The Struggle to Contain, and Eat, the Invasive Deer Taking over Hawaii
June 17, 2024 8:25 AM Subscribe
Invasive species are well known to be a threat to the native ecosystem (usgs.gov pdf titled Wild Sheep and Deer in Hawai`i—a Threat to Fragile Ecosystems). Axis deer are particularly damaging, running rampant on Maui. They were introduced to the Big Island in 2009 and it took 5 years of government sponsored effort to successfully eradicate them. One of those involved in that project, Jack Muise (long interview on the podcast The Drive with the story of his life and how he got started) has started a business humanely hunting axis deer for commercial resale. The Struggle to Contain, and Eat, the Invasive Deer Taking over Hawaii. Axis deer were first brought to the islands in the 1860s. Now they number in the tens of thousands. (Modern Farmer). How Hawaii Became the Source of a Rare and Tasty Breed of Venison (By Evan Bleier for Inside Hook) "Harvested at night across 250,000 acres from 50 to 75 yards away using surveillance drones, UTVs and long-range rifles equipped with infrared scopes, Maui Nui’s deer are killed under the watchful eyes of a USDA inspector in a manner that is designed to make the deer unaware they are being hunted."
“On Maui and Molokai, there is no bag limit and there is no season,” says Bagshaw. “You can hunt ’em like a videogame from sunrise to sunset, if you want.” The permits cost $20 for the year
It is necessary to hunt invasive species, and eating them makes sense, but I don't like there being no season. To control population, you have to kill does, and to do that while their fawns are still dependent on them is inhumane.
In Scotland, for example, where the deer population also has to be controlled, they do not cull between 1 April - 31 August. (Or, they require a specific permit to do so, of which very few are issued.)
So yeah, by all means cull the invasive Hawaiian deer (and eat them, and use the hides and horns). But do it humanely, not "like a videogame."
posted by Pallas Athena at 9:38 AM on June 17 [4 favorites]
It is necessary to hunt invasive species, and eating them makes sense, but I don't like there being no season. To control population, you have to kill does, and to do that while their fawns are still dependent on them is inhumane.
In Scotland, for example, where the deer population also has to be controlled, they do not cull between 1 April - 31 August. (Or, they require a specific permit to do so, of which very few are issued.)
So yeah, by all means cull the invasive Hawaiian deer (and eat them, and use the hides and horns). But do it humanely, not "like a videogame."
posted by Pallas Athena at 9:38 AM on June 17 [4 favorites]
Per the article, they give birth year-round, so you can't really just hunt when there aren't fawns.
posted by emjaybee at 9:40 AM on June 17 [14 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 9:40 AM on June 17 [14 favorites]
Also, this isn't about deer population control, it's about eradication.
posted by LionIndex at 9:45 AM on June 17 [14 favorites]
posted by LionIndex at 9:45 AM on June 17 [14 favorites]
In Scotland, for example, where the deer population also has to be controlled, they do not cull between 1 April - 31 August. (Or, they require a specific permit to do so, of which very few are issued.)Deer are native to Scotland. The goal there is to keep the ecosystem balanced, compensating for the imbalances caused by humans removing their natural predators. In Hawaii, the deer are an invasive species and the way the ecosystem is healthy is by not having deer in it.
posted by adamsc at 9:48 AM on June 17 [14 favorites]
It is necessary to hunt invasive species, and eating them makes sense, but I don't like there being no season. To control population, you have to kill does, and to do that while their fawns are still dependent on them is inhumane.
Presumably being killed is always "inhumane" regardless of motivation, if you are the thing being killed, whether you're a plant, bug, human, or deer. Seems like here the problem is there should be zero deer on these islands, in which case, fretting over the age of the dear killed or fear of young deer dying of natural causes instead of by gunshot seems immaterial as the goal is for them to all be dead, since them being alive there at any age is a big problem.
posted by GoblinHoney at 10:29 AM on June 17 [7 favorites]
Presumably being killed is always "inhumane" regardless of motivation, if you are the thing being killed, whether you're a plant, bug, human, or deer. Seems like here the problem is there should be zero deer on these islands, in which case, fretting over the age of the dear killed or fear of young deer dying of natural causes instead of by gunshot seems immaterial as the goal is for them to all be dead, since them being alive there at any age is a big problem.
posted by GoblinHoney at 10:29 AM on June 17 [7 favorites]
@mhove: or apes (but not orangutans - everything is friend-shaped to an orangutan).
