Applications and instruction sheets for the 2013 Lanai axis deer hunting season are currently available at all Division of Forestry and Wildlife offices, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The deadline for submitting applications is Friday.
Hunters are advised to read the instruction sheet for changes in the application process, including the waiving of application and tag fees for the season due to an appellate court ruling.
The deer season will consist of three hunts:
* Archery-only hunt, held over eight consecutive days, from Feb. 16 to 23.
* Muzzleloading hunt, over two consecutive weekends March 2 and 3 and 9 and 10.
* General rifle hunt, over nine consecutive weekends, Saturdays and Sundays, from March 16 to May 12.
Hunter assistants only will be allowed to accompany hunters who are senior citizens, age 65 or older, or disabled.
The bag limit for the season is two axis deer, one doe and one of either sex, per hunter for the archery season and two axis deer per hunter for the muzzleloader and general rifle hunts. Once each hunter fills the bag limit in the archery and either of the firearm categories, he will not be eligible to participate for the remainder of the season.
There will be no lottery drawing of permits for the archery-only hunt and no limit on the number of archers who will be allowed to participate. However, interested archers still must apply for a permit.
Hunters participating in the archery-only hunt will be allowed to apply for, and participate, in either the muzzleloader or the general rifle hunt lottery.
Interested hunters may apply for either the muzzleloading hunt or the general rifle hunt lottery, but not both.
The public drawing to assign hunting dates and standby numbers for the muzzleloading hunt lottery will be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 4 at the State Building in Wailuku. A simultaneous drawing will be held at the Lanai Division of Forestry and Wildlife office for Lanai residents.
Following these drawing at both locations, the public drawing for the general rifle hunt lottery will be held at noon. Hunters who have been assigned a standby number will be allowed to replace no-show hunters who do not check in on their assigned hunting date.
All eligible muzzleloader and general rifle participants must check in at the Forestry and Wildlife office in Lanai City either on the Friday preceding their assigned hunting date between 1 and 8 p.m. or on Saturday or Sunday between 7 and 11 a.m. to validate permits and acquire their tags.
Standby hunters must be present at the Lanai City Division of Forestry and Wildlife office at 6 p.m. on the Friday prior to their assigned hunting date to be eligible to replace no-show hunters.
Archery hunters may check in on the Friday preceding the first day of the archery-only hunt between 7:45 a.m. and 8 p.m., or daily during the hunt between 7:45 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Archery hunters must check out of the hunting area daily and report their take or their intent to hunt the next day providing that their tag remains unfilled.
Applications for all hunts may be submitted in person or mailed to the Maui Division of Forestry and Wildlife Office, 54 S. High St., Room 101, Wailuku, 96793. Lanai residents only may mail or deliver their applications to the Lanai Division of Forestry and Wildlife office, 917 Fraser Ave., P.O. Box 630661, Lanai City, 96763.
The deadline for submitting applications is 4 p.m. Friday. Interested hunters are encouraged to submit applications well before the application deadline to ensure proper processing.
For more information, call Division of Forestry and Wildlife offices at 984-8100 on Maui, (808) 553-1745 on Molokai and (808) 565-7916 on Lanai.
