Worth the Trip

Not long ago, I decided to begin pursuing the U.S. Super Slam (harvesting a turkey in 49 states). In addition to fulfilling my obsession with chasing these birds, this pursuit opened an opportunity for my family and I to travel to new states each year. My wife was supportive, especially when I told her to pick any state she hadn’t been to yet … and she picked Hawaii. I should have seen that coming!

While I had experience hunting gobblers in a few states, I didn’t know where to start in Hawaii. After talking with several outfitters, Mike Vitousek with Nahele Outfitters was the best fit. He was knowledgeable about the island and seemed to be a great guy with many years of hunting experience in the area. He also convinced me that we should be hunting more than turkeys if we traveled that far. We agreed on dates and the hunt was booked.

My wife Kara, my son Dylan, and two of our close friends Nick and Bekah came along for this adventure. There aren’t many vacations more fulfilling than those where you can hunt and also share non-hunting adventures with those you love. Hawaii is a perfect place to make that happen.

Nick elected to come along for the first hunt, and Mike picked us up in his truck. In no time, we were 4-wheeling up rocky volcanic terrain to the hunt area. We parked the truck in the dark and listened quietly. Initially, we were targeting Vancouver bulls, which are wild cattle on the island, introduced hundreds of years ago. There are no fences around these animals, and they can be dangerous as they are not domesticated. We heard several roars from an angry bull echoing through the woods. It reminded me of the energy and testosterone a bull elk puts into a bugle, but this was far lower-pitched and more intimidating, especially in the dark! Mike told us they were fighting. That sound raised the hair on my neck, knowing that something so big, powerful and fired up was sharing the woods with us.

Shortly after, a turkey gobbled nearby. Then the bull roared again. A minute later, the bird gobbled a second time. While I was excited about the bull, I know how tricky old tom turkeys can be, and I didn’t want to squander an opportunity on a talkative bird so close to us. We quickly got into place and were able to call the gobbler down a logging road. Its white head popped over the ridge, and with one last gobble, I pulled the trigger. My Hawaiian bird was down.

The three of us celebrated, but that didn’t last long. We were interrupted by a roaring bull several hundred yards from us. We hustled back to the truck, stowed away the bird, and took off. We stalked, listened, stalked some more, and continued that cycle for a good portion of the morning. Unfortunately, the various calls we heard seemed to be trailing away.

Eventually we hiked up toward a clearing that the sun was shining brightly into. Feeding in the open were two gorgeous black Hawaiian sheep. The sun lit up their long, dreadlock-style wool. We entered full stalk mode and found a spot to lay down for a prone shot. The rams knew something was up, and the big one started trotting away. Thankfully, it stopped broadside to take a final look back, and my .300 WSM did its job. Two animals in one morning, what a blessing!

Kara and Dylan joined me for another hunt two days later. We headed back to the area where we previously heard bulls, but we didn’t hear much this time. So, we started slowly sneaking through the forest with the wind in our favor. Eventually, we located two bulls above us. One of them was older with a deep rusty red color. He presented a clean shot, I took it, and he hunched up before making his way out of sight.

Mike and I pursued him quickly but cautiously, keeping Dylan and Kara a safe distance behind us. The bull took several vital shots and continued to challenge us until he finally went down. I admire those animals even more now, understanding how tough they are. This was an awesome experience for my family, and it even happened the day my son turned 15. I told him that one of his gifts was a few hundred pounds of meat!

On day four, Nick went along with me again and we headed to a more open grassland area that held Spanish goats. We spotted a herd that held what ended up being the biggest goat we would see during our trip. Its horns differed slightly from the others, and the color scheme set it apart as well. I took a 200-yard shot and dropped the goat in its tracks, ending the hunting portion of our trip on a high note.

I strongly encourage others to consider hunting Hawaii, especially those who want to bring friends and family along. We spent an entire week on the Big Island and still didn’t squeeze in everything we wanted to do.

We flew Southwest Airlines and they allow two free checked bags. We took four empty coolers for free (in addition to the packed luggage we needed with clothes and equipment). I had an arrangement with the outfitter to use his butchering equipment to cut up all my own meat, and I used his vacuum sealer to seal it all and his freezers to freeze it. I also brought a hand scale and we divided up the meat and weighed it out so we had four coolers at just under 50 pounds. Southwest charged for a checked bag over 50 pounds but not under (unless it’s over the two bag per person limit), so we flew all the boneless, frozen meat home with us without having to pay a dime!