wild guide abroad : maui bound
Our Hunt
Hunting with the Perreiras , is best described as a gentlemen ’ s hunt . Providing full-service , Rodney picked the four of us up at 7:00 a . m . from our condo at Kamaole Sands . An hour and a half later , we pulled into their lodge where Dawn issued our licenses and we quickly threw a few arrows to make sure our bows were on . At that point we were introduced to Amanda and Emily as well . This was great as they would accompany us , along with our daughters , Chelsea and Paige as observers .
Minutes later we were on our way bumping down a well-worn two-track in a UTV . Spotting several goats off in the distance , we took time to glass but none were worthy of a stalk – and so , we continued on our way . With the emerald blue Pacific Ocean as a backdrop , rolling lava flows and pristine mountainous terrain high above us , the view was breathtaking !
Before long we had parked and departed on foot . Rodney , Heather , and I were in the lead and the girls trailed a safe distance behind to watch . Meandering through tall grass , Rodney cautioned us to keep a lookout for horns . Typically , less than three-feet tall , the goats easily blend in and disappear in the cover . He knew where several would go to water during the heat of the day , so we made our way down a draw to try and locate them . Indeed , a short hike later he began to hunker down . Turning to us , he motioned that he could see goats grazing 80 yards away .
At this point the three of us were crouched down and moving slowly toward a large tree . I was filming and Heather had her bow in hand . Well camouflaged , our trio sat tight and watched intently . As several nannies and kids eventually grazed by us , a few smaller billies began to make their way toward us as well . Over the next hour , I captured some amazing footage , but nothing big enough to shoot made an appearance . Then , through the sparse tree cover , we noticed a particularly large billy coming our way . Eventually shifting direction , Rodney motioned that we had to move , so we carefully and quietly advanced another 40 yards . There was something about that travel route that the goats liked . Again , patiently waiting , suddenly off to our right , the big one we ’ d seen earlier reappeared and was grazing toward us . With me filming and Rodney capturing the distance with his rangefinder , he whispered 30 yards to Heather . Now , if you know my wife , you get that she ’ s intense … especially with her bow hunting . What this means in her world , is that she heard the distance and locked it in her brain . Immediately drawing her Hoyt Pro Defiant Turbo , she aimed her 30-yard pin on the striking billy ’ s chest and released ! An otherwise perfect shot left and right sailed harmlessly barely touching the hair on the top of the goat ’ s shoulder . Failing
to recognize that the goat had approached another 10 yards closer , she used the wrong pin and missed !
In her defense , these goats are extraordinarily small with the mature billies topping the scale at only 75 pounds . Bow hunt long enough and it happens to everyone . On the bright side , the video footage is epic ! As all good husbands , hunting partners , and of course guides do , we gave her a hard time and then quickly shifted back to the task at hand . That ’ s really the beauty of hunting feral goats on Maui . Their numbers are high , so you ’ re likely to see a lot and the hunt is really more about finding a trophy quality animal .
Continuing our search , we hiked up a steep hill , traversed a ridge , and dropped down into another low spot where Rodney
Rodney Perreira with his two daughters , Amanda and Emily , and Heather ’ s goat .
had seen many goats before . Following a similar routine , we located an ideal ambush spot and settled in to wait . Amazingly , every so often we would see goats appear and disappear off in the distance . We even had an axis doe come for a visit at just 27 yards . Forty-five minutes later a nice billy made an appearance , but stayed 60 yards away rarely offering a broadside angle . Eventually he vanished but then reappeared high above us on an outcropping of lava rock . At 34 yards it was then or never . Drawing her bow again , even though he was quartering toward , Heather felt confident and launched her Easton da ’ Torch arrow tipped with an 85-grain G5 Montec . Hitting its mark , the arrow buried into the big billy ’ s chest and he bolted for cover .
Wild Guide . Winter 2018 18