Yeti GOBOX Collection

Hawaii hunt planning

brownbear932008

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 15, 2011
Messages
2,897
Location
SWVA
Hey fellow HT er's

I am looking/planning a hunt/beach vacation to the Hawaiian islands next year. I have read through most threads on HT that have any info and numerous online resources the last few weeks. I thought hopefully I could get some opinions from you HT members that have been there done that. Information seems to be somewhat limited in some of the areas I am looking at ect.
I have several questions that may turn into several more before this thing is planned I’m guessing. Hopefully some of you can assist with them.
Here are my plans so far. There will be my wife and I and another couple. We are looking at being gone for two weeks. At the present I am looking at renting a cottage on the islands unless that changes. Our main focus on animals would be Mouflon sheep and Axis with any other game taken being icing on the cake. I would rather hunt Axis in the hard horned state if possible. Right now we are looking at visiting Lanai and Molokai to hunt and vacation. I would rather hunt with a long gun but archery is not out of the question. We plan on obtaining a vehicle rental while on the islands. My friend and I would like to get 4-5 good days in hunting game at least. I am considering a Sept date at this time but nothing is set in stone. In the early stages on planning at this point. So here are some questions.
1. Is it possible to hunt the sheep and axis during the same period and what islands would be the best for these two species? It appears some of the islands don’t have both species but may be better numbers on say axis deer?
2. What is the best way economically wise to travel between the islands once we land in Honolulu? I see there are ferries between the islands and also regional flights ect.?
3. What are the best months to be on the islands for hunting these species I notice the deer rut in early summer not sure about the sheep?
4. On Lanai I noticed the tags are on a draw. I can not for the life of me find any stats on draws and so forth. What are the chances of pulling a rifle tag? I also am interested in how quickly the draw results are posted so we can better plan our trip that may be where the archery tags come into play because they are a sure thing I guess= easier planning.
5. We may be interested in chasing turkeys while there also any info on those is a plus. We are possibly looking at hunting company land on Lanai. What is the cost and rules for this type of venture?

I am open to any and all suggestions at this point as I have just a diamond in the ruff at this point and I am just trying to put all the pieces together. We will be flying from the east coast to the islands so it is quite the adventure. If you would like you can PM any info that you would not want the world to know. I am very excited as this seems to be the perfect balance of a vaca for the wife and I. Hopefully we can make it work. The wife is very easy to please as long as she has a beach with sand and ocean waves with a good book she is good. I would rather hit the hills to hike and hunt a little.

Thanks
Kenny
 
Hope you keep us or at least me ;) posted on your planning. My wife loves the beach and I've had my fill of them. A trip like this would be a fun compromise.
 
Don't forget the Vancouver Bulls. They are feral cattle.
 
1) Yes, it is possible to hunt axis and mouflon on the same hunt but only Lana'i has both. You would have to hunt the private side Lana'i Company Land but your daily rifle permit is for 3 animals, mouflon and/or axis but only one can be male. You can buy as many days as you can afford and shoot a male each day. $275 a day last time I was there 2 years ago.

2) Fly direct to Kahului Maui, catch a shuttle to Lahaina Harbor and take the ferry to Lana'i.

3) You don't need the mouflon rut to be successful. Axis rut is a plus. Flights are cheaper if you avoid summer vacation travel.

4) Hawaii is old school and very little if anything is posted online. If you draw a rifle hunt it would be one of 9 consecutive weekends, you can't pick which weekend. Part of the attraction to me for the state hunts was that they were free tags, but not anymore. You can hunt the archery and/or muzzleloader hunt because they are unlimited entry. Muzzleloader is one of two consecutive weekends, you get what you draw, can't choose which weekend. However, they are not over-the-counter, you must apply in the draw.

5) Plenty of turkeys but on Lana'i they only have a fall season, no spring hunts. Most axis have shed their antlers in the fall. The Big Island - Hawaii, has spring turkey hunts but no axis. Big Is. does have some pure mouflon in a limited range above Volcano NP but all other areas they are hybrids.

I'm due to take my wife back to Lanai, it's her favorite island. No crowds, not even a traffic light. We've been to all the islands.
 
Last edited:
White is State hunt.
Pink is Co. land rifle hunt.
Blue is Co. land archery only hunt.
Yellow is Co. guided hunt land.

