Let Molokai Change You, Hunting Axis in Hawaii with Ku Keanini — WildFed Podcast #145

10 days on Molokai, hunting, gathering, and connecting with local people to learn a bit about their culture and life there. We couldn’t be more grateful to have had this kind of experience!

Unlike Waikiki Beach in Oahu’s Honolulu, Molokai isn't cluttered with high-rise hotels and high-end shopping centers. You have the distinct impression you're on people's home turf. The infrastructure that’s there is for the people who live there. The island is small, just 10x38 miles, and it’s been through its share of hardships.

Bombed by the US military for ordinance testing, exploited for cash crops by the pineapple industry, overgrazed by the cattle industry, and currently, a test site for GMO crops, this island and its people have a reason not to want the steady stream of outsiders that have turned some of the other Hawaiian islands into popular tourist destinations.

That said, it's still something of a paradise, protected as it is on three sides by its sister islands, and by the world's highest sea cliffs that stand sentinel on its Northern shores — there’s a reason it's considered the piko, or navel, of the Hawaiian Archipelago. With its incredible lush Eastern half, complete with enormous cascading tropical waterfalls, its beautiful beaches, abundant and productive ocean, and of course the spirit of Aloha which infuses everything as a kind of constant ambiance that sets the tone for a more relaxed and chilled out way of living than mainlanders like ourselves are used to.

But, Molokai has a serious exotic animal issue, and at a level like nothing we've ever witnessed before. We've heard, many times during our hunting years, about animal populations that exceed carrying capacity and require intensive management, specifically where hunting is the primary tool for doing so. But wow, we just weren't prepared for the level of axis deer overpopulation that we witnessed there. On any given day of hunting, our team would find dozens of shed antlers, and several deadheads too, the skeletal remains of animals that have died due to drought and competition for the limited nutritional resources they need to survive.

Now, it’s important to mention, that many of the residents there we met subsist on Axis deer, which most agree is amongst the finest venison in the world, so as far as problems go, there’s at least this incredible culinary opportunity. But, despite the significant hunting pressure the locals exert, and the mortality induced by the drought, the animal numbers remain staggeringly high. So, outfitters like Ku, our guest today, guide visiting clients on incredible hunts.

As you can imagine, hunting there — especially for does and ewes — feels like a valuable conservation effort. And, as far as hunts go, we're not sure it gets better! Just imagine glassing for, and spot and stalking animals — western big game style — while looking out over the Pacific Ocean on three sides of you, with Oahu, Lanai and Maui in the distance, rising up out of the turquoise and jelly-blue inter-island channels that separate these tropical land masses.

And while the island and its inhabitants might be initially skeptical of visitors from away — particularly from the mainland — they are also incredibly generous and warm once you’ve demonstrated a willingness to tread lightly, listen, and not interfere with the vibes of a place that has had enough meddling by outsiders. While our experience there was unique, we quickly felt welcomed and looked after. We'll never forget the hospitality we experienced there.

So despite being from away, we were lucky enough to be let in on some incredible opportunities, like foraging fruit near some majestic ancient ruins, harvesting abundant pools of dried sea salt from the rocky coast, crabbing with grandma at a new moon low tide, or eating fresh, raw limpets and urchins from the tidal pools overlooking the islands western coast.

If you're listening to this, thinking you’d like to do some hunting on Molokai too, reach out to Ku. He’s definitely your guy. Just be cool, and leave the intensity of the Mainland life at home. Trust us, you’ll be glad you did.

View full show notes, including links to resources from this episode here: https://www.wild-fed.com/podcast/145