Hawaii Deer Population: A 2016 to 2019 survey of Hawaii, combined with some previous data, puts the deer population at around 131,500 a significant increase from previous estimates. The annual reported deer kill from the hunt is around 1,000 or less.
Hawaii Deer News
$3.2M released for axis deer fencing in South Maui to address flood risks, environmental concerns February 12, 2025 Hawaii, Maui Now
... The funds were released by Gov. Josh Green amid a state emergency proclamation to address the growing environmental and safety concerns caused by the overpopulation of axis deer on Maui, which has been identified as a major cause of the conditions leading to previous flooding like that of just last month...
State says the deer count is down, but farmers and ranchers are still hurting November 13, 2024 Mawaii, Maui News
... As a result of a fencing program by private landowners and the state, Haleakala Ranch president Scott Meidell is beginning to see the return of green sprouts of grass in some pastures denuded by axis deer ... based on recent heat sensor technology used in aerial flights by helicopter and drones, deer populations are significantly less than they were five years ago, and the current estimate for Maui is 34,000..,
Kahikolu Project on Maui targets axis deer and widespread environmental impacts June 29, 2024 Hawaii, Maui Now
... Axis deer are captured in a mobile trap set up at a private ranch below Camp Maluhia by the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Forestry and Wildlife Division. An example of a “live catch option,” the trap with its black sides calms deer and gives them a “cooling down” period before they are led into a trailer and taken to a “point of kill” ...
State agencies collaborate to implement axis deer control measures on Maui January 23, 2024 Hawaii, Maui Now
... The increased number of axis deer on the Valley Isle has put immense strain on the island’s natural resources amid ongoing drought conditions. The scarcity of vegetation throughout parts of the island has caused axis deer to migrate into homestead parcels, pastures, and agricultural lands in search of food and water,..
Officials say axis deer landowner incentive is not a bounty January 11, 2024 Hawaii, KHON Honolulu on MSN
... The Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife is accepting applications for the targeted axis deer landowner incentive program. Awardees will be paid $50 per deer but officials said it’s not a bounty...
State of Hawaiʻi seeking landowners in Maui County to harvest non-indigenous Axis deer December 29, 2023 Hawaii, Maui Now
... Landowners in the program will receive a $25 to $50 per deer reimbursement throughout the life of the contract, pursuant to the detailed fee schedule...
Axis deer on the rise, experts say November 7, 2023 Hawaii, The Maui News
... “We understand that deer populations also contribute to the subsistence hunting lifestyle and cultural practices of residents on Maui, Molokai and Lanai,” county spokesman Christopher Sugidono said this week. “Thus, we are asking state lawmakers to appropriate funds to help substantially reduce and manage the axis deer overpopulation ...
Concerns over bounty being offered to control Maui's deer population October 24, 2023 Hawaii, KHON2
... Bagshaw said he thinks they cut the population by 30%, which is their goal annually. He estimated the population at around 65,000 ... a tail bounty. “We’ve had some (tails) turned in,” Bagshaw added. “They’re not always that effective for various reasons ..,
Office of the Governor State of Hawaii, Tenth Proclamation Relating to Axis Deer September 14, 2023 Governor Josh Green
... WHEREAS, despite ongoing efforts, axis deer have propagated to approximately 60,000 or more, which cannot currently be sustained by the environment in Maui County ..,
Evidence for Irruptive Fluctuation in Axis Deer of Hawai 'i 2022 Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference
... : Axis deer on the Hawaiian Islands of Maui, Lāna‘i, and Moloka‘i simultaneously experienced one of the most dramatic population crashes on record in 2020-2021, which coincided with extended drought conditions and prompted an emergency declaration for these islands. This phenomenon has been anecdotally documented during previous drought events in 2011-2012, but
never formally studied...
Emergency period for deer crisis extended November 19, 2022 Hawaii, Maui News
... the deer population has grown to about 60,000 ... The emergency relief period allows the county and state to continue taking measures to reduce and control the deer ...
How to solve the axis deer problem? Maui mayoral candidates take starkly different stances October 18, 2022 Hawaii, KHNL
... two candidates for mayor ... Retired Judge Richard Bissen took a hard stance on the issue ... said the solution is eradication... Incumbent Michael Victorino said he wants to get the population to a manageable number...
Video below: Hawaii Gov. David Ige declared a new disaster relief period due to the Axis deer overpopulation crisis in Maui County. September 20, 2022, Hawaii
Hawaii Deer Archive: Population and Management
Hawaii Data About 131,500 deer in Hawaii based on a recent detailed survey from 2016 to 2019 reporting that Molokai has 50,000 to 70,000 deer, Lanai has 25,000 to 30,000 deer, and Maui has about 35,000 to 50,000 deer. A 2024 estimate for Maui shows a poulation decline for axis deer with an estimate of 34,000 down from the 2023 estimate of 65,000. An early 2022 survey estimates 46,743 axis deer in Maui with another estimate at 60,000 at the end of the year. A 2021 estimate of 30,000 deer on Lanai. A two year drought resulted in a significant reduction in the Axis deer population in 2020 and 2021. A small herd of blacktails live on Kaua'i. The blacktail population on public land was estimated to be about 1,100 from 2013 to 2018 and 1,000 in 2019 and 2021.
A 2014 estimate of 8,000 to 10,000 axis deer in Hawaii. In 2014 at least 2,500 were killed by the Maui Axis Deer Working Group which estimated the island's Axis population at 7,500 in 2013.
Native to South Asia, 9 Axis deer were brought to Maui in the 1950s to provide hunting for veterans. In 2012, a helicopter pilot pleaded guilty to moving Axis deer from Maui to the Big Island.
As illustrated in the chart below there is a small population of blacktail deer, about 1,000, imported from Oregon in 1961. The data. Source: Western Association of Fish and Wildlife.
Other useful links:
- Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
- Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife
Goal of Department of Land and Natural Resources: Enhance, protect, conserve and manage Hawaii’s unique and limited natural, cultural and historic resources held in public trust for current and future generations of visitors and the people of Hawaii nei in partnership with others from the public and private sectors."
There are black tail deer and deer hunts in Hawaii, deer are non native species. The management philosophy is: " Maintaining or restoring the dynamic natural processes is the goal of native ecosystem protection and restoration programs. Without a clear understanding of what native ecosystem management involves and why it is needed, public support for these programs will be difficult to obtain. Information and education should be incorporated into protection efforts whenever possible. Sound scientific research should be the base for management programs and activities." From Managing the NARS
