Press Releases

PARKER RANCH CREATES NEW VISITOR EXPERIENCE AND REVIVES HUNTING PROGRAM

Ranch Opens Gates to Historic Vistas and Opens Range to Guided Hunts

WAIMEA, ISLAND of HAWAI‘I – Parker Ranch on Hawaii’s Big Island is among the nation’s largest and most historic ranches. Visitors can now see, feel and touch parts of that history on the Parker Ranch Cattle Country Tour. The Ranch has also revived its Parker Ranch Hunt Club so that hunters can participate in guided hunts for a variety of game species over scenic terrain spanning tens of thousands of acres and ranging from sea level to 8,000 feet in elevation.

The Cattle Country Tour is a premium, four-hour VIP tour that explores the Ranch’s 160-plus year heritage through visits to historical and operational sites not generally open to the public. Traveling in the comfort of an air-conditioned Ranch vehicle with no more than five other passengers, the Cattle Country Tour guide regales stories of Hawaii’s royal-blooded ranching dynasty, the tragedies, the successes, the legacy and the lasting influence Parker Ranch will forever have on the Waimea community.

The tour includes a brief visit to the two Parker Ranch historic homes in Waimea then heads out on what is believed to be one of the oldest roads on the island, Mana Road. Here visitors can expect to see horses and cattle grazing on bucolic open range. Stops are made along the way at rustic and still utilized cowboy stations. The guide points out areas of interest along the way, each with a story of the people that cared for the land and established the ranch’s foundation of stewardship. The turnaround is at historic Makahalau Cowboy station where a picnic lunch is enjoyed. A visit to the Parker family burial plot, located not far from the original family homestead along Mana Road is a vivid reminder of this legendary ranching family’s long history in the islands.

The Parker Ranch Mana Road Tour is just over one hour and takes a shorter trip back in time down the ancient Hawaiian highway. Visitors wanting to learn about the amazing Parker family and the proud and skillful Hawaiian cowboys, the Paniolo, will find the scenic Mana Road Tour informative and interesting.

Cost for the four-hour Cattle Country Tour is $135 per person and includes picnic lunch and beverage. The Mana Road tour is $50 per person and includes snack and beverage. Both tours have a maximum of six passengers, minimum of two.

Year-round hunting has long been available at Parker Ranch and guides are licensed and exclusively authorized to escort hunters on unforgettable Parker Ranch hunts which include big game species such as wild Polynesian boar, Spanish Ibex goat, Vancouver bull and upland bird hunting that is second to none.

Guide Jack Ku knows the land, knows the game and always puts safety first. His experience includes guiding in 6 different states and over 35 different types of animals over his more than 25 years of hunting. Guido Giacometti has been hunting the hills of Parker Ranch since childhood. An upland game bird hunter, Giacometti knows his dogs, knows the birds and knows where they can be found.

Polynesian boars are known for their temper. They flourish in rolling grasslands and dense forests. Mature boars can weigh 150 pounds and support up to 4-inch tusks. Spanish Ibex goats are known for their keen eyesight and exist in rugged terrain. Billies can weigh 100 pounds or more and their horns span 20 inches. Wild Vancouver bulls sport up to 35-inch wide horns and weigh 1,000 pounds or more. They lurk in the ranch’s remote dense rain forests. Cost for big game hunts range from $800 for boar hunts to $2,250 for the Vancouver Bull.

Parker Ranch’s upland game bird hunting is second to none. Ranch-supplied gun dogs are used to pursue 12 species of upland game birds, including Kalij, blue and ring-neck pheasant, Erckels, black and gray francolin, Chukar, California and Japanese quail, Rio Grande turkey, Sandgrouse and Lace-necked doves. Animals are hunted on preserve land and are regulated by the point system with a maximum of 14 points per day per hunter. Cost for bird hunting ranges from $475 for half-day upland bird hunt to $1,300 for a two and one-half day Rio Grande turkey hunt. Upland bird hunting is allowed October through February while turkey hunting is permitted from March 1 until April 15.

All hunting adventures, arranged directly with the guide for flexibility in departure and return times, include registered gun and appropriate ammunition, meat handling, caping, ranch transportation, beverages and snacks. Mounting taxidermy can be arranged by request. The Ranch sells preserve hunting licenses for those without a Hawaii license. There is no requirement for safety card or other licenses to obtain a preserve hunting license.

Parker Ranch’s excellent hunting opportunities have been featured on ESPN’s “Under Wild Skies,” and “Backroads,” TNN’s “Czonka Outdoors,” and in Peterson’s Hunting, Pointing Dog Journal, Wing and Shot, Shooting Sportsman, Sporting Clays and The Hunting Report magazines.

For more information call Parker Ranch’s new Gear Up ‘n Go activities desk toll free at 877-885-7999, e-mail activities@ParkerRanch.com or visit www.ParkerRanch.com.

Parker Ranch Inc. is a highly respected cattle ranch known for quality beef, producing ten million pounds of beef each year and ranking as the 5th largest cow-calf operation in the United States. Parker Ranch has an exceptional horse breeding program, which is recognized as one of the finest in the industry. Visitors can enjoy parts of ranch through tours of two Historic Homes, Cowboys of Hawaii at Parker Ranch, LLC horseback and ATV rides or now via the Ranch’s exclusive Cattle Country Tour or hunting program.

The Ranch is 37 miles by car from Kona International Airport and 57 miles from Hilo Airport on Highway 190.