They eat anything from grass to a wide range of endangered plants. 2023 Lnai Axis Deer Season Details Posted on Aug 2, 2022 The State of Hawaii, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is pleased to announce that applications for the 2023 Lnai Axis Deer hunting season will be available to the public online beginning Monday August 15, 2022. But its also the agency that hands out hunting permits, and boy, is it ever handing them out. Limited to 75 non-Lnai resident hunters. Axis deer are deceptively cute with giant doe eyes, spotted fur, and long, gorgeous antlers (on males), they appear to be dainty and harmless creatures. The Division of Forestry and Wildlife, which manages the hunting permits for Maui County, is encouraging people to cull doe out of the herds instead of focusing on trophy bucks. Checking in and purchasing of tags will remain available at the Lnai hunter check station. The natural inclination of a hunter is to move on to the next animal, Bagshaw said. Chital, known locally as axis deer, originally hail from South Asia where their populations are moderated by everything from tigers to crocodiles. Ranchers and farmers have seen deer populations dramatically increase, according to Sugidono. (Courtesy Hawaii DLNR). To the dismay of farmers, axis deer eat all kinds of crops, including fruits, vegetables, and even sugar cane which has resulted in major crop losses. Maui County has fenced in 17% of the islands forests in order to protect their watersheds, but the goal is to fence in 30% by 2030. Fresh produce imported from the mainland is quite expensive in Hawaii, and backyard gardening is more than just a hobby for many Hawaiians. Female axis deer do not grow antlers and have a mature body size of 90 to 150 lbs while . Yes, there are laws that one must abide by to make the most of this activity. Hunting in Hawaii is a unique experience in itself that provides a perfect finale to your Hawaiian tour. Today, the Hawaiian island of Lanai houses a large population of the axis deer. On Lanai, for example, the 3,100 or so residents rely in large part on the barges that deliver their food. , in desperate straits: Only 37 percent of its food was grown locally. There are more common environmental problems, too. They carry a particular parasite that is devastating to the Marine environment on the islands. We're building fences as fast as we can, but in the meantime, the deer are doing what they do as fast as they can," said Bagshaw. Another nearby island, Lanai, is estimated to have 20,000-30,000. Based on aerial survey data and population target levels, additional doe tags may be available at the Lanai . Spot and Stalk Hunting Axis Deer in Lanai, Choosing the Right Optic Combination for Your Hunt. To apply please go to https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/recreation/hunting/ and click on Apply for Hunts. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo. There shouldnt be many wild mammals, period; the only endemic mammal in Hawaii, besides marine mammals, is a single species of bat. Hawaii the paradise known for its beautiful landscapes, amazing islands, extensive grasslands and a wide variety of species to hunt. Youth, Muzzleloader and General Rifle hunters must check- in online or at the hunter check station prior to the start of the hunt and check out, including providing harvest data, upon completion of their hunt. In unfenced areas, everything that is green below the reach of a deers head is bare. So, why is Hawaii's axis deer population considered to be such a problem now? We talk about Hawaii being sustainable. Im reacting to your comment: unlike the white-tailed deer of Pennsylvania, the axis deer in Hawaii is apparently delicious. In many areas at lower elevations, the deer have already turned once-lush landscapes into barren wastelands. But in Hawaii there are no natural predators.. I would say the axis deer are an existential threat to the Maui ecology that we know and love Theyre just going to overrun us," Gerry Ross, the owner of Kupaa Farms on Maui, told KHON2. Its unfortunate there wasnt sustainable funding for management of axis deer on Maui.. Sometimes you may need to put on many more miles to get into position but make the wind your friend, not your enemy. I have seen our doe get re-bred the day after birthing a fawn. Hawaiian courts have set the precedent that any practice that existed in Hawaii before November 25, 1892 counts as traditional. That date was chosen for its importance to Hawaiian law; it was the last reorganization of the Kingdom of Hawaiis judiciary system prior to American annexation. Hawaii U.S. Email: gohawaiioutfitters@gmail.com. There is usually wind on the Hawaiian Islands and keeping the wind in your favor is a must. