Hunting Hawaii

[LoonWulf]

Loved the pictures! I can tell you're displeased with the plop instead of thwack sound, so I'll do you a favor and let my daughter use that thing for her deer pursuits over the next few years, just send it and the brass and whatever bullets you won't use anymore to Wyoming and I'll try to make sure it doesn't just collect dust.......I'm really helping you out here twofold cuz then you'll have more room for something you'll enjoy much more..... honestly though, thanks for sharing more tales and photos!

Yes the sounds is quite upsetting, I think ill need to shot a few more animals before i adjust to it.....after that well see Im actually surprised your not more interested in the 6-284 lol. I just got some 87gr Vmax for my 6x47, gonna see if i cant break 3400 with them in the 6-284 also. those should make for a veritable goatsplosion

Great post and sure does bring back some memories. I used to fly into Hilo (from Oahu) every three months, drive the saddle road as far as the turn off to Mauna Loa and then head up the mountain to the observatory near the top, around 12,000 feet elevation. I used to see a lot of sheep on the way up but if I slowed down they were gone. I lived in Hawaii for many years and in a perfect life I'd spend three months a year there, probably early January through early April ... I'm working on it.

My brother completed his post doc in Hawaii in the late '80s at the Astrophysics Department on Woodlawn Drive in Manoa Valley. He used to go up to the observatory on Mauna Kea fairly regularly to collect data on some distant galaxy ... interesting but ultimately useless. I was living with him at that time but never got to go with him. My visits to Mauna Loa were during '05 to '11. We had a test site in Volcanoes National Park about 1/2 mile from the road and downwind of the Puʻu ʻŌʻō crater (assuming typical trades) that I used to visit on the same day that I drove up to Mauna Loa. It was a long day with about 250 miles of driving, lots of sun and plenty of VOG. I would always start the day with breakfast at Ken's HOP ... good times. I don't remember ever seeing any animals in Volcanoes National Park other than a few birds, maybe a Nene or two.

I think you got the timing about right! lol
Still are quite a few sheep over in Kipuka (left side of the road going up to Maunaloa), its archery only. I havent hunted that area yet, the part closed to the road belongs to Bishop Estates (i think) and they took it back last year, so now its a much farther drive/walk than before.
VNP dose have some pigs in the park but not a lot from what i understand, and some of the property that belongs to the national park has sheep and goats, but they arnt IN the park itself.

I had no idea there is that much open country on the islands.
I thought it was coast to coast hotels.

Actually the Hotels tend to be clustered, even Oahu has some pretty open tracks of land. The Big island is actually fairly lightly developed, molokai and Lanai have very little major development, Maui has chunks of it, but still quite a bit of "open" land in between, and around. I havent spent alot of time on Kauai, but from what i remember its more like the big island, than honolulu.....maybe more like Maui actually.
Theres some hunting on every island.
.

 

[horsey300]

Yes the sounds is quite upsetting, I think ill need to shot a few more animals before i adjust to it.....after that well see Im actually surprised your not more interested in the 6-284 lol. I just got some 87gr Vmax for my 6x47, gonna see if i cant break 3400 with them in the 6-284 also. those should make for a veritable goatsplosion


I think you got the timing about right! lol
Still are quite a few sheep over in Kipuka (left side of the road going up to Maunaloa), its archery only. I havent hunted that area yet, the part closed to the road belongs to Bishop Estates (i think) and they took it back last year, so now its a much farther drive/walk than before.
VNP dose have some pigs in the park but not a lot from what i understand, and some of the property that belongs to the national park has sheep and goats, but they arnt IN the park itself.


Actually the Hotels tend to be clustered, even Oahu has some pretty open tracks of land. The Big island is actually fairly lightly developed, molokai and Lanai have very little major development, Maui has chunks of it, but still quite a bit of "open" land in between, and around. I havent spent alot of time on Kauai, but from what i remember its more like the big island, than honolulu.....maybe more like Maui actually.
Theres some hunting on every island.
.

