Big Island Plans Response to Deer Sightings
Reports of axis deer on the Big Island have numerous public agencies preparing a formal response and developing a possible course of action to protect valuable forest and agricultural resources.
The deer, also known as spotted deer, are supposed to be limited to the islands of Maui, Lanai and Molokai, and resource managers have worked to keep it that way.
“We try to prevent that from happening because of their ability to change or reduce the number of native plant species,” said Jason Misaki, Oahu wildlife manager for the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
Neither Misaki nor any other government official confirmed reports of axis deer on the Big Island — but they also did not refute the rumors.
The silence from government officials hasn’t quelled farmers’ fears.
“I don’t know the numbers but it’s enough numbers that ranchers are concerned. Deer eat everything in their path, so that’s a great concern if they don’t get controlled,” said Big Island Farm Bureau Executive Director Lorie Farrell, who said ranchers have also reported Russian boars that are different from the feral pigs already common throughout the islands. “The potential impact from both of those species is devastating to both ranchers and the forest.”
Hawaii Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Janelle Saneishi said the matter was “more of a wildlife issue” and deferred questions to the Department of Land and Natural Resources. DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward would not comment on a response without talking to Division of Forestry and Wildlife Administrator Paul Conry, who was out sick Monday. Big Island officials said they would not confirm the presence of the ungulates until later this week.
“We just want to make sure it’s a coordinated response,” said Roger Imoto, manager of the Division of Forestry and Wildlife’s Hawaii Island Branch. He in turn referred questions to the , an early detection and rapid response agency.
“We’re following up on a lot of different leads right now,” said Jan Schipper, project manager for the committee. He said there have been reports of many different ungulate (hoofed) species on the Big Island in recent months, but was careful to not confirm any of those rumors.
“We’ve been having reports of axis deer here for a long time,” he said. “We’re getting a lot of credible reports now from people who are out hunting and should know what they’re talking about.”
Farrell, chief of the non-governmental farm bureau, was more direct: “It’s more than a rumor. They do exist.”
If the deer have indeed made it to the Big Island from Maui, Molokai or Lanai, it presumably happened deliberately — and in apparent violation of state laws and rules.
The movement of non-domesticated (wild) animals is regulated by the DLNR as well as the Ag Department’s Plant Quarantine Branch. That office said axis deer cannot move between islands — at least not live ones.
Axis deer are among the many species [pdf] and governed by Hawaii Administrative Rules [pdf]. Under those rules, a Department of Agriculture permit would be required to import deer.
Misaki, the Oahu wildlife manager for DLNR, said he expects the Department of Agriculture would consult with the Division of Forestry and Wildlife before granting such a permit.
If deer were confirmed on Oahu and “if it threatens native species, then we would probably create some kind of plan to mitigate for their impacts,” he said. “On Oahu, we would try to investigate what would be best both for the natural areas that we have and for the species itself.”
Any decision to control or eradicate the deer could prove complicated.
Big Island hunters might be pleased to have more game options to choose from, and might have brought the deer deliberately for that purpose. This year’s [pdf] was scheduled to consist of three hunts — an eight-day archery only hunt in February; a two-weekend muzzleloading hunt in March; and a nine-weekend general rifle hunt that just wrapped up earlier this month.
Hunting deer can be a lucrative enterprise. charges $2,750 per person to hunt on Lanai and $1,950 per person on Maui — neither price includes a $500 trophy fee for bucks with large antlers. Rates at are slightly lower but still more than $1,000.
