Aloha!
Three years ago, I had no idea what an Axis deer was. I ran into this question all the time when I said I hunted in Hawaii. I usually had to pull out my phone and show people what an Axis Deer looks like. I don't remember where I came across them, probably on a social media page. Immediately, I knew I wanted to do that hunt. But, that would be a dream hunt and who knows if that would ever even happen. At that time, there wasn't much going on with my social media, I was barely starting hunting. Truly a completely different world than now.
Fast forward to this past year. On a whim, I said yes to a virtual Bible study that Courtney Prete mentioned on her stories one day. I had followed along with Her Outdoor Journey for some time and loved the idea of getting together with like-minded people to enjoy the outdoors. At that time, I was solo hunting and teaching myself. Everyone I knew who was into hunting was mostly through the screen on my phone.
I was scrolling one day and I saw two epic hunts come up on my screen: Australia and Hawaii. I immediately thought of axis deer, but I told myself I wasn't ready for something like that. It's so funny how we tell ourselves we have to be in this perfect place, have a certain ability, or be with specific people to take part in something.
I am getting better at ignoring those thoughts and just saying yes to the opportunities that come up. So after a few months of sitting on it, I messaged Courtney and asked if she had any openings for Hawaii. I honestly hoped she would say no and I would go on with my life without stepping out of my comfort zone. But alas, she had one spot available. My hands took control and said I was in. So months went by, and myself and some other brave women stepped onto the island of Maui ready to bow hunt one of the most difficult animals out there.
The first day, we took it easy as I got in extremely late the night before. But it was amazing to step out of your room and see the ocean in the distance and know you are about to be hunting on an island. Courtney took us through shooting fundamentals, and this was truly the perfect start. No matter how long you have been doing something, hearing someone else's perspectives helps keep your mind fresh from complacency.
We headed over to a great spot to make sure we were dialed in for the flights. Let me just say, I was not. I made a poor decision switching from a fixed three-pin sight to a single sliding sight. Now, don't get me wrong, my new sight is incredible and has completely changed my abilities as a shooter. But the flow of my shot process, well, I was not completely in sync with it. On top of that, I made the switch two weeks before and was crunched for time due to personal things, really making sure I was set to go.
So my mind was a little jumbled with mistakes I was making and a mind that was honestly not on the island that day even with views that just took your breath away. I was so appreciative that through pouring rain, Courtney, Hannah, and Stephanie stuck it out until Steph and I felt solid. We got there and reminded me that when you quit, nothing wins. You not only walk away not getting where you wanted, but it's a defeat of the mind as well.
That evening, it was time to HUNT, and I was so excited about the new animal and new environment. I had no idea what I was getting into. We split up into two groups since we had two different properties to hunt. Four of us went over to the smaller property where we had a blind set up.
It was Mother's Day, and Steph so kindly said I could be the first shooter since I was a mom. Let me say, hunting on the island, depending on where you are, is absolutely strange. This I didn't expect. These areas are private property, but you can hear dogs barking, people talking, cars, roosters crowing, and loquat fruit dropping all while you are sitting there waiting for a deer to walk in. So hearing them coming... yeah, good luck with that.
I stood in the blind watching my movement, we will get into that more. In comes a doe and a fawn. Let me just say this doe was huge, much larger than I thought they would be. She was the size of a mule deer to me as that was the closest I could compare it with. Now taking a doe with her fawn on Mother's Day, I couldn't get myself to do that. So we watched them for a few before they took off. Shortly after that, the four of us split up but there wasn't any more action that night. But I saw my first axis deer and let me say, those coats are absolutely gorgeous.
This was my element. You can leave me out in the mountains all day and I won't have a single thing to complain about. Well, unless you didn't give me enough snacks. So we were eager to get back out there first thing at first light.
So we headed in first thing in the dark, and for a girl who is used to a few-mile hike to your spot, it was something special to drive your car to the gate, get out, and walk less than a mile to your spot. I felt spoiled. We quietly walked in, and I led the group. As soon as we got just above our blind, I stopped. In the reflection of my red light, I saw eyes all over staring back at me. I froze. Finally, I started to move back, and one of the does noticed us.
Those does make the strangest sound, literally sounds like a dog bark. We eventually made our way to the blind and we split up. Hannah was stuck with me and we had the most interesting first day chasing axis deer.
