Division of Forestry and Wildlife: Outdoor Recreation

Applications for the 2023 Lānaʻi mouflon sheep hunting season will be available beginning Monday, March 6, 2023. Applications can be made at gohunthawaii.ehawaii.gov by clicking on “Apply for Hunts.” The deadline for submitting applications will be 4:00 pm on Friday, April 7, 2023. 

The Lānaʻi mouflon sheep season will consist of four hunts: an archery hunt, a youth hunt, a muzzleloader hunt, and a general rifle hunt. Please review the hunt details below carefully to understand which conditions apply to specific hunts. Hunt applicants must pay particular attention to the hunt announcement, instruction sheet, addendum, and online information for any changes in the application process and hunting season. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the 2023 Lānaʻi mouflon sheep hunting season may be modified, rescheduled, or canceled.

Conditions applicable to all Lānaʻi mouflon sheep hunts:

• A $10 application fee will be assessed for each person applying for a hunt. All application fee sales are final and must accompany each application at the time of filing. 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 mouflon sheep tag. No tag fee will be assessed for the non-typical ram tag. Accepted forms of payment for game mammal tags include debit cards, credit cards and cash. Game mammal tags can also be purchased and printed online at https://gohunthawaii.ehawaii.gov and by clicking on “Purchase Tags and Permits”.
• Hunts may be subject to a lottery drawing. Hunters can check lottery results online at https://gohunthawaii.ehawaii.gov or at https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/recreation/hunting/.
• Public drawings for the Archery, Youth and Muzzleloader hunts will be held on Friday, May 5, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at the J Cameron Center, MEO facility on the island of Maui. At 12:00 noon, a public drawing to assign hunting dates, a going status, and if necessary, to establish stand-by positions for the General Rifle Hunt lottery will be held. The standby selection process will begin upon completion of the general rifle lottery.  The Lanai resident public drawing will be held at 9:00 am at the same above location. 
• Hunter assistants will be allowed to accompany hunters who are senior citizens (age 65 or older) or disabled. Proper documentation (signed doctor’s note, driver’s license, hunting license, etc.), along with the validated hunter assistant permit, must be made available to any representative of the Department of Land and Natural Resources upon request.
• The bag limit for the 2023 Lānaʻi mouflon sheep season will be three (3) mouflon sheep (one (1) ewe, one (1) either sex and one (1) non-typical ram) per hunter per authorized hunt. Hunters may be required to purchase aewe tag before being able to purchase or receive an either-sex tag and non-typical ram tag. A non-typical ram tag will be issued free of charge. All heads of non-typical rams (polled, deformed, muumuu) must be disposed of at the Lānaʻi hunter check station. Department of Land and Natural Resource personnel may determine the non-typical ram designation. Based on aerial survey data, additional tags (ewe and doe) may be offered free of charge. Tags are not transferable and are valid only for the specific hunt for which it was issued.
• All eligible Youth, Muzzleloader and General Rifle participants must check in either on the Wednesday preceding their assigned hunting date between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm or on Thursdays and Fridays between the hours of 7:00 am to 9:00 am and from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the Forestry and Wildlife Office in Lanai City to acquire their tags. If applicable, standby hunters must be present at the Lānaʻi City, Division of Forestry and Wildlife office at 5:00 pm on the Wednesday prior to their assigned hunting date to be eligible to replace no-show hunters. Checking in and purchasing/printing of tags will be available online. Checking in and purchasing of tags will remain available at the Lanai hunter check station. Hunters are encouraged to purchase and print tags online and check in at the Lānaʻi hunter check station. If checking in at the Lānaʻi hunter check station, hunters must provide identification and present their permit card to a representative of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Upon completion of the hunt, hunters must submit their permit card, including providing harvest data, to the Lānaʻi hunter check station. Hunters have the option of checking in and checking out online by using the OuterSpatial app. If using this option, upon completion of the hunt, hunters must provide harvest data on the app and need not return the permit card to the Lanai hunter check station. Check station hours may be modified based on online check in/out and tag purchase/printing options. Once each hunter fills all purchased or issued tags, they will not be eligible to participate for the remainder of the 2023 Lānaʻi mouflon sheep s Hunting Units 1, 2 and 3 will be open for the Archery Hunt. Hunting Units 1 and 2 will be opened for the Youth, Muzzleloader, and General Rifle Hunts.

