MAUI (KHON2) -- Lawmakers are pouring millions into controlling Maui County's axis deer problem. But where is all that money going? And are things getting any better? Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife Maui communications specialist Jeff Bagshaw said they are finally seeing results. "It's getting better," Bagshaw said. "And that's because of all the cooperation between the different land managers and everybody stepping up to the ball, stepping up the game." In 2022 the axis deer population was estimated 65,000 in Maui County. According to Bagshaw recent surveys show Maui at 34,000 and Lanai at 2,800 with Molokai estimates still to come. "We're looking at being about 40% less than three years ago," he explained. "We're just going for sustainability here, and I think we're getting there." But getting to this point hasn't come cheap according to Sen. Lynn DeCoite who represents Molokai, Lanai and portions of Maui. "In this past year, I would have to say about $12 million," DeCoite said. That's a huge jump from the million dollars they spent prepandemic. Sen. Schatz says partisanship is roadblock to Maui funding "So around five years ago, we were maybe spending a million dollars on this, but now it's 12 million?" KHON asked? "Yes," DeCoite said. "So had we kind of managed things a little bit better, taking it seriously a little sooner, we wouldn't be where we're at right now?" KHON asked. "Oh, definitely," DeCoite responded. "And this is where we're at spending taxpayer dollars trying to mitigate a very serious situation that we have." She said a large chunk of the money is spent on fencing to keep deer out. They've already impacted food production destroying farms and ranch lands used for cattle grazing. State and county funds also support hunting, provide large traps and reimburse landowners for deer culled on their property through the landowner incentive program. "Prices have just skyrocketed for supplies, not to mention ammo," DeCoite added. "When you start to also try to, manage the area at the level that we're managing it." And she said DLNR was given about $1M to get tools to survey the population. "We now own some heat sensing drones, and we've also bought some AI programs," Bagshaw said. "It gives us a lot better picture about who's out there and how many there are." Having accurate numbers is key to knowing how to properly manage the problem. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You The DLNR Department of Forestry and Wildlife is accepting applications for the landowner incentive program (LIP), which reimburses qualified landowners up to $50 per deer tail. The deadline is November 25th. For more on the LIP program click here.