JoeA

Last Saturday was the opening weekend of the Puu WaaWaa ("Pooh-ooh Wah-wah") GMA fall turkey season. Some of us from the Pacific Paradise NWTF chapter volunteered to run the hunter check-in station, and hunt too.

Due to the rainy weather, we had a low hunter turn out. All but 1 of the guys who hunted on Saturday got birds. One was taken by a bowhunter from Fairbanks, AK with a centered head shot! We only checked in four hunters on Sunday, and we all got skunked.

The highlight of the trip was when Arthur E. (7yrs old, first time helping his dad on a turkey hunt) yelped, nat. voice!, just enough to interest 22# tom (10.5" beard) into gun range for his dad, Chip E. to make the shot. It was a hunt & memory of a lifetime for them.

I managed to find a small flock busy feeding and get ahead of them to take a decent 2-2.5 yr old tom (6" beard). The breeding cycle here depends a lot on the timing of the winter rains. We didn't hear many gobbles, but he was fanning his tail & just came out of half strut when I pulled the trigger.
I felt a bit vindicated on account of missing last year and getting thouroughly ribbed for it.

FYI....The Puu WaaWaa GMA is a public hunting area. The fall season runs during the first 3 weekends of Jan, 5am-6pm. The spring season is 3 weekends in March (1st 3 or last 3 I forget) and is a youth only hunt. Limits are 1 per day, either sex for both seasons.

[Moderator...I'm just passing on info about our great turkey hunting here in Hawaii.]

JoeA

I goofed on the limits. Either sex for fall, bearded birds only in the spring season.

doubleA

Joe, that's great news. With me sitting over here in south texas, it strikes me odd to here that Hawaii has a fall season. Does the weather plummint down to 75 degrees in the fall? I plan to visit the islands in June......are there any open seasons for critters there at that time?


doubleA

jalvja

That's great news Joe.Only thing that makes me mad is you're over there and i'm headin out to work today in a -20 windchill. Congrats

Bobgobble2

Lol,Jim I know the feeling and feel your pain!Dang its been cold!!Great stuff Joe!!I'm amazed at how close your fall and spring season run together!I guess with your weather condotions there, photoperiod must have a distinct effect on the peak of your breeding season when its spring huh??

JoeA

Puu WaaWaa has slightly different seasons from other GMA's. The normal fall season for turkey is part of the Public bird season. That runs from early Nov to MLK or the 3rd Sat in Jan. I guess the turkeys had to adapt to the small change in the photoperiod here.

Right now, we only have a spring season on the Big Island. There is a "fall season" on Hawaii (B.I., Molokai, & Maui).

Our local NWTF chapter is working to relese some birds here on Oahu. Maybe soon we'll have a short spring season here too.