Any recomendations on a hunt and guide? Not looking to spend big bucks but want to have fun for a couple of days while the wife hangs out at the beach.

Thanks,

John

The rams hunts and turkey hunts are very good. I dont know the seasons though. PM me and I can get you the name of the guy.

The hotel receptionist will also likely have a list of hunting guides. Hog hunting with dogs in the huge fern forests was great fun 20 years ago.

Good luck on the hunting part of the trip. I would check twice on the condition of the resort I was going to that everything is in order and operating.

There was a severe earthquake there not long ago and we heard that the Royal Kona Resort was damaged.

I would be interested in a report after your trip as we wanted to go to the Big Island on our next vacation in Hawaii.

(It made me smile when I heard a clerk say in a gunshop near Pearl Harbor "If the weather holds I think that I will go to the range Saturday")

Looking over Dole's pineapples at some mountains and the Pacific on Oahu.



Views from a corner room on Waikiki Beach.

Went there 1st week of December for a week. A few places had damage, but not much. My sister in law is living on the north side of the island near Hawi and some of the building there had to get some work done or inspected as foundations cracked or shifted.

In Kona-Kalua itself you could not tell that there was even an earthquake. We did see some damage on the road between Hawai and Waimea, but just some shoulders that sloughed into the ditch and a few cracks in the road.

-phil

I found some reviews of the Royal Kona resort and no mention of earthquake damage was made on the initial page. Here is the Link

I've hunted on the Big Island. Getting set up can be a pain, but once you're in, you're in. Search under my name and you'll find several long posts. PM me if you have questions.


Okie John

Hunt on Kona? Oh yeah! Contact Pat Fisher of Parker Ranch! I had a great time hunting with him when we were there! Nothing like Chucker and Pheasant for dinner while on vacation!

Patrick Fisher
Parker Ranch Hunt Club
76-1435 Mamalahoa Hwy.
Kamuela, HI 96743
Ph. (808) 885-7311

quote:

Originally posted by akperrydog:
Went there 1st week of December for a week. A few places had damage, but not much. My sister in law is living on the north side of the island near Hawi and some of the building there had to get some work done or inspected as foundations cracked or shifted.

In Kona-Kalua itself you could not tell that there was even an earthquake. We did see some damage on the road between Hawai and Waimea, but just some shoulders that sloughed into the ditch and a few cracks in the road.

-phil

I did some more research into the October earthquake damage on Hawaii. The damage was extensive with one major resort entirely closed!

Here is just some of the news:

"Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Closes Indefinitely - - Friday, 15 December 2006, at 11:54 a.m.

The decision to close one of the most famous and historic of the Kohala Coast's hotels came after receiving a formal report from structural engineers. Damage sustained in the October '06 earthquake makes the move a necessity. The hotel's 420 employees will remain employed thru the holidays. There is a possibility they will be reassigned to different positions, according to Charles Park, Mauna Kea general manager, but layoffs will start to take place at the beginning of 2007. "

"No one was killed in the quake, though Kona Community Hospital experienced moderate to severe damage to 60% of its facility, and patients were evacuated to an emergency set-up at the Sheraton Keauhou Resort for a few days. Hulihe'e Palace will require much repair to its structure. Cracks and fallen plaster can be viewed from the outside; the Palace is currently closed to the public."

Interesting how eathquake damage is not always that easy to see. We went to the beach beside the Mauna Kea resort but did not go into the resort....from a couple of hundred yards you would never know that the resort had damage.

I think the prudent thing to do is call ahead to see if the place you had scheduled had any changes....that is what we did.

As far as saying the damage was extensive...... I can only speak to what I SAW WITH MY OWN EYES and the Kona area appeared unchanged. The resort that was closed is north my about 15 miles and the northern part of the island did have more damage. Some damage yes, wisepread damage, no.

-phil

John,
In addition to Parker Ranch hunting with Pat Fisher, you may want to check out Gene Ramos of Hawaii Hunting Tours. 808-776-1666

Gene Ramos has the Bishop Estate (Queen's Land) concession for Mt. Hualalai and parts of Mauna Loa. This is all on the Kona side. You can bird hunt, and hunt for mammals like feral goat, pig, and sheep. Not many goats left in the areas due to intensive culling.

Gene does not charge trophy fees, only a flat daily rate. It is a very inexpensive hunt. He will pick you up at the hotel. I've hunted with him over the past 30 plus years.

Geoff

quote:

Originally posted by akperrydog:
Interesting how eathquake damage is not always that easy to see. We went to the beach beside the Mauna Kea resort but did not go into the resort....from a couple of hundred yards you would never know that the resort had damage.

I think the prudent thing to do is call ahead to see if the place you had scheduled had any changes....that is what we did.

As far as saying the damage was extensive...... I can only speak to what I SAW WITH MY OWN EYES and the Kona area appeared unchanged. The resort that was closed is north my about 15 miles and the northern part of the island did have more damage. Some damage yes, wisepread damage, no.

-phil

It may have taken them two months to close that resort? Maybe it's because it could not take another earthquake. Where did you stay? We are going there next month.

A few years ago we stayed at the Royal Kona....is was pretty nice and within an easy walk of the touristy stuff.

This time we stayed at the Castle Kona Bali Kai, a few miles south of the downtown Kona hotel/shops area. They are relatively cheap condos...we like to be able to cook our own breakfasts and not eat out every meal. There are defintely nicer condos, but these were adequete and I think about $120 a night for a one room with a small kitchen...
The swimming pool was under renovation(just the week we were there) and there is not a grat beach right there but we were there to visit friends so we we not in our condo or near it alot.
I have spent time now on Maui, the Big Island and Kaui....can't decide which I like more....might need a couple more trips to figure it out

I would like to hunt the big island sometime(now we are back on topic!)...I have seen pigs, goats, some game birds(one of which near Waimea I am still unsure of what it was....) but have always been distracted with other things. I think a bow hunt for those pigs and goats would be fun....unsure of how you would do that on public land and not on a ranch(might be the only option?).

-phil

I stayed at the Four Seasons Hualalai in Kona.

I didn't hunt while I was there (but the wife wants to go back - I will hunt when we do! ).

I did some fishing. Had a blast!

If you can squeeze in a fishing charter or two, I highly reccomend Bite Me Sportfishing!

I don't have the Capt.'s info handy but I'll try to dig it up.

I was there two weeks ago. We stayed at the Mauna Lani. Its just a little south of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. We tried to go into the Mauna Kea, but the guard at the gate wouldn't let us in.

No damage at all (that we could see) at the Mauna Lani, or any of the other resorts that we visited. We did do a helicopter ride and the pilot showed us quite a few landslides on the very steep hills in the north end. Other than that you would never know an earthquake had happened.

Unfortunately, I didn't hunt. Maybe next trip.

The islands have some excellent free range Axis, actually its the only US State with an official Axis season unlike other states where they are treated as exotics.