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Hunters will be required to purchase two (2) doe tags before being able to purchase an either sex Axis Deer tag. There are also estimates of 30,000 more axis deer in adjacent Sutton County in and around Sonora. One example: The hia tree, which grows in high elevation forests, is both sacred to Hawaiians and vital for the states water supply (when clouds come into contact with the tree, condensation forms and drips onto the ground, eventually flowing down the mountain into rivers and reservoirs). This year, the hunting format is back to the original pre-COVID format of Axis deer in the spring and mouflon sheep in the fall. For population control, this company hunts them to sell as venison. Hunting Units 1, 2 and 3 will be open for the Archery Hunt. Finding a plan for management requires accurate data on population, habitat, breeding, movement and more, experts have said. If there was a viable market for coqui frogs, or if we could eat coqui, that would be great. Background photo courtesy of Shibby Stylee, LLC. Neither the public nor the private sector has the ability to get the axis deer under control. 1. Hunt For An Escapade: Answers To Frequently Asked Questions. There are more common environmental problems, too. Those on Lanai and Molokai, and to a lesser extent Maui, have to figure out some other way to feed themselves, and the incredibly abundant axis deer are a major part of that equation. We hiked all morning without finding a chance to redeem ourselves. Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino recently made a pitch at the state Legislature for $3.5 million for axis deer management, pointing to concerns about vehicle collisions, property damage, disease, crop impacts and threats to native species and ecosystems. They are simultaneously invasive and part of traditional culture; they destroy food supplies and are an extremely important source of food themselves; they are protected by law and despised by some parts of law enforcement; they are wildly destructive to Hawaii and also, during the worst of COVID-19, were a beacon of hope. Axis are a non-native species, so you are permitted to hunt year round. Much like hunting the hyper-alert whitetails in Texas, you should concentrate on aiming for the heart. What if the forrestry service sold the meat locally- commercially. Longer-term studies also are needed to get a true picture. First, you'll need to apply for a season tag. This can make for frustrating hunting conditions. If it is still alive but injured, it could be dangerous to approach, she said. In Maui County, 111,000 acres of forests are already fenced, but these fences are many decades old and only four feet high as they were built to keep pigs and goats out. US. The General Rifle Hunt will be held over eleven consecutive Weekends (Thursdays through Sundays), beginning March 16, 2023, and ending on May 28, 2023. This process is slow and liable to spook the deer, so it has to be done at night, when the deer are more calm, which requires all kinds of equipment. Because the deer found pineapple plants tasty, their numbers were kept in check by aggressive hunting and shooting. An aerial study by a Maui deer working group in 2016 showed the population of axis deer at about 10,000 on Maui, said Penniman, who is now special projects director at UH Manoa Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit. People started hitting them with their cars.. My belief is that carcas careis the most important facto influencing flavor. Axis deer were first brought to the islands in the 1860s. Theyll eat a wide variety of plants, including endangered ones, which has cascading effects on insects and birds. Theyll eat just about anything, really, including crops: Farmers have reported big losses in fruit crops and vegetables, as well as damage to sugarcane. Round up all the feral cat, put them in a sanctuary. Finally, Sellers said to stay away from the deer. Longer-term observations, along with collection of other relevant data (e.g., precipitation, hunter harvests, birth and mortality rates), are important for interpreting the data correctly., Scott Fretz, Maui branch manager for DLNRs Division of Forestry and Wildlife, said axis deer are increasing because theyre continuing to expand their range., Deer move around whether its wet or dry, and theyre going to increase or decrease whether its wet or dry, he said. Axis deer ( Axis axis) are easily identified by an orange coat with white spots similar to a whitetail fawn. The deer trample the land, damaging the nests of ground-nesting endemic bird species. Subject to limited participation for non-Lnai residents. Youth hunters will be limited to carry one (1) type of hunting equipment while in the hunting area. Getting permission from every private landowner with deer on their property, and figuring out the liability situation for having government agents with guns there, all in the service of somehow killing and removing more than a hundred thousand deer? A little lower,or if