Axis are everywhere from beach to summit, east to west, north to south.
Mouflon are on all the state land (white) and on the eastern side of the island unit A (pink)
 

Attachments

  • Lanai hunt map.jpg
    Lanai hunt map.jpg
    71.1 KB · Views: 4,140
The state hunt requires that you shoot a female and check it in before they issue you an either sex tag. They also require that the animal be brought out whole, only gutting allowed, no skinning or boning out allowed. The terrain can be brutal and packing a whole animal out can kill you.
The Co. hunt does not have those rules. You can bone out your animal and no female first rule.
 
Thanks glass eye you have been very helpful and I sure do appreciate the help. I will give you a shout been tied up today so hopefully this eve.
1 pointer I gotta admit I'm pretty darn excited about this voyage gonna be a first for me with sand Sun surf and weapon in hand. I've done the SE AK thing had most of that except the sun. Hahaha
 
Nothing like diving into the warm surf to wash off the blood and sweat.
 

Attachments

  • 20130902_154705.jpg
    20130902_154705.jpg
    53.9 KB · Views: 3,000
  • 20130902_154730.jpg
    20130902_154730.jpg
    151.1 KB · Views: 3,033
Thanks Breck I spoke with the folks on Lanai today on the room/truck rental. I am looking at a Sept hunt. Do you think the axis will still be carrying head gear at that time?
 
Thanks Breck I spoke with the folks on Lanai today on the room/truck rental. I am looking at a Sept hunt. Do you think the axis will still be carrying head gear at that time?

Never hunted into Sep so I can't say. I know some guys who hunted Oct and most had shed already. However, bucks can be found in all stages of growth because they breed year-round, but there is a majority that is in rut in May-July. I hunted the rut in late May and was pursuing a huge 3x4 in velvet. Never could get into bow range of him.
 
glass eye has great advice...he gave me advice before my first trip and it was invaluable. Regardless of time of year I would say go Lanai and shoot some axis deer. You can't beat the meat and there are plenty of targets. As far as mouflon on the pay side they are hard to get on as far as rams but they are there.
 
I really do want to get a nice Mouflon while there. Guess I may need to look at the state hunt. Those rams are beautiful. May be the only sheep I get to ever pursue. That is an awesome sheep glass eye. So maybe I should look at scheduling my hunt around the sheep season and if possible and time/money allows hunt game management land for the axis while there.
Thanks redwood I hear the axis is some of the best wild game meat you will ever eat. So I plan on bringing a few home with me.
I have also thought about doing the state sheep hunt and then jumping over to Molokai to chase axis deer for a few days and explore that island also.
 
Last edited:
glass eye in post #9 is that antler/skull piece (second pic) resting on a whale vertebrae?

Hawaii sure looks to be an outdoors paradise.
 
Amazing sheep glasseye!

And thanks for all the info. I would love to try for a sheep like that. Will look at the logistics and try and get over there for a archery sheep hunt.

I see the archery tags are unlimited, did you see many hunters on your hunt?
 
I really do want to get a nice Mouflon while there. Guess I may need to look at the state hunt. Those rams are beautiful. May be the only sheep I get to ever pursue. That is an awesome sheep glass eye. So maybe I should look at scheduling my hunt around the sheep season and if possible and time/money allows hunt game management land for the axis while there.
Thanks redwood I hear the axis is some of the best wild game meat you will ever eat. So I plan on bringing a few home with me.
I have also thought about doing the state sheep hunt and then jumping over to Molokai to chase axis deer for a few days and explore that island also.

A long time ago Molokai had axis state run hunts like Lana'i, but no more. Axis prefer the dry mesquite lands and on Molokai that's all private lands. You can shoot axis at anytime without a tag on Molokai when hunting public land, problem is that there's not much public land and it's up higher in the forest. Axis hunts on Molokai are mostly guided hunts unless you know a landowner. I'd stay on Lana'i if you want a good DIY hunt.
 
Amazing sheep glasseye!

And thanks for all the info. I would love to try for a sheep like that. Will look at the logistics and try and get over there for a archery sheep hunt.

I see the archery tags are unlimited, did you see many hunters on your hunt?

You'll see hunters driving the roads on top but on foot you won't see many. The nastier the terrain the fewer hunters you'll see.
 

Attachments

  • 20120805_142313.jpg
    20120805_142313.jpg
    27.5 KB · Views: 2,888
Last edited:
Back
Top