Citing ongoing issues with illegal nighttime hunting in the Haiku area, Maui police arresting two men after they allegedly killed a deer on Saturday.

According to police, officers were conducting a coordinated enforcement operation to catch people responsible for illegal nighttime hunting when they arrested the men, ages 30 and 51, both from Haiku.

Police said that ranchers in the area have reported repeated incidents of people poaching deer on private property at night and killing cattle, resulting in livestock losses worth tens of thousands of dollars and raising safety concerns.

At about 7:15 p.m. Saturday, officers heard gunshots and found one of the men skinning a deer the pair had just shot, according to police. Neither man possessed a valid hunting license or an eradication permit authorizing nighttime hunting.

Police also recovered an unregistered .308-caliber hunting rifle. Police said one issue with high-powered hunting rifles is that their ammunition can travel well beyond its intended target, posing a risk to nearby residents and landowners.

Further investigation revealed the 30-year-old man was currently out on bail awaiting trial on a first-degree unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle charge.

He was arrested and charged with mandatory registration of a firearm, prohibited possession of a firearm, prohibited use of artificial light and night hunting on private lands.

The 51-year-old man was arrested and released.

The operation involved Maui Police Department personnel from the Wailuku Patrol District, Community Police Officers, Juvenile Crime Prevention Division, Special Response Team, Vice Division and assisting officers from the state Department of Law Enforcement.

Anyone with information regarding illegal hunting is encouraged to call the Maui Police Department’s nonemergency line at 808-244-6400.