Hawaii Hunting

OP
haydenbates098
Joined
Sep 20, 2022
Messages
30
Location
Oregon
The pulama archery areas he's referring to are not very large and get pounded year round by the lanai boys. They are putting in high fencing too around the four seasons manele resort and golf course too so it's getting even smaller. There's no bag limit on archery but that's bc it's a very tough hunt as the deer are very skittish from the yearround pressure. Just look on the sign out sheets it's gotten even worse with the recent droughts. You can shoot mouflon in these areas (sometimes they move through) but I think if during the state hunt you gotta get it checked out by one of the pulama rangers so they know you didn't poach it from the state land side. Ask them but I think they had some type of rule like that.
Would it be better to archery hunt in one of the areas that is not specific to archery only to try and get a bigger chunk of land available? I know it is stated that you have to wear orange regardless of weapon choice if it is not an archery only unit, but if there was more land and a bit less pressure, that might be worth it id think. Thoughts?
 
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
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2,279
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hawai'i
Would it be better to archery hunt in one of the areas that is not specific to archery only to try and get a bigger chunk of land available? I know it is stated that you have to wear orange regardless of weapon choice if it is not an archery only unit, but if there was more land and a bit less pressure, that might be worth it id think. Thought
Not really because those animals are also shot at yearround by lanai residents just with guns instead (very cheap rates for them to day hunt). although you would have the rifle area all to yourself for that day where as the archery areas you could have multiple guys hunting all around you that day. The terrain is a lot tougher in the rifle areas though.
 
Joined
Jan 6, 2020
Messages
375
Location
North Pole, AK
Hey all. I am currently looking into hunting Hawaii as a non resident with some buddies. I have kind of looked into it and want to try and go as cheap as possible, thus we do not want to do a guided trip. We would like to try and do a public land DIY for any species. Does not really matter. I just have no idea where to start. I have looked into it some and am kind of confused on how their public land system works. Does anybody have any experience with this that they could share? Anything would be great!
NIICE! I want to go hunt Mouflon someday! Good luck.
From the little I gathered from a guy who used to live out on the Islands is finding the Public Land.
 
OP
haydenbates098
Joined
Sep 20, 2022
Messages
30
Location
Oregon
Not really because those animals are also shot at yearround by lanai residents just with guns instead (very cheap rates for them to day hunt). although you would have the rifle area all to yourself for that day where as the archery areas you could have multiple guys hunting all around you that day. The terrain is a lot tougher in the rifle areas though.
Gotcha. Well, something to think about I suppose. I am no stranger to pressure. The unit I normally elk hunt in Oregon gets absolutely hammered by people during archery season. I will have to do some research on it and try and figure out the best option. Thank you a bunch for your input it has been super helpful!
NIICE! I want to go hunt Mouflon someday! Good luck.
From the little I gathered from a guy who used to live out on the Islands is finding the Public Land.
I am really excited about the thought of it. I wouldn't mind having a guided trip, but I am cheap and don't want to pay for it and I feel like it is more rewarding to say I did it on my own on some public. Gonna have to work for it I suppose!
 

KHNC

WKR
Joined
Jul 11, 2013
Messages
3,426
Location
NC
Yes, I feel like the real problem is they dont ACTUALLY want you to hunt there.
But they will let you buy the license.
No guidance whatsoever.
Locals in hawaii dont want any NR's there period. They quickly forgot where there income comes from during covid.
 
Joined
Jan 18, 2022
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I am not a Hawaii local, I do live here but only since July. So I can't comment from the perspective of the locals, nor do I really understand the history first-hand (I've read about it, but I'm sure that still is just scratching the surface) but I do observe that there's a movement here locally to make access to beaches and trails and natural resources easier for locals and harder for visitors. Think snorkeling spots that non-Hawaii residents have to make reservations for that are also only open to non-Hawaii residents certain days of the week. Similar policies/requirements for hiking spots. And those are things I see happening here in Oahu where tourism I think is somewhat more accepted as a necessary evil than it is on the other islands. Regarding hunting, I don't see huge favoritism for locals directly, but for sure it's easier for locals to deal with the unexpected "area closed for culling operations." Or the unexpected padlock not mentioned in any of the hunting regulations or published guidelines on the gate to get into a hunting area that's only open on Saturdays and Sundays that of course you can't get the code for until DLNR opens back up on Monday. Locals aren't on vacation hunts that are ruined by those types of unexpected hoops to jump through.
 
