Why It Matters: Across the country, donation programs have been developed to help turn legally harvested game and meat from nuisance or crop damage licenses into meals for those in need. Each year, many hunters choose to donate animals harvested through regulated hunting, continuing a long tradition of providing food not only for their own families, but also for others in their communities. These efforts highlight the important role hunters play as responsible stewards and contributors to local food systems.
Highlights:
- During the current legislative session, Hawaii has considered two bills aimed at expanding wild game meat donation opportunities.
- Hawaii House Bill 1334 exempts the donation of wild game meat or meat products, including axis deer, to a charitable, religious, or nonprofit organization for the purpose of feeding needy individuals from certain laws regarding the inspection and transportation of meat.
- Hawaii Senate Bill 1230, introduced in 2025 and carried over into 2026, contains similar provisions to facilitate the donation of wild game meat.
- Multiple Legislative Outdoor Heritage Caucus members co-sponsored these bills.
The Hawaii legislative session is well underway, and two bills of importance brought up this session in the House and Senate seek to address barriers to the donation of wild game meat. Under existing law, regulatory requirements related to inspection and transportation can make it complicated for hunters to donate meat to those in need.
HB 1334, in particular, would streamline this process by exempting donated wild game meat, including axis deer, from these requirements when it is distributed by charitable, religious, or nonprofit organizations. Transportation of wild game would need to be limited to moving the wild game to and from the premises where the hunter killed the wild game, the processing establishment, and the charitable, religious, or nonprofit organization. This legislation would improve food security in Hawaii and increase access to a nutritious protein source. It also would create an opportunity to utilize harvested meat from non-native species, like axis deer, while concurrently incentivizing additional hunter harvest to assist with management objectives.
HB 1334 has passed the Senate and, as of April 14, has returned to the House for concurrence. If enacted, the bill would allow for more efficient distribution of meat to those in need. Support for this legislation has been strong and backed by numerous organizations and individuals including the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture, who both submitted testimony in favor of the bill.
Overall, legislation like HB 1334 and SB 1230 represent practical solutions to food insecurity and wildlife management challenges in Hawaii. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) encourages policymakers to support efforts and community programs that make providing game meat to the hungry a more streamlined process.
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