2017-11-8 Game Management Advisory Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Game Management Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes – November 8, 2017 can’t do – but we really want to work with the hunters and we want to be effective – we want to run a really good game management and hunting program. So that is our goal – we want to do those things, OK? We have lots of different things that we have to balance in the mix. There’s lots of resources that we have to take care of and we’re not going to fix this all here tonight... AA: You guys do a pretty good/fair hunting program. DS: Thank you. AA: So that’s a positive note on that part. I agree with Willie-Joe on that part – just the game like my main question will be like you mentioned earlier about access – how can we get better access – not necessarily giving more time for the hunters that open it weekly, Monday, daily or whatever – just the areas that’s already there – how can we get better access like cleaning up the roads or you know just to getting back to better access – just into the forest itself – because a lot of the areas are encroaching \[unclear\] fall down trees, brush growing over on the road. I know get rapid ohia death going on but how can we get better access in the forest itself? DS: A lot of that would just be working with your local – DOFAW group. Try to figure out who’s in charge of management in particular areas – get a good line of communication going – give him a call – hey, there’s a tree down, across the road – we need some help or you know this section of the road’s really bad – so trying to improve that line of communication with us – we really want to do a good job for you – so if there’s things like that that we can work with you on – by all means let us know. You know, we do have – we have a lot of open positions right now – we have 30% vacancies in our division and not for lack of trying, I mean, since I’ve come on this has been my number one priority is to fill positions. Here and Hilo their operations crew – they have two out of eight positions filled right now and we’re just pushing, pushing, pushing trying to get those filled. So some of it’s a capacity issue – we’re trying to do the best we can – we’re spread really thin but we certainly want to run a topnotch program and I think – I drive around with these guys and I tell you what – I am amazed with the resources that they have – how much they get done and how much ground they cover – how long it takes them just to drive to get somewhere to work so they work really hard – I sign a lot of papers and I look at a lot of stuff so I track statewide what these guys are out there doing and working on and man, we got some really good crews in the field working really hard. So we’re trying to do our best – if there’s ways that we can improve you guys need to let us know – we’ll do the best we can for you. TL: It’s a long drive to Puuanahulu and what we would like to see is some game there when we get there. 14