they buck hadnt dropped as the arrow got close, and it wouldve been in the sweet spot. Even in Maui, the Department of Forestry will remove deer from particularly delicate ecosystems, especially watersheds or places where there are endangered species, provided those places are on state land. The 2023 State Axis Deer Hunt opened on Wednesday, February 1. Archery hunters may check in on the Tuesday preceding the first day of the Archery Hunt between the hours of 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM or daily, with the exception of the second weekend of each archery draw, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM to acquire their tags. He described deer as a great protein source, which has little fat on it. Spooking an Axis deer on a failed spot and stalk attempt runs the risk of setting off a chain reaction. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. For now, Bagshaw said they are focused on the areas that are most important because they are habitats for endangered species or important watersheds and most in danger of infiltration by deer. Description. AXIS DEER HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH HUNTERS: Participation in the Youth and Muzzleloader Hunts may be assigned by lottery if application levels exceed the allotted number of hunters allowed in the hunting area. Maui and Molokai residents hunt deer to eat, but tourists and others also take them as trophies. I stand up, pull back on my bowstring, and sail an arrow just over the bucks spotted flank. Instead of planting crops that could feed the Hawaiian people, such as taro, breadfruit and coconut, Europeans (and soon, Americans) tore all that out to plant the crops that could feed foreign imperialists, such as sugarcane and pineapple. In this way, the hunting came into being in Hawaii. Photo by iofoto/Shutterstock. In 1959, 9 of Molokai's deer were introduced to the neighboring island of Maui, where the population has exploded to 60,000-70,000. Youth hunters must submit an application to participate in this hunt. Mouflon sheep season tags cost $100, while axis deer season tags cost $50. We want to take an invasive species and utilize that animal, Muise said. Muise, a Canadian who came to Hawaii on a volleyball scholarship more than 20 years ago and never left, started Maui Nui with his wife, Kuulani. A recent university study on Maui's axis deer populations found does made up 70 percent of the herds. It will continue through Sept. 20, allowing the state of Hawaii, as well as Maui County to continue taking population control measures. But for the. Applications for the 2023 Lnai Axis Deer hunting season will be available for purchase soon. If motorists see deer, they should look for the rest of the herd because there are probably more, Sellers said. You can hunt em like a videogame from sunrise to sunset, if you want. The permits cost $20 for the year and require no more than a gun license and an easy online application. The rest was, and remains today, imported, at great expense and significant risk, mostly from the mainland United States. That lack of intramuscular fat makes it hard to cook well because it toughens and dries out when cooked beyond rare. When one deer barks, so does every other one within earshot, and they all bolt in opposite directions, spooking even more deer. The seasons are separated into specific periods for Archery only, Youth, Muzzleloaders, and Rifles/Shotguns. The overbearing and nonsensical amount of regulation regarding axis deer in Hawaii has been influenced by the liberal Democrat government which has been in place there for many years. (Most often, its sliced thin and marinated in teriyaki sauce, according to Muise.). A small herd of axis deer follows a trail through tall grass in a Wailea lot last month. The bag limit for Axis deer will be three animals: two does and one deer of either sex. Axis Deer on #Maui: https://t.co/46OoF5hbO9 As beautiful as deer may be, they're notorious for wreaking havoc on local habitats, causing roughly $1 million in damage around the island per year. Deer hunting, although only 150 years old, has legitimately become a tradition on the islands of Molokai, Maui and Lanai. Theyre sometimes known as the spotted deer, because they have white spots on their tawny coats, and sometimes as the barking deer, because they are extremely vocal. While Molokai and Lanai are at carrying capacity, meaning populations wont get much larger, Maui is 25 to 30 years away from carrying capacity, he said. The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife announced that online applications for a combined 2022 Lanai Axis Deer and Mouflon Sheep hunting season will be available from Jan. 10. And that hunter can only take that one shot; the USDA regulations for humane commercial hunting strictly require that the animal be rendered unconscious immediately, with a single shot to the skull. