We finally moved to our new house mauka [up the mountain] in a nice gated community and what was the first thing that happened? Some pigs tore into my front lawn, although the damage was minor. Our neighbor, who has a beautiful estate home on a huge, grassy lot, was not so lucky. Pigs have been coming in every night and tearing his lawn to shreds. He's had it re-sodded, has called in a pro trapper, and has searched in vain for their point of entry into our community. No luck. His yard looks like it has been completely rototilled. A few nights ago we were sitting on our lanai [deck with a roof] and our dogs began sniffing the air and barking. I then heard the clippity-clop of hooves trotting down the driveway and out onto the street. Apparently, there are a dozen pigs, including one large boar, that are tearing up the neighborhood. They come on my property again and out comes the crossbow with push-button high intensity flashlight taped to it and a red-dot sight. End of pig.
Was out mouflon sheep hunting up on Mauna Kea the other day and saw a band of 3 sheep, including a large ram, walking through the high grass. I began to stalk them and a very large black boar sauntered out from the first bush I came to. I let it go, although it was a slam-dunk shot, in favor of not spooking the sheep. Well, 100 yards later the sheep exploded from another bush and as they ran away, they spooked another boar that sauntered out from another bush and moseyed off. I let him go and followed the sheep but they vanished. Driving back down the Hunter's Road I saw several more pigs wandering around in the grass but let them go. I was too tired from hunting up at 8000 feet to butcher a pig in the dying light. A few years ago, in CA, I'd happily dress out a hog while holding a flashlight clenched in my teeth.
Had our Internet DSL and cable TV hooked up and I mentioned to the installer that I was a hunter. As is often the case here, so is he. His cousin has a place in Waimea, about 40 miles away, and it is overrun with pigs. They are ruining his garden and landscaping and he invites anybody with a bow to come over and shoot them. I'm too busy and this guy can't find anyone to help. Then my wife's good friend mentioned that the property development company she works for has such a terrible pig problem on their golf course that they had to get a pro pig trapper from Australia to come over and handle the pigs. He's trapped and relocated a couple dozen of them but it hasn't made a dent.
Then, the guy who owns the estate where I used to try to eradicate pigs with my bow and crossbow [I posted a number of stories about that] is now only 400 yards away from our house, in another development. He told me that the pigs are worse than ever but I told him that it's a waste of time to shoot them, because their population is exploding and killing a dozen won't do anything other than buy about a week's reprieve. He's lost thousands of dollars worth of exotic plants to these furry bastards.
Then, the other guy who owns a little ranchette a few miles away [I've shot pigs with my bow there] called and said the pigs are back eating the feed he puts out for his livestock. Can't I come over and blast them with my bow? Nope, I said, too busy. He told me to come over at any time when I have the time.
Saw another neighbor the other day walking what appeared to be a couple of fat, large dogs on leashes. Turned out to be two wild pigs. The sow was killed [by what I don't know] so he and his friends adopted the piglets. Had them fixed, got them all the necessary shots, and now he walks them around. They each weigh about 80 pounds but I imagine they'll top 300 within another year or so. He feeds them all they want to eat and they appear to be happy. Soon they'll be taking him for a walk.
Well, that's it for now. The pig population over here is exploding. Imagine sitting on your porch at night and hearing them cloppity clop down your driveway and seeing them every time you go out hunting, so many that you can pick and choose exactly what you want. And rest assured that these pigs are just as wild and clever and easily spooked as any wild hog in CA. It's interesting that of the 1000 pigs I've seen since moving to HI, all but 3 or so have been jet black. Those other 3 pigs were a solid brown. There appears to be virtually no inbreeding with domestic stock.
Was out mouflon sheep hunting up on Mauna Kea the other day and saw a band of 3 sheep, including a large ram, walking through the high grass. I began to stalk them and a very large black boar sauntered out from the first bush I came to. I let it go, although it was a slam-dunk shot, in favor of not spooking the sheep. Well, 100 yards later the sheep exploded from another bush and as they ran away, they spooked another boar that sauntered out from another bush and moseyed off. I let him go and followed the sheep but they vanished. Driving back down the Hunter's Road I saw several more pigs wandering around in the grass but let them go. I was too tired from hunting up at 8000 feet to butcher a pig in the dying light. A few years ago, in CA, I'd happily dress out a hog while holding a flashlight clenched in my teeth.
Had our Internet DSL and cable TV hooked up and I mentioned to the installer that I was a hunter. As is often the case here, so is he. His cousin has a place in Waimea, about 40 miles away, and it is overrun with pigs. They are ruining his garden and landscaping and he invites anybody with a bow to come over and shoot them. I'm too busy and this guy can't find anyone to help. Then my wife's good friend mentioned that the property development company she works for has such a terrible pig problem on their golf course that they had to get a pro pig trapper from Australia to come over and handle the pigs. He's trapped and relocated a couple dozen of them but it hasn't made a dent.
Then, the guy who owns the estate where I used to try to eradicate pigs with my bow and crossbow [I posted a number of stories about that] is now only 400 yards away from our house, in another development. He told me that the pigs are worse than ever but I told him that it's a waste of time to shoot them, because their population is exploding and killing a dozen won't do anything other than buy about a week's reprieve. He's lost thousands of dollars worth of exotic plants to these furry bastards.
Then, the other guy who owns a little ranchette a few miles away [I've shot pigs with my bow there] called and said the pigs are back eating the feed he puts out for his livestock. Can't I come over and blast them with my bow? Nope, I said, too busy. He told me to come over at any time when I have the time.
Saw another neighbor the other day walking what appeared to be a couple of fat, large dogs on leashes. Turned out to be two wild pigs. The sow was killed [by what I don't know] so he and his friends adopted the piglets. Had them fixed, got them all the necessary shots, and now he walks them around. They each weigh about 80 pounds but I imagine they'll top 300 within another year or so. He feeds them all they want to eat and they appear to be happy. Soon they'll be taking him for a walk.
Well, that's it for now. The pig population over here is exploding. Imagine sitting on your porch at night and hearing them cloppity clop down your driveway and seeing them every time you go out hunting, so many that you can pick and choose exactly what you want. And rest assured that these pigs are just as wild and clever and easily spooked as any wild hog in CA. It's interesting that of the 1000 pigs I've seen since moving to HI, all but 3 or so have been jet black. Those other 3 pigs were a solid brown. There appears to be virtually no inbreeding with domestic stock.
