Hawaii family/hunting trip

[rooster440]

I’d love to plan a trip to Hawaii next year for the family to escape the northern Ohio winter. We’ve never been, I have no idea where I should be looking so I was hoping to gain some information here!
First and foremost, good family activities. Tours? Dolphins and sea turtles would be awesome to see. I’d love to get some hunting in as well. Ideally we’d be there in January, what can be hunted that time of year? Goats? Axis deer? Thanks everyone for any information they may have.


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[Rob5589]

What island?

 

[Wrench]

Assuming your a bow or spear hunter....guns and Hawaii are not in the same sentence.

 

[PathFinder]

Totally depends on the island. Some islands, taking a gun is no big deal at all. Their regs are a little funky, make sure to read the fine print about when public areas are open and for what.

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[rooster440]

What island?

Not sure. I’d like to be able to hunt axis s d Spanish goats.


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[rooster440]

Assuming your a bow or spear hunter....guns and Hawaii are not in the same sentence.

I bow hunt but prefer rifle for Hawaii because of time restraints. I’ve read that you have to register your firearm there which is a big concern of mine. I’d rather not do that.


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[Wrench]

I would forget the gun if you want to have fun. Everything I've seen has been a nightmare trying to get a gun in action there.

Bow opportunity is high due to the lack of seasons.

 

[Crowmangler]

Not exactly hunting but if you've never been offshore fishing I'd highly recommend going to Kona on the big island. One of the best places in the world to catch a big marlin & other big game fish as well as wahoo for dinner. Generally speaking the water is calm most of the time so the family could come on the boat too and you can catch them only mile or so offshore. It's also relatively inexpensive & something you'll never forget

 

[rooster440]

Not exactly hunting but if you've never been offshore fishing I'd highly recommend going to Kona on the big island. One of the best places in the world to catch a big marlin & other big game fish as well as wahoo for dinner. Generally speaking the water is calm most of the time so the family could come on the boat too and you can catch them only mile or so offshore. It's also relatively inexpensive & something you'll never forget

I’ve done quite a bit of offshore fishing all up and down the west coast. Never for marlin though. That sounds like a blast!


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[Northernpiker]

A friend (fellow Rokslider from Wisconsin) just sent me a picture from the island Lanai of a Mouflon Sheep he shot a couple days ago. Said he'd be back this week. I can ask him to look at this thread and respond.

 

[KoolBreeze]

I've been to Hawaii several times but never been hunting there. There is great scuba diving there, if that is an option. To me the best is out of Kona but Maui is great also. Or the lava tubes on the north shore of Oahu are pretty neat also.

 

[Poser]

I had a trip planned once and a hunt booked but had to cancel. I was going to go goat hunting and, if time permitted, get a hog, too. They have feral hogs that feed on macadamia nut farms which is supposed to be the most incredible meat. I wasn’t stoked on doing a guided hunt, but it made almost impossible logistics pretty easy as the Outfitter had access to private property for both species and had a selection of rifles to choose from. I was intending to come back home with 1-2 coolers of meat.

 

[Elk97]

Marlin fishing in Kona is best in the summer, not too good in January but the Mahi fishing is good (and Ono). Lots of hogs and goats on the big island, not sure about seasons/licenses etc but a call to the HI game dept should tell you.
I really like the big island ( I'm there now), it's big and varied and more to see and do than you'll have time for. The state park beach just north of the airport in Kona is our favorite. Always some turtles and there have been some enormous Monk seals on the beaches this past week.

 

[Tahoe1305]

I personally wouldn’t listen to the nay saying about guns and Hawaii. Not saying you didn’t have a bad experience but it’s no different for hunting (owning one on island is different) than any other state.

I am typing this while on a weekend trip for sheep and axis on lanai. IMO lanai is probably your best bet for game (only has sheep and deer). There are a ridiculous amount of deer (35,000 was estimate I got a few months back). I counted 60+ today with two good size bucks and winds were 30+ mph (not good, but does happen here).

There are some family activities here, but most are at the 4 seasons which is extremely pricey (~$1000 a night). You can rent ATVs, horseback, golf, I believe they have a zip line course and I’m sure there is snorkeling, but this island is mainly about hunting and it isn’t catered to the tourist crowd like Maui( which also has hunting).

You can pay a few hundred dollars a day and hunt private land (about 1/3 island is private hunting areas) or you can pay $100 and hunt public hunts by drawing(nearly 100% draw). The public hunt for archery is a week and then one weekend for rifle (the season is 8, but you draw one). There are guided hunts too but they are pricey and I promise i can get you into deer just in an email so I wouldn’t waste the money (I think they guarantee it though..)

hard part is getting cars and a hotel. That said if you are serious I am happy to provide personal contacts I’ve made over the years and they will help you out. Plan on about $120 a day for a car and same (minimum) for Airbnb.

PM me if you want webpages and more specifics. It’s a great time.

(Pict from a few hours ago when we broke for lunch from axis to go spot some sheep!)

