One more boar, Big Island style

[Nic Barca]

I went on a big hike to collect data for a school project and got a big boar on film about 8 miles in near the treeline in the hilo watershed. Also attemped to get many feral cattle but none of those gave me a shot. Shot another smaller boar about 40 pounds a little later and filmed a herd of 7 or so fat healthy pigs as it was getting dark. The boar I shot is on film at HuntingFootage.com at that link.

I spotted and stalked to within 25 yards before he knew something was up. The wind wasn't perfect. Just as I got the camera ready, he bolted and I took a running shot with the camera dangling off my left hand. He dissapeared when the shot went off so I figured I might have dropped him. Not knowing how he was hit, I ran around to check on him. He was flat on the ground laying on the wound but his head was moving. I figured he was paralyzed and that if the shot damaged vitals, he would die real soon. A few moments went by and he was still moving so I poked his butt with the gun barrel and he showed no sign of noticing so I figured he might be about dead but then he started moving again. I realized that if he was paralyzed, he wouldn't have felt me touch him, so I worked my way up towards his head and when I touched him there, he flipped out, swung at the barrel, and started sharpening his tusks. So I popped him again and the recoil sent my camera flying out of my hand high in the air but I caught it as it came down, ha ha ha. Definitely one of the funnest hunts I've been on in a long time. 2 pigs, saw a big herd, and saw lots of feral cattle, that were too smart for me.

 

[Speckmisser]

Cool footage, Nic.

Sure does sound like a great place to hunt.

One of these days...

 

[YoungBlood]

That was AWESOME! The look on your face was classic. Great looking place to hunt too. -YB

 

[Glass eye]

Great footage Nic, I hope to be there in Feb. and shoot some pigs.

 

[larrysogla]

Nic,
Congratulations. That is just awesome. That is a beautiful, black pig. I love black pigs and brown pigs of a solid color. Good BBQ. God Bless, always.

 

[wyemjohnson]

Very nice footage and pig!

 

[SDHNTR]

That was COOL! Nice boar!

 

[doccherry]

Nic:

Good hunt and nice video. Do you think a feral cattle hunt is a real possibility in terms of getting a shot and being able to pack out some meat? I've been really intrigued by the thought of hiking back in and hiking back out with about 60 pounds of prime beef. Did you see quite a few cattle? How far and how hard was the hike?

Last question, and one you may not care to answer. Where, as precisely as you wish to say, did you see the cattle and what is the best route to hike in to get to them?

Any help would be appreciated. I'd really love to go after those wild cattle. I'm going to Laupahoehoe this weekend for the first time in several months. There's finally room in the freezer and I'd like to fill it with some wild pork.

Keep the stories coming and any help with the wild cattle idea would be appreciated.

 

[The BILL Collector]

Great place to hunt.

 

[Nic Barca]

Thanks You guys. Doc, they said that there would be a year long season and it just ended, although I haven't seen any announcements for it. I did a mapping project on feral cattle distributions in the forest and found out exactly where they are. The state wanted hunters to hunt them in the lower reaches of their range in order to push them uphill back towards the pastures. Access was meant to occur in two trails: the Wailuku river road at about mile marker 14 and the Morita camp trail at mile marker 16. The wailuku river road, you can drive in. They re bulldozed it and it was nice. I rode my bike down it in less than an hour. But from where the road ends, you have to walk a mile or more upriver before you get to an area with cattle. The uluhe fern is a major deturence and they are restricted to the stream cooridor in their lower reaches below MCT. Morita Camp Trail is a lot more challenging of a hike.

The cows, although they can be big, do not have as much meat as you would think. They are sort of like a big goat; lots of guts and skin. We shot a 250 pound calf and got only 30 pounds of meat, if I remember correctly. The 500 pounder had about 80 pounds of meat on him and two of us packed it all out in one try through morita camp trail (which broke our backs.) But you can be selective and shoot smaller cows. AS for difficulty, they are relatively smart but if I wasn't trying to get the shot on film, I could have gotten one.

This time I went in through the top of the treeline and made it almost to Hakalau NWR. You're not supposed to access the cattle hunting from that way and I didn't try until I dropped deep into the forest. ...I wouldn't worry much about wasting meat, doc, because they are all doomed anyway. I imagine the state will eradicate them and just leave everything (or at least they should). Cattle are destroyers of native forests and you can really see the damage in the upper reaches. The fence seperating the pasture from the forest reserve is completely gone after so far in because it hasn't been repaired in so long and there is no clear line between pasture and forest reserve except metal posts with no wire.

 

[savvyfm3]

Do it again, do it again!

Sweet footage better than TV.

That just got me way pumped up. I need to start filming some of my hunts.

 

[CAhntr]

Holy crap that was bad ass! Great shot with the scatter gun Nic, you are a stud, and one lucky bun of a sitch to live were you do. Congrats.

Eric

 

[beastslayer]

Nice footage.

Noticed you pumped your gun and then started running with loaded and fully cocked rifle in a vine-chocked jungle? Be careful.

 

[Nic Barca]

Thanks Beast Slayer. I can't remember if I put the safety back on or not. Never considered that.

CAhntr, it was a slug

 

[forkehornreggie]

Nic, good job!!!!! I have my sheep hunt booked with Jon Sabatini in April. Happy Hunting!!!!!!

 

[Railguner]

Nic...when you walk up to a hog.....and he is still kicking and trying to get up...and then he turns to look at you...... HE'S NOT DEAD!!!

nice hog

RG

 

[MikenSoCo]

You're nuts dude!!! Having been charged twice, I would've shot that thing a second time long before you did. Although the slug gun is alot more reassuring than trying to stick an arrow in a charging hog. Awesome footage, thanks for sharing

 

[Speckmisser]

Mike,

You don't need no slug gun... all you have to do is stare him down. One good look at that mug, and most hogs will just roll over and give it up.

Them that charged you must've been blind.

 

[MikenSoCo]

Ya Speck, you're right. If I couldn't hit an elephants ass at 10 yds. also I guess I should try starin' 'em down. Heck, just showin' up to an invite would greatly increase your odds

 

[Speckmisser]

Ouch.

The truth hurts.