After finishing up several great hunting days on the Big Island of Hawaii, it was time for us to load all of our gear, dogs and make our way to Molokai. The travel within the Hawaiian Islands is extremely easy, and also very affordable, with the majority of the tickets being less than $100 for these short flights. We used Mokulele airlines to fly from the Big Island to Molokai. Mokulele is also pet friendly and that played a big part when flying with three Brittany Spaniels as each of our dogs had their own seat. The flight was just under an hour and took us by the
islands of Maui and Lanai on our way to land on Molokai. The weather was perfect and that allowed us to get some great photos of the amazing views.
Molokai is 36 miles long and 10 miles at the widest part, with a total of 260 square miles. With just under 8,000 full time residents, the island has the 5th largest population of the 8 Hawaiian Islands. Life on Molokai is a stark contrast from the Big Island or Maui, which means the island is more like “old Hawaii” before the invasion of tourists. Having spent time on Molokai before, this is my favorite island. My first trip to Molokai was over 15 years ago when I came to hunt Axis deer. This would be my first hunt for upland birds on the island.
Although our focus would be on several upland species, both Dad and I would also be hunting free range Blackbucks that now call Molokai home. The area we were hunting was an active cattle operation of about 20,000 acres. It stretched from the edge of the ocean up to the center of the island and was a massive area. The ranch is also home to Axis deer but the Blackbucks tended to focus on areas in the center of the island, that have fewer cattle, and where the land is reverting back to the wild, with deep rocky canyons and thick scrub brush everywhere. Dad and I decided to rotate hunting Blackbucks, with one of us staying back with the dogs and the other going out with Pat, our guide, to hunt Blackbucks. Pat has been hunting Molokai for over 25 years and he knows exactly where to find game and which tactics work best for each species.
The first night after arrival, Dad volunteered to stay back with our dogs and take them for a walk on the beach. I went with Pat. We drove to a high lookout in the central area of the ranch where we could see for miles all around us. Almost instantly we started seeing Axis deer by the hundreds. This has to be the highest density of Axis deer anywhere in the world. We were there at the time of year when the majority of Axis bucks had dropped their antlers and were starting to regrow them. Sheds were everywhere and it was a shed hunters dream!
While glassing, we started to spot smaller groups of Blackbucks, who were in the middle of the rut. It was common to see a large group of females accompanied by an older male. We continued to glass, through the spotting scope, various groups and look at the herd males in each group. With Blackbucks, the older, larger males tend to be darker in color than younger males. At a far distance we spotted a big herd of Blackbucks, with what looked to be a large, older buck. From our distance it was tough to see exactly how big he was, but we decided to stalk in and get a closer look. At 600 yards we could tell he was a good buck and a buck we should try for. The problem was that there were hundreds of Axis deer all around us and it was almost impossible to move without bumping them. We worked our way closer to the Blackbuck herd while keeping the wind in our face. With only a couple hundred yards to reach a position where we could get a clear shot, we were pinned down by Axis deer moving all around us. With light fading, we rolled the dice and moved forward hoping the Axis deer wouldn’t spook towards the blackbucks. They didn’t, but their movement was enough to send the Blackbucks herd down into a thick canyon.
Maybe tomorrow.
The next morning, the plan was for both Dad and I, together, to go out with Pat for an early Blackbuck hunt. After a couple of hours, we would head back in, pick up the dogs and hunt upland for the next 2+ couple of hours before the midday heat became a problem. And, then we would hunt upland again in the late afternoon and evening.
We arrived at the high look-out point and were again able to see deer in just about every direction. We found a large group of Blackbucks with what looked like a big herd buck. As we glassed them, another group of Blackbucks appeared, in the same direction, about one half mile beyond the first group. This far group also looked to have a big buck as well. We came up with a plan. Sawyer, my field producer, and I would do a long circle around to get the wind in our face and then use a big canyon to stay out of sight and make a stalk on the far group. At the same time, Dad and Pat would use a small draw to get in position ahead of the close feeding group. If they continued feeding in same direction, Dad would get a shot in about 30 minutes at 250 yards.
Sawyer and I moved off quickly, getting to the canyon with the wind in our face. Along the way, we bumped into our first group of Black Francolins; I couldn’t wait to get back with the dogs. Our plan to do a big circle was working perfectly, except for the fact that we would continually run into Axis deer, causing us to keep making our circle wider and wider. It was taking more time than we had originally thought to get into position on our group. As we continued to close the distance, we heard Dad’s shot, followed by the whack. The shot caused the group we were moving in on, to turn in our direction. We got set up and waited for the buck to appear. As the group appeared, the buck was in the back. I waited for him to stop, which he did, looking in the direction of the shot. I settled the Gunwerks 7LRM on his front shoulder, slowly pulled the trigger and he fell out of my scope. Two great Blackbucks down in the matter of minutes!
It was time for us to get our Brittany’s out and focus on upland hunting. Our plan for Molokai was to hunt both Grey and Black Francolins, as well as Barred Doves. The Black and Grey Francolin can be found in the same areas of fairly open grass with clusters of thickets. The grass is key for the francolin as it gives them the food and also the cover they need to thrive. We targeted a lower elevation than where we were hunting Blackbucks. The area had steep hillsides that we would angle along so that the wind would hit our faces and give the dogs their best scent conditions. We started out with me on the top side and Dad below. With the fairly open terrain, we let the dogs range out similar to the way we hunted Chukars and Huns in Wyoming. The dogs quickly picked up the routine and within minutes we had our first point on the high side. Dad was pretty far down the hillside, so I moved in myself to learn that francolin, like quail, take two to tango. The Black Francolin took off out of the other side of the brush and I couldn’t get a shot. We changed tactics and moving forward, whenever possible on points, we both would move in to cover all the escape routes from the brushy ticket. Sometimes this would take a bit longer, but the dogs held firm and as it turned out with francolin, if they were in a ticket, their first choice was to hunker down and not run.
Over the next couple of days, I had, hands down, the best overall upland hunting I’ve ever experienced. That is a big statement considering all the species we had hunted in the quest for the Upland Slam. The dogs did great and their points were rock solid. We got into numerous Black and Grey Francolins, and even had a pointed California Quail. Late one morning, we moved down to a thicker area and shot our Barred Doves. Our Molokai upland trip could not have gone better.
The whole experience of bringing our dogs to hunt in Hawaii took a lot of planning but it was well worth it. Although it was before my time, hunting on Molokai must have been what it was like hunting on the mainland 50-75 years ago. We found francolin in large numbers, they held for points and our dogs pointed WILD birds like we never before experienced. In addition, while watching the dogs work, we could glance over and see the ocean coming up to the rocky shore. Hunting upland on Molokai is a memory that I’ll hold on to forever. And, it is an experience I plan to have again. If you are a serious upland hunter, THIS HUNT NEEDS TO BE ON YOU, AND YOUR DOG’S, BUCKET LIST.
If you’re looking for a great hunting trip, do not overlook Hawaii. It is a great trip to take with a group or with your significant other. Even if your significant other, doesn’t hunt, Hawaii has plenty to keep everyone busy. Give the team at WTA a call and discuss all of the many options that Hawaii has to offer!
