List of gear for hunting... and success rates

Aloha kakou, blood brothers, although mahi, ono, ahi etc would be my only blood currently. I am a brand nubian to hunting, other than when I was a kid for squirrels and rabbits in Texas, 30 some years ago, until pig hunting in high school in Honolulu in the early 80's. Neva get anything though. Dogs had a pig one trip, but it got away before we could stick it.
At any rate, have been here on Maui for 20 some years and want to get into hunting mainly Axis deer (can hear them barking sometimes at night) as the herds are out of control from what I understand. Pig or goat would be great too.
Wil probably bowhunt at first, but may get a gun...havent really decided yet.
Just wanted some opinions on what gear you folks use clothing, what to bring in a backpack, gear to assist carrying out your harvest etc. I have the basic camo plus a jacket just ordered for those cold upcounty mornings in Polipoli, gps, cell, walkie talkies, etc.
Are scent killers neccesary?
Just want to get a general idea of what you folks deem necessary.
Also, wanted to know the success rates...do you normally get something each outing...or every 4th outing,etc? Not expecting to make a kill for quite a while...got a lot of learnin to do!
Aloha,
Mike

Hey welcome!
Yes u r right, the axis deer are out of control here on maui, but unfortunatly the hunting laws are still the same U can take as many deer as u want of either sex ON PUCBLIC HUNTING LAND...which you will NEVER see a deer on public land! With that said im sure you know they all stay on private property and ofcourse the ranches, so you need to get access and permission to hunt, ive been lucky enough to go a few times w my buddy but thats a rare occasion. If you have access or know someone then your set, if not, then Lanai is your best bet to hunt axis deer. Right now is not a great time to hunt deer as they are still regrowing their antlers and are all still in the velvet.
As far as gear goes the one recomendation which is also the most obvious is water, there is nowhere to get it so bring it with you! Ive used the electronic pig calls before and have mixed results with it....one time il have a pig run right in another time it will scare them all away. Any camo pattern seems to work just fine, il usually use a open pattern when hunting goats, but anything is good as long as ur covered from head to toe (especailly ur face).
I am a strong beliver of scent killer for anything other than goats (they smell so bad it doesnt matter what u smell like if they smell you, you are close enough to stab em with a knife). But ofcourse you ALWAYS need to play the wind which is tough specailly up polipoli.
I archery Hunt pigs n goats atleast twice a week up polipoli and have a success rate of bout 50% id be more than happy to go with you sometime and im sure mauirhino would be too,he has been very helpful to me, if he ever has time to go anymore (we need to get out again russell)!
Hope this helps and any other ?'s or comments let us know
Aloha and good hunting
P.s. if you still fish....I would love to learn how

i think starters is a good pack

mine is frakenstiened from my old gear, the main compartment is empty except for lunch, outside i have 4 quarts of water baby wipes, gloves, some climbing rope,para cord, a lighter, meat bag, uniden walkie, garmin 60 csx, camera . cell phone

on my belt i have a one quart canteen ontario machette,and a kabar in army green

my theory is i cant use what i dont take so i travel kind of heavy
except for the garmin everything can be found cheap

jack

Thanks for the replies! I have a while yet as the Hunter Ed couse is in April, but it will give me some time to get in better shape and collect my gear. I think I will do some scouting around in different areas just to try and learn some habits/habitats over the next few weeks.
Instinct, would be great to go w/ you or Rhino sometime, although wont be for a while. Still am repairing my boat, but once shes done Ill trade ya some fishing knowledge for hunting knowledge
What kind of bows you guys using? I am look at something in the 70lb range, believe my draw is abot 28", aluminum arrows...sound about right?
Thanks again...

I'm using carbon fiber arrows and I really like them. They fly fast enough for me but then again i'm not the most experienced. I've read a lot of guys set their bows to around 60ish. I had mine set to 70 and it was a bitch to pull back. Lots of my friends couldn't even do it. If your gonna set it that much I would suggest getting a bow with good let off because mine is only 50% and its hard to keep it held back and keep steady. Missed a good hog today. Practice a lot always helps. Hope that helps a bit.

