Editorial: Cut numbers of destructive deer

Hawaii’s 10th emergency proclamation on Axis deer was issued by Gov. Josh Green last week. The emergency is real, but it’s unacceptable that the problem has grown to its current proportions.

The deer, which breed prolifically, have caused enormous damage to open lands on Maui and Molokai. Their voracious consumption of greenery has led to deforestation and erosion, deterioration of habitats and silt contamination of nearshore waters.

They are carriers of diseases that threaten domestic cattle. They devastate domestic animals’ pastureland. And they trample and eat agricultural crops, causing millions of dollars in damage and losses to ranchers and farmers.

Continuing emergency proclamations are intended to cut through barriers to finding solutions, and the state has expended millions of dollars on the problem. However, it has stopped short of carrying out one proven technique for reducing populations: mass eradication.

Hunting of Axis deer and private consumption, distribution of the meat for commercial consumption, and use of the meat to feed the food insecure are all pursuits worthy of expansion and state support. But waiting for regulation changes and expansion of meat processing capabilities to evolve into a sustainable system of hunting, harvesting and consumption isn’t the right response to the current, pressing environmental crisis.

Instead, an unbiased task force must analyze the current control methods, population patterns and the continuing damage caused by Axis deer, and include culling as part of the solution.

Consider the facts:

>> In September 2022, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) opened a low-interest emergency loan program to assist farmers and ranchers in obtaining fencing and conducting other mitigation measures against Axis deer. Private landowners have borrowed more than $1.1 million to fend off the voracious creatures.

>> Maui County is federally designated as a natural disaster area because of ongoing drought conditions, so the deer devastation compounds an already costly and environmentally damaging situation.

>> There is no license limit, bag limit or season for hunting deer on Maui or Molokai, and hunters can take male or female deer.

>> The state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (DOFAW) is developing action plans to estimate “appropriate harvest levels” to cut deer populations. DOFAW also installs deer fencing and deer traps.

>> This year, the Legislature authorized Act 54, which allows nonprofits to donate wild game meat to communities in need. That could lead to ramped up hunting. However, the prospect of donations isn’t enough on its own, because the state does not have enough meat-processing facilities to render game into meat that is ready to cook.

Act 54 also authorizes a task force to study increasing Hawaii’s meat-processing capability. This would have widespread benefits, increasing food security and prospects for local operations, and should be pursued, but it will take time to implement.

At this time of great need on Maui, when food insecurity has ballooned because of wildfires that virtually destroyed Lahaina, it seems obvious that a ramped-up hunting and processing program to create stockpiles of venison available to those who need it could be valuable. That would require subsidies and assistance navigating regulations, but should be pursued.

Culling by hunters for mass distribution could make a dent in deer populations, but they will quickly bounce back unless efforts are ramped up. While continuing to support subsistence and commercial hunting, state-supervised or -conducted mass eradication must also be part of the solution.