Aloha everyone, my name is Michael and I live on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. I’ve been living here almost 10 years, but I only seriously started to hunt with airguns a few years ago. I was lucky enough to befriend Manny Padroni (aka Nomadic Pirate) who taught me that hunting feral pigs is more about shot placement than power… more on that later. For this hunt I decided to try and show you some of the terrain we encounter here in Hawaii, but what I ended up with was a whole lot more.
As you read through this short adventure notice how the foliage changes with the elevation. At 800 feet above sea level the forest is pretty dense and cool, then it gets hotter & drier with elevation. Ascending to about 1000 feet.
My rifle of choice was a .25 caliber custom Rapid by Swift. It is an unregulated airgun that I have set to shoot between 55-60 FPE. My pellet of choice was the hard-hitting Benjamin Domes. The metal alloy makes these pellets ideal for penetrating bone.
Ascending the main trail.
[url="http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y340/thegr8wendt/Pest%20Control/DSC05271_zpswipyfqiq.jpg"]
Ascending the single-track trail up the ridgeline, 1200 feet elevation.
Near the summit of this particular ridge, 1400 feet elevation.
Time for a little break.
Descending back to a cooler level.
Descending further.
This is one of the hides I built. It frequently rains here and it’s nice to wait out the weather in comfort. Despite seeing some rooting and droppings in the area, I’ve yet to take a pig from this hide.
Feral pigs are very intelligent creatures with a keen sense of smell and hearing. The majority of my success has been hunting from a blind/hide in an elevated position. However this day was very different. I had descended off of the ridgeline down to about 900 feet. The climate was much cooler, especially since it had just rained. The foliage was thick and I was walking into a light breeze. I had almost given up on this hunt when I heard some snorting and rooting ahead of me. I paused to get my bearing and set down the camera and tripod (sorry no scopecam video this time). Ever so slowly I made my way towards the rooting. The previous rain was a blessing in disguise because it softened the ground and leaves underfoot. My heart rate increased with every step I took closer to the sounds. At one point I could actually smell the pig, but I couldn’t see it. The forest was so thick all I could think about was getting a clear shot. I cautiously proceeded down the trail to the right. And then it happened; there it was standing just off center of the trail… Hogzilla.
Now I’ve taken a few small to medium size pigs but this hog was enormous. I took a few steps back out of view to compose myself. I estimated that the hog was 25-30 feet away so I dialed down the magnification and set the parallax of the scope. I slowly inched my way around the corner until I had a good line of sight. I knelt down on my right knee and rested my left elbow on my left knee (holding the fore stock in my left hand). I waited for what seemed to be an eternity for the pig to turn broadside. I had my crosshairs trained on its temple and as soon as it presented me with a shot… I took it. One shot, drop and flop. I was only a few hundred yards (downhill) from my destination, so I dragged the beast to a nice clearing for this trophy picture.
The boar weighed in at 170 pounds so I named it Hogzilla. My buddy Kai, came over and helped me break it down, now it’s off to the smoker. To be honest, I felt a little “under-gunned”. I wouldn’t recommend taking an animal of this size unless you’ve studied its anatomy & are confident that you can make the perfect shot. That being said, this is yet another example of how proper shot placement is more important than raw power.
[url="http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y340/thegr8wendt/MISC/DLNRpatch2_zpsea9108eb.jpg"]
[url="http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y340/thegr8wendt/MISC/DLNRpatch2_zpsea9108eb.jpg"]
As you read through this short adventure notice how the foliage changes with the elevation. At 800 feet above sea level the forest is pretty dense and cool, then it gets hotter & drier with elevation. Ascending to about 1000 feet.
My rifle of choice was a .25 caliber custom Rapid by Swift. It is an unregulated airgun that I have set to shoot between 55-60 FPE. My pellet of choice was the hard-hitting Benjamin Domes. The metal alloy makes these pellets ideal for penetrating bone.
Ascending the main trail.
[url="http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y340/thegr8wendt/Pest%20Control/DSC05271_zpswipyfqiq.jpg"]
Ascending the single-track trail up the ridgeline, 1200 feet elevation.
Near the summit of this particular ridge, 1400 feet elevation.
Time for a little break.
Descending back to a cooler level.
Descending further.
This is one of the hides I built. It frequently rains here and it’s nice to wait out the weather in comfort. Despite seeing some rooting and droppings in the area, I’ve yet to take a pig from this hide.
Feral pigs are very intelligent creatures with a keen sense of smell and hearing. The majority of my success has been hunting from a blind/hide in an elevated position. However this day was very different. I had descended off of the ridgeline down to about 900 feet. The climate was much cooler, especially since it had just rained. The foliage was thick and I was walking into a light breeze. I had almost given up on this hunt when I heard some snorting and rooting ahead of me. I paused to get my bearing and set down the camera and tripod (sorry no scopecam video this time). Ever so slowly I made my way towards the rooting. The previous rain was a blessing in disguise because it softened the ground and leaves underfoot. My heart rate increased with every step I took closer to the sounds. At one point I could actually smell the pig, but I couldn’t see it. The forest was so thick all I could think about was getting a clear shot. I cautiously proceeded down the trail to the right. And then it happened; there it was standing just off center of the trail… Hogzilla.
Now I’ve taken a few small to medium size pigs but this hog was enormous. I took a few steps back out of view to compose myself. I estimated that the hog was 25-30 feet away so I dialed down the magnification and set the parallax of the scope. I slowly inched my way around the corner until I had a good line of sight. I knelt down on my right knee and rested my left elbow on my left knee (holding the fore stock in my left hand). I waited for what seemed to be an eternity for the pig to turn broadside. I had my crosshairs trained on its temple and as soon as it presented me with a shot… I took it. One shot, drop and flop. I was only a few hundred yards (downhill) from my destination, so I dragged the beast to a nice clearing for this trophy picture.
The boar weighed in at 170 pounds so I named it Hogzilla. My buddy Kai, came over and helped me break it down, now it’s off to the smoker. To be honest, I felt a little “under-gunned”. I wouldn’t recommend taking an animal of this size unless you’ve studied its anatomy & are confident that you can make the perfect shot. That being said, this is yet another example of how proper shot placement is more important than raw power.
[url="http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y340/thegr8wendt/MISC/DLNRpatch2_zpsea9108eb.jpg"]
[url="http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y340/thegr8wendt/MISC/DLNRpatch2_zpsea9108eb.jpg"]
