Post by: Call em in on February 23, 2021, 07:14:36 AM
Please feel free to PM me if you don’t want to respond here.
Thank you for reading!
Post by: jamesfromseattle on February 23, 2021, 09:13:07 AM
For hunting, a lot of dense jungle and tough terrain without a bunch of public land. There are some better DIY options on other islands. If you want to hunt on Oahu, a guided hunt is probably the way to go.
Fishing from shore can be good, but especially on Oahu there is a learning curve. The reef fish are fished out in some areas. However, it's a low barrier to entry sort of fishery. I always take a cheap four piece rod with a spinning reel with a box of soft plastics. Another good way to do it is a snorkel with a "pole spear". I'd recommend the pole spear route just because it's so much different of an experience than you can get around here. If you really want reef fish, though, I'd recommend a couple days on a different island (which at least is pre-covid times were easy to get to).
Oahu is also not the best port for deep sea fishing in my opinion. It's a long run to the fishing grounds from Oahu, and the fishing is hit or miss. It can be lights out or you could get skunked. It is also expensive to go on a charter. And worst of all, a lot of the charters don't let you keep fish there. With most of the charters, you're essentially just paying to go as crew on a small commercial boat. This is not a scientific fact by any means, but I have a theory that the fact most of the customers are long-distance tourists with no chance of a repeat trip means the charter captains don't really care about making sure you have a good experience--especially compared to other trips you go on for that sort of money. I've been on fishing charters in a lot of different places, and have no intention of going on another in Hawaii.
If you've got time to bounce between islands, Kona (on the big island) is the best deep sea port. It's a close run to the shelf and tends to be calmer waters.
After all that doom and gloom, there is a ton of fun stuff to do there that doesn't related to hunting and fishing. If they're doing tours right now, Pearl Harbor is worth a visit. If there's a storm, check out the waves on the North Shore. Side Street Inn is my favorite restaurant (go to the original one--not the one on Waikiki). Helena's is also good if you want to get some real Hawaiian food.
Hiking in the islands is very underrated and can be incredible. My typical itinerary over there involves hiking in the morning, hitting the beach in afternoon, and going out to dinner in the evening. That keeps me plenty busy for however long I stay.
Post by: JimmyHoffa on February 23, 2021, 09:22:45 AM
Post by: jamesfromseattle on February 23, 2021, 09:27:30 AM
Would you be trying to take your own gun to Hawaii? From a few friends that have had to live there, it sounds like a real headache, and you might not have the time to deal with all their laws. I seem to recall they had to take them to the police for registration and then get background checks.
Great point. There gun laws are rough. I don't know the specifics, but definitely something to figure out before you go.
Post by: jamesfromseattle on February 23, 2021, 09:29:18 AM
Post by: Call em in on February 23, 2021, 10:52:14 AM
Gotta love spur of the moment trips. Lol. Just trying to do some research before I go!
Post by: birddogdad on February 23, 2021, 11:02:36 AM
Post by: NRA4LIFE on February 23, 2021, 11:09:37 AM
Post by: wadu1 on February 23, 2021, 11:38:36 AM
Post by: Rob on February 23, 2021, 11:55:09 AM
Post by: nwwanderer on February 23, 2021, 12:01:17 PM
Post by: JimmyHoffa on February 23, 2021, 12:25:34 PM
My dad hunted Axis deer on one of the Islands a while back. They are still there but I am not sure what Island.There are some pretty big cattle ranches on the big Island, and a lot of them have (had) a mixture of game animals and game birds. I think some of those ranches were up as high as 10,000 feet and spanned nearly 100k acres. I did hear a couple years ago that Hawaii was moving towards the ecologist model vs the biologist model and is trying to eliminate all the non-native species. Their game dept was supposedly flying helicopters around trying to shoot all the exotic species like axis deer and such.
Post by: Skyvalhunter on February 23, 2021, 12:30:20 PM
Post by: GFB_Recon on February 23, 2021, 12:36:58 PM
Hunting on the island is tough if you don’t have dogs. Pigs are the only animals you can really hunt and without dogs it’s painful because of the high population of people vs wild game.
You’re better off trying to get a fishing trip, since you’re going in March look for a charter doing the Mahimahi run
Now if you head to an outer island such as Moloka’i (axis deer) or the Big Isle hunting their with bow is better and some home owners will love it if you can kill the pigs on their property. My favorite animal to hunt on the Big Isle is moufflon, moufflon soup is delicious!
Post by: GFB_Recon on February 23, 2021, 12:43:46 PM
Post by: Call em in on February 23, 2021, 01:36:51 PM