Jeff Bagshaw, information and education specialist at the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife, speaks during his presentation at the Invasive Species Meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at UH Maui College. He gave updates on the status of axis deer and management strategies for Maui. (Photo credit: Teya Penniman / Maui Invasive Species Committee)

Maui’s axis deer population is booming, raising concerns for forests, watersheds and farms. At a recent Invasive Species Meeting, Jeff Bagshaw of the Hawai‘i Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW Maui Branch urged hunters to prioritize culling to keep the herd in check.

“As a lifelong vegetarian who does not own a gun, kill everything that is on four deer legs,” said Bagshaw.

Bagshaw’s blunt advice came Wednesday before dozens of conservationists at an Invasive Species Meeting on Maui. The state agency DOFAW has dual missions—protecting wildlife while managing natural resources—and sometimes that means sending conflicting messages. In this case: don’t hesitate to kill female axis deer in Hawaiʻi.

The deer, introduced to Hawaiʻi for hunting over a century ago, are now considered one of the state’s most destructive invasive mammals. The state, county, ranchers, farmers, hunters and conservation groups remain divided on how to control herds that damage crops, deplete water, worsen erosion and raise wildfire risks.

To reach a “sustainable” population, DOFAW says the herd must be culled faster than it reproduces, and the broader understanding is this is not happening in Maui County. The agency estimates Hawai‘i’s herds grow by 20% annually, reiterated based on previous reports.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

It’s not exact science, but “it’s the best estimate we’ve got,” Bagshaw said. “And it’s a lot.”

The axis deer aren’t going away anytime soon, he added. Topography, breeding dynamics and biological math mean Maui will never ‘run out’ of deer.

Gender imbalance drives much of the growth in Maui County.

In their native range—India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka—herds are roughly 40% males and 60% females. In Hawai‘i, Bagshaw says various factors, including selective hunting, have pushed the ratio to about nine females for every male.

That imbalance accelerates population growth, Bagshaw said, but management isn’t just about numbers; it’s about biology and hunting culture.

Hunters often prioritize males—the “trophy” bucks—and this has backfired. When males are overharvested, the remaining bucks have abundant mating opportunities and less competition, allowing populations to continue and even accelerate.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

Effective population control targets females first, because removing breeding does directly reduces future generations.

“People always point to us and say, ‘what are you government people doing?’” Bagshaw said. “I turn it back and say, as a hunter, what are you doing as an individual?”

“In Texas, Australia, they have a hunting culture whereby you don’t take a buck. You do not hunt a male, unless you have already taken five does and/or five immature individuals.”

Axis deer have uniquely fast reproductive cycles: females breed at six months, can have twins, become pregnant again within weeks and remain in estrus year-round. Males can breed year-round as well. With lifespans of 10 years or more, a single doe can produce 10–15 fawns.

They originally evolved in landscapes with nine natural predators, and “none of those predators say, ‘I can’t kill Bambi,’” Bagshaw said.

New 2025 axis deer population survey holds some ‘good news’

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

As of August 2025, Maui has an estimated 26,330 deer, Molokaʻi 18,629 and Lānaʻi 2,682. Using drones, heat-sensing technology, AI, and traditional surveys, the Department of Forestry and Wildlife mapped roughly 80% of Maui County, and presented its “2025 Axis Deer Population Survey Maui Nui” at the Invasive Species Meeting on Maui, Aug. 13, 2025.

The latest Maui axis deer survey is shown at an Invasive Species Meeting, with deer herds represented as black dots on the map. These surveys take about two months, and may represent clusters while missing smaller herds in certain areas. Improved deer fencing is contributing to more-accurate reports over the years. (Credit: JD Pells / Maui Now)

Bagshaw called the survey results “good news” with still “a ways to go.” In 2021, the county-wide population estimate was as high as 167,000, compared to 47,641 today, according to the graphic he shared at Wednesday’s meeting. He said at least 12,000 deer must be harvested to reduce the population to a manageable level. “We think we can tolerate 16,000 [deer] on Maui [island].”

He said agencies and landowners are focused on what they call a “tolerance level”—how many deer a property can tolerate, rather than ‘carrying capacity,’ the point at which an area sustains irreparable damage.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

“The real answer to carrying capacity,” a DOFAW official said, “is we don’t want to know—because by that point, all of our forests are gone.”

Awareness is high, but more responsible hunting is needed in Maui County.

Axis deer arrived on Maui over a century ago. Eight animals—four males and four females—were first deposited on Moloka‘i in 1868 as a gift from the then-British colony of Hong Kong to King Kamehameha V. Without predators, their numbers soared to 7,500 in three decades.

Moloka‘i landowners in 1900 were first on record to cull in Hawai‘i, killing about 3,500 axis deer, according to the Hawai‘i Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). Nonetheless, the non-native deer were introduced to Lāna‘i, and eventually to Maui.

In 1959, the Territorial Legislature passed Act 10, requiring the Board of Agriculture and Forestry to “establish deer and such other game mammals… on Maui.” That year, five deer were flown in near Puʻu o Kali; four more arrived in 1960.

According to the company Maui Nui Venison, there was little public opposition at the time. The deer made the papers only when they escaped their one-acre pen within 24 hours of arrival. A day later, one was spotted in Kīhei.

By the late 1990s, their presence was impossible to ignore. The Hawai‘i Tribune-Herald reported deer droppings inside Waikamoi Preserve, and DLNR declared an open hunting season that has never closed. Early task force estimates put Maui’s herd at several thousand, with populations doubling every few years and agricultural losses reaching $500,000 annually by 2010.

Today, DOFAW manages about 170,000 acres directly, about 20% of all Maui lands. Eighty thousand acres are designated as hunting lands. About half of those areas are surrounded by private lands and not currently accessible. The remaining ~70% of Maui lands are private, and that’s where most of the deer are.

File photo: Axis deer pictured. (Courtesy: The Nature Conservancy and DLNR)

Even if private land-owners grant access, only about 2,000 people in Maui County hold hunting licenses, just over 1% of the population, per a 2022 report.

A resident hunting license for any game animal costs $20/year. On Maui and Moloka‘i, you can hunt axis deer any time of year (no season), as many as you want (no bag limit, no tags needed) in public hunting areas or on private lands with permission during daylight hours. To get started, go to: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/recreation/hunting/.