It poured. And when I say it poured, it poured. We sat in the blind for 11 hours in the pouring rain with not a sight of a deer. Finally, when the rain stopped, we had both met our quota. Being a spot and stalk girl, I had to get out of the blind. So we gathered some of our stuff and went up higher to glass. We split up to cover more area. Within minutes, I got a text, "Get down here and bring your bow." The heart-pumping action I had been waiting for.
I went down there and there was a wide-open aisle but it was angled. At the bottom, I could see his rack peeking above the slope and grass. There was only one way to him, and that was in the wide open. So I did what I would do, got on my belly and decided to slide to him, well, maybe it was a partial crawl. The grass was not very tall, so I slid my bow, then I would follow it and did this until I felt I was in a good range.
I found a small nook I could sit in off to the side and then be able to sit up and hopefully be out of his range. I ranged him at 15 yards. I sat on my knees, notched my arrow, and clipped my release in. As soon as I started to draw, there he went. He slowly turned away and started to walk away. A perfect moment walking away from me.
In my eagerness, we followed, but as we did and turned a corner, a doe I didn't see made us as she let out her infamous bark. And let me add if you have never heard and axis buck scream...look it up, the most insane sound to hear.
We made our way back into the blind and eventually, about 25 yards through the brush, a buck appeared. We watched him feed on the avocado tree on the other side, but no shot was possible as he never came out from the brush. An absolutely thrilling first day of hunting, but no luck. As we walked out that night, you can't help but have your breath taken away by views like this.
Day two came and we decided to go in after first light so we didn't risk spooking them. We split again into two groups, and Hannah and I took the blind. We hoped for a dry day, but we didn't get it. So again, we sat in the pouring rain, but this day we had a few more breaks in the rain.
The first break was an exciting one. You know those moments where it has been silent, and you finally see something. Hannah was trying to protect herself from the rain and was taking a little snooze when a buck came into the left. I grabbed her foot, and thankfully, she didn't scream. I told her it was go time. This was the opportunity that haunts me.
The buck was feeding and actually wasn't aware I was there. I got to full draw and in that moment realized my rain hood was in the way. It was in my vision through my sight. I had a six-inch gap and I had a six-inch gap between two trees to make the shot. I felt good, but it wasn't good enough. I hit the left tree by less than an inch. The sound spooked the buck, and he went over to the right but continued to eat. This felt like about a ten-minute draw. I am standing 15 yards from him, and every minuscule movement he sees and looks at me. I would move a half an inch, and he would look, I would freeze and wait. This went on what seemed like forever.
I finally got back to full draw again, and as I tried to feel my anchor point through all my gear, he saw the slightest movement of my hand and ran. I barely sat down when a spike came in. I tried to slowly move to get in position to start my draw, and he caught me. I have never seen an animal so attuned to every flicker of movement and sound, especially surrounded by an environment that is making constant sounds.
We sat and waited for a few hours, and sure enough, that same buck came back at the exact same time to feed on the avocado tree. Since he had not come back out the previous day, I decided to make my way to him. I crawled through the mud and got to a spot a little under 30 yards from him. I drew back probably three times on him before I could get a clean view of him. I released. It hit. He ran. We never found him. There were a ton of lessons learned and a lot of effort put into making this dream come true. It was hard to walk away. But it is part of the growth and the journey. As much as I want to show this perfect animal and story, it's not the case for me, and I will continue to be upfront about the struggles of learning to become a hunter.
This video shows my buck and the area he came into and what I had to find a way to make it happen.
After the long night Hannah and I spent a partial day on the other property and the views. We both needed that sunshine and views. It was a peaceful day that allowed me to remember I was actually on an island.
The final day we didn't have a lot of action but we had the absolute best laughs.
The Cardinals were my random blessings to keep me motivated..even if they aren't Hannah's thing. We let her have the butterflies.
I will add my gear was a life saver this trip. I would NOT have stayed dry without my Kryptek rain gear, my Marsupial bino harness or Zamberan boots. It took a little time but was glad to have my Dialed Sight on my bow because it was best to work through those rough points of mine with the sight that is going into fall with me.
I will be back on this island some day, my journey with Axis is not done yet! Stay tuned for a post where I share my journey chasing goats for the day.
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