We're moving

[doccherry]

My wife and I are moving from our home in Kona, down at sea level, up Hualalai Mountain to the 600 foot level. It's a nice gated community of about 40 homes with large lots, much cooler than where we are now and surrounded by woods and brush. It's only 3 miles away from where we are now, so it's not a big deal to make the move. We've had the new house leased out for 3 1/2 years but the current tenants seem to have drug problems, so out they went, effective this Sunday. We'll lease our current house out for a year or so and then sell it.

Anyway, I was talking to the Homeowner's Association president yesterday and he advised me to put in a chain link or "hogwire" fence, as he called it, around the back of the property. The reason? Wild hogs have entered the community and are doing a lot of damage. Apparently, they run along our back lava rock wall and find ways to enter further down the hill. There is a well-used trail right alongside our back boundary. The lava rock wall is only 3 1/2 feet high, so I imagine a guy with a bow or a crossbow could sit there at sunset and plug a pig or two when he's in the mood. Behind our property is that really tall grass, sort of like the tall grass you see in African safari photos. I'll take a quart of Roundup and spray a 50 foot field of fire behind the fence and put a chair or recliner of some kind on the wall. Will report back on success or lack of success.

Going back up to Mauna Kea Sunday with a buddy who is an experienced hunter but who has never hunted there before. My job is to get him a good pig. Will post photos if successful. By the way, that buddy went out in his boat yesterday and caught 7 tuna, a mahimahi, and an ono. The fish are back in so my hunting stories will drop off for awhile.

Good luck to all and aloha for now.

 

[daddy63]

I hope the hunting stories don't drop off... they're the best keep them up.

 

[beastslayer]

Godspeed Doc on the move.

I like your kind of "problems."

 

[Marty]

Just put a hole in the fence that leads into a corral, or pen in your back yard.

 

[Speckmisser]

Oh, to have your "problems", Doc.

Even if the hunting tales drop off a bit, keep us posted on the fishing. That's part II of why I'd like to make it out there. Big fish on small boats is one of my favorite things!

 

[Speckmisser]

Oh, to have your "problems", Doc.

Even if the hunting tales drop off a bit, keep us posted on the fishing. That's part II of why I'd like to make it out there. Big fish on small boats is one of my favorite things!

 

[mudroller]

I am filled with ENVY!

I'd just dig a big deep BBQ pit in the back yard and wait for them to jump in!

I have seen videos on TV of beautiful, dark blue pheasants they hunt there too. You have to hunt those too.

 

[doccherry]

Mudroller:

Those dark blue pheasants [sort of a dark, dark navy blue] are Kalij pheasants, originally from Nepal. They are everywhere. We have them in our yard at the new place. We also have ringnecks but the really dazzling bird is the green pheasant, which looks like a miniature peacock, sort of. I've only seen one, since they live in dense jungle, but WOW, what a beautiful bird. And speaking of peacocks, there is a decent population of wild peacocks in several places on the island and an open season during the winter. They are a really tough bird to hunt, sort of like a cross between a turkey and a greyhound. I haven't tried it yet but think I will this winter.

Today at school a large male Spanish goat ran past the shark lagoon [part of the school] and began to feed down by the water. The school also has a large population of gray francolin, sort of like a small grouse.

And speaking of birds, on my drive in to my secret hunting spot on Mauna Kea, I saw at least 300 quail on the first 4 miles of the Hunter's Road, as well as a dozen turkeys, 40 or 50 Erkle's [sic] francolin, and a dozen Kalij pheasants. Higher up the mountain, up above 8500 feet, I routinely see dozens of fat chukars when I hunt sheep. I've never really gone after them specifically, but that will change this coming fall.

Speckmisser:

The big gamefish have finally arrived off our coast, much later than usual. A friend at school went fishing right off the school on Sunday, maybe 300 yards offshore, and caught 3 fat ono [wahoo], my favorite eating fish. The ahi [yellowfin] are finally showing up, and the average weight is about 120 pounds, which translates into a lot of sashimi.

How's this for an interesting fact. I fish in my skiff just south of Kona, where the bottom falls off deeply. At the point that juts out right before the Captain Cook Monument [legally, that land is still owned by England], the depth falls off to 1000+ feet only 400 yards from shore. 100 yards from shore, it is 400 feet deep and I have caught ono and mahimahi within 100 yards of shore. Some guys have caught these same fish and an occasional marlin while casting from shore. Can you imagine catching marlin while shorefishing?

Aloha. Will post results of Sunday's hunt.

 

[Speckmisser]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Can you imagine catching marlin while shorefishing?[/b]

Rub it in, man... rub it in.

I remember reading John Muir's somewhat purple, but quite compelling, prose about the passage to Alaska...not to mention is works on Yosemite. Look at those places now. They're crawling with tourists.

Your posts are going to have the same effect on hunters coming to your island. Before long, you'll be overwhelmed with farmer-tanned haoles, armed to the teeth with guns, bows, and fishing rods... and it will all be due to these posts you've made here on JHO.

Seriously... no, I really can't imagine hooking a marlin while shorefishing. But the thought is truly enticing.

Mahalo, Doc... for the dreams and the vicarious experiences.

 

[Metdawg44]

Jeez Doc,

You're killing us with all these stories of the game that you have literally at your fingertip. I think I need to take a sabatical from work and come live in Kona for a couple of years.

