Axis deer hunter feels unfairly targeted By TOM CALLIS Stephens Media tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com Shortly before Christmas 2009, a helicopter carrying four axis deer — three alive, one dead — landed on a Ka‘u ranch. Its cargo, brought in a metal crate from Maui, was unloaded and replaced with several mouflon sheep for the return trip....
Continue readingTag: axis deer
County Begins Deer Harvest Cooperative
Imagine higher agricultural yields, fewer invasive species, and a new economic product that’s as versatile as it is plentiful: venison. That was the vision of the founders of the Maui Axis Deer Harvesting Cooperative (MADHC), a new initiative organized by the County of Maui. Its goal is to help farmers, ranchers and landowners control...
Continue readingHawaii hunters sentenced in deer smuggling case
A federal judge sentenced two Hawaii hunters to community service today after an investigation into the interisland smuggling of axis deer by helicopter. Neither man was charged with the smuggling itself, but prosecutors said their actions introduced axis deer to the Big Island for the first time and harmed the environment as a result....
Continue readingConservationists upset that sheep shuttled to Maui
HONOLULU – A helicopter pilot is pleading guilty to illegally flying deer from Maui to the Big Island, shedding light on a mystery that has been bewildering Hawaii: how did axis deer, an animal that can’t swim across the ocean, get to another island? But now federal authorities say the people behind the scheme...
Continue readingNew law prohibits having or releasing feral deer in Hawaii
A bill prohibiting having feral deer or releasing them into the wild was signed into law Thursday by Gov. Neil Abercrombie. Senate Bill 3001 was passed by the Legislature as a measure to prevent the spread of Axis deer. The deer have thrived on Maui, causing an estimated $1 million in damage to farms,...
Continue readingPanel should be appointed to address deer problem
Before the problem gets any worse on Maui, Mayor Alan Arakawa should appoint a blue-ribbon axis deer panel to come up with a comprehensive plan on how the county can deal with the alarming increase of deer on Maui and the significant damage that is being done to our forests, farm vegetables, ecosystem and...
Continue readingMysterious deer growth a problem on Big Island
HONOLULU – Deer can swim, but not very far. When they showed up for the first time on the Big Island of Hawaii, mystified residents wondered how they got there. The island is some 30 miles southeast of Maui, where deer are plentiful. Hawaii wildlife authorities think someone dropped a few from a helicopter...
Continue readingHunters hired to control invasive species on Hawaii island kill first axis deer
Hunters hired to control invasive species on Hawaii island have killed their first axis deer. The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Tuesday the deer was captured in the southern part of the island. Big Island Invasive Species Committee Manager Jan Schipper declined to say specifically where the deer was killed to prevent interference with the committee’s...
Continue readingHelicopter blamed for disrupting Lanai hunt
Lanai residents were miffed recently when a helicopter carrying a film crew “buzzed” a game management area on the opening weekend of the island’s hunting season. Hunters from around the state and as far away as the Mainland flock to the island to pursue axis deer and muflon sheep, making the scheduled hunting weekends...
Continue reading