Isla Mona, PR

[Jay Campbell JD]

This sailboat came into the cove under full sail, anchored, and a woman came on deck, stripped to her suit, dove in the cove and swam ashore. She was alone, and quite taken with Clayton, as I recall. :-)   - Jay Campbell  www.campbellsquest.com

[Jay Campbell JD]

 The Isla Mona lighthouse, me on top, looking out. This was designed by Eiffel, of Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty fame. I really wanted the "arrow" weather vane. - Jay Campbell  www.campbellsquest.com

[Jay Campbell JD]

Tools of the island hunting trade. Randall knife, osage bow with stingray handle, river cane arrows, cactus fruit - Jay Campbell  www.campbellsquest.com

[Gen273]

Great pics Jay!!!

I also agree that Jay's book is a must read, one of the best written trad books that I have read.

[Jay Campbell JD]

Last photo tonight! Dr. Demoya stitching up Rick McGowan's head. Rick later claimed this injury as the reason for missing a pig, and I believe him! Clayton also needed stitches as I recall. :-) -  Jay Campbell  www.campbellsquest.com.

[Biathlonman]

I'm in, when do we leave!

[jdemoya]

Jay, looking at that picture reminds me of the glass from the reflector that you were thinking about having someone knap heads out of the pieces we took from the tower. Did you ever do it? I still have a few pieces of that glass.
The best place on the island is the spot under the trees behind the metal house next to the lighthouse: a constant breeze, a nice view of the Mona passage and cool temperatures with no humidity. Mona has a semiarid climate. All the moisture drops as rain on the mountains of PR and very little makes it to Mona as the weather fronts travel west. Plenty of cacti on the island. There is an area called the Valley of the Cacti on the way to the lighthouse. Those are of the tall variety. There are several other species throughout the island that are short and round, only a few inches tall. Very dangerous because you can hardly see them in areas where there is grass. I almost sat on one of them on one occasion. Jikes!      
All in all is very peaceful there.     :D    
God bless,
José

[Ralph S]

Great pictures! A hunting trip of a lifetime, I'm sure. The island looks wild and inviting. Thanks for the pictures.

[Jay Campbell JD]

Jose, I think I did have some made. I'll look, and If so I'll give/send you one. Here's a shot of Jose near the lighthouse. It is also a nice spot because of the cistern. Not clean, sometimes dry, but water is water! - Jay Campbell  www.campbellsquest.com

[Jay Campbell JD]

Here's another shot, of Clayton and a small goat he packed off the top of the island for dinner. I think tradgang member Karl Kortemier (hope I spelled that right) is putting an Isla Mona trip together. Maybe he will drop in. - Jay  www.campbellsquest.com

[Steve H.]

I just heard about this thread.  I have a good cross section of photos scanned from all three trips; we went pre-digital camera days.  I'll try and see if I can knock the rust off photo bucket this weekend.

Important note:  EVERYone from all three trips returned home alive! (not to say blood wasn't shed pulling that feat off!)

I also had a story I think it was called "Underwater Bowhunting" on Isla Mona in TBM about 2006.

[Karl Kortemeier]

Hey guys,

Jay let me know about this thread.  Somehow I missed it  :confused:Anyway,  I'm trying to put together a trip for next hunting season.  I have a few guys here in Ga that are interested.  Only two firm commitments.  I will keep everyone posted as to how the planning is coming along.  Thanks for the pictures.  Great thread!

[Jay Campbell JD]

Sounds like Karl is trying to get the band back together again! Dr. Demoya seems to be game, heck with a little encouragement I might even get Karen Campbell to come along. Maybe. I've been in a lot of wild places, and this is one of the most desolate and beautiful. And it has lobsters, free for the catching. :-)  Picture, to keep us occupied until Steve and Rick post a few, of me with an Isla Mona Spanish goat, nicknamed the "Altimeter Goat". If you've read the chapter "A Goat Too Far" in "Longbow" you'll understand why.        www.campbellsquest.com

[Izzy]

If I could pull it off in 5 days I would be ya'lls translator but I cant stand to be away from my younguns much longer than that. Maybe when theyre a bit older.