Yes, I am more interested in the 6X284 lol but this is about the kiddo remember? yes you will have to probably drop quite a few more critters before you get used to the sound, at least a good couple dozen! I don't remember the twist on your 6, but if you can, don't forget the eldxs and for a real goatsplosion, you ought to get after em with an sst, I doubt you get the penetration exhibited here, but they ARE wicked, and if you can launch em somewhere around 3150(ish?) The useable range should be impressive, they activate clear down to 1600, so the goats should need ghillie suits to be safe.......don't think I'd run one on a bovine, but the chicken splosion should be mesmerizing for a 4th of July show.....

 

[LoonWulf]

Of course, of course, children first, ALWAYS!!!

The 6-284s an old build so its a 1-10, Its current load is a 95 bonded btsp (most likely a federal fusion) at 3350. Id have little trouble breaking 3300 with the 95 sst, Its marginal with the 95gr Bergers, could probably break 3400 with those also.

The reason i went with the 87Vmax is they have an unusually high BC, its supposedly not the .4 that hornady advertises but its still supposed to be in the .38s/.39s. Its also really meant for my 20" 6x47 at 2850ish. Thats guns purpose is specifically to kill goats out to 300-350yds, and that bullet will do that well i think.

I also have a few 55grns left for chickens....i have the data for those to break 4K easy

for bovine the 100grn prohunters worked well in the .243 for my wife.

 

[horsey300]

Of course, of course, children first, ALWAYS!!!

The 6-284s an old build so its a 1-10, Its current load is a 95 bonded btsp (most likely a federal fusion) at 3350. Id have little trouble breaking 3300 with the 95 sst, Its marginal with the 95gr Bergers, could probably break 3400 with those also.

The reason i went with the 87Vmax is they have an unusually high BC, its supposedly not the .4 that hornady advertises but its still supposed to be in the .38s/.39s. Its also really meant for my 20" 6x47 at 2850ish. Thats guns purpose is specifically to kill goats out to 300-350yds, and that bullet will do that well i think.

I also have a few 55grns left for chickens....i have the data for those to break 4K easy

for bovine the 100grn prohunters worked well in the .243 for my wife.

Lol as much as I'm a prohunter fanboy, the fusion vs cow wouldn't end well for the cow either, them bullets were put together NICE!

 

[LoonWulf]

We are home on Molokai again. Got some hunting in lol.
These are photos from one area we hunted, the spike my buddy Justin got yesterday, and a doe he got the day before at a different place.
The photo of the doe was mostly just to show the effects of a 140 Eldm launched from my 6.5CM.
I wasn't with them, but I know the area, the shot was about 250-300yds.
I posted it before, but I'll put the picture of the two small bucks I got earlier in the week here too.











My wife and her Dad are out hunting this morning. Hopefully more dead critter pictures to come.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

Great thread and thanks for sharing.


Hunting in board shorts and flip flops, must be nice. (jk)

 

[LoonWulf]

Hunting in board shorts and flip flops, must be nice. (jk)

It is unless you get caught in a patch of scratchy stuff
I forgot my hunting pants, so I wore shorts all week. I stayed out of the nasties this time tho.

 

[BigSteve57]

Great thread. My wife and I did a 10 day visit to Hawaii, Maui and Kauai in 2005 and loved it. We met a guide from Maui at a Safari Club Intl. show in Las Vegas a few years ago. I talked to them quite a bit and swore I'd go hunt Hawaii but never did. I'll have to see if I can twist the wife's arm for another visit. She hunts too btw.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

After looking through the pictures some more I came up with a question Loonwulf.

It may seem basic to you, but for those of us that don't generally have water and cliffs as backgrounds do you take shots with the ocean as the backdrop? I'm not talking being near a beach but more these mountainous pics I'm seeing with the ocean in the background.


Not judging either way, just curious what SOP is out there...

 

[LoonWulf]

After looking through the pictures some more I came up with a question Loonwulf.

