Correction 10/1/09 - Some bear hunts are allocated through the draw and require an application submitted to obtain.

Hunters, it’s time to apply for spring hunts, deadline is Oct. 13
Applications being accepted now, regulations available at dealers and online

PHOENIX — Before you take to the field to go hunting this fall, be sure to submit your application for spring hunts to the Arizona Game and Fish Department before Tuesday, Oct. 13 by 7 p.m. (MST). Postmarks don’t count.

That’s right, time is running out for hunters looking forward to being in the field when the male turkeys are gobbling, or when the javelina are feeding on a sunny hillside at first light. Hunting tags for the 2010 spring turkey, javelina, buffalo and bear season are issued through a lottery draw process (note, all bear hunts are issued over-the-counter) Correction, some bear hunts are issued through the draw process.

For those interested in applying, the spring hunt draw information booklet and application form are available at more than 300 license dealers statewide, at Game and Fish offices, or by downloading from www.azgfd.gov/draw.

Applications may be hand delivered to any of the seven department offices around the state, or by U.S. mail to Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn: Drawing Section, PO Box 74020, Phoenix, AZ 85087-1052. There is no online application process available. For a listing of department offices, visit www.azgfd.gov/offices.

Department officials note a couple of common mistakes to avoid that will get your application rejected for errors, including:

• License - be sure you have a 2010 hunting license or have applied for one on your application.
  
  
• Signature – be sure each applicant signs the application.
  
  
• Hunt numbers – be sure to use the hunt numbers, not game management numbers, when selecting your hunt choices.
  
  
• Application – be sure to use a separate application and envelope for each different species you are applying for.
  
  
• Payment – be sure to double check that your payment matches the amount due, including license fees if applicable.

Donate an outdoor magazine
After completing your application, save yourself the cost of postage and help support our troops by dropping it off along with one (or more) of your used outdoor-related magazines to any department office.

In an effort to bring the great outdoors and hunting heritage to U.S. military personnel overseas serving our country, the department has teamed up with the nonprofit organization, Outdoor Experience 4 All, by providing magazine collection points at all department offices through the spring draw deadline. There are locations in Phoenix, Mesa, Flagstaff, Pinetop, Kingman, Tucson and Yuma. For addresses, visit www.azgfd.gov/offices.

OE4A  is arranging to have all the donated magazines packed up and sent overseas to the troops while they are away. To learn more about the magazine drive, contact http://www.outdoorexperienceforall.org/.

Note to media: Wildlife conservation and management of game animals by the Arizona Game and Fish Department is made possible by funding generated from the sale of hunting licenses, hunt permit-tags, and matching funds from federal excise taxes hunters pay on guns, ammunition and related equipment. The big game draw is a lottery-style process for managing wildlife populations for sustainability and allocating the limited number of Arizona big game hunting permits to applicants. The department typically receives more applications than there are available permits for the spring draw.