The Iwakuni Hunting Association is looking for more American members who want to try the cross-cultural experience of hunting in Japan. Members who meet the requirements can hunt wild boar and deer with their Japanese cohorts. This picture was taken after a hunt a few years ago, according to Iwakuni Game Warden Mike Gingles, right. (Photo courtesy of Mike Gingles)
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan — A wild boar sounds like a freight train in the forest when it’s running toward you, Mike Gingles has observed.
The pigs can be vicious and also are smart, so if you wound one, prepare to be approached as “prey” when you find it, Gingles said.
Oh, and they’re delicious, too, he added.
Hog hunting in Japan is a thrill, he said, one that people stationed at Iwakuni can experience by joining the Iwakuni Hunting Association.
“Most people are surprised when I tell them about hunting here,” Gingles said. “But it’s a good cultural experience and lots of fun.”
Gingles is both the base’s assistant telephone officer and volunteer game warden. As game warden, he organizes the bird anti-strike hazard, or BASH, bird eradication project, keeps count of resident bird populations and is the local expert on fishing and hunting licenses.
Off base, he’s with the Iwakuni Hunting Association, which organizes hunts for sika deer, duck and pheasant, and occasionally crows and monkeys during sanctioned special hunts for nuisance animals.
American membership in the club has fallen off in recent years due to the time commitment and expense — there are only four hunters at Iwakuni now, but there used to be 20, Gingles said. Japanese membership also has decreased, he added.
But for die-hard hunters, it’s a blast.
“If you are a hunter in your heart, you make it work,” Gingles said.
Hunting in Japan is different than it is in America, Gingles said.
First, it’s more group-oriented, he said. Before each hunt, a map is drawn in the dirt and each hunter is assigned a specific area. Everyone communicates with radios.
Shotguns are the preferred weapon, as rifle licenses are harder to attain, he said.
Even without a common language, Japanese hunters welcome Americans, and learning happens quickly, Gingles said.
“I learned the words for ‘The pig is running’ and ‘Be careful’ right away,” Gingles said.
Requirements to hunt
The Iwakuni Hunting Association is looking for new members. Do you qualify?
Hunters must be 21 years old.Hunters must live either in town or in Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni family quarters. Base barracks residents cannot participate because gun laws in Japan require owners to have a special gun locker at home, said Mike Gingles, Iwakuni’s volunteer game warden.Getting all licensing in order takes about two months and requires prospective hunters to pass six tests: the gun license exam, a physical, gun handling, game identification, forestry and range skills (you must hit three out of 25 clay pigeons).The first-time fees for the licenses cost between 60,000-70,000 yen, or $485-$566, and then hunters pay an annual insurance fee of 29,000 yen, or $234.For more information, contact Gingles at DSN 253-5999 or e-mail michael.gingles@usmc.mil.— Allison Batdorff
