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come out of Kapapala area product of our release efforts from the past 3 and a half years.
<br /> We did a shorter one four years ago, but... So that's promising, and then on the trucker side
<br /> we've been releasing truckers out there for the past 3 years. Hunters have harvested some
<br /> wild borne chucker's, same thing, chucker's that have been surviving out there for the past 3
<br /> years.They've been seeing real wild birds out there, so that's promising with the chucker's.
<br /> And then every other bird that's out there has been, coming out.There's been turkeys,
<br /> plenty of Franklins, Khalii. Kapapala is a trickier place to hunt,a lot of the population of
<br /> hunters that come out there are regulars.We get a lot of new guys that come out, and they'll
<br /> try it for a day or two, and it's different from hunting Mauna Kea, so a lot of the guys that
<br /> stick around and find success, and keep coming back, so... they've been happy so far,
<br /> turkeys have been coming out, Khalii, Erkels.They've been having to deal with some of the
<br /> fallout from past eruptions, particularly, I think it was eruption number 36 that,the wind
<br /> direction during that eruption brought a lot of tephra and pele's hair across the ranch. I think
<br /> that it was back in October. So,the hunters having to hunt around that. So,we've been
<br /> getting some rain out there, so I think that helps a little bit with the deterioration of that
<br /> material, but it's kind of just breaks it up and kind of stays in the grass,so it's still there. But
<br /> the hunters are hunting around that, and some are okaywith it, some have decided to not
<br /> hunt Kapapala because of it, but so far,we're having good turnout.We work that check
<br /> station, every hunt day, and shout out to the Big Island, I think they're called the Big Island
<br /> Archery Club, has been helping us a lot with volunteer days, manning the check station, and
<br /> talking to hunters and stuff, so they've been a great help It was quite the zoo up there,
<br /> openingweekend. Plenty of guys were out and about,guys were up there real early to stake
<br /> out their spot.We were kind of projecting that it was going to be a better-than-normal
<br /> season, because we had the right time of rain in the right part of the mountains.We had
<br /> good rains in the spring this year,which had good flush of growth in some of the plants that
<br /> the birds like, at the right time when they're have chicks on the ground, or are sitting on
<br /> eggs, or,you know,trying to breed. So,there's good food at the right time.We had a real dry
<br /> summer,which I think might have limited the population a little bit.We were seeing a lot of
<br /> chicks at the right time,so they kind of got out of the harder part of being a chick and being a
<br /> mom raising birds,when there was good feed,going into the dry season.So,that to me had
<br /> helped with... some of the birds... I mean, I've been going on parts of Mauna Kea everyweek
<br /> either Wednesday or Thursday, I'll limit out on Franklins every day and have been seeing a
<br /> lot more quails on the mountain, more than last year,for sure.And some other hunters I
<br /> talked to share the same sentiment. I mean, I saw a covey of quails 2 weeks ago that maybe
<br /> 40, 50 birds strong. I didn't get a shot at him, but that was my fault, not my dog's fault. Parts
<br /> of the mountjust kind of drying up now,we haven't had rain in a while, so it's kind of dry.
<br /> Parts of the mount, and the grass is thick, as normal, so... I heard some good things coming
<br /> out of Puuwaawaa,too.That side, Puuwaawaa,West Hawaii, has been getting a lot of
<br /> regular rain throughout the year, and I don't know if anybody's been out to Puuwaawaa, but
<br /> it's green all the way up to the top. Puuwaawaa is on the west coast of,west side of
<br /> Hualalai, for those that don't know.And,yeah, super green out therewith good birds,tricky
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