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 10:35 AM on June 17
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 10:35 AM on June 17
in a manner that is designed to make the deer unaware they are being hunted
um, isn't that just...hunting? the activity with the blinds and the tree stands and the camouflage clothing and long-range weapons and generally high levels of concealment so the prey animals don't run away?
posted by allegedly at 10:35 AM on June 17 [6 favorites]
um, isn't that just...hunting? the activity with the blinds and the tree stands and the camouflage clothing and long-range weapons and generally high levels of concealment so the prey animals don't run away?
posted by allegedly at 10:35 AM on June 17 [6 favorites]
@mhove: or apes (but not orangutans - everything is friend-shaped to an orangutan).
Apes? I guess that would be us.
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 11:43 AM on June 17 [2 favorites]
Apes? I guess that would be us.
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 11:43 AM on June 17 [2 favorites]
They're always killed with a single shot, never brought down with one bullet and finished after being in pain.
posted by bq at 11:49 AM on June 17
posted by bq at 11:49 AM on June 17
Years ago, on a whim, I picked up a book titled, "Heart and Blood: Living With Deer in America." (The link is to an archived New York Times review and is free to read.) It's written by an anthropologist and hunter and looks at the issue of deer from multiple perspectives.
It not only changed my strongly negative perspective of hunting, it taught me loads about journalism and narrative writing. It's thoughtful and beautiful and simply one of the best books I've ever read. You can read the first chapter from a link on that NY Times review. (Sadly, I loaned out my copy to someone, who loaned it to someone, and so on, and it's gone for good now.)
posted by martin q blank at 11:52 AM on June 17 [12 favorites]
It not only changed my strongly negative perspective of hunting, it taught me loads about journalism and narrative writing. It's thoughtful and beautiful and simply one of the best books I've ever read. You can read the first chapter from a link on that NY Times review. (Sadly, I loaned out my copy to someone, who loaned it to someone, and so on, and it's gone for good now.)
posted by martin q blank at 11:52 AM on June 17 [12 favorites]
Where have you gone, Jean-Marie Josselin? Our islands turn their Cervidae to you. Woo woo woo.
posted by snuffleupagus at 11:54 AM on June 17 [1 favorite]
posted by snuffleupagus at 11:54 AM on June 17 [1 favorite]
I often see articles like this, but then can never seem to find the markets for these invasive species. I have never seen feral deer or pigs on Hawaiian menus. I have never gotten to eat a Florida lionfish. I'm so on board with this.
posted by advicepig at 12:36 PM on June 17 [3 favorites]
posted by advicepig at 12:36 PM on June 17 [3 favorites]
Ope, the online store is right there in the links and wildly expensive!
posted by advicepig at 12:43 PM on June 17
posted by advicepig at 12:43 PM on June 17
One of the issues with purchasing is commercial-grade meat processing and USDA inspection, which is limited on the islandsSee this 2023 article
posted by DebetEsse at 12:56 PM on June 17 [6 favorites]
posted by DebetEsse at 12:56 PM on June 17 [6 favorites]
Maui Nui offers something extremely rare these days in the islands, which is a kama 'aina deal (discount for locals) that's actually very generous. They give 2/3rds off the retail price on boxes of ground venison and stew meat cuts, and a deep discount on their jerky. With the price of living here through the roof, I'm very grateful to find such a good deal on the best quality red meat I can imagine. Most "kama 'aina deals" are a lousy 10% off stuff that's very unaffordable.
There have been recent improvements in the population on Maui, which just put a bounty on deer tails. I had no idea Molokai was so out of control, but they have a very small population so I'd imagine it's harder to manage there.
Incidentally, I just had the hand-cut pasta with Molokai venison at Mud Hen Water on Saturday, which is a great farm-to-table spot in Honolulu, and it broke da mouth. I selfishly want to support Maui's goal of curbing the population to an equilibrium level of 20,000 deer, just so I can keep eating them. I hope the state will find a way to establish a meat inspection service so we can do away with the ludicrous constraints of federal supervision.
posted by tovarisch at 1:49 PM on June 17 [16 favorites]
There have been recent improvements in the population on Maui, which just put a bounty on deer tails. I had no idea Molokai was so out of control, but they have a very small population so I'd imagine it's harder to manage there.
