Really tough hunt on Big Island

[doccherry]

Went to Laupahoehoe yesterday [Sunday], arriving at first light. It began to sprinkle as I slung my backback and headed downhill. 30 minutes later it was pouring and at 6000 feet elevation the rain was frigid. I got soaked to the skin within 45 seconds. The ground, which consists of a thin layer of soil and lava rock and exposed roots, turned to catfish snot and I took one fall for every 50 steps. I really got beat up and cut up in a hurry. The terrain consists of ridges and valleys and every step is either uphill or downhill. The first pig I ran into was a large boar that surprised me at a distance of 15 feet, he coming down the trail and me going up the trail. I don't know who was startled the most. He did a 180 before I got my rifle up. At around noon, I saw three small pigs, 60 pounds each, on a sidehill 75 yards away. I sat down in the mud, brought up my rifle, and found that the scope lenses were covered in water and I couldn't see much. I then made the mistake of trying to remove the water from the lenses using my sweatshirt, which has damp with persperation beneath my rain jacket. Now I couldn't see anything through the scope---it was just a blur. The pigs got my scent and scooted off. I had been hiking in really tough conditions for 5 hours and was pooped. I sat down to rest but got so cold so quickly, with the rain pelting me and the wind blowing at 20 knots that I had to keep moving to avoid hypothermia. I put a poncho on over my rain jacket which helped a bit. I hiked sideways to some areas I had never hunted before and spent the afternoon there. At 3:00 PM I came to a valley covered in grass and vines. I started walking through it and two smallish pigs---100 pounds or so---came running through the grass. I brought up my rifle and the scope lenses were so blurred that I could only make out vague shapes. I centered on one of the running shapes and fired. I could see that the pig I fired at changed directions and the other pig ran on. I took some toilet paper from my pack and cleaned the scope lenses and waited about 5 minutes. I went over to where the pig was when I shot and found a heavy blood trail. A few minutes later I found the pig, dead, and saw that it was a perfect [and really lucky] shot. That's the pig in the photo, lying in front of my ALICE pack, which is perfect for this habitat because it rides low on my back and doesn't get hung up in all the vines I have to pass under. I took about 20 pounds of boned meat and headed uphill toward my truck, perhaps a mile away. I came to another valley, much bigger than the previous one, and stood looking over it. The rain was coming down in buckets and I was so bruised and cut up from falling time and again and so tired from hiking steadily for 9 hours that I was about done in, REALLY pooped-out. Two huge boars, 250 pounds-plus and jet-black in color [every pig I've seen there has been solid black] came cruising through the brush. I brought up my rifle and sure enough, everything was blurry. I put down my backpack and began rummaging for some toilet paper to clean it off with [my clothing had been completely soaked from the start so I couldn't use a shirtsleeve or whatever to dry the scope lenses]. The pigs saw me moving around and took off. I dried the lenses and hiked down into the valley. Nothing. I turned and headed for the truck, another 500 feet of elevation climb. By the time I got to the truck I could only hike 50 feet and then had to stop and rest. It was 5:00 PM and I had been hiking steadily since 7:00 AM, and that's over really rough terrain. The drive out to the highway, 17 miles on a 4WD road, was really tough. Darkness, pouring rain, mud, potholes the size of Rosie O'Donnell, and streams that were at flood stage. It took two hours to get to the highway but I was home by 8:30 PM. My wife had a bottle of full-bodied red wine and a warm, homemade pizza waiting. I'm writing this at sunrise on Monday morning and I'm stiff, sore, and tired. Don't think I'll try that again if the forecast is for rain. Next time I'm going to take scope covers so I don't have the problem with blurry lenses.

 

[CAhntr]

Congrats on the pig, Doc, and great story as usual. I love reading your write ups. Keep the sories and pics coming. I bet that wine tasted soooo good after a long day of hiking.

Eric

 

[BDB]

Definitely sounds like a tough hunt. Congrats on yet another pig, sounds like you earned him!

 

[hogwild757]

Good job Doc. Ive gotten pigs out of the mountains in the waianae valley area but never hunted the Big island. Also hunted Waihiawa area and mililani saw some pigs but no sucess. We got a pig this pass saturday here in Ft Hunter Leggett,Ca. He was a young boar 1 inch tusker as you can see from the previous post but big bodied. Gonna make sausages out him.

 

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

congrats on your well earned trophy pig, when its all said and done DOC you came home with the bacon, its stories like yours that inspire and remind me never to give up while hunting game animals no matter what the conditions are and that means all weather conditions without risking your life, like a typhoon. glad you survived and you are one true hunter with a great passion for hunting, hunt to live and live to hunt...........tra

 

[dw33]

Congratulations. I enjoyed reading your hunting story.

 

[NFDFFP]

My hat is off. I don't know if I would work that hard. On a sunny day, absolutely. Great story. Red wine rocks.

 

[baboltin]

sounds like it was a hard hunt.

 

[wyemjohnson]

Awesome story Doc, sounds like your an ironman pig hunter!

 

[the supernuge]

Cool stuff, thanks guys!

 

[Uncle Ji]

ALOHA Bruce, Nice to see you posting again. Nice pig, congrats! I don't recall a pig hunt at Laupahoehoe where I did not feel totally spent, hard work hunting the steep slopes which you don't notice while hunting downhill until you have to turn around to head back up to the truck. I have never liked scopes in rainy weather even if fully sealed & nitrogen filled. Do you have a rifle with a receiver mounted peep? All the years I hunted Laupahoepahoe I used my 1894 Marlin 44 Mag with open factory sights which worked well but that was 20 years ago when eyes were younger. About 10 years ago I mounted a Williams 5D sight on her and it has worked out great, a perfect match for this rifle and round rain or shine, with my farthest pig shot at 125 yards. I still have a tentative Laupahoepahoe hunt planned for March, i'll give you the scoops when I have more details, but I think we're planning a handgun hunt, should be fun. You have a magnum handgun?

Oh yes, i'm back at work light duty twice a week 4 hours each time but stinkin' WC has cut my pay benefits by 2/3 since my status has changed to partially disabled, yup I loose over $300 net each paycheck because I COME into work, go figure.