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Public drawings for the Archery, Youth and Muzzleloader Hunts will be held on Friday, December 2, 2022, at 10:00 AM at the J. Cameron Center, MEO Building. That may not sound like all that ambitious of a planonly 30 percent?but the difficulty of constructing this fencing is truly staggering. Its unfortunate there wasnt sustainable funding for management of axis deer on Maui, Penniman said. On Molokai, an island of only around 7,000 people, there are somewhere around 70,000 axis deer. California Consumer Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information, California Consumer Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Axis deer, which originally come from India, were first introduced to Molokai in 1868, Lanai in 1920 and Maui in 1959, In recent years, the deer populations have exploded and are looking for more food sources in peoples yards and native forests, Now, many forests have been stripped of their understories, which are crucial watersheds and the topsoil is running off into the ocean, Officials are hoping hunters will be able to help curb population growth and fences will be able to protect forest ecosystems. Axis Deer (By lottery, tags or permits required) Downloadable Maps for Hunting on Lnai Click below to find PDF versions of Public Hunting Area units that you can print and take with you. Axis deer also poison water systems, and fresh water is already scare as it is. Keep an eye on your inbox for news and special offers! But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo. The state constitution, dating back to at least 1950, has included a clause meant to protect the traditional subsistence practices of Hawaiians. However, interested archers must apply for this hunt by submitting an application. It was a tough shot on a big buck, and when the deer took off, I knew it was a clean miss. Hunters will be required to purchase two (2) doe tags before being able to purchase an either sex Axis Deer tag. Known for tasting similar to beef, deer meat is leaner and often healthier when raised in the wild and harvested humanely. Hawaiis governor, David Ige, has committed to whats referred to as the 30 by 30 plan: to fence in 30 percent of the states priority watersheds by 2030, largely to protect them from the deer. Youths must submit a separate application for each hunt. That day, for the first time, Hawaiians saw Axis deer on the islands of Molokai. Venison meat is sought by local hunters, chefs and consumers. You could also sell the fur tourists would buy like crazy. Deer, especially but not exclusively in the more rural parts of those islands, is a major part of the culture. Copyright Maui News | https://www.mauinews.com | 100 Mahalani Street, Wailuku, HI 96793 | 808-242-6363, We understand that deer populations also contribute to the subsistence hunting lifestyle and cultural practices of residents on Maui, Molokai and Lanai,, Thus, we are asking state lawmakers to appropriate funds to help substantially reduce and manage the axis deer overpopulation provided that the population is managed properly rather than eradicated., I like hunting because culturally and spiritually I love to be close to the land and the ocean and be a part of it all,, I also love the challenge of the hunt and the satisfaction of eating something I worked hard to attain., Best management practices depend on the objectives and community desires,, For Maui, any management strategy should be island-based (a Maui strategy is not appropriate for Molokai or Lanai), community-driven and should include meaningful consultation, input and participation from kanaka maoli., (I had) a split-second decision of whether to swerve into the other lane and hit another car or hold on and hit the deer,, But you hit a deer going 55 (mph) on Haleakala (Highway)?, brake, dont swerve. Today's breaking news and more in your inbox. Senators Brian Schatz and Mazie K. Hirono and Hawaii U.S. But the most important invasive species for a few islands, especially Maui and Molokai, is the axis deer. The wind is right, and a trophy Axis deer stood broad side at 66 yards. Youth hunters must be 15 yrs. The Current Scenario Of Hunting in Hawaii: Hawaii attracts more than 8.3 million tourists from all over the globe, who spend approximately over $16 billion every year. But for whatever efforts the Department of Forestry has taken, the process for actually eradicating these deer from Hawaii would be insanely expensive and maybe impossible; while the Department can remove deer from state land, that land is often remote and rugged and not really the preferred habitat for the deer. The first session took place February . Following this drawing, the public drawing for the General Rifle Hunt lottery will be held at 12:00 noon. We(Hawaii) have to aggressively attack this problem. 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