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Hawaiian Chukar! by,
Hawaii- land of sun, sand, surf and BIRD HUNTING!! It didn’t seem real. Here we were waiting expectantly behind a good pointer on a rock solid point and in the distance was a backdrop of azure blue ocean. Gun at ready, we were anticipating the flush of a chukar into the stiff ocean breeze. Now this was hunting at its zenith!!! It hadn’t started out as a hunting vacation- this trip to Hawaii. Rather this was our escape time, using our timeshare weeks for our annual visit to the Kona coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. This year we were visiting fresh off a pheasant hunt in eastern South Dakota where my wife, Wanda, initiated herself and her first ever shotgun- a Berretta 626 28 ga O/U into the sport of shooting and bird hunting at the ripe age of ….well over 50!! . That trip had succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. Productive pheasant shooting of both wild and preserve birds over our small English setter and small Munsterlander had hooked Wanda. Good time or not- she made it clear that had really been my vacation- now it was her time, although I was not a reluctant companion- who could be at the thought of vacationing in Hawaii. No this was water and relaxation time. We had been coming to Kona for several years and were staying for one of our weeks at Kona Hawaiian Village, a newly developed project. Of course, we would be faced with the inevitable sales pitch that seems to be a requirement of being a timeshare owner visiting a new spot. We were not planning on buying so I came prepared to share the usual banal pleasantries with our assigned salesperson- Bob-Fitzgerald as he went through his ritual sales pitch, before politely making our escape. Things changed however. A chance mention of our trip to South Dakota led Bob to recount the fabulous bird hunting he had enjoyed on the Big Island since his arrival over 20 years ago!! Chukar, Gambel Quail, California Quail, Sandgrouse (sharptails ) , several varieties of pheasant, Francolin, wild turkey and dove - had all flourished after being introduced to the island. In all 13 different varieties of game bird were available for the enthusiast all within a 45 minute drive of where we were sitting.
Now that peaked my interest and we talked for the entire morning about hunting, the best type of gun dog for the Island , where we could go, license requirements and shooting preserves. Hawaii requires proof of a hunter safety course taken in some jurisdiction, in order to obtain a state hunting license. As neither Wanda or I had taken one we were not eligible, and the next alternative was a private shooting preserve..
At Bob’s suggestion we contacted Tobi Fisher, who with her husband Patrick, manage a 15,000 acre preserve on the Parker Ranch located in the lush grassy uplands of the north part of the island. Parker Ranch is the oldest continuously family owned ranch in the United States, having been founded by the Parker family in 1847. It is set in a kaleidoscope of greens, in the northern part of the Big Island and its 250,000 acres wrap around the slopes of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano which rises to 14,000 feet to its snow-capped summit. Before coming to the Parker Ranch the Fishers managed a preserve on Maui (another little known hunting secret) but had relocated to the Waimea area only the year before with the goal of bringing the existing hunt club and its facilities up to Orvis standards. In a few short years I’m certain it will become a very popular destination. Tobi enthusiastically assured us that they could provide guns, guide, dog, birds and good weather- the rest was up to the shooter. As we were hunting on the preserve, we were “restricted’ to chukar and two kinds of pheasant -the classic ringneck, and its larger cousin- the blue or black pheasant ( I didn’t know there was anything other than the ringneck until then!)- some birds are released , and others are wild that have reproduced naturally in that island paradise with minimal predators. Chukar!!!!!- I was looking forward to my first chukar hunt. None of that masochistic rock climbing required in Idaho and Nevada—this was going to be like back on the deserts of Arizona sans rattlesnakes and searing heat.
Tobi gladly made arrangements for us to come up for a shoot and she suggested an early morning arrival as the trade winds can get quite strong in the afternoon at that time of the year. Wanda elected to not hunt as she did not have “her gun” along. I would shoot on the lower levels of the preserve, about 4,000 foot elevation along the base of Mauna Kea. Now this was becoming a real vacation- shooting in the morning and snorkeling in the afternoon
In addition to the shooting preserve on which the public can hunt for a daily fee , Parker Ranch club members can hunt the remaining acres of the ranch during the regular Hawaiian hunting season ( November to late January). This opens up the opportunity for the 11 varieties of game bird on the island as well as Russian Boar, wild cattle and sheep..
A short 45 minute drive from Kona along the spine of the island had us at the ranch by the appointed 7:30 am . We were met at the gate by Mike Parris who is in charge of habitat development and in his spare time guides with his dog Kula.! Driving along the ½ mile ranch road several grouse like birds rose into the air as we passed and promptly disappeared down slope propelled by a stiff breeze. They looked like low flying jets as they skimmed the lush green grass down the gradual slope to settle into one of the many little draws that dotted the countryside. We later found out they were chukar. Before exiting our vehicle, Wanda commented how surreal our surroundings were. We were blessed to have arrived the day after the biggest snow fall in 25 years, and with the snow –yes SNOW--on the nearby mountaintop and the cool breeze we could have been in the vales of Austria. When we exited our rented SUV the “stiff” breeze propelling the birds along was really a 30-40 mph minor gale. It appeared Tobi’s tradewinds had arrived a few hours earlier than expected. We had to bend forward into the wind as we walked and Mike suggested that we reschedule our trip when this front had blown through. He found enthusiastic support from Wanda who was bundled in the few warm clothes she had brought to this tropical paradise- not expecting 48 degrees and a wind chill which lowered it another 5 degrees or so. I was undaunted ,however, and suggested we at least put the dog down and see what happened. If it was too rough we could always come back—but after all we were here and the whining from the dogbox showed the dog’s desire to go.
