My son and I just returned from our hunting trip on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is only our 2nd Hunting Trip ever...

With our friend/guide we managed to take three beautiful animals on this trip for a total of 8 animals in two months of hunting. A few of you have asked me why my username is Late-Bloomer, well I celebrated my 46th Birthday on this hunt a couple days ago, and I gotta make up for LOST TIME....

I shot my 2nd Black Hawaiian Mouflon-Hybrid Ram on this trip with a Savage 30-06 150GR Winchester Power-Point @ 125 yards, slightly quartering-away, ONE-SHOT DRT.


Later, that same evening my son, Joshua shot his first pig ever....It was a barred pig weighing a plump 150+lbs. He shot it with a Remington 700BDL 243W using Federal 100GR Power-Shok @ 135 yards, straight-on chest shot, DRT.


The next evening, we spot and stalked this 200+lbs. "Monster Barred Pig" for about 500 yards up the mountain range...Physically, I almost didn't make it...A bum-knee and a bad-smoking habit didn't help me at a chilly 5000ft above sea-level. I was lagging behind my friend and son a good 20 yards on the stalk. I kept pushing myself! The next thing you know after what seemed a good hour of this brisk stalk, the small herd were making their way up another ridge. My friend said I need to make the shot now as I hurried the last few feet to the edge of our side of the ridge.

I literally fell down on my rifle gasping for air as he was whispering excitedly, the last one, the last one, HIT the last one! I looked with my two eyes as I lined up my scope. I saw that MONSTER move up in the herd as soon as I was getting my cross-hairs on him. They had made us out and were taking off! I had only a second or two to make the shot before they cleared the ridge...I gasped for one last BIG BREATH of AIR...And exhaled a bunch of it...Held the last of it, and when he was clear my trigger broke like glass. I drilled him at a good 225 yards with my Savage 30-06. He took several more strides up the dirt trail and my friend said HIT him again! Hit him again! I racked in another one and got him in my cross-hairs just as he hit the ground hard and tumbling over...I HIT him hard again, for insurance, revenge, and satisfaction for that treacherous stalk.

From the moment I reached the edge of the ridge and laid out over my rifle in total exhaustion and fatigue, sighted him in my scope, and broke the trigger, it was only three seconds at the most...Talk about EXCITEMENT....Incredibly Awesome! I'll never be the same...

My friend and son celebrated with me for a minute, then made their way to this Monster. My friend yelled back over to me,that his tusks were 4 inches long. He was a little over 200lbs. and about a 1 1/4" of his tusks were broken on both sides. My friend told me that he can easily see that his tusks were 5 1/4" each.

The hunt was just too exciting...The exhilaration was incredible! I will never forget this hunt, simply AWESOME...Now I know why HUNTERS hunt....

Never before, after 30 years of smoking cigarettes, am I MORE COMMITTED than ever to QUIT right now!!! I want to HUNT 'til the GOOD LORD takes me HOME...ALOHA

Looks like your 2nd was quite succesful! Those are some nice looking pigs!

John

Congratulations to you and your son on the success of your hunt. I wish you many more years of time in the field with your son.

The family and I hiked in Kauai this past July, and there was quite a bit of pig sign (damage) on some of the trails, and a surprising number of tree stands used by the local hunters. We saw one monster boar but I was not quite quick enough with the camera. Everybody we spoke to seemed to accept pig hunting as part of the way things are done. But they need to open season on those darn chickens!

Mahalo nui loa!

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

KG

Ron: Now that is a hunt. Congrads on the b-day and the animals, and being able to do both with your son in tow. It's got to be special. Are you having taxidermy work done on any of the animals you have collected thus far? Outstanding. Simply outstanding! Aloha ... Tom Purdom

BBBH-Thank you for your reply!

BillC-Thanks & yes, I've heard that Kaua'i has there fair share of some really BIG monsters...And the chickens...I've heard from friends there are way too many of them...I'm sure they would make an awesome Hawaiian Stewing Chicken for some 'ONO' soup & squash!
Mahalo!

KG-The pleasure is all mine, it was alot of FUN!

7x57mm-Hey Tom, we made it back OK!!! Thanks for the congrats! Yep, all of our animals from both trips are being shoulder mounted (7) except for my son's barred pig this time...He's going to be put into the imu (underground pit oven), first thing tomorrow morning for my Birthday Luau that my family is throwing for me!!!

I'll be contacting you real soon about my CZ's...And thanks for all your recent help & correspondence...Aloha!

Aloha and congradulations Roland,

That is a fine trophy porker you have and a good hybrid feral ram. It has a bit of mouflon genes in it. When you are able to extract the tusks from the jawbone, soak the teeth in a strong solution of OxyClean for a week. It will remove all of the root and stain without hurting the enamel. The teeth will then look like nice ivory.

Thanks for sharing the detailed account of your hunt. Well done!

Geoff

Just shows, it's never too late to get going! Congratulations to you and your son, and happy birthday!

DGK

quote:

The hunt was just too exciting...The exhilaration was incredible! I will never forget this hunt, simply AWESOME...Now I know why HUNTERS hunt....

Never before, after 30 years of smoking cigarettes, am I MORE COMMITTED than ever to QUIT right now!!!

I'm pulling for you and hope the craving dies quickly.

Congratulations to both you and the boy. You all sure did a fine job on the Hunts and the storys too. But, the boy's smile says it all.

For some reason, I see a bit of "pig chomping hunger" in your face. I can visualize the smoke easing out from under the leaves now. (They need a "Drooling Icon" for me.)

Continued good Hunting and clean 1-shot Kills to both you and your son.

Late Bloomer,

You guys had an OUTSTANDING hunt. Magnificent trophy's. You have a good looking son too.

Thanks for the pictures and the narrative.

Don

Geoff-Thank you for the congrats and the fine tips with the OxyClean....

375hnh-Thanks for all the kind words and yes my friend, its never too late to get going....Aloha

HC-Thank you for your words of encouragement on quitting the smokes...I am going to attack the problem, like a wild animal...It really hurt me on this trip and I swore that I will never smoke again...I not only want to hunt in the years ahead, but I want to hunt it HARD, really, really HARD, and travel/hunt the world...with my wife and two kids...That is alot of incentive...My wife just recently got her Hunters ED card so she's the next up to bat!!! I am sure my son is really Proud of all the things we've accomplished thus far...Aloha

DMB-Thanks for taking the time to respond to our post, and commenting on our trophy's...receiving the accolades from skilled, experienced hunters do alot to help build our confidence and encourages us newbies on the learning curve...my guide/friend has surely taught us alot in a short amount of time, he is definitely a hunter's hunter...Next year we will be heading to the mainland with him to hunt some mule deer and elk, that's why I need to get in shape right now or else I'll be wasting his precious time and my $$$$'s....

Take care and happy hunting....Go gettem! Aloha

Hi LateBloomer --

My wife is a local girl with lots of family in the islands...what area of the Big Island did you hunt?

Congrats on your hunt. Best wishes for many more with your Son. David

CaneCorso- PM sent

LDK- Thank you for all your kind words, my son and I appreciate it...

Aloha