Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Program FY17_FY21

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Air transportation into remote hunting areas for trail, fence, signage and campsite maintenance and repair is needed to keep the game program running smoothly. Hire one full-time game technician to accomplish the game operations and maintenance task. E. Location. All game operations and maintenance occur on public hunting areas on the island of Kauai. Game water units and feed sites maintained under this project are located in the Kekaha and Wailua GMAs. Hunting checking stations, storage buildings, jeep roads and foot trails, signs, exclosure fences and boundary fences occur in various forest reserves, natural areas, and portions of State Parks. Facilities maintained in these areas are not intended to enhance game mammal populations, but are maintained to encourage hunting for the reduction of ungulate impacts on native flora and fauna. Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 5-Yr Total $90,000 $250,000 $260,000 $270,000 $280,000 $1,360,000 Project 10 W-25-GP-01Game Population Management Hawaii County -East Hawaii District A. Need Demand for recreational game bird hunting continues to increase while mortality continues due to diseases and predation from introduced mongooses, rats, feral cats and feral dogs. Population management is needed to restore game bird populations depressed by predation. There are no native mammalian predators in Hawaii. Niches for small and medium-sized predators are filled by introduced Indian mongooses, feral dogs and cats, and rats. In many instances they are the primary limiting factors on ground -nesting birds. Although game bird population levels are closely linked to annual precipitation, predation is usually the next limiting factor especially during the nesting and brood rearing seasons. Predator population management plays a key role in relieving predation pressure on game bird populations. Where mammal management game is allowed, mineral and feed supplements will improve the health of the population. In areas where control of game mammal populations is conducted, management practices include maximizing use of the hunting community by increasing public access to those game resources whenever safe, feasible, and effective. These practices include deployment of fences to manage game movement, public harvest of game to reduce population levels, staff control of game where needed, and salvage of harvested game for public use. In some areas, fencing is necessary to delineate state boundaries for hunting areas and to prevent mammal populations from encroaching on roads for public safety. B. Objectives • Enhance game bird populations at Kapapala Ranch, Mauna Loa, and Kipuka Amahou PHA's by reducing predators and monitoring disease, thus enhancing reproduction and survival of game birds. Continue to maximize hunting opportunities in the reduction of feral cattle numbers in appropriate hunting areas; 350 hunter trips, 90 feral cattle per year. Improving access to public hunting areas 23