Division of Forestry and Wildlife: Outdoor Recreation

The State of Hawaii, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is pleased to announce that application forms for the 2017 Lanai Axis deer hunting season, together with instruction sheets, will be available at all DOFAW Offices Statewide beginning Monday October 17, 2016.  Applicants may also apply online.  A ten dollar ($10.00) application fee will be assessed each person applying for the hunt. This fee MUST accompany each application for the hunt at the time of filing.  Applications received without the required application fee will not be processed and will be returned to the applicant.  A tag fee will be assessed at the time of hunter check in.  Hawaii residents will be assessed twenty dollars ($20.00) and non-Hawaii residents one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125.00) for each Axis deer 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. 

Pursuant to Title 13, Chapter 123, “Rules Regulating Game Mammal Hunting” (13-123-2) the following special conditions and procedures will be in effect for this hunt:

The 2017 Lanai Axis deer season will consist of four (4) hunts:

            The Archery Only Hunt will be held over eight (8) consecutive days, beginning February 18, 2017 and ending on February 25, 2017.

            **A Special Youth Hunt will be conducted for one (1) Weekend (Saturday and Sunday), March 4 and 5, 2017.

            The Muzzleloader Hunt will be conducted for one (1) Weekend (Saturday and Sunday), March 11 and 12, 2017.

            The General Rifle Hunt will be held over nine (9) consecutive Weekends (Saturdays and Sundays), beginning March 18, 2017 and ending on May 14, 2017.

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 bag limit for the 2017 Lanai Axis deer season will be three (3) Axis deer (two (2) does and one (1) either sex) per hunter for the archery season, three (3) Axis deer (two (2) does and one (1) either sex) per hunter for the youth hunt, and three (3) Axis deer (two (2) does and one (1) either sex) per hunter for the muzzleloader and general rifle hunts.  All hunters will be required to purchase a doe tag and have the option of purchasing an either sex tag and/or another doe tag.  Tags are NOT transferable and are valid only for the specific hunt for which it was issued.

There will be no lottery drawing of permits for the Archery Only Hunt and no limit on the number of archers who will be allowed to participate.  However, interested archers must apply for this hunt by submitting an application for a permit.  Hunters participating in the Archery Only 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 Friday preceding the first day of the Archery Only Hunt between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 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 at the time of hunter check in.  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.

SPECIAL AXIS DEER HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH HUNTERS:

**SPECIAL YOUTH HUNT

• Youth hunters must be 15 yrs of age or younger (HAR 13-123-2), possess a valid 2016-2017 State of Hawaii hunting license and must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult (18 yrs of age or older) who also possesses a valid 2016-17 State of Hawaii hunting license.  Youth hunters must submit an application to participate in this hunt.
• Youth hunters will be issued tags at the time of hunter check in.  Tags are valid only for the specific hunt applied for.
• A total of 150 youth hunters will be drawn for the weekend.  If applications exceed 150, 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 youths and accompanying adults.
• One (1) adult may accompany one (1) youth for this special hunt.
• Youth hunters will also be allowed to apply for and participate in the archery only hunt and either the muzzleloader hunt or general rifle hunt.  Youths must submit a separate application for each hunt.

Participation in the Muzzleloader Hunt may be assigned by lottery if application levels exceed the allotted number of hunters allowed in the hunting area.  The General Rifle Hunt 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.

Applications for all hunts may be submitted in-person or mailed, to the Maui Division of Forestry and Wildlife Office, 1955 Main St., # 301, Wailuku, HI 96793.  Lanai residents only are to mail or deliver their applications to the Lanai Division of Forestry and Wildlife Office at 917 Fraser Ave., P.O. Box 630661, Lanai City, HI 96763.  Hunters may and are encouraged to apply online for this hunt.  To apply online, go to https://hunthawaii.ehawaii.gov.  The DEADLINE for submitting applications will be 4:00 PM on Friday November 18, 2016.  Interested hunters are encouraged to submit applications well before the application deadline to insure proper processing. 

If necessary, a public drawing for the Special Youth and Muzzleloader Hunts will be held on Friday, January 6, 2017 at 11:00 AM at the J. Cameron Center, MEO Building.  A simultaneous drawing may be held at the Lanai Division of Forestry and Wildlife Office for Lanai residents.  Following these drawing at both locations, the public drawing for the General Rifle Hunt lottery will be held at 12:00 noon.  Hunters who have been assigned a stand-by number will be allowed to replace no-show hunters that do not check in on their assigned hunting date.

All eligible Youth, Muzzleloader and General Rifle participants must check in either on the Friday preceding their assigned hunting date between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM or on Saturday between 7:00 AM and 3:30 PM at the Forestry and Wildlife Office in Lanai City to acquire their tags.  Stand-by hunters must be present at the Lanai City, Division of Forestry and Wildlife office at 6:00 PM on the Friday prior to their assigned hunting date to be eligible to replace no-show hunters.  Once each hunter fills their bag limit for each hunt applied, they will not be eligible to participate for the remainder of the 2017 Lanai Axis Deer Season.  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.

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

            Oahu: 587-0166                                              Maui: 984-8100

            Hawaii: 974-4221 (Hilo)                      Molokai: 553-1745

            Kauai: 274-3433                                  Lanai: 565-7916