[Jay Campbell JD]

A translator is important, Izzy - you would be Da Man! The rangers are armed and a bit jumpy, and do not speak much english. One thing not spoken off here is the blue lagoons, coconut trees everywhere, abundant fish, octopus, and lobster, and warm water swimming and snorkeling. It is really stunning, as are the caves and exploring for pictographs from the Taino natives 500+ years ago. On the islands top are rail car tracks that lead deep into the caves, where miners used to dig out bat guano to be boiled into nitrates. The huge boilers are still in place on the beaches. History nudges you from every angle on Isla Mona. - Jay  www.campbellsquest.com

[Jay Campbell JD]

TTT - Jay Campbell  www.campbellsquest.com

[Steve H.]

Ok, I actually found something I did on here a few years back.  Hopefully the photos are all still in the same place!  Four installments coming up!

Mona Island, Puerto Rico, Jan. 1999

Back in the late 90’s Jay Campbell was traveling to Puerto Rico for some lawyering work like he does.  He inquired about hunting opportunities and the seed was planted about this rogue island named Mona.  Without too much of the events that led into the first trip there, let’s just say the logistics were immense but we pulled it off.
 
 

Rick "RicMic" McGowan silently contemplates what he may have gotten himself into this time......

 

Camp on Isla de Mona.  Palm trees, a coral beach, and knowing that I left a snowstorm behind.  Not that I don't like snow I do.  Maybe it's just knowing that I left behind those poor folks that don't like snow was good enough this time!

 

The ever-present "endangered" Mona iguana.

 

A MUCH younger and skinnier Benny Pinney with an odd looking "Cowfish".

 

Benny looks out over the thick entangled jungle below at the sea from the cliffs above.

 

Steve gets lucky with a quick shot(s) on the cliffs.  This goat headed for one of the numerous caves in the island.  Notice the stalactite and stalagmite in the background that have "dissolved" together.

 

The Mona Castaways.  Left to right, Clayton Smith (kneeling), Benny Pinney, Steve H., Jay Campbell (standing) Jose' "Chaquito" DeMoya', Rick "RicMic" McGowan, Crystal and Dennis Harper.

[Steve H.]

Isla Mona 2--Caribbean Bowhunt, Dec. 1999

Castaways on Mona 2 are Jay Campbell, T.J. Conrads, Jose' "Chaquito" DeMoya, Steve H., Rick "RicMic" McGowan, Clayton Smith, and Dana Ravenberg.

On our second trip to Isla Mona the one thing I really wanted to do was trek to the most remote part of the island and bivouac in a cave, and be able to hunt the best spots late in the evening and early the following morning.  

 

I found this cave on my scouting run and hunted my way towards it on the first day.  I hoped to find the booby colonies or nesting sites that I heard existed this time of year, in the northeast corner of the island.  I hoped that they might attract some wild pigs looking for a poultry dinner.  I made it to the cave by the heat of the afternoon and took shelter for a while from the harsh Caribbean sun.  Late in the afternoon I glassed from the cave entrance and spotted two goats, the stalk was on. Unfortunately they got too close while I was in too little cover and the game was over.  

 

A few boobies that I had seen on my way to the cave increased to birds filling the sky, their shrieks fought against the waves, crashing 300 feet below against the cliff face, for dominance.  I slipped through the brush and every so often I would get too close to a nesting bird and it would retreat to the safety of the sky.  

A black object moved through the grass.  I strained to find a clear shot as the pig looked up at me and bolted from 12 yards.  I retreated to my cave for the evening and started a fire to ward off the spirit of Captain William Kidd, least he believe I was in search of his 60,000 pound of hidden silver that night.  The following morning, after a fitful sleep and a midnight fight with a hermit crab for my sock and my lucky Jolly Rodger skull cap that Clayton Smith had given me on Mona I, I was awakened by the racket of a million boobies.
I quickly gathered my gear and slipped back into the noisy colony in search of pigs.  I found none.  

 

Boobies once again filled the sky and at times I felt like I was being watched and would refocus my attention closer and find a booby only feet away.  I hunted my way back to camp before the second Caribbean sun sucked all of my water away.  It was time for a dive.

