HomeMy WebLinkAboutFeral Ungulate Management Plan for West Hawaii HCR17-3
Feral Ungulate Management Plan for West Hawaii to Address H.C.R. No 17
Introduc?on
Over the last decade West Hawaii has seen an increase in the popula?on and effects of feral
goats and pigs. This management plan is created to address the issue these animals present and
to provide possible solu?ons.
Goats and pigs are non-na?ve ungulate species introduced to Hawaii. In public hun?ng areas
they are designated as game mammals (HRS 183D-51). In all other spaces, unmarked or
unbranded goats and pigs belong to the property owner or lessees of the land on which the
animals are then running (HRS 142-44). Given these facts the responsibility for these animals
and the damage or threats they may present may change as they move from one property to
another.
Current Popula?on Es?mates, Hun?ng Regula?ons, and Watershed Protec?on
The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife
(DOFAW) monitors and manages goat and pig popula?on levels in public hun?ng areas only. On
all other lands (i.e., commercial, residen?al, etc.) there are no restric?ons for removal of goats
and pigs. Animals can be removed freely at the behest of the landowner or lessee. The primary
public hun?ng areas for goats in West Hawaii are Puu Anahulu GMA and Puu Waawaa Forest
Reserve. Seasons and bag limits for these two areas are as follows:
Puu Anahulu – Open season is March through June with open hun?ng days being weekends and
state holidays. The season bag limit is 2 goats and 1 pig/day. The means of take is archery.
There are 38 available days for hun?ng. During this season, there is an average of 900-1200
hunter trips which results in the harvest of 80-130 goats and 10-30 pigs.
Puu Waawaa – Open season is the first 4 weekends of August as an archery hunt followed by 3
weekends of a muzzleloader hunt. The open hun?ng area is makai of highway 190. Over the last
decade DOFAW has also added hun?ng days using an ungulate control permit. There is also a
special youth and disabled archery hunt through the month of August in the mauka safety zone
area. The season bag limit is 3 goats and 1 pig/day. During the ungulate control program there is
no limit for goats or pigs.
There are 16 available days for hun?ng (9 days of archery and 7 days of muzzleloader) under the
normal chapter 123 rules. Generally, the ungulate control program has increased the available
hun?ng days from 16 to 24. During this season (and addi?onal ungulate control programs),
there is an average of 1,000-1,400 hunter trips which result in the harvest of 350-500 goats.
DOFAW is the only agency with any type of steady, programma?c removal of goats from the
landscape in West Hawaii. Annually, these programs remove 400-650 goats.
The Division has dra?ed temporary rules changes (§183D-3) increasing the number of available
hun?ng days and removing the bag limit for goats and pigs in both Puu Waawaa Forest Reserve
and Puu Anahulu GMA. The temporary season would increase archery hun?ng in Puu Waawaa
from 16 days to 89 days (a 550% increase) and in Puu Anahulu from 38 days to 89 days (a 230%
increase). This rules change would also increase the Puu Waawaa muzzleloader season from 7
open days to 52 open days (a 740% increase) and add a 52-day muzzleloader season to Puu
Anahulu (no season currently exists).
The Division uses camera traps and instantaneous sampling to es?mate goat densi?es in Puu
Anahulu and Puu Waawaa. Popula?on es?mates over the last 5 years are listed below:
2018 - 1,900 goats
2020 - 2,000 goats
2021 - 2,150 goats
2022 - 2,150 goats
Combined with harvest numbers, these data indicate a stable popula?on of feral goats. The
proposed rules changes should lead to increased harvest numbers of goats and pigs, helping to
reduce the popula?on of each species in these areas. Anecdotally, other areas where public
hun?ng has not been established have seen drama?c increases in goat numbers. Most of these
areas occur on private land where the state has no jurisdic?on to establish public hun?ng
regula?ons. In 2018, the DLNR Access and Acquisi?ons Coordinator posi?on was abolished. This
posi?on was par?ally tasked to work with private landowners to create agreements that
allowed for public hun?ng/animal control to take place on their proper?es.