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KHNC

WKR
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Jul 11, 2013
Messages
3,426
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NC
Empty beaches empty roads quiet skies... ah yes the good old days! (Sry your hunt got cancelled)
This is the welcome i expect from Hawaiians these days. We changed our trip to Spanish Wells this year and speared Lobster and other fish multiple days. Even though I lost money on Axis hunt, in Maui, we had a great time in SW. Hawaii wont have to worry about me spending any of my tourism dollars there again in the future. Local guide had no problem keeping my money even tho ol Liberal Ige wouldnt let us travel there without 14 day forced quarantine.
 

Ahiuranch

FNG
Joined
Oct 5, 2022
Messages
32
Depends on what you wanna hunt, axis is only on 3 islands. Maui is all private, Molokai is mostly private and lani has pubic land by there are seasons. You can hunt goats on public on lani tho. Big island you can hunt goats,sheep and Mouflon. Lots of public land but access is hard unless you have a 4x4 truck. There are small tracks of state land in random areas that you can hunt. Hawaii is a special place a lot of us natives use hunting as a way to feed our families due to the cost of living. Similar to the way natives in Alaska do it. Hawaii hunting isn’t what it used to be due to helicopter eradication by the state and miss management by the military but there are still some spots.
 

Antares

WKR
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Jan 13, 2021
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Alaska
This is the welcome i expect from Hawaiians these days. We changed our trip to Spanish Wells this year and speared Lobster and other fish multiple days. Even though I lost money on Axis hunt, in Maui, we had a great time in SW. Hawaii wont have to worry about me spending any of my tourism dollars there again in the future. Local guide had no problem keeping my money even tho ol Liberal Ige wouldnt let us travel there without 14 day forced quarantine.

You'll be missed, I'm sure.
 
Joined
Sep 8, 2014
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Front Range, Colorado
We should all watch how the Hawaians keep their secrets, learn to apply it to the mainland...They're smart to play it that way, with every internet fanboy thinking hunting is a something-for-nothing deal where good info is as easy as asking a question on an internet forum.
Locals aren't going to say, and the people who went there and figured it out are in on the secret.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
 
OP
haydenbates098
Joined
Sep 20, 2022
Messages
30
Location
Oregon
We should all watch how the Hawaians keep their secrets, learn to apply it to the mainland...They're smart to play it that way, with every internet fanboy thinking hunting is a something-for-nothing deal where good info is as easy as asking a question on an internet forum.
Locals aren't going to say, and the people who went there and figured it out are in on the secret.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
This is part of the problem in the hunting community though. Instead of creating roadblocks for entry, there should be more information provided on how to gain access into hunting in general. I have been hunting all my life, and worked hard to find spots of my own here in Oregon. I am not saying that when someone asks a question you should drop them a pin to every honey hole you have ever hunted on ONX. But, hunters are very out numbered by people who are against it. The more roadblocks we create as hunters, the more out numbered we will become. Instead of just pushing people out, it doesn't hurt to provide simple information that will allow a newbie some guidance on how they can share the passion that many of us hunters have. The more support we can get as hunters, the better in my opinion. New hunters just need to be educated on the idea that it is called hunting for a reason and not killing. But everyone has to start somewhere.
 
Joined
Sep 8, 2014
Messages
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Front Range, Colorado
This is part of the problem in the hunting community though. Instead of creating roadblocks for entry, there should be more information provided on how to gain access into hunting in general. I have been hunting all my life, and worked hard to find spots of my own here in Oregon. I am not saying that when someone asks a question you should drop them a pin to every honey hole you have ever hunted on ONX. But, hunters are very out numbered by people who are against it. The more roadblocks we create as hunters, the more out numbered we will become. Instead of just pushing people out, it doesn't hurt to provide simple information that will allow a newbie some guidance on how they can share the passion that many of us hunters have. The more support we can get as hunters, the better in my opinion. New hunters just need to be educated on the idea that it is called hunting for a reason and not killing. But everyone has to start somewhere.
I'd argue that we have the exact opposite problem. Newcomers think that they deserve information for free, just for showing up. Nothing worth doing works that way. Worthwhile things have a cost, hunting is no different. This isn't a weekend softball league just looking for participants.
Western hunting in particular is a game of limited supply and expanding demand. Keeping secrets isn't creating roadblocks; it is just the absence of a free pass for someone who hasn't earned it.
Claiming that failing to give away costly information for free will lead to the legal demise of hunting is a weak stawman argument. Hunting interest is ballooning as a result of the spread of information on the internet. It appears that most of that interest comes from people looking for Type 1 fun absent of any kind of investment up front to become competent. That's not how it works. If I've spent years of my life, thousands of dollars, and hundreds of hours learning something how much of that is owed to someone who has done nothing but get excited about a hunt after watching a Youtube video?
Want to know how to hunt Hawaii? Do some base research, spent $600 on flights, $1k on food and lodging, and a week doing what you can to befriend locals and learn the game. Then keep the secrets you've earned and enjoy it.
 
