My boar-hunting tale took place on January 2, 1998. The hunting party consisted of my buddies, Al (who provided the land), Scott (an unarmed observer), my son Isaac (his first big game hunt), and me. We left camp at 7:30 a.m. and walked into the woods and up the mountain (Mt. Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii). About ten minutes into the hunt, in a heavy mango forest that was open underneath, Isaac caught movement up ahead and asked me, "Dad...what's that?" pointing with his finger. Up the slope 150 yards ahead was a herd of six to eight wild boars feeding on the hillside. I called to Al, "Al...pigs dead ahead." Al saw the pigs and instantly ducked down, motioning to Scott to do the same.

Al then signaled to Isaac and me to come forward to take the shot. Isaac and I stalked up to within 100 yards of the herd but couldn't get any closer because of the lack of cover. Isaac, too nervous to shoot from that distance with open sights at the first big game he'd ever seen, insisted that I take the shot. There were two exceptionally large boars in the herd, but the bigger of the two was behind a large mango tree. I decided to wait for him to come out.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally came out from behind the tree. I aimed carefully with my Marlin 94 44-mag and squeezed the trigger. BOOM! The big boar dropped instantly, letting out a roar that my son described later as sounding like the roar of the T-Rex in "Jurassic Park". The herd scattered at the sound, with most of the boars running uphill and into the forest cover. One of the bigger boars turned and started running in our direction. He turned again slightly, and, at seventy yards to my left, I levered another round and lead the pig and shot. The boar dropped at the report of my gun and rolled down the slope toward us. He let out a roar that echoed through the forest. We had two boars in less than fifteen minutes into the hunt. The biggest weighed in at over 300 pounds. The second weighed 185 pounds. These were my two biggest boars to date. It was very exciting for all, especially Isaac.

Al dressed out the 185-pound boar and then he and Scott carried it back to camp. He brought back help to haul the bigger pig. Even with four burly youths helping, the big boar was heavy (we had tied the legs to a stout sapling, safari style). It was a good thing we were so close to camp! After the picture taking, Al and I spent the rest of the day skinning, deboning and butchering the pigs. What a workout!

The next day I did a little fishing off the nearby lava rock coastline and hooked up to two nice PAPIO, 8 pounds and 2 pounds. A very productive weekend!

I'd like to thank my buddy, Al, who lets us hunt and camp on his land. He guided us, as well as helped me debone and butcher all the pork. Thanks too, to Isaac, whose sharp eyes spotted the pigs. Next time, Isaac, the shot is yours. And thanks to Scott, Shawn, Jason, and Kelii, for helping to haul the pigs back to camp. Happy hunting! Hawaii really is an outdoorsman's paradise.

A hui hou, Ji Fay