Ongoing research is being conducted via DOFAW and University of Hawaiʻi to produce models
detailing the abundance, distribu?on and impact of ungulates across Hawaiʻi Island using data
acquired through field surveys. Abundance informa?on allows areas to be priori?zed based on
rela?ve impact per island and per game species. Both the conserva?on priori?za?on and
hun?ng poten?al models will iden?fy areas for improved management and the value of land
acquisi?on for increasing hun?ng access. Model outputs may be used to iden?fy areas for
poten?al ungulate exclusion fencing and high priority hun?ng areas to minimize conflict
between DOFAW management objec?ves. These models may be used in discussions on
iden?fying high priority areas for both conserva?on and hun?ng.
DOFAW also partners with other agencies to protect pris?ne forest and priority watersheds. In
these areas hun?ng regula?ons allow for year-round hun?ng with no bag limits. There are also
466,769 acres of forest and watershed protected by fences, with ac?ve staff and contracted
removals of ungulates. This includes DOFAW lands, Watershed Partnerships and other agencies.
Current Management Capacity
The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife currently has one (1) Wildlife Biologist and two (2)
Forestry and Wildlife Technicians responsible for all wildlife issues for approx. 300,000 areas of
public land and 1M acres of private land in West Hawaii. Any addi?onal responsibili?es tasked
to the agency to address these issues would require an increase in staffing. Posi?ons required
are:
Fund .50 FTE Waimea Forestry and Wildlife Technician IV $40,000
Create 2 Wildlife Biologist IV positions in Waimea @ $95,000 ea. $190,000
Re-establish the Statewide Access and Acquisition Coordinator position $95,000
Damage to Agriculture, Commercial, and Residen?al Proper?es
Goats and pigs can be damaging to agricultural opera?ons damaging crops, ranch and farm
infrastructure, and compe?ng with livestock for forage. They can also damage residen?al and
resort landscaping and gardens, and other land use opera?ons (i.e., golf courses, etc.). As stated
earlier, landowners and lessees are not prohibited by state statute from removing these animals
from their property. Means of take may be limited, dependent upon the zoning and acreage.
Currently, the DLNR distributes a list of contact informa?on for private hunters and trappers
that may be able to assist property owners and lessees with removing animals.
The County of Hawaii has inves?gated implemen?ng a program to loan or rent pig traps to the
public. This would include proper training for those using the traps and an op?on for the county
to remove the trapped animals, if requested (maybe???). Cost es?mates for traps range from
$$$ to $$$.
Roads and Highways
Goats and pigs present along road corridors can create hazardous condi?ons which may lead to
vehicle accidents. Managing ungulates along roadsides present several obstacles that make
trapping or hun?ng unacceptable op?ons for control. DOFAW prohibits any hun?ng within 50
yards of roads for safety reasons. The use of any firearm or archery equipment along roadways
is dangerous. Also, wounded animals may run into traffic. Trapping is also challenging as it
would create an area that would en?ce or lure more animals into the road corridor,
compounding the problem. Similarly, removing animals from the trap could result in loose
animals running in to the road. Consequently, this plan suggests 3 alterna?ve op?ons for
reducing the presence of ungulates on roadsides.
1. Create and maintain a 10-meter zero vegetation buffer along all highways: roads catch and
funnel water after rain. This creates good environment for new vegetative growth, which
attracts grazing animals. Keeping these areas free of vegetation would remove the food source
that draws these animals into that space. (DOT PROVIDE COST ESTIMATE???)
2. Replace grooved rumble strips: grooved rumble strips catch and hold water after rain events.
This can often attract animals to roadway shoulders and center strips, especially in the arid
environments found in much of West Hawaii. Replacing grooved rumble strips with other
options should remove this hazard. (DOT PROVIDE COST ESTIMATE???)
3. Fencing: Ungulate-proof fencing along road corridors with high ungulate use would be the most
effective method of keeping animals off roads. Surveys identify 2 stretches of highway as prime
areas for roadside fencing. The first segment extends from mile marker 6 on Highway 190 to
mile marker 26 (21 miles). The second segment extends from mile marker 28 on Daniel K.
Inouye Highway to the Highway 190 Junction (23 miles). Current pricing for labor and material
for a 48” high goat fence would be $7 million for segment 1 and $7.7 million for segment 2.
Conclusion