Incidentally, I just had the hand-cut pasta with Molokai venison at Mud Hen Water on Saturday, which is a great farm-to-table spot in Honolulu, and it broke da mouth. I selfishly want to support Maui's goal of curbing the population to an equilibrium level of 20,000 deer, just so I can keep eating them. I hope the state will find a way to establish a meat inspection service so we can do away with the ludicrous constraints of federal supervision.
posted by tovarisch at 1:49 PM on June 17 [16 favorites]
Wolves.The classic example taught to schoolchildren in Hawaii is the mongoose, which was introduced to Hawaii to try and control the rats. Turns out they're diurnal while the rats are nocturnal, so not only did they not get rid of the rats, they ended up devastating the endemic ecosystem by eating bird and turtle eggs. When introducing non-native species, there's always a chance they might end up disrupting the existing ecosystem, and not for the better.
Just sayin'.
posted by ndr at 2:25 PM on June 17 [7 favorites]
'Michigan had 52,218 deer traffic crashes in 2021, the fifth con itsecutive year the state has topped the 50,000 mark.
There were 282,640 total traffic crashes last year, meaning 18.5% were deer related. But in 26 of Michigan’s 83 counties, more than half of their crashes involved deer, according to Michigan Traffic Crash Facts,'
posted by clavdivs at 3:13 PM on June 17 [1 favorite]
There were 282,640 total traffic crashes last year, meaning 18.5% were deer related. But in 26 of Michigan’s 83 counties, more than half of their crashes involved deer, according to Michigan Traffic Crash Facts,'
posted by clavdivs at 3:13 PM on June 17 [1 favorite]
Experience: I was attacked by a wild boar while surfing
The pig pulled itself up and took a chunk out of the board with its teeth. There was a giant bite mark. That could have been me
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 3:17 AM on June 18 [2 favorites]
The pig pulled itself up and took a chunk out of the board with its teeth. There was a giant bite mark. That could have been me
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 3:17 AM on June 18 [2 favorites]
One can imagine adding wolves to wild boar attacks. Not good for tourism.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 3:18 AM on June 18
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 3:18 AM on June 18
in a manner that is designed to make the deer unaware they are being hunted
um, isn't that just...hunting?
There s hunting, and there s skilled hunting. Most hunting is average or below.
I imagine their focus on culling animals without teaching them avoidance behaviors is a lesson learned from the failures to control hogs. The ones that escape teach the others how to avoid average hunters.
Culling hogs has moved from aerial hunting to trapping for this reason
posted by eustatic at 6:14 PM on June 18 [2 favorites]
um, isn't that just...hunting?
There s hunting, and there s skilled hunting. Most hunting is average or below.
I imagine their focus on culling animals without teaching them avoidance behaviors is a lesson learned from the failures to control hogs. The ones that escape teach the others how to avoid average hunters.
Culling hogs has moved from aerial hunting to trapping for this reason
posted by eustatic at 6:14 PM on June 18 [2 favorites]
On one hand, Hawai'i is beautiful and it is a blessing on some level that people can get to enjoy it for its raw beauty. On the other, it has been colonized over and over by species of animals and cultures that should not be there, which makes all of that problematic.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 8:45 PM on June 18
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 8:45 PM on June 18
I imagine their focus on culling animals without teaching them avoidance behaviors is a lesson learned from the failures to control hogs. The ones that escape teach the others how to avoid average hunters.
If I recall correctly from the interview, it's a requirement of getting USDA approval. The animals must be killed humanely, and that means there can be no fleeing, no misses, and no wounding. Only 100% accurate kill shots from a distance.
posted by bq at 9:30 AM on June 19 [1 favorite]
If I recall correctly from the interview, it's a requirement of getting USDA approval. The animals must be killed humanely, and that means there can be no fleeing, no misses, and no wounding. Only 100% accurate kill shots from a distance.
posted by bq at 9:30 AM on June 19 [1 favorite]
I love the Judas goat story. lol
posted by jeffburdges at 8:03 AM on July 1
posted by jeffburdges at 8:03 AM on July 1
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posted by NoxAeternum at 9:26 AM on June 17 [3 favorites]