Keep the great stories coming although hunting wild cattle is a trip.[attachment=41989:attachment]

 

[larrysogla]

Doc,
Thanks for the wonnerful posts you share with us. They are very much appreciated and we enjoy it very much. Keep it coming...fishing, big game hunting, bird hunting, bow hunting, crossbow hunting.....whatever....we definitely are living vicariously through your generosity in sharing your extraordinary hunting opportunities literally at your very doorstep. 'Nuff said and God Bless.

 

[bighog]

Doc, I think I recall my brother mentioning your move. He said your practically neighbors now.

My dear sweet mother is leaving tomorrow to spend 10 days with him. So if you see a little ol' lady walking around the neighborhood don't hesitate to say hello.

Thanks for all your great stories.

p.s. How much you renting your old house for?

 

[doccherry]

Bighog:

Yeah, your brother lives right across the street, maybe 50 yards away, from the gate that leads into our little community. My house is 600 yards away from his. I used to post about going to this estate to hunt for pigs that were doing a lot of damage. Those pigs live on an old coffee plantation with lots of cover. Your brother's back yard is right up against the coffee plantation. Although he doesn't have a pig problem on his property due to stout fencing, you could easily sit on your brother's back fence and watch pigs in the morning and in the evening.

My wife and I had a lady over for dinner last night and the topic of pig hunting came up. She works for a major property developer who has a thousand acres south of us. They're putting in million dollar plus houses and a golf course. She told me that they are now trying traps to get rid of the pigs, setting out 4 or 5 box-type traps last night. Here's how the conversation went:

"The guy who is supposed to be hunting the pigs just isn't doing his job," she said. "The pigs are still coming in after sunset and tearing up the golf course and the landscaping. He's been there over a month and nothing seems to have changed."

"His job is impossible," I replied. "There is no way in the world that one hunter can eradicate a wild pig population in a development as large as yours, particularly one surrounded by forest and brush. Can't be done."

"Well, maybe the traps will get rid of the pigs," she said.

"Yeah, they'll trap 3 or 4 pigs and have a big celebration and hold up a banner that says 'Mission Accomplished.' And a week later there will be as many pigs as there were before the traps."

"Do you want to have the exclusive right to hunt the pigs, to get rid of them?" she asked.

"No."

My wife was shocked. "Bruce, you mean you don't want to have free hunting for pigs only 8 miles away from home?"

"No, and here's why. I'll go there and over the course of a week, using my crossbow, I'll shoot 7 or 8 pigs and I'll be worn out from staying out late and getting up early, so I'll take a week off and the pigs will come back. There are a thousand pigs in the hills surrounding your development and there are pregnant sows everywhere and as we speak, there are hot little slut sows in the process of getting pregnant. It's an impossible job to eradicate those pigs. Sure, you can open it up to selected hunters, but they'll just make a dent. They have to use bows---no way rifle hunting that close to houses is safe. They'll bag a pig or two a day, the pigs will disappear until the hunters leave, and then the pigs will come back. Or, more likely, they'll become exclusively nocturnal and the hunters will all give up."

"What do you suggest we do?" our guest asked.

"Put up a pig fence. It'll cost about a million bucks for the size of your area, but that's the only way to keep the pigs out."

"Yeah, our developer already looked into that but he doesn't want to spend the money. Any other suggestions?" she asked.

"Only one," I responded. "Get used to the pigs."

 

[Speckmisser]

Reality is a tough nut sometimes...

Trapping can definitely help, though, and it's been demonstrated in many of the parks here in the SF Bay Area. It's not permanent, nor is it perfect, but it can clean them out for a period of time.

 

[snoopdogg]

Doc, I've said it many times before--you suck!!! Sorry, just my jealousy speaking. Good luck on the move and keep postin'!

 

[larrysogla]

Doc!!! Doc!!! Doc!!! Pigs in the backyard.....pigs in the golf course.....pigs in the neighborhood......pigs everywhere!!!! Oh my goodness!!!! What a predicament!!!! I would be dancing with glee and excitement for the first week of hunting till the shoulders ache from the bowstring and THEN like you said.....the late night hours and the skinning and butchering can take it's toll and the body can only absorb so much exertion and physical energy. So take care and we want you to have a productive, healthy body so you can continue to share with us the astounding hunting opportunities in your Hawaiian paradise. Thanks for filling us in on your wonnerful stories and experiences. 'Nuff said and God Bless.

 

[bighog]

Ya know Doc, your making it real hard for me and a lot of other innocent mainland hunters over here, but I'm a massachist so keep it up!!!!(or do I mean sadist?) I always forget which is which!!

Anyway, the thought of me sitting on a fence is really scary

Unless it's 2 feet thick with a cushion on top and a stout ladder on one side, count me out...LOL.....JK.

My brother did tell me he has pigs running around the outside of his backyard fence, but he has never hunted, so I really did not put much stock in his claim. Figured he heard a pig grunt one time and the story evolved from there. I guess now I'm a believer.

I think all the guys here on the forum should pull together and rent your old house. Then we could set up a rotating schedule and everyone would be able to visit your pig paradise. Kinda like a JHO timeshare

You can bet visiting you and my brother will be high on my priority list as soon as time allows. I would have come over now, along with my mother, but my son is graduating 8th grade at the end of the month (same age as Steven) and I'm coaching his baseball team. Daughters going to first prom etc....you get the picture. It's just a busy time of year with school drawing to a close.

So keep us all up to date with your adventures. We may complain a little about the torture, but they are wonderful stories and very entertaining to say the least.