Kauai- Take 2

[Straight Shootin']

Great story and pics, thanks for sharing...  

[snag]

...any pork on the coals?

[Over&Under]

Great hunt so far, looking forward to the rest!

Some great shot placement as well!

[Mike Vines]

Sweet trip, we just got back from Oahu, and the pics bring back great memories

[wv lungbuster]

   

[DHR]

Ok guys, thanks for reading, I'll try to get some more pics up here.

stevemfwills-I hunted with a 60", 60# palmer double carbon, the arrows were gt 7595's with a variety of 2-blade heads

Snag, Yes I do seem to remember eating something that tasted better than goat, lol.

[DHR]

Wednesday morning found me glad to wake up in my hammock again, and with the necessary permit on hand I was eager to back after the goats.  I thought I had a foolproof plan for where to ambush them that morning, but long story short it didn't work out, so I continued down the trail in search of targets of opportunity.  I found them in a beautiful grassy meadow well below the trail.  I closed in as best I could, but eventually ran out of cover, so I got low behind a bush and waited.  For once the wind didn't give me away, and I managed to deliver on this billy.

 

not huge by any means but it had been a great little hunt and I was thrilled.

 

another pic

[Steve H.]

I've been wondering how your trip went Pirate Dan!  Excellent, arrrgggghhhh!!!!!

[DHR]

So I loaded up the meat from y billy and headed down the trail, determined to hike through to the kalalau valley at trails end.

 

 

The place is just amazing and I could explore it for a loooong time without getting bored.  Oh and I forgot to mention, as I was waiting out that last billy I was able to watch spinner dolphins leaping just offshore, it was wild.

[DHR]

I encountered one more pair of goats on my hike in to kalalau.  It was to be my only gimme opportunity of the trip, and you guessed it I blew it.  Oh well easy come, easy go. I continued on to kalalau.

 

This sign is at the entrance to the Kalalau valley, and essentially says to respect the place and preserve it for future generations.  From what I understand The kalalau valley was the most densely inhabited place on kauai in historic times, home to some 5,000 people.  Their stone terraces are still very much in evidence.  Now kalalau is home to an indeterminate number of hippies.

I explored up the valleys main stream and was soon greeted by two naked young ladies.  I crossed the stream to inquire whether they'd like any goat meat, which they certainly did, so i spent the afternoon with them cooking goat meat and telling and hearing stories.  It was kind of a surreal afternoon, no pictures of that though.

As the afternoon waned I found myself eager to get back to my camp at hanakoa, after all goats were'nt the only game along the trail and I knew where I wanted to be come dusk.

[steadman]

Cool trip! Great pics looks like a lot of fun! Congrats!

[DHR]

The pig activity seemed to be pretty low key on this trip.  Without fruit on the ground I just don't think they were doing a whole lot.  Still I'd see fresh rooting everyday, so I spent my evenings trying to find pigs.  Up to this point in the trip I'd caught just a glimpse of one racing away from me, so when this little dude fed into range the thought of holding off didn't even cross my mind.

 

Small as he was it still meant alot to me to get him.  I've got kind of a thing for pig hunting, probably because living in washington I don't get to do it much.  One interesting thing though, I have never killed such a tick infested critter.

 

I must say though, that young pig cooked up on the coals and seasoned with a home made spice blend from our garden here at home was one of the best things I've ever tasted.  Along with a big pot of rice it made a perfect meal for myself and two new friends I made on the trail.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Thank you for bringing me a long.  Very cool.      

[NorthernCaliforniaHunter]

Oh man, bow... mango... goat... pig... sweet neckid ladies... I remember Kauai. I just don't remember why I left.    

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Well-done!

[snag]

Nice shot on the porker! Boy, I bet that did taste good. Why is it that game always taste better out in the wilds? Of course, the sea breezes probably helped!    

[Ted Fry]

Nice Dan , looks like a great trip once again, we need to go down and bug Velton into a pig hunt.

[slivrslingr]

What a trip, thanks for sharing!!

[DHR]

I agree juan, leaving kauai is the hardest part.

Ted, we definately need to do that, did you ever get in touch with him? I'll work on him from this end and be in touch.

So, to wrap this up, one of the guys I shared that pig with was a young hawaiin bowhunter, a couple years younger than myself.  We hunted most of the next couple days together,unsuccesfully as luck would have it, but it was great nonetheless.  Alex had been  coming to the napali coast since he was a little boy and he knew it really well.  In addition to showing me some great spots i wouldn't have found on my own he also taught me alot about the local plants and birds and the regions old polynesian lore.  Really this was one of the highlights of the trip.

 

I really like the light in this picture.  This was taken just after this mob of goats busted Alex and I after a long open country stalk.  So close, but sometimes all you can do is reach for the camera.  

The next day it was time to hike out and get back on the airplane.  I wasn't eager to leave but felt enriched in many ways by the experience, and I  remain thankful to have had this opportunity to experience a little bit of "real life" on the kalalau trail.

[MercilessMing]

Great story!!        

Thanks for sharing.