Hunter Education Program

DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
News Release

NEIL ABERCROMBIE GOVERNOR

WILLIAM J. AILA JR, CHAIRPERSON

For Immediate News Release May 15, 2014

GOAT HUNTING TO OPEN ON KAUA‘I

LIHU‘E – The Department of Land and Natural Resources announces the opening of archery, muzzleloading rifle, and high-powered rifle hunting seasons for feral goats on the island of Kaua‘i. Pursuant to Title 13, Chapter 123 “Rules Regulating Game Mammal Hunting,” the following rules and conditions will be in effect for the hunt:

No permit or tag fees will be assessed during the 2014 Kaua‘i goat hunting season.

ARCHERY ONLY SEASON: Kaua‘i archers must present their 2014-15 Hawai‘i Hunting License in order to obtain their permits starting Monday, June 23, 2014, in the Lihu‘e Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) office at 3060 ‘Eiwa St., Room 306. Another person may pick up your permit, but must present your license. Neighbor island archers may pick up an application form now at the DOFAW office on their island and mail it to the Lihu‘e DOFAW office at the address above. Specific instructions are on the application form. Validated archery permits will be mailed to each hunter after application has been received. Unit K bow hunters must sign-in and sign-out at either the Waimea Heights or the Koke‘e Hunter Checking Station. Unit G bow hunters must obtain a Unit G-Archery Pass from the Lihu‘e DOFAW office. Each pass is good for three (3) consecutive days and is free of charge.

Unit A Muzzleloader Season: Muzzleload hunters will be assigned two weekends in the Unit A hunting area through public lottery. Applications for the muzzleloader season are in conjunction with the rifle season applications. The season duration is July 19 to Sept. 7 on weekends only. The deadline for submitting applications for the muzzleloader hunt is 4 p.m. Friday, June 13, 2014. Specific information may be obtained on the application form. Hunters are allowed limited vehicle access through the corn fields to access Hunting Unit A using the “water tank valley” access road or the Polihale road junction below Mana Ridge. Hunters must first sign-in at the Polihale Beach, Polihale road junction or Mana Tunnels hunter checking station and sign-out after hunting. Hunters are advised to keep their firearms cased and unloaded while driving through the corn fields. Unit A is open to muzzleload firearms only. For more information on the access, call the DOFAW Kaua‘i office at 274-3433.

REGULAR RIFLE SEASON: Applications for the 2014 Kaua‘i Goat Rifle season in Units B, E and H are now available at all participating hunting license vendors on Kaua‘i and all DOFAW offices. A maximum of eight (8) hunters may apply together as a hunting group (no exceptions). Rifle hunters will be assigned two weekends: One weekend in Hunting Unit H on the Na Pali Coast and another weekend in Hunting Units B and E of Waimea Canyon. The season duration is July 19 to Sept. 7 on weekends only. Specific information may be obtained on the application form. The deadline for submitting applications for the regular rifle hunt is 4 p.m. Friday, June 13, 2014. The public drawing to assign hunting dates will be held in the Lihu‘e State Office Building Conference Room at 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, 2014.

All hunters who participate in the rifle season must have a valid 2014-15 Hawai‘i State hunting license on their person while they are hunting. Hunters will have the option of using a conventional rifle, muzzleloader rifle, handgun or archery equipment on their assigned hunting weekend, but may carry only one means of take while actually hunting. Hunters will also be allowed to take pigs on their assigned hunting weekend and the bag limit will be one pig per hunter per day. Permit-tags are non-transferable between hunters. Hunters must immediately tag their animal upon taking it. Boning of game will be permitted, but the unskinned tail must be left attached to the carcass. Each firearm hunter is required to wear a blaze-orange shirt or vest, sign in and out at a hunter checking station, and observe legal hunting hours and safety zones as well as the lawful carriage of firearms during the goat hunting season. Hunters are reminded to review Title 13, Chapter 123 “Rules Regulating Game Mammal Hunting,” prior to hunting.

For further information contact the DOFAW district offices:

Kaua‘i (808) 274-3433
O‘ahu (808) 587-0166
Kamuela (808) 887-6063
Maui (808) 984-8100
Moloka‘i (808) 553-4515
Lana‘i (808) 565-7916
Hilo (808) 974-4221

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Media Contact:
Deborah Ward
Public Information Specialist
(808) 587-0320