On Mona I, we had a great time spear fishing with Hawaiian slings. I thought back to how Howard Hill had bowfished with diving gear in "Hunting the Hard Way" and thought that I could rig up a short, low poundage longbow to shoot under water and bowfish using snorkel gear.  Let’s just say that I learned a lot and it took extreme persistence before I took my first fish, a Black Durgon or Triggerfish.  

 

I eventually took a few more including a parrotfish.  I attempted a 4' Southern Stingray but my arrow bounced harmlessly off its thick hide.  Maybe that was best as it would probably still be towing my corpse around the Caribbean had my arrow penetrated it. I passed on the infamous Yellow-tailed Stingray for reasons that not everyone knows........along with many fish I guessed to be inedible.  Life on the coral reef almost defies description.  I am enthralled by what I see on the reef.  I rate it as a second only to hunting, longbow in hand.
Camp life is very relaxing on Mona.  We eat what the sea will give to us including fish, spiny lobster, and conch plus coconuts as fresh as they can be.

 

T.J. Conrads opening a camp snack.

Step one foot off the beach and Mona becomes the harshest vixen you have ever been up against.  Rock so sharp that it will shred boots and skin, vegitation so caustic that it will burn your skin in second degree, and brush so thick it earn the designation of impenetrable.  And of course with one errant step you can fall hundred of feet into the seemingly bottomless pit of one of Mona's numerous caves.

 
Mona cactus

 

RicMic loading the "Orca Too" for the long ride back to land.  Most of us will be on the edge of vomiting for the next three hours while RicMic will drink beers with our Puerto Rican comrades and laugh at the less fortunate of us.......

[Steve H.]

Isla Mona 3--Bowhunting the Caribbean, Dec. 2000

Casataways for Mona-3 and their number of visits to Mona are:  Jay Campbell, Rick "RicMic" McGowan, and myself (Steve H.), 3 trips each; Dana Ravenberg, 2 trips; and first timers, John Reid Campbell and Scott Van Arendonk; and divers Andy and Arthur.

We arrived in San Juan on Wednesday evening and by Friday afternoon we had the proper permits in hand.  We sailed to Mona early on Saturday morning and enjoyed the rest of the day and Sunday snorkeling and being in camp.

Unfortunately the snorkeling was poor those two days due to strong winds and waves crashing onto the reef.  We still managed to procure 4 spiny lobsters, a bar jack and numerous queen conchs for a wonderful seafood chowder.

The hunting season ran for four days, from Monday thru Thursday.  Each of us devised a plan on where to hunt and some members of the group set off for distant parts of the island as early as 2:30 am on that first day!  I set off for the Northeast corner of the island a bit after 3:30 am and made the 4 1/2 miles by 6:05 am, and located a band of goats, right at sunrise.


 

As I have said on the previous Mona 1 and Mona 2 tales, the rock surface on most of the island is extremely jagged, and any fall will guarantee your blood shall be sacrificed to Mona.  


[
Another hazard of Mona is the "Naked-Indian Tree".  Its sap is so caustic that if it comes into contact with your skin, it will cause blistering similar to an extreme case of poison ivy.

After the first trip RicMic said "If Mona had just one more plant or animal that would stick, sting, or bite you, it wouldn't be worth going there".  Well, on Mona 3 we found a few more things that fit that description!  Early in the trip RicMic had a scorpion try and get into his gear and later John Reid had one crawl up his neck!  To top it off, Scott had a 4" centipede bite his shoulder while he slept!  Both Scott and I developed a rash from either the Naked-Indian tree or possibly from the powder of a small tree that will also load your skin with small, prickly filaments!


 

I searched along Mona's Northern cliffs all morning for that band of goats.  I was excited to stillhunt through the Red-footed Booby colony once again and get some additional close-up photos of these interesting yet noisy birds (photo at left is a adult and chick).  I had several close calls with goats and a couple close pig sightings in the booby colony but still no shots for the morning.

I continued on, to where I had seen a band of goats along the cliffs, and eventually heard the bleating of some goats in the thick brush.  I quietly stillhunted into the midst of the bleating and waited.  


