StinkyPete
FNG
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2016
- Messages
- 64
Just got back from my Maui axis deer hunt and wanted to share a trip report and recommend the outfitter I used, Conservative Game Management (CGM). Before my first trip, I struggled to find many options on the forum, so I hope this helps someone else planning a trip. I ended up going with them because I know a few people who have hunted with him for pigs in CA and they were positive on the outfit.
I got back in last night from a weekend hunt in Maui for axis deer with a friend. The trip was sold to us as an eradication hunt with trophy potential, which meant we could bag multiple animals for one price, which was a major draw for us. Don’t get me wrong, we were hopeful for a trophy, but would have been happy with a bunch of meat to bring back. Big horns would be a bonus.
We landed around noon on Friday, grabbed supplies from Safeway, and settled into an Airbnb condo in Kihei until it was time to hunt that afternoon. That evening, we hunted on unused farmland, and within about 15 minutes, had bumped a few axis deer. An hour into the hunt, we found another group of about 30 deer, and my buddy took a doe at 150 yards. We saw more deer, but did not have any shots we thought we could make (seems like you get A LOT of chances at moving targets. If you can make that shot, you could probably clean up...I suck at those shots, so I didn't bother).
The next morning, we hiked through dense forest and I took a doe in a clearing. We saw a few more deer, but with the amount of cover there was, we couldn’t get any other rounds off.
The afternoon session on Saturday got nuts. Around 4pm, we spotted a group of eight deer about 400 yards away and used rock piles to get within 120 yards. My buddy and I unknowingly targeted the same doe, and dropped her with a headshot and double lung shot. As the herd fled, it kicked up more deer, and the group swelled to about 30 deer. We repeated our tactic, dropped two more deer, and the herd bailed again, kicking up more axis deer, which joined the herd.
Finally, this expanded herd settled around 1,500-2,000 yards away, now about 100 strong. We got within 350 yards to another rock pile and took down two nice bucks. The herd bailed again, and my buddy dropped a nice mid-sized buck with a parting shot. That afternoon, we ended up with 3 bucks and 3 does, with the biggest bucks measuring 30.5” and 29.75”. That evening portion of the hunt was absolutely nuts and I will never forget it.
Sunday morning, we hunted a new spot and bumped a monster buck, but he booked it out of there and we never had a decent shot. We didn't see anything else we had a real shot at, so we called it early and split to go spend the afternoon at the beach and pack.
The guide processed our animals into deboned cuts, vacuum-sealed and froze the meat for us. We wanted the hides tanned and skulls prepped for euro mounts, which they prepped and dropped off at the taxidermist for us. Early Monday morning, the guide brought us our frozen harvest and we transferred what turned out to be over 280 pounds of frozen meat into our coolers/insulated carry-ons and hit the airport. It was a process to get it all home through the airport, but totally worth it after trying the steaks last night.
Overall, it was a trip for the books. If possible, I may try to head back before the bucks shed their antlers. The location and quick duration of the hunt makes it super easy to plan so it is a tempting repeat trip.
I got back in last night from a weekend hunt in Maui for axis deer with a friend. The trip was sold to us as an eradication hunt with trophy potential, which meant we could bag multiple animals for one price, which was a major draw for us. Don’t get me wrong, we were hopeful for a trophy, but would have been happy with a bunch of meat to bring back. Big horns would be a bonus.
We landed around noon on Friday, grabbed supplies from Safeway, and settled into an Airbnb condo in Kihei until it was time to hunt that afternoon. That evening, we hunted on unused farmland, and within about 15 minutes, had bumped a few axis deer. An hour into the hunt, we found another group of about 30 deer, and my buddy took a doe at 150 yards. We saw more deer, but did not have any shots we thought we could make (seems like you get A LOT of chances at moving targets. If you can make that shot, you could probably clean up...I suck at those shots, so I didn't bother).
The next morning, we hiked through dense forest and I took a doe in a clearing. We saw a few more deer, but with the amount of cover there was, we couldn’t get any other rounds off.
The afternoon session on Saturday got nuts. Around 4pm, we spotted a group of eight deer about 400 yards away and used rock piles to get within 120 yards. My buddy and I unknowingly targeted the same doe, and dropped her with a headshot and double lung shot. As the herd fled, it kicked up more deer, and the group swelled to about 30 deer. We repeated our tactic, dropped two more deer, and the herd bailed again, kicking up more axis deer, which joined the herd.
Finally, this expanded herd settled around 1,500-2,000 yards away, now about 100 strong. We got within 350 yards to another rock pile and took down two nice bucks. The herd bailed again, and my buddy dropped a nice mid-sized buck with a parting shot. That afternoon, we ended up with 3 bucks and 3 does, with the biggest bucks measuring 30.5” and 29.75”. That evening portion of the hunt was absolutely nuts and I will never forget it.
Sunday morning, we hunted a new spot and bumped a monster buck, but he booked it out of there and we never had a decent shot. We didn't see anything else we had a real shot at, so we called it early and split to go spend the afternoon at the beach and pack.
The guide processed our animals into deboned cuts, vacuum-sealed and froze the meat for us. We wanted the hides tanned and skulls prepped for euro mounts, which they prepped and dropped off at the taxidermist for us. Early Monday morning, the guide brought us our frozen harvest and we transferred what turned out to be over 280 pounds of frozen meat into our coolers/insulated carry-ons and hit the airport. It was a process to get it all home through the airport, but totally worth it after trying the steaks last night.
Overall, it was a trip for the books. If possible, I may try to head back before the bucks shed their antlers. The location and quick duration of the hunt makes it super easy to plan so it is a tempting repeat trip.
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