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.