KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Leslie Tam favors hunting wild pigs with a Robin Hood-type longbow and arrows in Nuuanu forest. He has hit just four pigs in five years. Other Oahu pig hunters use dogs and knives, and use guns for backup.
With knives and
arrows, avid hunters
control pigsThe state says hunting keeps
the population in check to the
benefit of the forest environment
Just beyond busy Pali Highway and the high-rise buildings of downtown, Les Tam hunts wild pigs with a bow and arrow.
The area is Nuuanu Pali, an exclusive, year-round bow-hunting area from the Pali Lookout to Jackass Ginger on both sides of the highway. Hunting with dogs and rifles is prohibited.
So is hiking, except by permit, because of safety concerns. Hikers also scare away pigs.
Tam has hit just four pigs in five years. He hunts just before dark when the pigs come out; he has a half hour of light to find his wounded prey because arrows don't usually kill a pig instantly.
It's not the preferred method of hunting pigs. Pascual Dabis, president of the Oahu Pig Hunters Association, says hunters like dogs and knives and guns as backup.
State Department of Land and Natural Resources officials say pigs top the list of animals killed on public lands. Registered hunters reported killing 1,953 pigs in public hunting areas last year, with 294 killed on Oahu.
Pigs average 150 to 160 pounds, with shoulder height of 3 feet, and a body length of 60-plus inches, Dabis said.
Hawaii's feral pigs are a mix of the domesticated Polynesian pig, the wild Eurasian boar (lean, black, with tusks, a humpback over the haunches and a ridgeback) and domesticated pigs. Polynesians brought domesticated pigs when they arrived in Hawaii.
Dabis hunts for meat, employing dogs to sniff out and corner the pig, and uses a knife to kill with a rifle or pistol as backup.
For Tam, who stalks his prey using stealth, cunning, double-bladed arrows and a traditional Robin Hood-type longbow, it's the hunt that's the prize.
"To us bow hunters, it is a challenge to hunt with the most primitive equipment," he said.
But whether by bow, knife or rifle, hunters say they're keeping the feral pig population in check.
"They're able to control pigs down to a manageable way in a cost-effective fashion," said David Smith, Department of Land and Natural Resources Oahu district wildlife manager. "It would be a nightmare without the hunters" since pigs "breed like rabbits."
From 1910 to 1958, the Hawaii Territorial Board of Agriculture and Forestry ran a pig eradication program because of damage caused by feral pigs.
Pigs invade people's yards from Kaneohe to Hawaii Kai. By rooting, pigs destroy native plants and create breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which bring disease that threatens native birds.
The Hawaiian Humane Society believes hunting for sport is "contrary to the values of a humane, aware and caring society," and should be banned. The society also believes that the method used for hunting should provide the quickest death and dogs should be trained not to injure or be injured by the animal being hunted.
"With the killing of any animal for food, it should be done humanely to minimize the suffering of the animal, and, when you're factoring in the skill of the hunter with a bow or knife and the uncontrolled environment of the hunt, that can become much more difficult," said Eve Holt, a spokeswoman for the humane society.
In a hunt last month at Nuuanu Pali, Tam pointed to a wallow, noting no fresh tracks. He blamed illegal hunters for pushing pigs deeper into the valley.
He crept through the dense forest with its tangle of hau bush, taking four to five quiet steps at a time, pausing to look for signs.
"You gotta be real silent when you hunt with a bow and arrow," he said. "The pig is one of the smartest animals. Hunting is the testing of your skills against them."
Because of the pig's keen sense of smell, Tam takes great lengths to rid his body of all odors, not eating red meat or garlic and bathing with special soap.
He also washes his clothes in phosphorous-free detergent to prevent a glowing effect visible to animals in the dark.
Tam dumped a bag of corn feed fermented in beer and apple cider to lure the pigs. Often, he waits up a tree where his scent can't be picked up. But pigs will cautiously circle the area before taking the bait, he said.
He and his friends hunt from 3 to 7:30 p.m. since the pigs come out just before dark. "They feed at night because they know man's a threat," he said.
In his lifetime, Dabis has hunted and killed too many pigs to count -- six in the last two years.
Most Hawaii hunters use dogs to sniff out the pigs, Dabis said.
When the lead dog finds a pig, it will hold the animal at bay, barking until the others arrive, Dabis said. The hunters follow the sound, but once the dogs have the pig by the ear, leg or snout, they are silent.
When hunters arrive, one blocks off the nearest trail, ready to shoot if the pig should escape.
The pig's back leg tendon is severed to prevent it from running.
Death usually comes from plunging a long knife into the jugular vein, which also drains the blood. "If the animal is too big, I wouldn't want to do that, especially a boar with a good-sized tusk."
Instead, he uses his trusty dagger to slit into the ribs to cut the heart or lungs, a faster and safer method of killing the animal, he said.
"We'd rather use the knife than use the weapon," Dabis said. "If the dog holds onto the pig, you might injure the dog."
It also causes a mess and damages the meat. Dabis once shot the back end of a pig. "The entire area was completely gone, his tail and everything," he said.
But if the animal charges, the hunter is ready to shoot.
Once the pig is dead, the internal organs are quickly removed to avoid contaminating the flesh. The carcass is hung on a tree, skinned and washed.
Small pigs are quartered and divided among the group to pack out.
With bigger pigs, front legs are tied to back legs, and the bloody carcass is worn like a backpack, hunters taking turns to carry it out.
Club members keep large pigs whole, so they can be weighed for entry into contests.
Dabis smokes the meat, using a mixture of bottled Huli Huli sauce, powdered sugar and garlic.
He also makes lau lau and kalua pig, adding "pig fat to make it juicy."
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Hunting facts
Registered hunters in Hawaii in 2002:
Oahu: 5,700 Kauai: 814 Molokai: 530 Big Island: 3,470 Maui: 1,690 Total: 12,204
Reported pig kills by hunters in fiscal year 2001-2002 in public hunting areas:
Oahu: 294 Kauai: 594 Molokai: 57 Big Island: 599 Maui: 409 Total: 1,953 Source: Department of Land and Natural Resources
