Any of you guys ever hunt Hawaii pigs and goats?
I may get a chance to hunt Maui and Big Island what would you guys recommend for a good pig and goat rifle or rifles, considering the terrain.
I will be DYI public land hunts without dogs. State regulations require 1,200 lbs muzzle energy minimum.

You can never go wrong with a .30-06........

Considering the hills, something light and handy. I don't see any reason to select anything other than a .270, .30/06 or a .308, but I'm sure someone can come up with a reason why you should use a 7mm RUM or a .375 or a .220 Swift.

Any of the above but my Dad and numerous friends used a .243 and a good scope to take more animals on the Island of Hawaii than I could count, including some huge pigs at long distances. My rifle of choice was a .270

Matt

I have hunted Big Island and Maui for pigs, deer, goats, and mouflan.
I used a 30-30 and a 243 and wished like hell that I had my 308.
I got it done, and both calibers worked fine but my nice , light, short barreled model 600 308 with a 2x7 leupold would have been the berries.
I don't think that you really need a 06 or a 270 to be honest.
There is a lot of really tough country to hunt, rain forest, and lava, and thick, thick stuff to wade through at times.
The lighter and shorter the better.

Hawaii is one of my favorite places to hunt in the world, but it is also one of the toughest.
Pack plenty of water, a machete, and let someone know where you are going and when you should be back.
Expect everything from downpours to Vog "you will figure out what vog is when you get south side on Big Island.
There are also many lava tubes in that area so if the ground starts sounding hollow, it is because it is.
A friend of mine fell through the top of one.

quote:

Originally posted by m_walker:
Any of you guys ever hunt Hawaii pigs and goats?
I may get a chance to hunt Maui and Big Island what would you guys recommend for a good pig and goat rifle or rifles, considering the terrain.
I will be DYI public land hunts without dogs. State regulations require 1,200 lbs muzzle energy minimum.

Since this is left wide open to suggestions, I would recommend you buy a Blaser R-93 Professional Tracker in either 308 or 9.3x62, but if you don't want to do that, you could probably take ANY "deer" rifle that you already have.

I'd start with the 600's and go up from there At least you have the 1200 ft lbs taken care of

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
You can never go wrong with a .30-06........

or 308...

but, if you have time, a true light m7 in 708 is an amazingly GREAT rifle

Since you'll be hunting on public lands on both Maui and the Big Island, take a light short barreled variable scoped mountain rifle chambered from 6mm to 30 cal. More important is to bring the right boots that will hold up against the sharp lava rocks. Even if you're hunting on islands, it's easy to get lost so pack accordingly if you're not being accompanied by locals who know the areas.

Geoff

If you are going to hunt on public land without dogs, then the 1200 ft. lb. rule applies. Anything that you shoot well from .243 to 30-06 will be fine as long as it meets the requirement. Don't plan on seeing too many sheep or goats if you are going to hunt the Mauna Kea GMU areas. The DLNR under federal court order just shot several hundred sheep and goats less than a month ago. We have the Sierra Club to thank for that piece of crap. They will be holding arial shoots every three months from now on until they kill them all. They are also planning a ferral cattle eradication hunt in the same maner next month. Don't get your hopes up. If you do end up here to hunt, I hope you are successful and this might be an excuse to get a new gun.

I have to agree with Bucko, a .270 or .308 makes a good minimum for hogs. Hogs are tough and can occasionally carry a lot of lead a long ways. Penetration is frequently insufficient with a .243, and blood trails start at .30 caliber.

quote:

Originally posted by hawg wild:
If you are going to hunt on public land without dogs, then the 1200 ft. lb. rule applies. Anything that you shoot well from .243 to 30-06 will be fine as long as it meets the requirement. Don't plan on seeing too many sheep or goats if you are going to hunt the Mauna Kea GMU areas. The DLNR under federal court order just shot several hundred sheep and goats less than a month ago. We have the Sierra Club to thank for that piece of crap. They will be holding arial shoots every three months from now on until they kill them all. They are also planning a ferral cattle eradication hunt in the same maner next month. Don't get your hopes up. If you do end up here to hunt, I hope you are successful and this might be an excuse to get a new gun.

Yep I just heard this news too from my friend up there, in fact he called me a couple weeks ago when the helicopter was just flying overhead!!!

Its a darn shame...this is about as SAD as SAD can be!!!!

Aloha bruddah!