Bird Hunting Oahu.

Just sending out a feeler for other bird hunters on Oahu. I am moving out to Kapolei and would really like to do some bird hunting. I got into it a little at the tail end of last season and enjoyed it a lot. I've still got much to learn and I figure the best way is to hook up with some other hunters. I plan on getting a bird dog as well so anybody with any good info on breeders on Oahu please give me a shout. Shoots, Dave.

Upfront, you going hunt with bow and flufu arrows. Anyways interested to check it out when I get back for good probably this summer time.

Lyle

No, I'll be using my shotgun.

Anybody going opener this Sat?

I will probably be up there next week Sat.

Awryte, good luck, you got dogs?

Woohoo! got my first Erkel. Went 1 for 2. Missed one that flew behind a tree. Had a couple others flush too soon and were out of range. Good fun, was kinda wet though. Back in time to go to the kids football game. Great morning.

Did you use a dog? Where did you go?
Aloha

Nope no dog, that's why I went for Erkels. It's in a different area from where the Phez are. Kuaokala GMA

Well I've been hitting Kuaokala on a regular basis and doing pretty good on the Erkels Francolins. I started to notice that the birds were definately territorial and had thier homeguard spots. I would always see the same birds in the same haunts.
There was one rooster in particular that had such a strategic location he always busted me before I could get to him. He was staked out at the bottom of a dip in the trail so if he was doing the dustbowl dance in the dirt he could see like 75 yards in either direction.
After getting busted about four times in a row I figured out he had a roost just off the trail. I snuck up on him once but was a little too far out of range so I didn't get a shot, not with regular bird shot anyways.
So this morning I hiked in while it was still dark so I could get to his roost at first light. I got within 100 yards of his spot and loaded some 3 inch magnum shells with #5 into my Mossberg. Then I snuck down the trail slow as mollassas. It's tough to sneak up on these Eagle eyed Erkels wearing a blaze orange vest so I crunched down to cover it up as much as I could. I noticed he hadn't come down from the roost yet so I was moving along the brush to get closer. He finally came into view at about 40 Yds. I put the bead on him, and crept closer til he spotted me. I let him just get off the branch and open his wings...Boom! Bird down.
Retrieval sure would have been easier with a dog, I could smell him but not find him. I searched for about 10 Minutes. The brush was so thick and I finally found him under some thick grass.
This was such a special bird because I had been after him since the start of the season. He has some nice spurs and is a trophy to me because of the circumstance. My buddy wants me to have it mounted because he has been up there a couple of the times we saw him. Funny because I saw Gordon Lau in the morning at check in and told him I hope to be calling him soon for a mount.
Anyways sorry for the crappy phone cam pics but here ya go...

So much for the mount... I got hungry and ate um.

Thanks for posting.

Aloha

Congrats Dave,

Great Story! Yeah I work up there alot and see alot of francolin, good job on the strategy and gettin it done reminds me of some boar stories LOL!

Happy Holidays and thanks for sharing