Conditions specific to the archery hunt:

• The Archery Hunt will consist of two (2) draws each totaling 12 days. Subject to limited participation for non-Lanai residents. The first draw will begin on June 28, 2023 and end on July 9, 2023. The second draw will begin on July 12, 2023 and end on July 23, 2023.
• A lottery drawing will be conducted for the archery hunt to assign hunting dates, with no limit on the number of archers who will be allowed to participate. Hunters applying for and participating in the archery hunt will be allowed to apply for and participate in either the muzzleloader hunt or the general rifle hunt lotteries.
• Archery hunters may check in on the Tuesday preceding the first day of their draw from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm or daily, with the exception of the second weekend of each archery draw, between the hours of 8:00 am and 3:00 pm to validate permits and receive their tags. Checking in and the purchasing and printing of tags will be available online. Checking in and purchasing of tags will remain available at the Lanai hunter check station. Hunters are encouraged to purchase and print tags online and check in at the Lānaʻi hunter check station. If checking in at the Lānaʻi hunter check station, hunters must provide identification and present their permit card to a representative of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Upon completion of the hunt, hunters must check out by submitting their permit card, including providing harvest data, to the Lānaʻi hunter check station. Archery hunters have the option of checking in and checking out online by using the OuterSpatial app. If using this option, upon completion of the hunt, hunters must provide harvest data on the app and need not return the permit card to the Lānaʻi hunter check station. Check station hours may be modified based on online check in/out and tag purchase/printing options.

Conditions specific to the youth hunt:

• The youth hunt will be conducted for one (1) Weekend (Thursday through Sunday), July 27-July 30, 2023. Subject to limited participation for non-Lanai residents.

• Youth hunters must be 15 years of age or younger (HAR13-123-2), possess a valid 2023-24 State of Hawaiʻi hunting license, and be accompanied by a non-hunting adult (18 years of age or older) who also possesses a valid 2023-24 State of Hawaiʻi hunting license. Only the youth hunter will be required to submit an application. A permit will be issued to the adult at the time of hunter check in.
• Youth hunters will be issued tags at the time of hunter check in. Tags are valid only for the type of hunt applied for.
• A total of 175 youth hunters will be drawn for the weekend. If the total application of youth hunters exceeds 175, a lottery will be conducted to establish going and standby positions.
• Youth hunters will be limited to carry one (1) type of hunting equipment while in the hunting area. Blaze orange is required for all youth hunters and accompanying adults.
• One (1) adult may accompany one (1) youth for this hunt.
• Youth hunters will also be allowed to apply for and participate in the archery hunt and either the muzzleloader hunt or general rifle hunt. Youth hunters must submit a separate application for each hunt.
• Youth hunters and hunter assistants must check in at the Lānaʻi hunter check station. Online check-ins will not be available.
• Participation in the youth and muzzleloader hunts may be assigned by lottery if application levels exceed the allotted number of hunters allowed in the hunting area.

Conditions specific to the muzzleloader hunt:

• The Muzzleloader Hunt will be conducted for one (1) Weekend (Thursday through Sunday), August 3-6, 2023. Subject to limited participation for non-Lanai residents.
• Participation in the youth and muzzleloader hunts may be assigned by lottery if application levels exceed the allotted number of hunters allowed in the hunting area.

Conditions of the general rifle hunt:

• The general rifle hunt will be held over eleven consecutive weekends (Thursdays through Sundays), beginning on August 10, 2023 and ending on October 22, 2023. Subject to limited participation for non-Lanai residents.
• 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.