The 50th state offers much more than sun, beaches and waves
By Gary Kramer
As we came within a quarter-mile of the water trough, Patrick's pointer Kana abruptly stopped and assumed the classic pose with head forward, back straight and tail high. Mea moved in and honored the point. Patrick motioned Kelly and me to move in behind the dogs. The moment Kelly reached the dogs, a gray bombshell exploded from the grass. She shouldered her 20-gauge auto, squeezed the trigger and the first francolin of the trip hit the ground.
The second bird was a delayed flush that came up on my side. I swung hard right and missed clean with my first barrel. The bird ducked behind a patch of brush before I could fire a second round and flew off untouched. Kelly's bird was a mature cock Erkel's francolin, an African game bird related to northern hemisphere partridges. It was about the size of a pheasant with a short tail, chestnut crown and whitish throat. It had yellow legs and double spurs, making it an impressive bird in the hand.
Now we knew better what to expect and headed off across the grass- and rock-covered landscape. For the next hour we worked the hillsides and draws with the pointers finding birds on a regular basis. Most of them held in pairs and small groups of up to six while a few flushed wild. It was like hunting Huns or sharptails in grass and brush cover with virtually every bird shot in front of a seasoned and steady pointer. By the time we stopped to water the dogs at 9:00 a.m. we had our three-bird limits of Erkel's francolin.
The truck was more than a mile away and we headed in that direction. As we skirted a draw lined with brush, Kana went on point. I dropped into the draw to investigate, fully expecting to find another francolin. I was surprised when a covey of 20 California quail flushed in front of the dog. While the majority of the covey flushed wild and too far away for a shot, a single bird followed the edge of the draw and flew toward me before going vertical to clear the steep slope. I managed to catch up with the fleeing target, anchoring the first California quail of the trip. With pheasants, francolin and now quail in possession, we were on our way to a true mixed bag.
On the way back to the pick-up, the dogs found several Erkel's francolin and a couple of hen pheasants. Each time we walked up on the dogs, we were hoping for another covey of quail or a rooster pheasant. Just before we reached the pick-up, Patrick suggested we work a series of lava ridges where he had seen quail in the past.
Kana was working a rocky outcrop when she bumped a covey of chukars that flushed out of gun range. Patrick was a bit upset with the dog but pleased we had located a covey of chukars in an area where he had seen them only on one other occasion. We watched as they flew downhill to a jumble of rocks at least a quarter-mile away. Kelly, Patrick and I headed downhill with no hesitation toward the birds. Patrick called the dogs in and kept them at heel until we reached the area we saw the birds land.
Fifteen minutes later, the dogs were working the cover when Mea went on point. Almost at the same moment Kana went on point as well but 100 yards in the opposite direction. We decided to split up and investigate both points. I came in below Mea but nothing happened. Patrick released the dog and she crept forward, then stopped, and then crept forward again. Nearly 100 yards up the hill, the dog finally pushed the birds hard enough for them to hold momentarily before flushing.
Suddenly, there were a dozen chukar flushing all around me and I struggled to pick a target. I swung on a target going straight away, found my mark and fired, anchoring the bird. A late-flushing chukar provided another opportunity but my second shot missed the mark. Nonetheless, I was happy to add another species to the bag.
Meanwhile, Kelly moved in on Kana and put up another Erkel's, which she watched fly off then apologized to the dog for not shooting. Somehow the dog didn't appreciate the fact she already had a limit of Erkel's francolin in her game bag.
We finally reached the vehicle, loaded up the dogs and birds and drove back to Patrick's house for a midday break and lunch. His house is located just off the Saddle Road on the Parker Ranch, a 185,000-acre working cattle ranch founded in 1847 on the Big Island of Hawaii.
In recent years, the ranch has diversified their operations by offering day hunts for big game (mouflon sheep, feral sheep, feral goats and wild boar), both day shoots and season memberships for birds, and have established a bird shooting preserve.
The hunting/wildlife management operation on the Parker Ranch is run by Patrick Fisher, who formerly ran the Ulupalakua Hunting Club on Maui. Since he took over the operation in the spring of 2001, he has diligently worked on the habitat management aspect of the operation and has put in water developments, food plots and modified grazing programs.
With 185,000 acres, the hunting areas on the Parker Ranch are nearly unlimited and range in elevation from near sea level to more than 8,000 feet. On my recent trip we enjoyed mixed-bag shooting in brush and grass habitat at about 4,000 feet, excellent hunting for gray and black francolin at 1,000 feet in the Kohala region, and chukar in the shadow of Mauna Kea near 7,000 feet. Limits are liberal with three ringnecks, three Erckel's francolin, eight black francolin, gray francolin or chukar (all one species or in combination) and 15 California quail.
The 2002-2003 season was one of the best in the past decade. Limits were the rule rather than the exception and bird populations were high. Until the spring of 2002, the Hawaiian Islands had experienced various stages of a long-term drought. The dry conditions reduced bird populations throughout the Islands and devastated them in some areas. The spring of 2002 was wet and the long awaited moisture came at the perfect time to trigger tremendous bird hatches. As a result, I observed at least a threefold increase in the game bird populations on the Big Island compared to previous years.
In addition to wild birds, the Parker Ranch operates a pheasant and chukar preserve with hunting available from early October to late February. The birds are raised in the Islands and exhibit excellent flight characteristics. The difference between the preserve birds and the wild birds was undetectable.
Finally, it must be noted that a bird hunt in Hawaii is truly a spouse-friendly vacation. It's easy to hunt birds for a half day or full day and still be back at one of the beach resorts for afternoon cocktails and dinner with your significant other. Your spouse can enjoy the warm weather, beaches and the varied recreation the Islands have to offer while you are enjoying some of the best bird hunting in North America.
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BOWHUNTER