Small Boar, Big Tusks

[Nicolai Barca]

Here are some pictures from a hunt I went on over the weekend. I took my bike and walked it uphill about 6 or 7 miles to a new lava flow that I was hoping would have some sheep. Not much sheep; all I saw was some old dried pellets. It was the middle of the day and the new lava flow had some good looking forest in the center of it, like an island of trees. So I swung around it to get the good wind. Kalij pheasants were making noise as I approached but it almost sounded like there was some pigs too but when I listened, I could hear nothing. So I continued on my way, dropping into the trees, where I still-hunted my way back towards the trail. After 20 minutes or so, I think I had only gone 80 yards when I heard something coming up ahead of me. I listened and sure enough I could hear rustling bushes and grunts. After zig-zagging my way around all the dry fallen tree fern fronds, I closed the distance to 15 yards and peaked over the crest of the hill. They still were not visible but I could see the bushes shaking close to them. So I swung around to the right of a large ohia tree and then I could see them, two or three black pigs milling around side by side in some uluhe fern. All I could see were the tops of their backs. One was larger but wasn't presenting a very good shot and fearing they might wind me due to the shifting wind, I settled my sights on the smaller pig. Bam! He dropped and the larger pig ran 30feet to the right before slowing down. I moved after him but couldn't see him through the thick bush. Best I could see was the bushes shaking close to where he was. He moved off onto the adjacent hill and gave off a roar. That was the last of him. After waiting a few minutes, I went to check on the smaller pig that I shot but to my surprise he had huge tusks! I haven't officially measured them yet but theyareprobablyover 3". Otherwise he was a rugged little boar with no fat, weighing in at about 120 pounds. I cleaned him on the spot and took the jaw and meat. Three different times while cleaning him, pigs walked up on me from the upwind side. It was action packed. Good thing I took my bike because I was able to simply coast all the way 6 miles back down to the truck.

Here"™s the pics.

[Rebel Hog]

Good Job and good story! Congrat's

[St.Barnard]

Sounds like fun. Should be good eating.

[paka]

What Nicholai, which is better hunting ,Kaua'i or Hawai'i ???

[Nicolai Barca]

For pig hunting, the big island blows Kauai away. The public lands I've been hunting are fairly open Native forests as opposed to Kauai's noxious weed forests. Mosquitoes are not present where I've been going because of altitude and you can hike in far enough to where pigs hardly even know what people are and where poulations are dense. Not to mention far less hunters in a much larger area.

But so far, from what I have seen kauai goat hunting is just as good or better especially down the Na'pali. Goats over here seem to be hunted out and replaced by the smarter feral sheep. The goats are found mostly on barren lava where they have more of an edge on the hunters.

Sheep are a whole nother story. All I can say is that it's different.

The terrain is also very different over here.

[huntnma]

very cool.....love them cutters.........