It may seem basic to you, but for those of us that don't generally have water and cliffs as backgrounds do you take shots with the ocean as the backdrop? I'm not talking being near a beach but more these mountainous pics I'm seeing with the ocean in the background.


Not judging either way, just curious what SOP is out there...

I honestly can't say what, or IF, there is an SOP for shooting towards the ocean, I've honestly never had a conversation about it with anyone.

I can offer my personal thought on the matter but that's about it.

I generally won't take a shot that doesn't have a solid backing, and most of the areas pictured, you actually have to work at it to get a shot that would land in the water.

Where we hunt goats sometimes tho, your shooting pretty much flat at sea level.
In that instance I'm always very careful to make sure there's no boats, or people anywhere in front of my rifle.
I've had to wait for boats to pass, or the goats to move to a spot I felt comfortable shooting a couple times. Considering I hit that spot nearly every friday morning after night shift for almost 2 years, it's actually pretty rare.

Last time I was down there was last year, I THINK I have some photos of the area tho to explain what I mean about flat!

 

[LRDGCO]

This wants a coffee table book!

 

[LoonWulf]

This wants a coffee table book!

Ive lost a good portion of my old, not phone, photos. Some of those we're pretty awesome, and Its a bummer.
Honestly at some point I do plan on getting more good quality photos of the animals and areas I hunt. Photos are really the only records I have, besides what I remember, I don't collect trophys etc.

 

[Mn Fats]

If I ever make it to Hawaii this Haole will be spending his time on the beach shaking off the minnesota winter with Mai tai's and the chi-chi via a mahalo rewards card.

 

[LoonWulf]

If I ever make it to Hawaii this Haole will be spending his time on the beach shaking off the minnesota winter with Mai tai's and the chi-chi via a mahalo rewards card.

Nothing wrong with that! Plenty of good options there as well!

 

[dh1633pm]

I have been to Hawaii for work once a year for the last five years. Went to Maui this year for a week before the work portion of the trip in Honolulu. Enjoyed it a bunch. Maybe next year head to the Big Island to check things out. My company does a good amount of business in Hawaii.

 

[LoonWulf]

Some my buddies have sent me recently

 

[LoonWulf]

few more from this year.
figure y'all's more interested in the pictures than words .....

 

[LoonWulf]

 

[troy fairweather]

some great pictures, really looks fun to hunt there. What do you do with the rams head, flesh it and do a European mount?

 

[LoonWulf]

some great pictures, really looks fun to hunt there. What do you do with the rams head, flesh it and do a European mount?

Well if I wasn't such a dunce Id have done a euro on one just to have, and made DnD prop out of the goofy one.
As is, I left them too low on the tree and one of my dogs got em. Now I just have one horn left. Probably gonna let my buddy use it for one of his projects.

 

[horsey300]

few more from this year.
figure y'all's more interested in the pictures than words .....View attachment 859499 View attachment 859500 View attachment 859501 View attachment 859502 View attachment 859503 View attachment 859504 View attachment 859505

Words are good, details man!!! Details!!!

 

[troy fairweather]

Well if I wasn't such a dunce Id have done a euro on one just to have, and made DnD prop out of the goofy one.
As is, I left them too low on the tree and one of my dogs got em. Now I just have one horn left. Probably gonna let my buddy use it for one of his projects.

Ya can't leave anything out here to. The squirrels and other nice will eat them up. Be nice to make a powder horn tho. You can order online the black Beatles to eat the flesh off, use a pressure washer to get the inside good and boil it to bleach.

 

[LoonWulf]

come visit, I'll show you! I'll type up a description this evening still run into around today.

 

[horsey300]

come visit, I'll show you! I'll type up a description this evening still run into around today.

I believe that after the Idaho hunt, this will be tied for next top hunt, tied with all other hotter climates and before Alaska (simply expensive to hunt that far lol)

 

[jmorris]

LoonWulf, you pictures make me wish I had left the family and come to visit you last time we were there. Looks like fun.