Joined
Apr 22, 2012
Messages
7,390
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Chugiak, Alaska
Want to know how to hunt Hawaii? Do some base research, spent $600 on flights, $1k on food and lodging, and a week doing what you can to befriend locals and learn the game. Then keep the secrets you've earned and enjoy it.
1k/week on food and lodging?? Please tell me where you are staying for that price, you can PM me if you like. :)
 
Joined
Jan 18, 2022
Messages
417
I bet if I had drug out my bow and skewered one of them feral chickens at the scenic overlook parking lot, I would have got a lot of information on hunting in Hawaii.:p
Chickens are a weird one here, for sure. They are EVERYWHERE, not mentioned anywhere in hunting regulations, neither authorized game nor prohibited, and I don't think there is technically anything illegal about killing them. But you'll find lots of people online saying it's illegal, blogs and such. It's super grey, they seem to be considered some low degree of sacred here, I read something that killing chickens is OK as long as they aren't of the native Hawaiian variety, but I have no idea how you would figure that from looking at them. And yeah some kid from mainland during peak covid restrictions was out and about when he was supposed to be quarantined, killed one with a speargun, posted it on social media, and there was bigtime internet outrage, I think that's what you're referring to. That was a dumb case all around, there was a lot of reason for locals to be angry about that though. All that said, I have seen locals with my own eyes throwing blankets over chickens in public areas off the beaten path to wrangle them.
 
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OP
haydenbates098
Joined
Sep 20, 2022
Messages
30
Location
Oregon
I'd argue that we have the exact opposite problem. Newcomers think that they deserve information for free, just for showing up. Nothing worth doing works that way. Worthwhile things have a cost, hunting is no different. This isn't a weekend softball league just looking for participants.
Western hunting in particular is a game of limited supply and expanding demand. Keeping secrets isn't creating roadblocks; it is just the absence of a free pass for someone who hasn't earned it.
Claiming that failing to give away costly information for free will lead to the legal demise of hunting is a weak stawman argument. Hunting interest is ballooning as a result of the spread of information on the internet. It appears that most of that interest comes from people looking for Type 1 fun absent of any kind of investment up front to become competent. That's not how it works. If I've spent years of my life, thousands of dollars, and hundreds of hours learning something how much of that is owed to someone who has done nothing but get excited about a hunt after watching a Youtube video?
Want to know how to hunt Hawaii? Do some base research, spent $600 on flights, $1k on food and lodging, and a week doing what you can to befriend locals and learn the game. Then keep the secrets you've earned and enjoy it.
As I stated, I am not inferring that you should give away costly information. I am not going to be galivanting around handing out information to hunting spots that I have acquired through years of trial and error. But I think directing someone who is new to hunting in the right direction so that they can on their own, begin to learn the ways of finding public land, and being able to start acquiring their own information is something that isn't going to hurt anything. I am sure that the majority of new comers are going to realize quickly on their own that type 1 fun can indeed be had while hunting, but it may not lead to the success they are looking for. In turn, they can make the decision of diving deeper to find the real secrets to success on their own, or, likely not find success. It is something people should get excited about. Someone who comes across a youtube video of someone calling in a giant, screaming bull has every right to be excited and want to be able to access that experience on their own. What is the problem with pointing someone in the right direction, so that they can begin to figure out how to acquire it? Realistically, most people that get involved and don't find the success they see on TV or on the internet right away are going to turn away from it anyways. Or, they will likely not put in the effort required to find that success and would not find information someone worked hard to acquire anyways, so your precious information isn't relevant. If they are willing to put in the effort, hike into the back country or into a place that is harder to get into than the average joe is willing to go to, and push themselves to find that success, then I am all for them joining the hunting community. Everyone has to start somewhere. I get that as a new comer to hunting, you should not go around asking things like "Where should I go in "Unit...." to find the best spots?". But, if someone is just asking something as simple as, "I am interested in hunting this state, where should I begin?" Shutting them down and declaring them as incompetent for asking, seems pretty ignorant in my opinion. I understand where you come from, we just have different perspectives on it I suppose.
 
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