Division of Forestry and Wildlife: Outdoor Recreation

The State of Hawaiʻi, Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is pleased to announce details for a combination 2021 Lānaʻi Axis Deer and Mouflon Sheep Season.

Hunt Dates, Special Conditions, and Procedures

Pursuant to Title 13, Chapter 123, “Rules Regulating Game Mammal Hunting” (13-123-4) the following special conditions and procedures will be in effect for this hunt.

The 2021 Lānaʻi Axis Deer and Mouflon Sheep Season will consist of four (4) hunts:

• The Archery Hunt will be held over 12 consecutive days, beginning May 26, 2021 and ending on June 6, 2021. Limited to 75 non-Lānaʻi resident hunters. All Lānaʻi residents who apply will be allowed to participate.
• The Youth Hunt will be opened from Wednesday through Sunday, June 9-13, 2021. Limited to 75 non-Lānaʻi resident hunters. All Lānaʻi residents who apply will be allowed to participate.
• The Muzzleloader Hunt will be open from Wednesday through Sunday, June 16-20, 2021. Limited to 75 non-Lānaʻi resident hunters. All Lānaʻi residents who apply will be allowed to participate.
• The General Rifle Hunt will be held over eighteen consecutive weeks and opened on Wednesdays through Sundays, beginning on June 23, 2021 and ending on October 24, 2021. Limited to 75 non-Lānaʻi resident hunters per week.   All Lānaʻi residents who apply will be allowed to participate.

Hunter assistants will only be allowed to accompany hunters who are senior citizens (age 65 or older) or disabled.  Proper documentation is required at time of hunter check in.

The 2021 Lānaʻi axis deer and mouflon sheep combination season will be a mouflon sheep ewe and axis deer (either sex) hunt.  There will be no limit on the amount of doe tags and a limit of one (1) ewe tag that can be purchased.  Hunters will be required to purchase two (2) doe tags before being able to purchase an either-sex axis deer tag.  No ram, including non-typical ram tags, will be available for purchase.  Tags are NON-transferable and are valid only for the specific hunt for which it was issued.

There will be a lottery drawing for the Archery Hunt with a limit of 75 non-Lānaʻi resident archers who will be allowed to participate.  Only successfully drawn archery hunters will be mailed an application card.  There will be no standby hunting opportunities for the archery hunt.  Interested archers must apply for this hunt by submitting an application.  Due to County of Maui Covid-19 restrictions on large gatherings, applicants for the archery hunt may apply in parties up to a maximum of five (5) individuals.  Hunters participating in the Archery Hunt will not be allowed to apply for or participate in either the Muzzleloader Hunt or the General Rifle Hunt.  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 during the hunt between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:30 PM to validate permits and acquire their tags.  All tags will be issued during check station hours.  Archery hunters must check-out of the hunting area daily and report their take or their intent to hunt the next day providing their tags remain unfilled.

Axis deer/mouflon sheep hunting opportunities for youth hunters include the following requirements:

• Youth hunters must be 15 years of age or younger (HAR 13-123-2) up to the hunt date, possess a valid 2020-21 or 2021-22 State of Hawaii hunting license and be accompanied by a non-hunting adult (18 years of age or older) who also possesses a valid 2020-21 or 2021-22 State of Hawaii hunting license. Youth hunters must submit an application to participate in this hunt.
• If youth applications exceed 75 non-Lānaʻi resident hunters, a lottery will be conducted to select hunters. Only successfully drawn youth hunters will be mailed an application card.  There will be no standby hunting opportunities for the youth hunt.
• Youth hunters will be issued tags at the time of hunter check in. Tags are valid only for the specific hunt applied for.
• Youth hunters will be limited to carry one (1) type of hunting equipment while in the hunting area. Blaze orange is required for all youths and accompanying adults.
• One (1) adult may accompany one (1) youth for this hunt.
• Youth hunters who apply for the youth hunt will not be allowed to apply for and participate in the archery, muzzleloader or general rifle hunts.

