Department of Land and Natural Resources

DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
News Release

NEIL ABERCROMBIE GOVERNOR

WILLIAM J. AILA JR, CHAIRPERSON

For Immediate News Release July 12, 2013

DLNR ANNOUNCES 2013 BLACK-TAILED DEER SEASON
ON KAUAI STARTING IN SEPTEMBER

Permits available starting Monday July 15

LIHUE — The Department of Land and Natural Resources announces the opening of black-tailed deer hunting season on the island of Kauai.

Rules and conditions regulating game mammal hunting in Title 13, Chapter 123, will be in effect. For hunt details, go to the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) website at https://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dofaw

Due to the Appellate Court ruling, each hunter will be permitted to take only one (1) antlered buck deer (3-inch antler minimum) during the 2013 season; either during the archery, muzzleloader rifle, or regular rifle periods. Application and tag fees for the 2013 Kauai black-tailed deer season will be waived.

Archery Only Period
The deer archery season will be in Hunting Units F, J and K from Sept. 14 through Oct. 27, 2013, on Saturday and Sundays only. Archery permits are now available in the Lihue DOFAW office at 3060 Eiwa St., Room 306. Hunters must present their 2013-2014 Hawaii Hunting License in order to obtain a deer archery permit. (Another person may pick up your permit, but must present your license for you.) Neighbor island archers may pick up an application form at the DOFAW office on their island and mail it in. Specific instructions are on the application form. Validated archery permits will be mailed to each hunter after application has been received. Hunters may check in at either the Waimea Heights or Kokee hunter check-in station.

Vehicle access into Unit J will be limited this year due to the July 2012 Kokee fire declaration closure, which is still in effect. Hunters may access Unit J from Kokee and Waimea Canyon Roads from Sept. 14 to 29, Papaalai (Trail 2 to Contour Road) and Haeleele (Trail 3 to Puu Lua Reservoir) will be open to vehicle use on weekends only. After that date and through Oct. 27, only Papaalai Road will remain open to vehicle use on weekends only.

Trail 1, Trail 3 – Haeleele, Trail 4 – Polihale, Trail 5 – Kaaweiki, Trail 6 – Kauhao, and Contour and Kokee Ditch Roads will be closed to vehicular use. Hunters will be allowed to park and enter the hunting area on foot only. There will be no exceptions. No motorized or non-motorized vehicles will be permitted beyond the closed gates and along Contour Road and ditch line roads.

A successful bow-hunter who has bagged a deer will have filled their deer archery bag limit; however archers may continue to take pig and goat throughout the duration of the deer archery only season. The bag limit will be one pig and one goat per archer per hunting day. The use of dogs is prohibited during the deer archery only seasons.

Muzzleloader Only Period
The deer muzzleloader tag season will be in Hunting Units H from Sept. 14 to 15, 2013. Interested hunters may acquire their permits starting July 15,2013, at the Lihue DOFAW office at 3060 Eiwa St., Rm. 306, and must present their 2013-2014 Hawaii Hunting license when obtaining their permit. (Another person may pick up your permit, but must present your license for you.) Neighbor island archers or muzzleloader hunters may pick up an application form at the DOFAW office on their island and mail it in. Specific instructions are on the application form. Validated permits will be mailed to each archery hunter after the application has been received. Validated muzzleloader permits will be mailed to off-island hunters provided their applications are correctly filled out.

Female deer may not be taken during the muzzle-loader season. Wild pig hunting in Unit H during the deer season is restricted to deer hunters possessing valid muzzleloader deer permit/tags

Unit H muzzleloader hunters must sign in and out at the Makaha Ridge HCS. A successful muzzleloader hunter who has bagged a deer will have filled their deer season bag limit, but may accompany their hunting group without a firearm for the duration of the muzzleloader season. The use of dogs is prohibited during the deer muzzleloader only season.

Regular Rifle Period
The regular rifle tag season for deer will be in Hunting Unit H for six (6) consecutive weekends beginning on Sept. 21 and ending Oct. 27, 2013. Hunting in Unit A will again be closed to fire hazard danger. Applications for the 2013 Kauai deer rifle season are now available at all DOFAW offices and participating hunting license dealers on the island of Kauai. Each hunter applicant will be drawn for one (1) weekend in Unit H.

Wild pig hunting in Unit H during the deer season is restricted to deer hunters possessing valid rifle deer permit/tags on their assigned hunting date. Unit H hunters must sign in and out at the Makaha Ridge HCS. A successful hunter who has bagged a deer will have filled their season bag limit, but may accompany their hunting group without a firearm for the duration of the season. The use of dogs is prohibited during the deer rifle season.

The application deadline for the regular deer rifle tag season is 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, 2013. The public drawing will be held at the Lihue State Office Building, second floor conference room 209, at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2013. Lottery results will not be given over the telephone. Hunters are encouraged to attend the public drawing to determine the results, or wait for their validated tags to be mailed to them. The Lihue DOFAW office will post the results after the public drawing.

All deer hunters (archery, muzzle-loader and regular rifle) are required to carry their deer tag(s) and valid hunting license on their person at all times while in the hunting area. Deer tags are non-transferable between hunters. There will be no make-up weekends or standby permits. Deer tag(s) must be fastened to the carcass immediately after taking a deer. Successful deer hunters are to bring their animal carcass to the Kokee Hunter Check Station for weighing and examination. All hunters shall be required to preserve their game in a condition that will enable the identification of sex and species. No skinning or boning of deer carcasses will be permitted in any hunting area. However, hunters will be allowed to half or quarter their animal.

For more information, call the nearest DOFAW office:

Kauai – 274-3433
Oahu – 587-0166
Kamuela – 887-6063
Maui – 984-8100
Molokai – 553-4515
Lanai – 565-7916
Hilo – 974-4221

 
For more information, news media may contact:  
 
Deborah Ward, 
DLNR Public Information Specialist  
Phone: (808) 587-0320