Bear Bums – Bear Hunting

Hunting shouldn’t have a “season”! That means there must be an “off season”. “Off season” to me is filled with tactics to extend the “season”. I read, buy hunting toys, watch the hunting channel and plan real hunts. I also try to find ways to stretch the “season”.

In March I still had two months to a grizzly bear hunt and here came a spouse induced trip to the big island. That’s Hawaii not Kodiak. We were booked at the Hilton hotel for a week and had Nathan, my middle son, and his wife Nicole, with Lynne and me. Of course it would be fun. Active lava flows, volcanos, snorkling, tropical forests, sea turtles, fishing and stuff.

Nathan, the mighty hunter.

A couple weeks before we left I got a hair in my nose and booked a one day wild boar hunt for Nathan as the shooter and me as a tag along.

We showed up at 5AM, in full camo, and met our guide, on the huge cattle pasture, grass lands, side of a volcano of the famous Parker Ranch. I think the ranch is over 200,000 acres. After 10 minutes of light we had seen many pigs and one shooter (a boar with visible tusks). We bungled the stalk, but I was hooked!

These wild pigs have been on the island for about 2,000 years and to me look like Russian boars only smaller. They are black with long hair razor backs, extended heads with 6 inch tusks on the big boars. The hunt was on wide open rolling country with green grass, coules, and small clumps of trees that looked like cottonwoods. We spent a lot of time glassing (take your good binos) and could almost always see pigs.

We had 4-5 unsuccessful stalks before 10am. The pigs disappeared about 10am and were out again by 4pm. The wind was our worst enemy as the swine have great noses and wouldn’t wait around to say hi. I thought we had them as we approached a group of about 50, but again the wind switched on us and off they went with lots of snorting and inter-herd fighting. Dark was coming but we got a break. A large porker with tusks trotted by at 50 yards but kept moving. Nathan made a dash to a fence line for a fence post rest and smacked the boar with the .308.

The pig.

With 15 minutes of light left we video’d a small herd of the swine as they paraded by us. As dark settled we butchered the big boar, said our good byes, and took the 15 minute drive back to the Hilton and made dinner with all the golfers.

I’ve enjoyed Hawaii before, but now I know where I’ll spend at least one to two days of the trip. What a hoot! Nathan already has the skull trophy, great photos and wonderful experiences. I feel successful in making the “off season” shorter and the “season” longer!!

Next is British Columbia for grizzly bear.

The Wife.