Muzzleloader applicants will automatically be assigned to the scheduled date. If muzzleloader applications exceed 75 non-Lānaʻi resident hunters, a lottery will be conducted to select hunters.  Only successfully drawn muzzleloader hunters will be mailed an application card.  There will be no standby hunting opportunities for the muzzleloader hunt. General Rifle Hunt dates will be assigned by lottery drawing.  Interested hunters may apply for either the Muzzleloader Hunt Lottery or the General Rifle Hunt lottery but may NOT apply for BOTH.  Due to County of Maui COVID-19 restrictions on large gatherings, group size for both the muzzleloader and general rifle hunt will be limited to a maximum of five (5) individuals.  If general rifle applications exceed 75 non-Lānaʻi resident hunters per week in the Lānaʻi Cooperative Game Management Area, a lottery will be conducted to select going hunters.  Only successfully drawn general rifle hunters, indicating date of week drawn, will be mailed an application card.  There will be no standby hunting opportunities for the general rifle hunt.    

All eligible Youth, Muzzleloader and General Rifle participants must check in either on the Tuesday preceding their assigned hunting date between 12:00 noon and 7:00 PM or on Wednesday through Friday between 7:00 AM and 3:30 PM at the Forestry and Wildlife Office in Lānaʻi City to acquire their tags.  Once each hunter fills all purchased tags, they will not be eligible to participate for the remainder of the 2021 Lānaʻi Axis Deer/Mouflon Sheep Season.  Hunting Units 1, 2, and 3 will be open for the Archery Hunt.  For the Youth, Muzzleloader and General Rifle hunting season, Unit 2 will be available for hunting on Wednesdays, Unit 1 will be available for hunting on Thursdays and Units 1 and 2 will be available for hunting from Fridays through Sundays.

Applying for the hunt

The online application will be available beginning Monday, February 22, 2021.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hunters will be required to apply online for this hunt at https://gohunthawaii.ehawaii.gov.  Please select 2021 Lānaʻi Axis Deer and Mouflon Sheep Season.  The DEADLINE for submitting applications will be 4:00 PM on Friday March 19, 2021.  Interested hunters are encouraged to submit applications well before the application deadline to insure proper processing. 

If necessary, the public drawing for the youth and muzzleloader hunts will be held at 11:00am on Friday, April 23, 2021 at the Division of Forestry and Wildlife base yard in Kahului, with limited or no public participation.  The public drawing for the General Rifle Hunt lottery will be held at 12:00 noon at the above location.  The Lānaʻi resident public drawing will be held at 10:00am at the same location. 

A ten-dollar ($10.00) application fee will be assessed each person applying for the hunt. The application fee is non-refundable even if the hunt is cancelled or you are unable to participate. A game mammal tag fee will be assessed at the time of hunter check in.  Hawaiʻi residents will be assessed twenty dollars ($20.00) and non-Hawaii residents one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125.00) for each axis deer and mouflon sheep tag.  It is imperative that hunter applicants obtain and pay particular attention to the hunt instruction sheet and addendum for additional changes in the application process.  Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Lānaʻi Axis Deer and Mouflon Sheep Season may be modified, rescheduled, temporarily postponed, restarted or cancelled at any point prior to or during the season for health and/or safety concerns or for any other unforeseen reasons.  All State and County COVID-19 travel restrictions/guidelines apply and must be adhered to for participation in this hunt.  Hunters will be required to fill out a contact tracing form (available online or at the hunter check station) during the check in period and must download the Aloha Safe app on their smart phones.  Hunters will be required to follow all Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, including wearing of masks and social distancing at all times, except while hunting.

Questions?

Additional details for this season are available at the Division of Forestry and Wildlife Offices at the following telephone numbers:

• Kauai: 274-3433
• Oahu: 587-0166
• Molokai: 553-1745
• Maui: 984-8100
• Lānaʻi: 565-7916
• Hawaii: 974-4221 (Hilo)