Did some hunting these last couple weeks.....

Im about a week back from a trip home to Molokai. Its been about 4 years since we last went.
My wife and kids flew up a few days before I did, and I took the opportunity to get out and do some hunting with a few of my coworkers.

We were hunting one of the easier access areas, and started about 3pm. We actually saw quite a few animals on the way in, but they were either in zones that we weren't allowed to hunt or moving quickly and not affording us a chance to set up to shoot.
At the large grassy area thats produced for me before we decided to stop and waited for a while. After maybe 15-20 mins a small herd of sheep moved out of the scrub brush to our left, and down into a boggy open area.
My buddy Jack, scooted out away from our little base camp and set up on a small rise forward and a bit and to our right, while we waited at the tree I usually use as a hiding spot.
On Jacks shot, which dropped a decent size ewe, the herd ran a bit and stopped on a rise allowing me to hit the second one with my newly completed .257 Mauser build.

My buddy Brian was also along, and insisted on carrying my SBH, so he went off into a Kipuka (heavy forest patch in the middle of open lava), some ways before we got to where we shot. He didnt see anything, or didnt shoot, cant remember which.

After taking them apart we headed out, reaching the trucks about 8pm I think. Cant complain about a day that ends that well.



I flew out to Molokai a few days after that.

For this trip I was using my Christmas present to myself, my new Sako S20 in 7Mag. Ive not spent a ton of time behind this gun, but its shot well every time ive had it out.
I did notice I shoot the Precision stock a bit better than the Hunter, but for what I was doing on Molokai I left it configured with the Precision forend, and the Hunter butt.
I also got to use the really nice Spartan tripod, that @MCMXI very generously gave me a while back, for the first time.

The afternoon of our first day, my FIL and one of my nephews on my wifes side took a cruise up to where he usually hunts.
I only had enough time to just get set up before a medium size doe climbing the other side of the near ravine finger i was watching.
My nephew had come with me, and we watched her for about 5 mins before there was some shooting farther down from another group of hunters. Our deer didnt seem concerned tho, so I waited to see what ran up.
Not long after, a half dozen or so does came trotting into view along the far side of where the ravines collected, at about 440yds. They didnt appear any larger than the doe we were watching so I decided to go ahead and take her since the shot was only about 175yds. The tripod came in super handy as I had to stand to see over the brush and small trees.


Shoulda ducked.....


He volunteered.........


The next day we hunted a different area with some of the family and friends, and I shot another decent size doe, this time i didnt take any pictures of the animal....mostly cause i forgot.
We drove aways up the mountain afterwards and checked a few spots. I saw more deer, but they were down in a valley I really didnt want to traverse.





The day after we hunted another area, one i havent been in a very long time, but again nothing I really wanted to shoot that was in range. I did watch a few deer thru my scope, and fell off a rock dinging up my new gun lol.

Nicks and dings!


Theres a deer in the picture i swear.

The last day we hunted we were right by my inlaws place, and hiked up first thing in the morning. We split up, with my FIL walking up one side of a ravine, and me working the flats on the far side.
I jumped a few deer early on, but nothing big enough for me to shoot.
About and hour into walking tho i heard my FIL shoot and hit. I altered my course to get back to the edge of the ravine, and as i came over the rise i saw him pointing his rifle at something.
He fired and i heard the round hit again. After doing a bit of a walk about to check on a couple pockets (qnd take a couple pictures) i went over to help move tbe animals out.
These guys were big axis, easily breaking 125-150lbs. We deboned one put it in my pack, and i carried the other out, after we took turns dragging it for 1/2 a mile.
Got these guys processed and cruised the rest of the trip.







That gave me some fun stories to tell at work this week, it also lit a fire under the co-workers to go hunting again.
Since todays my birthday, i got a pass from my wife to go play, so play we did.
We were hunting the same area today as we did thr weekend before we flew out.
This time we got on animals about 15 mins into the walk.

We watched a pair of smallish rams feeding about 1/2 way across the first flat area we came to. I tried to get Jack to shoot again, but he insisted i take the first shot......oh we were using one gun because he wanted to borrow one of mine, and in my rush to leave this morning, i forgot the bolt to his rifle.
Id already ranged the area and knew the sheep were at just under 300yds, and i was shooting my 28 Nosler (first time ever hunting with it). That should be a chip shot from a sitting position with a decent rest.
So i was very surprised when the rocks behind the lead ram explode, and the ram wheel and ran behind a bush....i didnt THINK id missed.

I lost sight of that one then, but i did see thr other one run a bit and then start eating.....which is fairly odd.
I got Jack set up on that ram, but his first shot missed. His second tho did not, and theres was a puff of brown fur on his shot.

We headed over to where his ram went down first, and confirmed it was down. Then i went to look for the first one id shot at. Turns out i didnt miss, the animal spun on the shot but went down pretty much exactly where id hit him. Fair portion of his insides were strewn around the lava rocks.
We got them packaged up and i dropped the heads and some meat with my buddy Ed....and picked up a bottle of Mead....makes for a fine end to the day

Patocazador said:

Are there axis deer on the Big Island too?

Click to expand...

No its one of....two....maybe three, islands thats never had an axis deer population.

Jerry M said:

Great story, thanks for sharing. Are you guys hunting on private property or public land? Are there any guides there that you would recommend?

Click to expand...

On the Big Island I hunt all most exclusively on public land, tho now and then i get invites from friends to hunt private.
On Molokai its mostly private land my FIL got us permission to hunt. There is some public hunting land on molokai tho thats reasonably easy to access with a 4x4 or good weather.... On Molokai you really do want to be with a local.

I don't have any outfit or names off hand for the big island, but one of the properties I sometimes get to hunt is on a hunt club that offer guided hunts for mouflon.
On Molokai Desmond Manaba has access to the old trophy park and some of Molokai ranches better areas, I believe there's a number of other outfitters as well, but I don't have their names off hand either..... Actually my brother-in-law's family might be doing some hunt guiding. I'll check.

If you're more interested in saving some cash and guiding yourself, both the Big Islands and Lanai offer fairly easy public hunting.
Tho lanai's has specific seasons that you have to put in to a drawing for. We're supposed to be doing the herd control hunt this year but I don't remember when it is.

On the big island it's best to have a 4x4 but even just off the side of the road. There's a few places you can get animals pretty easily... Some pretty impressive trophies even.


I've never hunted Kauai, or Oahu, and I've only ever hunted on private land on Maui, So don't have a whole lot of input there.

Some random pictures.....
Air fryer venison roast

Halawa valley from the air




Forgot what those things are called.....oh DEER!






I really did forget what these things are called....


Gun....





Under all those trees is the shrimp farm I grew up on.

Thanks guys!

Patocazador said:

Does Molokai still have any remnants of the leper colony that Father Damien is famous for?

Click to expand...

Yeah its all still there, believe its a federal or state park now. I took a video of flying out that caught some of it i think. Ill upload it and share it.