I have a bow my friend gave me. Its a old pearson. Buggah is heavy but since all my money is going into my new house it will have to do.

Mrmahi and Instinct, I'm back in business after two brutal weeks of working double shifts and a quick trip to California, so we gotta set something up.

Mrmahi, if you want to do some early studying for the hunters ed course, I have all the course materials that I'd be happy to lend you. As far as a bow, a 70lb draw will do you fine. I shot that draw weight with aluminum arrows for about 9 or 10 years and then developed a pain in my shoulder. Then about 2 years ago, I switched over to a 60lb draw bow and carbon arrows. I like the lighter draw (less stress on my shoulder) and it is still plenty strong for most game in N. America. For many years, I used a whisker biscuit arrow rest and fixed 5 pin sight without problems. When I was in Cali last Thursday I went to the Bass Pro Shop (HUNTING PORN!!!!!!! ) and picked up a QAD Ultra HD Pro drop away rest and a G-5 Optix with 3 fixed pins and 1 floating pin. I haven't tried it out yet, but I am looking forward to setting up my bow. With some practice I should be able to stretch my effective range with that setup. Maybe we can work out a deal if you are interested in my old sight and rest after you get your bow.

Instinct is right about water. Do yourself a favor and get a 100oz camelbak bladder. It is WAY bettter than sliced bread. Don't settle for a 70oz bladder---you'll run out on an all-day hunt. Some other essential gear is a quality knife and folding saw, an extra blaze orange safety vest, and let's not forget the basic first aid kit augmented with a space blanket and one of those small emergency ponchos and some paracord, in case something happens and you get stranded overnight. A good LED headlamp w/ spare batteries is nice, especially if it has both white and red lights (to protect your night vision). As far as clothing, two things are guaranteed to make your hunt fricken miserable--blisters, and chafing on your thighs and the family jewels. Wear good, well fitting boots with 2 pair socks--1 thin, wicking pr, and a thick outer sock. UnderArmor bvd's are expensive, but worth every penny when it comes to stopping monkey butt. I also use something called Body Glide if I expect an all-day hunt. Again, you want the layer next to your skin to be a wicking layer to pull the moisture and sweat away.

That should help get you started, and we can talk later. I checked out your website about your boat (very cool!!!) and I'd love to go out one day with you to learn some fishing.

Mahalos for all the replies...sorry for not getting back sooner, got wrapped up in the Tsunami operations. Ordered a used bow (money is tight), a PSE team Primos 60 lb complete package with P.S.E. Quiver, 3 " Stablizer, Braided Bow Sling, PSE Limb Stablizers, TM Hunter Rest with Teflon on the rest, P.S.E. 3 Pin Fiber Optic Sight, D Loop, Shurz-A-Peep. 7 arrows with some points and a Caliper Release. Should be here this week sometime. The arrows are Easton 2117s... what kine broadheads do you folks recommend?
Have been stalking a bit, yesterday was unreal...too bad I could not cant shoot em, stay on private/state property...goats everywhere! I got within 5 yards of a nanny, 10 yards of a Billy. Too easy, they must be used to the hikers. I'll have to post pics later today.
Maui Rhino...much mahalos for the offer on the course materials! I will take you up on that once I get "unburied" .
Lataz

.

X2 on the UA BVDs. Swamp ass sucks when your way out on the trail. Gotta keep the crotch under moisture control.
Maui Rhino your gonna like that rest, I have one and it works great. Nice and quiet and the capture feature is the poop!
Mr Mahi, sounds like you ordered yourself a sweet bow. Congratulations on the purchase.

Yup, gotta keepda family jewels happy. Got da bow in...going to need some setting up, shot it once today almost dark...about 6 inches low. Will continue this week with the dialing in. Check da pics of da goats....wish I had a bow!!!!

The images are not posting....resolution is correct. Any ideas?

What are you using to host the pictures?? Photobucket??

Congrats on your bow!!! Bumbye lets get together and talk story. 283-0748

mrmahi wrote:Have been stalking a bit, yesterday was unreal...too bad I could not cant shoot em, stay on private/state property...goats everywhere! I got within 5 yards of a nanny, 10 yards of a Billy. Too easy, they must be used to the hikers.
.

