• Arizona seasons set for waterfowl and spring hunts
• Dove season is winging our way rapidly
• Bald eagles in Arizona continue to flourish
• Watercraft registration renewals will no longer be accepted by phone
• Special Commissioner-tags can make hunting dreams come true
• Elk viewing workshop planned
• Five inductees to be honored at Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet
• Reward offered in elk poaching case
• Cabela’s offers free women’s intro to Outdoors Day Camp
• Join Game and Fish on a ferret-finding mission
• Do you know where the buffalo roam in Arizona?

Readjust your summer thinking:
Arizona seasons set for waterfowl and spring hunts

This may be summer, but there is an interesting way to have autumn and spring on your mind.

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission on Aug. 1 approved the hunting regulations for the upcoming waterfowl season and the spring hunts for 2010. So fire up your computers on Aug. 21, which is when both regulations should be available online at www.azgfd.gov. Although it is always possible that the regulations could be posted a few days early if the stars and ducks align.

Waterfowl and snipe

For general waterfowl and snipe, the overall general season will be a liberal season, 101 days in each of the state’s two zones.

The season begins Oct. 9 in the mountain zone and Oct. 23 in the desert zone. The mountain zone season ends Jan. 17 while the desert zone ends Jan. 31. However, for scaup ducks, the season is only 86 days, with a delayed start but ending at the same time in each of the zones.

There are two other changes, canvasback ducks are legal to take this year (last year was closed) and the bag for pintail has been increased from one to two.

Included in the regulations are two juniors-only hunts. There is an early season junior hunt Oct. 3-4 in the mountain zone, and then a late season junior hunt Feb. 6-7, 2010 in the desert zone. Both hunts are great opportunities for kids, 17 and under, to have the field to themselves.
While it may come as a surprise, Arizona offers a number of good duck hunting opportunities across the state from jumping stock tanks in the desert to decoying and calling ducks over lakes, streams, and marshes.

Water conditions throughout the state are good to average, which is the key to holding ducks that migrate from the northwest. As the season progresses, keep your eye on the weather forecasts for Idaho and Utah. When those states experience freezing weather and cold fronts, Arizona will typically see new ducks arriving shortly after. To get started in duck hunting all you need is a shotgun and some non-toxic shot. However, hip waders are a great asset. After that, it is just plain addictive. There is nothing like sitting on the edge of a marsh, while the sun rises and listening to the whistling wings of ducks coming into your decoy spread.

All waterfowl hunters 14 and older need a general hunting license (those younger must be accompanied by a licensed adult). Additionally, a state waterfowl stamp and a federal duck are required for those 16 and older. For those hunting snipe, coots and moorhens a state migratory bird stamp is required for those 16 and older. New this year is an alternate duck stamp using a youngster’s artwork from the federal duck stamp contest; however, it is only available at the Phoenix Game and Fish office. Regular Arizona duck stamps are available at most retailers who sell licenses.

To learn more about waterfowl hunting, visit www.azgfd.gov/hunting and select “Waterfowl Hunting.”
2010 Spring Turkey, Javelina, Buffalo and Bear

Spring Hunts
It might be easier than you think to wrap your mind around spring even though the heat of summer is still making you sweat. It won’t be long before the 2010 spring hunt regulations are posted and you can begin applying.

Many of these hunts require a hunt permit-tag allocated through the drawing process. Hunters can submit an application as soon as the regulations are posted on the department’s Web site.

Applications must be received by U.S. mail or hand delivered by Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. (MST) and postmarks do not count. There is no online application system. For more details about applying for a tag through the draw, visit www.azgfd.gov/draw.

The good news is the commission continues to offer hunts not tied to the lottery process. There are many nonpermit-tags for direct purchase over-the-counter at any license dealer, including the juniors-only spring turkey season, the archery-only javelina hunts in metro units, as well as general and archery-only spring bear seasons.

First introduced in the spring of 2009, the over-the-counter juniors-only turkey hunt is a big success, with excellent participation and an overwhelming support from the sportsmen’s community.

To facilitate the new program, the department partnered with many organizations and hosted a couple of mentored hunting camps to encourage beginning young hunters to get involved. These camps were so successful that there will be three camps during the opening weekend in the spring of 2010.

If you’re a new hunter, you can find out more about these event and more like them at www.azgfd.gov/hunting and check out the “Mentored Hunting & Juniors-only Events 2009-10 Season” feature on the right side of the page.

Kids 14 and under interested in getting started in hunting big game, such as javelina, turkey, deer, and are required to take an Arizona certified hunter education course.

The department offers a variety of courses from the introductory course, combo course to the latest online self-paced course. Each offers plenty of lessons in addition to hunter and firearm safety.

If you are planning a hunt in the spring, now is the time to get your hunter education completed. To find a class near you that suits your schedule, visit www.azgfd.gov/education and select “Hunter Education.”

Upcoming hunting season opening dates
(For detailed season dates, bag limits and laws, check the appropriate regulations at www.azgfd.gov/rules.)

• Year-round: Rabbit season (cottontail and jackrabbits)
• Sept. 1: Dove season
• Sept. 5-6: Robbins Butte juniors-only dove hunt
• Oct. 2: Squirrel season
• Oct. 2: Quail season (excluding Mearns’)
• Nov. 20: Dove late season
• Nov.27:  Mearns’ quail season

Dove season is winging our way rapidly
The Sept. 1 dove season opener is rapidly winging our way and it’s shaping up to be a very good year, but keep your fingers crossed for the hordes of fat white-winged doves don’t migrate south.