 

[FLAK]

I tried to do the same a few years back. Ended up never taking my bow out of the case. They will sell you a hunting license but they I don't think they really want you
to hunt. Information is very, very sparse. I had located a couple WMA's I wanted to hunt. One in particular looked promising.
Took me 3 days to find the entrance to it, no signs, road names, NOTHING. Entrance was on a no name road leading up to a convent, the only signs were about the convent. So I find the entrance up this little dirt road only to find a closed gate with a sign telling me I cant go in due to aerial culling operations in process. This was NOT in the regs!!! The other place on the other end of the island supposedly bordered a 4 lane hwy going over a large mtn.
Again, no signs and no pull offs. The whole length of where its "supposed" to be had a 6ft. high chain length fence border. The only place to pull off was an overlook / park thingy where some battle took place. The "authorities" were sure on top of things when making sure you paid for your parking but were totally ignorant about the WMA this place was supposed to be on. The locals somehow forgot to speak English when asked anything about hunting, even the cop sitting in the parking lot. There were tons of those Jungle chickens and Roosters at this spot just begging to catch an arrow.
So do your research and be prepared to be frustrated because no one will offer any help. This was on Oahu BTW. As far as bringing a gun, if I can remember correctly you can but your supposed to register it with the local police the same day you arrive. Was too much of a PITA for me so I took the bow. But like I said, never took it out of the case.
Maybe the other Islands are different as far as hunting. I certainly hope so.

 

[Molon Labe]

Just got back from a solo DIY sheep hunt with rifle there. Very rugged area where I hunted. Definitely sheep country. Didn’t see any deer up there but saw deer all over in the flats by town.

I got a ram my first day but really earned it.

Travel and logistics with a gun and hunt planning wasnt that big of a deal. Do your research and it’s fine. Took me maybe 8hrs of research and phone time to get the whole thing figured out. Worth it.

 

[Redman24]

You might try spear fishing while you are there also. I did this when in Maui last year and it was a blast.


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[jester87]

I lived on Oahu for 27 years, born and raised. In general hunting and gun ownership is not part of the local upbringing. Most are indifferent to it. The majority of "hunters" do archery or spear wild pig since that's a delicacy there. Traveling with a firearm is not that big of a deal. Lock in case, declare it at the airport, goes in checked luggage. Call the local PD of the island you are planning to hunt. They will direct you if you need to register or not, it may depend on your length of stay.

Locals are generally wary of mainlanders, esp on the smaller islands. They know where everything is and they dont feel the need to mark locations because then everyone finds out and crowds in. Just the way it is there.

Oahu is the urban island and has the most shopping and restaurants. Must see: historic North Shore see the big waves in the winter, Pearl Harbor USS Arizona and Missouri is a must see. Polynesian Cultural Center is awesome too. Everything else is going to be crowded, concrete and traffic. Waikiki is a great place to buy China knock offs and see the police in action!

Big Island is the most diverse landscape wise from desert black lava to lush rain forests and the snow cap peak of Mauna Kea. The volcano park is a must see along with the black sand beaches. Lots of waterfall hikes, ATV, horseback tours. Good Rio Grande turkey hunting there but that would be in the spring.

Maui has the nicest beaches and ocean. Maui is the place to dive. There's some gorgeous day drives, the road to Hana and Haleakalā are amazing. Maui Ocean Center is a must see, esp for the kids. They have dolphins and turtles there. There's a ton of different tour adventures too.

Lanai is where the hunters go for axis and sheep. The island is small compared to the rest. Mostly private. Its always been the place to get away from people and relax on the beach or play golf. There's some ATV and boat tours but everything is extra pricey, esp the resorts. I remember there was a restaurant that served deer meat they got from the hunters. Really not much to do for extended stay with the family.

Personally, I would spend the bulk of my vacation on one of the larger islands (Big Island, Maui or Oahu) doing family stuff and then hop an inter-island flight to Lanai for a few days for the hunt. In Jan the water can be rough in certain areas. Just keep that in mind for diving and boat tours. The Humpback whales will migrate there during that time and you can book boat tours to see them. On rare occasions I would see them from shore.

 

[rooster440]

I lived on Oahu for 27 years, born and raised. In general hunting and gun ownership is not part of the local upbringing. Most are indifferent to it. The majority of "hunters" do archery or spear wild pig since that's a delicacy there. Traveling with a firearm is not that big of a deal. Lock in case, declare it at the airport, goes in checked luggage. Call the local PD of the island you are planning to hunt. They will direct you if you need to register or not, it may depend on your length of stay.

Locals are generally wary of mainlanders, esp on the smaller islands. They know where everything is and they dont feel the need to mark locations because then everyone finds out and crowds in. Just the way it is there.

Oahu is the urban island and has the most shopping and restaurants. Must see: historic North Shore see the big waves in the winter, Pearl Harbor USS Arizona and Missouri is a must see. Polynesian Cultural Center is awesome too. Everything else is going to be crowded, concrete and traffic. Waikiki is a great place to buy China knock offs and see the police in action!

Big Island is the most diverse landscape wise from desert black lava to lush rain forests and the snow cap peak of Mauna Kea. The volcano park is a must see along with the black sand beaches. Lots of waterfall hikes, ATV, horseback tours. Good Rio Grande turkey hunting there but that would be in the spring.

Maui has the nicest beaches and ocean. Maui is the place to dive. There's some gorgeous day drives, the road to Hana and Haleakalā are amazing. Maui Ocean Center is a must see, esp for the kids. They have dolphins and turtles there. There's a ton of different tour adventures too.

Lanai is where the hunters go for axis and sheep. The island is small compared to the rest. Mostly private. Its always been the place to get away from people and relax on the beach or play golf. There's some ATV and boat tours but everything is extra pricey, esp the resorts. I remember there was a restaurant that served deer meat they got from the hunters. Really not much to do for extended stay with the family.

Personally, I would spend the bulk of my vacation on one of the larger islands (Big Island, Maui or Oahu) doing family stuff and then hop an inter-island flight to Lanai for a few days for the hunt. In Jan the water can be rough in certain areas. Just keep that in mind for diving and boat tours. The Humpback whales will migrate there during that time and you can book boat tours to see them. On rare occasions I would see them from shore.

Thank you!


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[Vince8112]

Try some spear fishing!