 

Eventually a couple goats came into view and an old nanny finally walked into an opening at about 14 yards and I connected.  


 

Three additional goats ran into an area in front of me and then ran single-file down a lane leading into the impenetrable brush.  I drew a second arrow as the second goat passed and as the third one came into view I let loose of the arrow and made perhaps the best shot of my life, at close to 30 yards.  I normally don't shoot that far, but this shot never seemed to be in doubt.  The goats paid the price of my arrows as did my body on the NINE mile pack back to camp!

We all had close call with either goats and/or pigs during the remainder of the trip but the only other animal killed was Dana arrowing a 50# pig.  Mona continued to take her toll on us all for the remainder of our stay but also provided us with some beautiful scenery and fantastic snorkeling at the end of our stay.

On the Mona-2 trip I decided I would attempt to underwater bowfish similar to what Howard Hill had done, only using snorkeling gear.  I gave the underwater bowfishing another try on the Mona-3 trip with some success.

[Steve H.]

UNDERWATER BOWFISHING!!!

For the past three years myself and a small group of friends have traveled to Isla Mona, a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico, to bowhunt for wild pigs and goats. There are also fantastic snorkeling opportunities there as well, so after the first trip, I decided that I would attempt underwater bowhunting in a manor similar to what Howard Hill described in "Hunting the Hard Way".

The barrier reef that surrounds the island has a great diversity of fish and other aquatic animals including corals and sponges.  The lagoon of the reef is from a few feet to maybe ten feet deep, but is from 6 to 8 feet deep in most places.  I use standard snorkeling gear, a mask, snorkel, and fins.

The second trip to Mona I toyed with a small wrap-around reel but quickly determined that it was utterly un-necessary due to the ultra-close range nature of the shooting.  I went to a six foot section of line tied to the arrow and then to the bow and left hanging to the side.  I used a stiff, kiddy longbow (~40# @ 24") that was 48" in length and used a standard fiberglass fishing arrow and point.

I had a lot of problems with bounce offs and had to be extremely persistent to end up taking a few fish, mostly Black Durgon.  I found that it was very difficult to pull much bow weight when your body is floating in the surf as it becomes all arms doing the pulling.

For the third trip to Isla Mona I had to try the underwater bowfishing thing again.  For this trip I made a "cute" little underwater "longbow".  It is 34" nock to nock so it will easily pack into a duffel bag, laminated glass, and around 41# @ 17" and meant to be shot at a short draw and at close range.  It is only about 1/2" wide to eliminate a lot of drag that the limbs have in the water.

I bought a pair of 36", 1/4" steel rods to be used for arrows and cut self-nocks into the rod with a tile saw and hot-melted stainless frog-gig points on the front end.  The whole arrow is extremely heavy, probably several thousand grains.

My goal was mostly to attempt to take smaller fish species such as the Black Durgon which I specifically designed my arrows to penetrate their armored sides.  One of the most difficult facets of bowfishing underwater on a reef is that often times you are at the mercy of the surf crashing down on you.  It is very frustrating to finally locate a decent sized fish and be within a few feet of shooting distance and have a wave break and blow you back several yards from your target.

I realize that there are more efficient ways of obtaining fish but that isn't the point of this exercise of "one step above futility".  It is all about combining the adventure of hunting in the coral reefs with the allure of the bow and arrow.


 

Steve taking aim underwater.


 

A Black Durgon in the lagoon below Mona’s cliffs.


 

Two spiny lobsters taken by underwater "longbow" and arrow using snorkeling gear.


 

No I am not the guy in the band, "ANTHRAX".

Here is a small Black Durgon, a species of triggerfish taken with the underwater bowfishing equipment.  Note the 3-pronged gig point. I used this point specifically to penetrate the armored scales of the durgon.

Species taken with underwater bowfishing gear are as follows:  Black Durgon, Parrotfish, Spiny Lobster, and French Grunt.  I also attempted to take a large Southern Stingray and a five foot barracuda, which in hind sight weren't very intelligent things to do, but then again no surprise to those that know me best.........