I began my trip with a hunt for axis deer, the only animal not found on the Parker Ranch itself. Native to India, axis deer are found on Molokai, Lanai and Maui, but not on the Big Island where the Parker Ranch is. Fisher arranged for me to take one on Molokai at the Molokai Ranch, which has an incredible population of this species. We hunted for two days and saw at least 200 axis deer each day. The terrain on Molokai is rolling to steep, with most of the ranch at lower elevations, some of it right down to the ocean. The hunt was not strenuous but did require some walking, often on moderately steep slopes.
The hunting is spot and stalk, and on the second morning we located a group feeding in an open area. We made the stalk to within 230 yards before taking the shot. I bagged a 30-inch (main beam length) buck. Axis bucks over 25 inches are considered respectable and anything over 30 inches is a trophy. By noon on the second day of the trip, I had the first of the four species needed for my Hawaiian Grand Slam.
During this part of my hunt, I stayed at a place called Molokai Shore Suites, which was comfortable and convenient to the hunting area. It was also reasonably priced at $89 double occupancy.
In the early afternoon of the second day, I boarded an inter-island flight on Aloha Airlines and flew from Molokai to Honolulu to Kona.........(continued)