With Mike’s kind permission we agreed on a trial run and if the shooting was bad we would reschedule.. I selected a Browning 20 ga O/U from the several shotguns Mike had brought along for me to try. We were then introduced to Kula, his 2 year old english pointer, GSP cross and we set her down to make a few casts. We hadn’t walked 25 feet from our SUV and I was still putting a pair of #6’s in the chambers when Kula locked up on a tight point - tail straight up in the air, and nose buried in the plantation grass the chukar love to hide in on Parker Ranch. Unlike her GSP mother whose classic color she had, she had the full tail of her pointer father. Whirr- a pair of brown blurs exploded into the wind like two F-16’s on an attack run, and I was left with two empty barrels in the Browning and not even a feather to show for it.
It was like being back in South Dakota when the roosters hit the ever present western gale that blows across the prairie. At least I had another excuse besides a strange gun to blame my poor performance on.. Mike kindly made no comment on my shooting prowess, although Kula gave me a strange glance when there was thing to retrieve, but undaunted I decided to push on. . After all I had driven 30 miles and had given up a morning of snorkeling, so a little wind was not going to deter me, at least not yet. My mental attitude was correct- after all even if I hit nothing, the scenery was worth the trip. To the west and below us , we could see the blue of the ocean and just make out the white creases of the breakers, while to the north lay a green verdant valley and to the east the garden slopes of Mauna Kea. Kula, however, was all focus and was undistracted by this beauty around her. She hadn’t gone another 20 yards when her nose went down and as she pivoted into a classic pointing dog pretzel. Mike kicked the grass and a beautiful blue pheasant rooster rocketed into the sky . This was the first of nearly a half dozen Kula would point and we would flush that morning, along with another half dozen or so ringnecks. Having had a great pheasant hunt in South Dakota, however, I was only interested in chukar which I had never hunted before.
Mike suggested we head down into a slight draw where the wind might not be so strong, but before we could get there Kula was onto another bird. This time I was more careful and as the chukar flushed I led it a long way and promptly missed with the top barrel- a frustrating second shot with the bottom barrel surprised us all as the bird dropped about 45 yards out- a single lucky pellet to the head!! Don’t all bird hunters shoot their birds in the head.?? Kula was on it in a flash and retrieved to hand. My appetite was whetted and there was no way we were going to reschedule- wind storm or not!
In the draw, and out of the wind, we kicked up more pheasant, and then a pair of chukar which I was lucky to double on. They held extremely well and the second only flushed after the report of the first shot, making the double quite easy. The birds all seemed to be in pairs, and we even had a double- double flush- the second pair rising, of course, as I was reloading.
It was wonderful to watch Mike work with his dog. They had a bond you rarely see between man and beast. She was more friend than dog. He would call her in every fifteen minutes or so and take out a portable bowl, give water and make her rest for a few minutes before sending her on. (He probably suspected with my shooting and the wind it might be a long morning and he wanted to keep the dog as rested as possible.) Every third or fourth time he would pour some water on her belly and allow the evaporation to cool her down. A trick I subsequently used on my dogs on returning to the deserts. It makes it much easier on them and allows you to keep a dog in the field for another 45 minutes or so on a warm day. We hunted the side slopes for another couple of hours and had great success We put another dozen or so chukar in the air and had seven in our game pouch before reluctantly turning back toward the vehicles. As we walked several pheasant called on a ridge not far away, but up wind from us. We headed off to find them, but the eddying winds off the ridge top were causing false scent and Kula was having difficulty locating the birds. With the now strong wind in our faces we were able to get within 40 yards or so of a walking ringneck rooster before the bird spotted us and was skyborn. Unfortunately for him he took off into the wind and was held up long enough for me to bring him down- but he took off running in the tall grass. Kula ran him down, and as she had all morning, delivered to hand. It had been a grand outing and time to call it quits.
Heading down the road we were within 50 yards of the vehicles when we lost sight of Kula. We discovered her ahead and to the right about 30 yards, on point at the road’s edge on a little clump of grass that a Bobwhite couldn’t hide in. As I strolled over a chukar came out from beneath her nose and I managed to miss both barrels as it flew directly away from me-. the joys of not paying attention. As many shotgunners will tell you, those straight-aways can be the toughest shots. Mike field dressed our birds and reluctantly said our good-byes to Mike and Kula but promised we would be back. Back at the coast that night and over the next few days we shared braised, grilled and baked chukar and pheasant with our friends. As for Bob Fitzgerald, our salesman, well we did buy that timeshare- It was the least we could do after Bob’s great tip. We’ve already made our plans to be back next year at Parker Ranch in January only this time I’ll be looking to bring home one of those blue pheasants which will make a stunning mount. AND Wanda insists we bring her gun along. She is not going to be left out. We’ll let you know how we made out when we return
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