Invasive Axis Deer
Wild Venison
In the rainforests and watersheds of Hawai’i, growing numbers of invasive axis deer thrive on native foliage, endangering a unique and fragile ecosystem. Our partners humanely harvest these deer to help manage the population, conserve native species, and produce a bountiful supply of tasty, lean, wild meat. None of the venison goes to waste: It feeds local communities in Hawai’i and is the main ingredient in our Lightly Smoked Venison Links.
Nutrition: Fed by Nature
Invasive Hawaiian axis deer forage on lush grasses and a variety of other plants, giving their meat outstanding flavor and nutrition.
The deer eat mainly grass, but also browse a wide range of other plants, including glycine beans (a nutrient-rich, nitrogen-fixing vine related to soybeans) and the sweet, nutty beans of the kiawe tree. The meat has a rich array of nutrients—iron, riboflavin, niacin and vitamins B12 and B6—and an exceptionally clean, mild flavor. It’s very lean, with less than 1% intramuscular fat, and has about as much protein as beef (26 g per 4-oz serving). Compared to feedlot beef, axis deer venison has a much higher ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, thought to benefit heart health. Also, feedlot animals are often dosed with antibiotics (to stave off disease) and growth-promoting hormones. Wild venison is entirely free of both.
Sourcing: A Hawaiian Solution
Our venison comes from the Hawaiian island of Maui. Working with private ranches, our partners humanely harvest the invasive wild deer according to rigorous USDA standards.
Our venison partners at Maui Nui see themselves as stewards of the land above all. “We’re never going to have sales goals. We’re only going to have [ecosystem] management goals,” says Maui Nui co-founder Jacob Muise. Harvesting is done at night to minimize stress to the deer, and a USDA inspector, whose presence is federally mandated for food safety, accompanies the team the entire time. Using infrared technology so that the invasive deer are not aware of humans, the team harvests each animal individually in the field. A second USDA veterinarian approves the animals before processing.
Harvesting the deer this way means they’re never penned or trucked to slaughterhouses—the most common, and stressful, fate for commercially raised meat animals.
Enviro: Restoring the Balance
By selectively harvesting invasive axis deer, our partners give the land a chance to recover while providing a much-needed source of meat for the local community.
As invasive species, axis deer have no natural predators in Hawai’i and breed often, so their numbers grow exponentially. The result? Catastrophic impact on delicate ecosystems. Here’s what happens: The deer devour native Hawaiian plants and tree saplings—which are replaced by invasive grasses (a). Some of those native plants, like the koa tree (b), absorb 30% more rain than non-native plants. When these trees dwindle, delicate watersheds dry out. Animal and insect species that depend on native plants begin to disappear too (c). Overgrazing also leaves the soil bare (d), and without plants to hold it in place, the soil erodes into the ocean, choking coral reefs and killing marine life.
To control the surging deer population, Maui Nui uses a balanced management approach versus trying to eradicate the animals completely. The benefits are threefold: First, impacted wild ecosystems begin to rebound. Second, farmers no longer lose crops to marauding deer herds. And third, the community gets a steady supply of good, clean, nutritious meat, which Maui Nui offers at a discount to resident Hawaiians and donates to people in need. Having a local source of meat strengthens food security in this island state, where 85% of what people eat is imported.
History: The Origins of Invasion
Axis deer are native to the Indian subcontinent, where they’re known as chital and were regularly hunted by the maharajahs. Their meat is widely considered to be the most delicious venison in the world—flavorful, tender and mild.
In 1868, a herd of seven axis deer arrived on the Hawaiian island of Moloka’i, a gift to King Kamehameha V. In the absence of predators, by the end of that century the population had soared to around 7,000, and government officials sounded an alarm about the damage to forests and agriculture. Despite this, deer were released on Lāna’i in 1920. Local hunters appreciated the meat, but supply quickly outstripped demand, and now there are two deer for every human on Lāna’i. In 1959, after much debate, a few deer were brought to Maui. By 2020, the population had exploded to 60,000, causing an annual $6 million in agricultural and property damages on top of destruction to the native ecology. Transferring deer between islands is now illegal.
Partners: Guided by Science
To manage the invasive deer population for the benefit of ecosystems and communities alike, Maui Nui relies on innovation, science and cutting-edge technology.
“Great management always starts with great data,” says Jacob Muise, the company’s co-founder. Maui Nui’s management strategies start with the use of Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR), a thermal imaging device that detects and records the heat signatures of individual deer and compiles them into highly accurate population surveys.
The most recent survey, completed in January of 2022, allowed Muise to determine Maui’s total “sustainable carrying capacity” for axis deer—the number the land can withstand without being degraded. “If we can eat them fast enough, we can get ahead of that population growth curve,” he says. “The deer at balance will offer the greatest total value to our community.” With the help of local scientists, Maui Nui is working on a cohesive impact statement that will show, per deer harvested, the offset in damage to land and water ecosystems and the pounds of food delivered to the community.
Shop Venison Links
Our Lightly Smoked Venison Links, made from invasive Hawaiian axis deer, are a savory meat snack that helps protect paradise.
Venison Links
