Hunting Hawaii
Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 12:42 pm
A post in another forum brought a story to mind, but I didn't want to hijack another member's thread, so I thought I'd post that thought here.
Back in the mid 80s, I was a member of the Kaneohe Bay Marine Rod and Gun Club and surprisingly there as a lot of hunting to be done. One thing we did was to hunt Feral Goats on Kahoolawe, an island used as a bombing range by the military. There was a Goat Population on the island due to the military and the Hawaiian people sued the government to control the damage being done to the island vegetation by those goats. Hence, hunting the goats on the small island.
It brought to mind a memory of a hunt in Hawaii in the mid 80s when I was a Young Marine Sergeant. Our hunt club would fly to the small outer island and hunt, and we welcomed all military and retired military. One older retired Marine often hunted with the group.
We were hunting up and down the volcanic slopes and the terrain was rough on equipment. Bob was carrying a high end Browning Bolt Action with highly figured presentation grade walnut stock and heavily engraved and gold inlayed action and matching scope rings and scope. I knew that the rifle had to have set him back more than my CAR... I noticed the stock had several deep scratches and gouges and the engraving had mars and dings as well. As we sat on a high ridge line looking for game and taking a water break, I turned to Bob and said:
"I can't believe you would bring that rifle on this type of hunt, it's bound to beat it up even more. He just grinned. "These aren't scars son." He waved his hand over the dings and bruises. These are history, character, they are my memories."
He pointed to a deep groove along the side of the stock. "This... this is a Large Ram in Montana."
A scratch through a gold inlay on the receiver.... "This is a trophy elk up north in Canada."
A gouge in the forearm... "My largest deer to date ... each little bump tells me a story"
He shook his head. "I don't buy guns to sit in a safe and take out and ooh and ahh over. I buy guns to use.
This is a straight shooter and I love the look of it, the feel of it, and it fits me.
I'll hunt it till I can't hunt anymore, then hang it over the fireplace, and I'll take 'er down now and then and take a trip thru my memories as I touch each of the dings."
I've never forgotten that lesson.
Back in the mid 80s, I was a member of the Kaneohe Bay Marine Rod and Gun Club and surprisingly there as a lot of hunting to be done. One thing we did was to hunt Feral Goats on Kahoolawe, an island used as a bombing range by the military. There was a Goat Population on the island due to the military and the Hawaiian people sued the government to control the damage being done to the island vegetation by those goats. Hence, hunting the goats on the small island.
It brought to mind a memory of a hunt in Hawaii in the mid 80s when I was a Young Marine Sergeant. Our hunt club would fly to the small outer island and hunt, and we welcomed all military and retired military. One older retired Marine often hunted with the group.
We were hunting up and down the volcanic slopes and the terrain was rough on equipment. Bob was carrying a high end Browning Bolt Action with highly figured presentation grade walnut stock and heavily engraved and gold inlayed action and matching scope rings and scope. I knew that the rifle had to have set him back more than my CAR... I noticed the stock had several deep scratches and gouges and the engraving had mars and dings as well. As we sat on a high ridge line looking for game and taking a water break, I turned to Bob and said:
"I can't believe you would bring that rifle on this type of hunt, it's bound to beat it up even more. He just grinned. "These aren't scars son." He waved his hand over the dings and bruises. These are history, character, they are my memories."
He pointed to a deep groove along the side of the stock. "This... this is a Large Ram in Montana."
A scratch through a gold inlay on the receiver.... "This is a trophy elk up north in Canada."
A gouge in the forearm... "My largest deer to date ... each little bump tells me a story"
He shook his head. "I don't buy guns to sit in a safe and take out and ooh and ahh over. I buy guns to use.
This is a straight shooter and I love the look of it, the feel of it, and it fits me.
I'll hunt it till I can't hunt anymore, then hang it over the fireplace, and I'll take 'er down now and then and take a trip thru my memories as I touch each of the dings."
I've never forgotten that lesson.
