Hawaii 2018
March 14,2018
We arrived to the big island in a rain storm on March 12. The next day we had to register our shotguns with the police station and get our turkey tags from the Wildlife department. After our morning of getting ready to hunt we made a quick scouting trip up to the mountain to see what it was going to be like and boy we had no idea. We found lots of tracks in the road and we did see one gobbler walking through and opening. We had an idea of where the birds would be the following morning. Wednesday morning greeted us with 68deg at the house by the beach 48deg raining white out on the mountain. Less than ideal conditions but we had to hunt with what we were given. We park the jeep and as day starts to break we can hear birds all over the place. While this is exciting understand you can hear a bird over a mile away, easy. We made our way to the closest bird which was up the mountain from where we were. Once we got close we set up and we could hear him drumming. He would gobble at our calls and just drum. We can't see 30yds because of the clouds and this goes on for about 45 minutes. Bradley had to go back towards the truck and as he did so I called and the bird gobbled off to my right then Bradley called from a distance and he gobbled again farther up the mountain. I decided I had better make a more and started around the hill to try to get closer. As I walked up the hill I could see where the gobbler had been standing and gobbling the whole time, it was a big rock mound and it wasn't 40yds away but we couldn't even see it. I was calling as I eased up the side of the mountain and was looking for sign. I found some fresh tracks and droppings and knew I had to be close. I made a couple soft calls and walk a little higher. I call again and in the white out I see a hen step out from behind some brush up on the side of the hill, then I see the outline of a gobbler. As I get my gun up the clouds make his ghostly appearance disappear, in a bit a disbelief I just stayed on target looking and finally the clouds gave me a slight outline of the gobbler and I took the 25yd shot. I couldn't believe it, I had taken my Hawaii bird in white out conditions it was crazy. I said my prayer and took some pics and then I hear Bradley hoot and I hoot back, it took us a little while to meet up. I shared the story with him then took some more pics, then we made our way down the mountain to the jeep.