DLNR Announces Black-Tailed Deer Season on Kaua‘i

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has announced the opening dates for of the 2017 black-tailed deer hunting season on the island of Kaua‘i.

Hunters may apply for three hunts including archery, muzzle-load rifles only and regular rifles. Rules and conditions regulating hunting in Title 13, Chapter 123 will be in effect.

For more details, visit DLNRʻs Division of Foresty and Wildlife website.

Unit L (Waimea Heights Hunting Area): Unit L will be open to archery and muzzleloader hunting of black-tailed deer and feral pig. Unit L is located on western Kaua‘i and includes a portion of the former Amfac sugar cane lands west of Waimea Canyon road (Highway 550), east of Koke‘e road (Highway 552) and north of Syngenta and Pioneer corn fields. Maps showing the hunting area boundaries and hunter checking stations are available in the Lihu‘e DOFAW office and west Kauai hunter checking stations. Access into the area will be by foot or horseback. Hunters hunting in Unit L may check-in either at Koke‘e Road, Waimea Heights or Mango Tree hunter checking stations (HCS). Vehicles shall not enter the hunting area, except when used for official business by the department or the landowner.

Archery Season Only: Resident archers interested in hunting in Units D, F, J, K and L for black-tailed deer will be charged $5.00 for their deer archery tag ($25.00 non-resident hunter). The deer archery season will be in Hunting Unit F, from September 1st through December 31, 2017 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and state holidays. Archery hunting in Unit J and K is from September 2 through December 31, 2017 on Saturday, Sundays and state holidays only. Unit L archery season will start on July 1st thru August 27, 2017 on Saturday and Sundays ONLY. Archery permits are now available in the Lihu‘e Division of Forestry and Wildlife office at 3060 ‘Eiwa Street, Room 306. Hunters must present their 2017-18 Hawai‘i hunting license in order to obtain a deer archery permit. Another person may pick up the permit, but must present the applicantsʻ license in their absence. Neighbor island archers may pick up an application form at the DOFAW office on their island and submit it via postal mail. Specific instructions are on the application form. Validated archery permits will be mailed to each hunter after the application has been received. Hunters may either check-in at the Waimea Heights or Koke‘e hunter check-in stations. The bag limit will be one deer of either sex per archer, per season.

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 through 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 Season: The deer muzzleloader tag season will be in Hunting Units A, B and L on September 2 to 3, 2017. Kaua‘i residents may acquire their permits starting June 26, 2017 at the Lihu‘e DOFAW office at 3060 ‘Eiwa Street, Rm. 306. Applicants must present their 2017-18 Hawai‘i hunting license when obtaining a permit. Permits will be $5.00 for resident and $25.00 for non-residents.

Another person may pick up the permit, but must present the applicantsʻ license. Neighbor island archers or muzzleloader hunters may pick up an application form at the DOFAW office on their island and submit it via postal mail. 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 completed.

The bag limit in Units B and L will be one (1) deer of either sex per muzzle-load hunter, per license year. The bag limit in Unit A will be one (1) antlered deer, fork horn or better per hunter, per license year. Feral pig hunting in Unit A during the deer season is closed for hunting. Feral Pig is open for hunting in Unit B and L during the deer season.

Unit A hunters must check-in at the Koke‘e or Pu‘u ‘Opae hunter check-in stations. 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 Season: The regular rifle tag season for deer will be in Hunting Units A, B and Unit L for seven consecutive weekends beginning on September 16 and ending on October 29, 2017. Applications for the 2017 Kaua‘i Deer Rifle season are now available at all DOFAW offices and participating hunting license dealers on the Island of Kaua‘i. Each Hawai‘i resident hunter will be charged $15.00 which includes processing the lottery application and rifle tag ($30.00 for non-resident hunter). Each hunter applicant will be drawn for two weekends–one weekend in Unit A or Unit L and one weekend in Unit B.

The bag limit In Unit A will be one antlered deer, fork horn or better per hunter, per license year. Feral pig hunting will be closed in Unit A during the deer season. Unit A hunters must check-in at the Koke‘e or Pu‘u ‘Opae hunter check-in stations. 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 bag limit in Unit B will be one deer of either sex per hunter, per license year. Feral pig hunting will be open in Unit B during the deer season. Dogs are permitted in Unit B while hunting. Unit B hunters must check-in at Koke‘e hunter check-in stations.

Hunters hunting Unit L will be limited to muzzleload rifles ONLY. Hunters wishing to hunt deer in Unit L will be allowed to take one deer of either sex and one feral pig. Maps showing the hunting boundary and checking station locations are available at the Lihu‘e DOFAW office and west Kaua‘i hunter check-in stations.

Hunting Units E-1, E-2 and H: Permits for year-round hunting of black-tailed deer in Units E-1, E-2 and H are now available in the Lihu‘e DOFAW office. The permit allows the taking of deer of either sex, feral pig and feral goat. There is a $10.00 annual fee for resident hunters and $25.00 for non-resident hunters.

The application deadline for the regular deer rifle tag season is 3:30 p.m. on Friday, August 4, 2017.

The public drawing will be held at the Lihu‘e State office building, second floor conference room 209 on Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. 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 Lihu‘e Division of Forestry and Wildlife 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 Koke‘e or Pu‘u ‘Opae hunter check station for weighing and examination. All hunters are required to preserve their game in a condition that will enable the identification of sex and species. No skinning or de-boning of deer carcasses will be permitted in any hunting area. However, hunters will be allowed to halve or quarter their animal.

All other requirements contained in Chapter 123, “Rules Regulating Game Mammal Hunting” apply to the Kaua‘i deer hunting season. For more information, call the DOFAW office in Hilo at (808) 933-4221 or in Kamuela at (808) 887-6063