Hawaiian Mountain Goat Hunting

One of the things that got me excited about hunting was the thought of adventure, being

in the woods, carrying gear, and being with friends all seemed like an exciting way to continue a

feeling that has left since leaving the military. This hunt was full of every bit of excitement and

thrill I could have asked for.

It was 0300 when my alarm went off, I had already laid out my clothes for the morning

the night before in my excitement. I got dressed and went downstairs to feed my animals and

prep the last things on my packing list. 0330 rolled around and Wyatt was at my door ready for

our third hunt into the mountains of Hawaii. “Are you ready to grab us a king billy!” Wyatt asked.

“I've never been more ready,” I replied. We loaded our gear into the truck, double and triple

checking that we have everything we need. “I definitely forgot toilet paper, and will be needing

some after this coffee,” Wyatt said to me with a giant grin. “I got plenty, no worries, and if I don't,

it has two sides” I said with a huge laugh. I started the truck and we took off into the dark talking

about what we did well the previous times we hunted together such as starting high and hunting

low and different tactics we could implement this time around.. We chatted nonstop in

excitement until we got to our starting point an hour away in the valley of Waianae.

Once there we waited for our friend Jayson who seemingly always shows up on

“Hawaiian time.” We had all our gear ready to go when our old Japanese friend, Jayson, finally

pulled up. Jayson jumped out of his truck with an enormous smile stretching his gray beard.

“0330 Jayson! We're gonna miss first light again because of you!” I scolded him. Jayson just

laughed it off with his go lucky demeanor and said “we’ll be good, I have a great feeling we’ll

encounter some king billies”. So we all quickly moved to the check in station and said well, we

have three hours of hiking now. Let's get to it.

The hike to our location was a brutal one; with the only light being our cheap dim head

lamps.The first half mile is all a scramble in the dark starting at sea level and going up to 1000ft.

Once at the first peak, we took a break. “We did that in record time, 45 minutes” I said. All three

of us gasping for air, panting like dogs that won't stop chasing a ball, having a good chuckle

about needing to start running.

The second phase of the hike is the easiest part, almost all flat on the ridge, but also has

some of the more technical and scary parts. We sped along the ridge trying to make up for

Jayson’s inability to be on time. Then, we got to the part we coined “Death's valley.” In the dark,

using headlamps, this isn't too scary because you can't see too well, but during the day it's a

ledge that is a straight drop down into a valley. We all hugged the side of the mountain and

shuffled our feet slowly, always making sure to have three points of contact to make it across

the 100ft ledge.

The third phase was next, the sun was coming up, and we realized we were in a giant

cloud. At this point the goats are starting to wake up and we have to cross a ridge that is a

straight drop on either side. Fortunately, there is room to walk on top of it unlike the death valley

ledge. We waited for the cloud to cover our movement while we scurried across the ledge. Once

we made it across we all fist bumped in excitement. How lucky we are, we always get busted by

goats when we cross that spot. Once across, the hunting begins but we still have a few hundred

feet of elevation to go. This is an easier part of the hike but we have to move slower and more

methodically not to spook the animals. We continued our hike and finally arrived to our final

checkpoint that we call the “IV rock” (we once gave ourselves IV drips here to prepare for the

hike down).

We were successful in hiking all the way to our hunting spot. On top of the ridge we can

look down either side. The north side is heavily jungled with a steep down hill. The south side

has a valley that is very open, but has giant rocks and boulders to use as cover. The group

agreed that Wyatt would get the first stalk on an animal in the valley. The only issue was the

clouds were so dense we could barely see 30 yards in front of us. Wyatt went down into the

valley and we lost sight of him as the clouds kept rolling in. Jayson decided he would stay on

top of the ridge in a makeshift tree blind to help scout. I went to the next finger over to scout an

area that allowed me to look into Wyatts valley and the next valley over.

For over an hour we heard goats bleating but could not see them due to the clouds. We

could hear them all over the valley, moving from east to west, north to south, wherever they

wanted but we were blinded. I eventually went to meet up with Jayson. I started talking to

Jayson about the clouds and different ways we can get some success if it doesn't clear up.

Jayson said, “don't worry about it. The clouds will burn off and well be surrounded” as he just

kicked back against a rock and pulled a rice ball from his bag and began eating.

Then all of a sudden Wyatt sent us a text, “Jayson get your rifle and come into the valley.

There are herds of king billies walking around about 200 yards.” Me and Jayson started heading

down into the valley. As the clouds cleared we started to find fresh droppings within 30 yards

from where we were sitting. At this moment the hunt was on!

We found Wyatt sitting in between two rocks looking to the East at a herd of billies. To

the West, me and Jayson noticed four huge king billies walking on the ridge. Jayson didn't want

to take a shot at that moment because he had a rifle and Wyatt and I had bows. I told him I was

going to head to the top of the ridge and try to find the herd. I headed to the ridge, moving

slowly and finding different rocks to move to as cover. The openness of the valley makes it very

difficult to navigate strategically. Once at the ridge, I was at IV rock; I knew the goats were

heading this way but didnt know when. I set up behind a rock and waited.

I saw the first goat come over the ridge; a big black billy leading the pack. Then behind

him I saw an even bigger brown one. That was the one I wanted, the king billy we've been

talking about. I ranged them at 50 yards. Too far I thought, but they kept moving closer. I ranged

them at 40 yards, this is where I'll take my shot. I got ready, looking for a clear path. The billy

was facing me and I just needed him to turn, and turn he did, however he was quick and dipped

behind a rock. I thought I blew my chance. I thought I should go and stalk them, but I knew from

previous failures that patience is not my virtue, so I waited what felt like an eternity but was

probably only 3 minutes. I looked down into the north side of the jungle valley and saw the big

black billy! I didn't notice any others from the pack, I figured the brown one must have gone

lower. I drew my bow back and started to sight in on the billy. He could not have been more than

20 yards. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw the brown king billy. I slowly moved to sight in

on him. He was behind a tree grazing in the jungle. I held and held until he walked past the tree.

I released my arrow and hit right where I was aiming. The goat took off down into the jungle.

I was pumped, and waited a few minutes before I started my trailing. As I went down to

find my arrow I found it stuck in the ground. My arrow was covered in blood so I knew I had a

good shot. The mountain was steep on this side. I started to slowly make my way down when

my footing gave out and I fell onto my back. I started sliding down the mountain, kicking my feet

trying to stop. There was a ledge about 20ft away. I kept kicking and tried grabbing whatever I

could. I was able to stop right before the ledge. My heart was racing. The ledge was about a 10

foot drop and definitely would have hurt to tumble off of.. I peaked over the ledge and there was

the king billy I've been in pursuit of.

While I was dragging the billy up the mountain I heard a rifle shot. “Man, I hope Jayson

got one!” I thought to myself. I got to the ridge and looked down and saw Wyatt with a goat and

Jayson with his. We collected the three of them and began to field dress them. Each one of us

reveling in our success and swapping stories. We couldn't believe each of us got one. We are all

new to hunting and have had many failed attempts on this mountain.

Some people say hiking back with a successful harvest feels lighter, that couldn't be

further from the truth. The journey back was filled with painful knees, excruciating heat, but most

importantly shared laughter. The thrill of the hunt, beauty of the Hawaiian mountains, and

camaraderie with friends are what make this hunt an unforgettable journey.