The ones here watch to see if you stop. Hikers don't stop, hunters do and the goats know it.

Ok, getting closer to having the equipment straight. Ordered a bowstring as the one that came on my bow was worn, will order a cable bow press soon too. Ordered some Viper broadheads and also need to get some carbon arrows, now that I know my draw length. Cut up some old body boards for a target, but do not want to shoot anymore until the new string is installed. Still have a month before the hunter ed course, so by then I hope to be familiar and accurate enough with the bow for some action.
I have been intrigued by treestands. Do many of you folks use? I was thinking of welding one up...those things are expensive! Also found Kavika on Maui https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApoUf5J-K3o hunting out of a stand. Killer video!
For you Maui guys, do you ever hunt any of the other areas such as the Makawao Forest Reserve, Kohakuloa, or the area near the Pali on the West Maui's?
Here is the goat vid down at Lapas. The goat are really tearing the area up...need some invasive species control https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDmN343567A
Mahalos for all da help!

The area near the pali, west maui mountains, has no game. Maybe one or two deer and the odd pig but don't expect to see them. I read it used to have goats. Read the state had an eradication. I went up Ukumehame valley all the way to the back and climbed up to the saddle with Oluwalu. The only pig sign I seen was some old rootings at the very top. In the adjacent dry valley above the shooting range, I kept going until it became a canyon. Made my way through a pass above a large dry waterfall. Started seeing goat scat. It got fresher and fresher. Then I seen two goats in a cave looking at me. They looked spooked and I thought they would run so I booked it to close the distance. They did run and I got 150 yards away as they climbed higher. I steadied the scope, aimed and ...what the? Tracking collars! They were both Judas goats used in a real eradication. I did see other dead goats on the way out. West maui Mountains is mostly landlocked and hunting areas being cleared of pigs. That's the way it is over there. So much developement and the developers know, they can only develop so long as they got water from their watersheds so fencing adn eradication is big. ...plus they may like the floura and fauna. However, below the forest reserves still has pigs. Just need to get permission. And that's west maui. Northern half is better hunting as far as I know. Kuhakuloa GMA should have pigs on state land.

Makawao Forest Reserve get pigs, but mostly the dog hunters run there...same as east Maui towards Hana. I suppose you could set up a stand over bait in there though. Kahakuloa get pigs and birds, but honestly, I've never hunted there....Someday I'll go explore, but Polipoli is very close for me. Treestands and blinds work well. I used to have a nice Lone Wolf hang-on stand, until a tweaker decided he needed it more than me. Now I am looking at getting a Tree Saddle, or better yet, make my own.

Thanks again...So with tree stands does one set them the day of the hunt and bait, or just hang one, bait it and hope it doesnt get stolen? Of course I am referring to the portable climbing stands. Looks like get plenty trees for hang in Polipoli.
Sorry for all the nubie questions...

Well you got a few choices, haul it in and hang your stand the day you hunt and haul it back out, Hang your stand over a place you have "developed" and just remove the tree steps when you leave and hope that someone else doesnt carry tree steps with them or you can just hunt from a ground blind. I personally would rather build a blind. I do have stands but I only use them in places that are close to the truck or on VERY PRIVATE property. I am just tired of getting my stands,steps and cameras stolen.

Or you could buy a bike lock to lock your stand to the tree, and pull your steps when you leave. Climbing sticks like the Lone Wolf sticks make it really easy to put up and remove the steps, at the added cost of weight. IMHO, I'd avoid the climbing stands, and stick to a hang-on type. 2 reasons: First, you are probably gonna have branches on any of the pines, keawe, or wattle common here, which means a climber is gonna have problems. Second, The climbers are usually limited to a tree trunk smaller than 22" diameter, which rules out most eucalyptus trees here. Of course most hang-ons have this same limit too, but it is a bit easier to get a longer strap or chain to make it to work. Hang-ons are also usually lighter, and easier to work with. Again, that is just my opinion, and I'll be the first to admit that I have no hands'on experience with climbers--only hang-on stands.