My wife and I came to Hawaii for our thirtieth anniversary. She made all the arrangements. She did not tell me that this is the rainy season. So I’m setting here in Honolulu in a tropical monsoon. Planned to go to Pearl Harbor today but everything was flooded out. So I guess I’ll spin a yarn and post a couple of pics.

I usually get to hunt much more than I have this year so I have not done my usual amount of killing (not harvesting), but here is a typical Texas hill country buck that I took a couple of weeks ago.
I’d like to say that I was the best hunter/tracker since Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett, and stalked this dude on my hands and knees over the course of several days. However, anyone that has hunted the Texas hill country knows you don’t do anything there on your hands and knees unless you have cactus proof Kevlar armour and gloves. Also, as hot as it can be in December there, it would require more water than you could carry. But I digress.
Dumb luck beats ability, and being in the right place at the right time was the reality here. I was hunting out of an elevated box blind this morning. I had set my oldest son up in a ground blind earlier that morning, had got to my stand and climbed up and down the ladder 4 times as had I taken a diddy bag, gear, and two rifles to my stand. Also, I had to answer the call of nature, which took one more trip up and down the ladder.
Finally got set about 7:10 am. About 7:15 I heard a shot near where I had spotted my son. I called him on the radio to inquire if he had shot. He said it was not him and that the shot had come from behind him. I started glassing and a couple minutes later put the binocs down and started looking around. It was just getting to where you could actually see shapes rather than shadows. I noticed a black shape about fifty yards in front of me down in the rocks along the dry riverbed which meanders in front of my box blind. I did not remember that big rock being there before. I took a look through my binocs and sure enough it wasn’t a rock. It was the backside of a deer that was that was facing away from me with its head down and grazing. My first impression after realizing it was a deer and not a rock was that it appeared to be very large for a doe. However it was partially obscured by a small bush was facing away with its head down. I kept watching through my binocs until its head came up. I don’t know how you are, but even though I have hunted most of my life, I still get a charge/adrenalin rush when I first see a bucks antlers. Anyway, I waited what seemed several minutes for this guy to put his head back up and/or turn around. I grabbed my rifle and balanced it on the window and went back to watching him through the binocs. Finally he turned around facing straight at me. I think he heard the noise I made when laying my rifle out the window. He was still behind this scraggly bush. I waited for a while until I decided I had waited long enough. I’d take the chance and hope that I could place a round from my 35 Whelen through the bush without deflecting the shot. As he was facing straight on this limited my shot, but being young and excitable, I did not want to wait.
Anyway, I nailed him at about 50 paces with my 35 Whelen. Needless to say, I was jazzed. I love it when a plan comes together. I had purchased this rifle several months ago on a whim. I had seen it at a gunshow in Pasadena, Texas, and I couldn’t live without it. It was smithed by a local guy who had a good reputation in the area back in the 1970’s. I had developed loads that would cloverleaf at 100 yds. I had hoped to bloody this rifle with a pretty fair hill country buck at an acceptable range in a fair chase manor and had just done so. Here are a couple of pics.
GWB

Aloha GWB...

Sorry about the rain and its not normally this way this time of the year...But with all the drought affecting all the Hawaiian Islands it is most welcomed!

Next time you come over we should do some hunting!

Man, that's a good-looking Buck and rifle!

Good job buddy!

Aloha!

Ro

Late-bloomer,

I'm not really complaining. I've had a ball. I spent much of my mispent youth(66-76) surfing in Texas, California and the Pacific coast of Mexico. Never made it to Hawaii. I called my next younger brother yesterday evening and said, guess what, I am at Wiamea Bay, and am heading toward Sunset Beach. I really rubbed it in. My nephew was just deployed to Iraq and his wife (who is here in Honolulu) took us all around yesterday. We did Diamond Head Crater, east coast, west coast and North Shore (even Wallyworld). We are heading to Kaua'i tomorrow. Will be there a week. I hope to come back between March and May of '10. Maybe we could hook up then.
GWB

quote:

Originally posted by Geedubya:
I hope to come back between March and May of '10. Maybe we could hook up then.
GWB

GWB-

That's a GREAT buck and an equally-nice rifle.

Congrats on both the deer and the rifle!! Well done you ol' coot!!

Enjoy yourselves!!!!!

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by Late-Bloomer:

quote:

Originally posted by Geedubya:
I hope to come back between March and May of '10. Maybe we could hook up then.
GWB

BTW forgot to mention this will be for Wild Boars...I know you just love them...hehehe

I'm working on getting some privileges to shoot on some private land where a family member has access...

I'm hoping all will materialize soon!

If it does I'll take you up there!

Aloha!

Great hunt, great buck, great rifle, great day-bluebird sky on that day I noticed--Heck, sounds great all around--Great Experience....

shoot--I'm jealous all of a sudden.....

Good on ya GW!