When entering the area, hunters will take a right off of Farrington Highway to the Kuaokala GMA Check Station (Guard Shack). ID, hunters license, and vehicle information will need to be provided at the Guard Shack in order to enter. Calling in advance to see if public access is open at the time of request may potentially save some time.

On Oahu, the Kuaokala Game Management Areas (GMA) delivers a diverse opportunity for recreational hunting which include: 11 spp. of game birds and two ungulate species (feral pig and goat). The GMA varies seasonally with animals to be taken, hunting days, and means of take.

This extensive area includes portions of the Game Management Area, Kuaokala Forest Reserve, and Na Ala Hele Trail/Access Systems that allow hunters into unique hunting grounds and landscapes. When entering the area hunters will use the Kaena Point Tracking Station Service Road up to the first gravel parking lot. A Hunter Check-In Station can be found providing hunters the opportunity to report themselves and any quarry obtained during the hunt. This parking lot is the entrance for the "Ranch Side" section of the GMA, an area grazed by cattle to maintain roughly 500 acres of suitable habitat.

Large grass fields, steep coastal cliffs, and rolling gulches paint the backdrop of this scenic area. A separate access gate leads hunters into the 4WD only section of the hunting area; this portion being known as the "Forest Side". The section houses the main game bird fields which are 20+ acres of grounds that are maintained by program staff throughout the year. Mowing and cutting of the fields is required due to vegetation overgrowth inducing loss of habitat and game bird’s inability to traverse in thicker/taller grasses. The "Forest Side" has a 4WD road that cuts through various forested, cliff-faced, and grassland areas for hunters to experience. Scattered around the GMA are 21 watering units that aid in providing a limiting resource to specific game species.

DOFAW manages public hunting on all Forest Reserve System lands, and hunting is allowed in the Kuaokala Game Management Area. DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement (DOCARE) carries out enforcement of hunting regulations (Chapter 122 Rules Regulating Game Bird Hunting, and Chapter 123 Rules Regulating Game Mammal Hunting). General hunting regulations can be found in Hawai‘i Revised Statutes Title 13 Chapter 121. Current information regarding hunting rules, seasons and bag limits for all game species can be obtained by contacting the DOFAW Oahu office at 2135 Makiki Heights Dr. Honolulu, Hawai‘i, (808) 973-9782. All persons are required to have a valid Hawai‘i hunting license on their person to hunt or have a bagged game mammal in their possession. 

Hunting licenses may be purchased online from http://www.ehawaiigov.org/DLNR/hunting/, from any DOFAW office or from any registered hunting license vendor. All hunting license applicants must show proof of having successfully completed a hunter education course that is recognized by the National Hunter Education Association.