Not everyone is comfortable sharing the trail with a pack of canine hunters.

"I have a little pause being out on a trail with hunting dogs," said Bohlen.

That is why Lowe advises hikers to look around in active hunting areas and to check to see if pig hunter's trucks are at trail entrances. If they are, hikers may want to choose another place to explore -- especially if they trekking with a pet.

Over the past year, the state has taken in a number of complaints about animals on the trails and hunting dogs weren't the ones causing the most problems.

"Most of the problems, we found, was because the pet dog was off-leash in the incident," said Lowe.

Many hikers like getting in touch with nature, but for some a close call with a loose pet can turn a tranquil trek into a wild one.

"People who were more obnoxious were the ones who had dogs off leash. They were telling us 'My dog is trained, don't worry about him,' and of course that is the dog that is running off," said Tonya Youngberg, a visitor from Canada.

Before hikers head out for the forest, it's a good idea to know what they're getting into.

Find out how challenging a trail is, along with learning if there is legal hunting allowed in the area by heading to the state's Na Ala Hele website at hawaiitrails.ehawaii.gov.  That is also where troubles on the trails can be reported.