The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-12-15
WITH ROD AND GUN IN
HAWAII.
(By Irwin Spalding.)


night, and afford fine flight shooting
| toward sunset
! Duck hunting is only INDUCED in by
the members of gun clubs. or by indi-
viduals who control the shooting rights
over ponds and lakes frequented by
! the ducks, which on these islands are
very limited.
| The open season for migratory birds
! commences September Is and ends
April l. The shore birds arrive during
| the month of August, while the main
flight of ducks does not arrive until
a month or so later.
! A duck somewhat resembling the
| teal, and goose resembling the Ca
madam goose are indigenous to the is
lands, and were in former years very
plentiful but of late these birds have
almost entirely disappeared, particu-
larry the goose, which made it's home
upon the slopes of the higher noun
tains.
The first quadrupeds seen in the Ha-
waiian Islands were those presented to
the chiefs by navigators and whaling
ships, during the latter part of the
eighteenth century. They consisted OF
cattle, sheep and swine, some of which
soon strayed and became wild, SO that
at present persons looking for more ex-
citing sport than bird hunting may
spend an interesting day amongst the
! wild cattle and pigs in the backwoods
The boars attain huge size and are
very fierce when their anger is aroused.
/ i oil 11A jSln
upon the cliffs which follow the coast
line.
Chinese fallow deer are to be found
amongst the deep gulches in the in
terror of the island of Molokai. A few
were imported in 1868 and have since
increased to a herd of many thousands.
They became so numerous that in 1900
skilled hunters from California were
hired to kill off a goodly number, In
order TO save the forest which was
being rapidly destroyed. During the
one years stay of the hunters some
$500 deer were killed. These deer have
about the same peculiarities as the
California deer, to which they have a
slight resemblance. The antlers of
full grown buck, which are three prong
ed, measure some two and one-half
feet in length, with a spread of one
and one-half feet.
One might conclude that the angler
would find nothing to attract him toI
the islands; for in the eight islands
composing the group there are but few
large streams, and these offer but
small sport. However, deep-sea fishing |
is sure thing for those who like tn 1t
sport OF the many fish which inhabit
the surrounding waters, none nave of
late years attracted more attention
than has the skip-jack, or bonito. The
local Fish Commissioners record show
that some 216,776 of these fish have been
landed at the port of Honolulu during
the last nine months, fOur-fifths of
which were caught by Japanese fisher |
men off the coast of Oahu and at
small outlying shoals. A word on the
method of angling for the skip-jack by
the hardy little brown men might be of
interest to the reader.
Leaving the harbor anchorage a |
short time before sunset in their oddly |
constructed boats or sampans, these !
Japanese fishermen may be seen by |
dozens, plying their way out to their |
favorite fishing grounds, some two or |
more miles from land. Arriving at the |!
shoals the anchor is cast and prepara- |
tions are Immediately under way for |
the IilS III liSIllIIS- I>dlilpcO pClCo ebAN
placed parallel along the sides of tie
boat, over which are hung the hand |
fish lines about two feet apart, baited !
with live shrimps. The skip-jacks are |
1ured toward the boat by torches in |
the bow, the fish being exceedingly |
yora@.C1s are a2sily caught, and on be- |
ing landed are thrust into sieve-like |
compartment, formed of screen wire |
fitted over the under side of a space !
about two by four feet in the bot !
tom of the boat. BY this means con-
slant flow of fresh water is obtained !
when the boat is in motion, and the !;
fish are therefore landed alive the fol-
lowing morning at the fish markets
The native Hawaiians fish with stiff
bamboo rods some ten feet long, off the
jagged cliffs which surround the sea
coast, and also in the surf from the
coral reefs. All kinds of fish are caught
in these latter localities, especially the
highly colored fish for which the is
lands are noted. At certain seasons of
the year fine mullet fishing may be had =
from the many pier heads in the harbor
of Honolulu and elsewhere. :
Since the advancement of the power
boats shark fishing has become very ,
popular, and catches of twelve and
eighteen-foot fellows are of common
occurrence.
OF fresh-water fish the islands can
not boast, although the matter of i'm
porting foreign game fish has been j
talked over many times, but without i
results. Whether on account of the Q
sea being in sight and so easily reached
~ for some other reason angling by =
he white population in the islands has
never amounted to much, rod with y
he latest reel being almost if not en- =
ireiy unknown. Nevertheless any
person will find salt water n
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