See the Lacrosse Windrose Boots
On the first morning, we worked our way across the mountain, over the ruthless, craggy, uneven volcanic rocks of the Hawaiian landscape (that made me thankful to be wearing a sturdy pair of boots), and up to a perch overlooking a wide-open vantage point.
As the island awoke, and the first shafts of light touched the Earth, the immense valley began to teem with life. My breath hitched, and I was left in complete awe of this magical place; it was not what I expected. Though the hunt had only just started, I found myself wishing to slow down the sun, wanting longer days to add to this incredible place. Herds of wild axis deer made their usual morning route up the mountain from the lower regions, and all the while bucks roared around us. Sierra opted out of hunting that morning to see the look on my face if I were to harvest a deer on my first rifle hunt. A chuckle escaped her as I leaned over and said, “As much as it pains me to say this, you were right about this place.”
When Sierra Langbell, Erin Hutch, and the team at LaCrosse Footwear proposed an axis deer hunt on a Hawaiian island, I was apprehensive — how could hunting in a tropical paradise measure up to the rugged and rewarding hunting experiences I have had before? I had hoped for a hunt that would challenge us physically and mentally, the kind of a hunt where moments not only become milestones in your hunting history, but also change you as a person. Trusting my friends and the reassurance that I would not regret it, I agreed to join them. The island we were headed to, said to be named after Māui, a Polynesian
