; molokai has the same as maui except you have to draw a tag for axis deer like lanai;oahu has great pig hunting(i think) you wont see the caliber of boars youll see on the big island but i see a good number of pigs every time i go! oahu has some rough country goat hunting as well though i have not got the opportunity to hunt them yet i do know where the goats are i just found them too late and the seson was closed;kauai has pig, and blacktail deer; some say the blacktails are hard hunting but i would imagine its all in what you know!!! now it all depends on where you wunna go and what you wunna hunt, be mindful, the state mandates you have either a out of state/state hunter safety course or an exsemption letter, this may take a while if you have one of the first two, if you choose to hunt with a gun you have to check it in to the local check station, usually only one maybe two per island, with in 72 hours of arriving. all the info i have gathered has been from the great guys on here they will be more then to answer any questions you have and help as much as they possibly can, as will i. if you want close easy hunt i would suggest oahu for pig with a bow, it took me a while to find the pigs but with a ton of help from the fellas here i found em and found a mess of em, there a few great spots as well if you perfer a gun too. all with in 45 minutes drive of honolulu or waikiki! if you have any other questions ill be more then happy to share what they have shared with me(i also have never hunted maui SO i wouldnt be able to tell that oahu has better hunting) but i also would be happy to take you out and hunt some pigs! o seasons again it depends on what you want to hunt with, this is the hunt regs and seasons web site http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/hunting/BirdHuntingRegs_Chap122-02.pdf
hope all this helps!!!!!!

 

[Milo]

Thanks Glasseye - There is some good info to get started. Sounds like you love it there. I have yet to go through it all.

Rodney - Haven't tried the biologist yet. I know they can be a good source of info, but I've had mixed results in my home state for sure. Depends on who you talk to in my experience, but I will give them a shot too.
I have been considering going to Maui for my next trip to HI whether I go hunting or not -- so pigs and goats would be cool. I think I would be more interested in a goat for a mount and a pig for the freezer, but I ship all meat back. Not really worried about "trophy" per se, but a good representative animal would be nice.

Are there any salvage requirements such as animals must be taken out whole rather than quartered? I haven't gutted an animal since living in Alaska and it would make meat handling easier if I could cape/quarter/bone the animal in the field.

 

[mossyoakhntr05]

some examples of oahu pigs the last two were pretty small but they were my first two and i used a gun, i kinda took what i could get then!

 

[mossyoakhntr05]

here are some examples of oahu pigs, the last two were pretty small , they were my first ones, i kinda took what i could get!!!

 

[Milo]

Thanks Mossyoak,
Got a hunters safety card from 30 years ago, so I can get that taken care of. Heard a little about the firearms regs and don't like that a whole lot, but will deal with it as required. I've become accustomed to the very much unrestrictive weapons laws here in AK.

Will look into everything you posted tomorrow and will likely have more questions.

 

[rodneyshishido]

Milo-
The only salvage requirement I am aware of is for the state hunts on Lanai for axis and mouflon. Those hunts "require" that you bring out the whole carcass.

Where I hunt, there are no requirements. During pig season, some hunters will shoot the goats and leave the carcass as bait for the pigs.

I used to always pack out the whole animal. Now I only take the backstraps and quarters.

Hawaii is very restrictive as far as firearms go. I took one fellow out who told me that when he went to check in his rifle at the police station, he did not have it in a case and the woman there wanted to get him arrested. The other thing is that on Maui anyway, ammo selection is pretty limited as well as shooting range time. If you shoot anything other than Winchester in standard calibers, ammunition availability can be a problem, i.e. you may want to bring your own ammo.

 

[Glass eye]

Are there any salvage requirements such as animals must be taken out whole rather than quartered? I haven't gutted an animal since living in Alaska and it would make meat handling easier if I could cape/quarter/bone the animal in the field.

Only on Lanai on the State run draw hunts for axis and mouflon. On those hunts the deer/mouflon can't be skinned or boned out. But on the private side Lanai Co hunts, there are no such restrictions.

 

[Milo]

Sounds good.

I would definitely bring my own ammo, would probably bring a 30-06. Don't hardly think I need to take the 375 Up here the firearms regs are wide open - carry concealed or exposed, in your car, whatever. Just not in bars, courthouses and women's crisis centers.

Better get back to work.

 

[mossyoakhntr05]

I GOTTA APOLOGIZE TO YOU MILO I GAVE YOU THE GAME BIRD HUNTING REGS, HERE IS THE BIG GAME REGS. SORRY ABOUT HTE MIX UP........http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/hunting/MammalHuntingRegs_Chap123.pdf