“I am seeing lots of fat white-winged dove this year, but there is no guarantee they will still be here on opening day,” says Mike Rabe, the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s migratory bird biologist.

Overall, Rabe says the state has good dove numbers carrying over from last season and above-average winter and spring precipitation this year. “We should see another very good dove season in September. However, the recent drying trend and sputtering monsoons could have birds focused more around agricultural areas and dependable water sources.”

The Tuesday dove opener this year should reduce some of the opening-day demand, so it may be worth taking a day off for some wing shooting opportunities. Nevertheless, look for that to push over to Saturday and Sunday going into the Labor Day weekend. Dove hunting is an Arizona tradition with more than 35,000 hunters participating each year.

Be sure to get your shotgun shells now. The ammunition demand is outpacing supply.

Also, even more than in past years, scouting is essential. Your dove hunting location last year could be a subdivision this year, or more realistically, fields that were sitting fallow last year might have crops this year. Check it out in advance.

The early dove season runs from Sept. 1-15 with half-day hunts in the south zone and full-day hunts in the north zone and statewide for youth hunters 17 and under. The late season offers all-day hunting statewide from Nov. 20, 2009 through Jan. 3, 2010.

“Those who go scouting a few days before their hunt will have the best success. Mourning doves are very mobile, strong flyers, and even if they were recently using a sorghum field, it doesn’t mean they will be there a week later,” says Rabe. “Of course a windy and rainy monsoon storm the week before the opener, like we had last year, could disperse birds throughout the desert range and have flight numbers dispersed and sporadic.”

Where to go
If you are a novice hunter, or just new to the state, there are a number of organized hunts offering mentoring to help you get started. To get the latest details on dove events visit www.azgfd.gov/hunting . Here are a few to get you started:

• Sept. 1-3: Habitat fundraiser dove hunt (fee required), Texas Hill Farms, Roll (east of Yuma)
•  Sept. 5-6: Juniors-only dove hunt, Robbins Butte Wildlife Area, near Buckeye (pancake and sausage breakfast provided by Chandler Rod and Gun Club)
•  Sept. 5: Juniors-only dove hunt, Texas Hill Farms, Roll (east of Yuma)
•  Sept. 12: New hunters only dove hunt, East Valley location to be determined

Furthermore, the department is teaming up with local sportsmen’s organizations with a grant program to host mentored hunting camps throughout the 2009-10 season to teach new hunters how to hunt dove, quail, rabbit, squirrel, and other game animals, to learn more visit www.azgfd.gov/hhwg.

Bald eagles in Arizona continue to flourish

PHOENIX — With the last bald eagle nestling finally out of the nest, the numbers are in for the 2009 breeding season, and the species continues to flourish in the state under the careful watch of the Arizona Game and Fish Department and a coalition of 22 other partners.

This year, two new records were set: A record 77 eggs were laid, an increase of six over last year, with a record 67 of those eggs hatching successfully. In addition, the state celebrated the second-best year on record for the number of fledglings that took to Arizona’s skies in 2009. Forty-seven eaglets reach the critical point of taking their first flight, an important milestone for a young bird’s chances of survival. 

Bald eagle numbers over the past 30 years have grown more than 400 percent in the state.
“Arizona’s intensive management of the species is paying off,” said Kenneth Jacobson, Arizona Game and Fish Department bald eagle management coordinator. “The period between the bird hatching and taking its first flight is a critical time. The bald eagle nestwatch program and regular monitoring played a significant role in helping these nestlings develop from eggs into independent fledglings.”

The breeding season for bald eagles in Arizona typically runs from December through June, although a few bald eagle pairs at higher elevations nest later than those in the rest of the state.

The eaglet at Woods Canyon Lake was the last to fledge. The closure area enacted to help protect that nest will be lifted on Aug. 17.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department, a leading partner in recovery efforts for the species, attributes the success to cooperative on-the-ground management, including monitoring and survey flights; recreational area closures during the breeding season; banding and visual identification; contaminants analysis and a nestwatch program to protect breeding activities.

Through the Southwest Bald Eagle Management Committee (SWBEMC), a broad coalition of 23 government agencies, private organizations and Native American tribes, a plan is in place to help ensure the continued success of the bald eagle population in Arizona.

Management of the bald eagle falls under the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s program to recover species that are threatened, declining or that have been extirpated from the state.

Through its partnerships with other public agencies, non-profit organizations and the science community, the department’s wildlife recovery program aims to prevent species from becoming endangered and conserve them in a more cost-effective manner. State-level involvement provides closer oversight of wildlife species on a day-to-day basis. Specific emphasis is placed on identifying and managing the wildlife and habitat of greatest conservation need, or those species that are no longer abundant and facing increasing threats from habitat degradation, disease, introduction of non-native species and climate change.

Adaptive management of these species helps ensure their continued presence in Arizona and protects the delicate balance of the ecosystem for future generations.  

For more information on bald eagles in Arizona, visit www.swbemc.org. 

Watercraft registration renewals will no longer be accepted by phone

Boaters are advised that effective Sept. 8, 2009, the Arizona Game and Fish Department will no longer accept watercraft registration renewals by telephone.

For a reduced fee of $2.50, residents and non-residents can renew their registration online at www.azgfd.gov/watercraft.

Registration renewals are still accepted in person at any Arizona Game and Fish Department office or by mail.


Special Commissioner-tags can make hunting dreams come true

Have you ever dreamed about one of those special year-long commissioner-tag hunts in Arizona?

Well, there are multiple opportunities to make your hunt dreams come true in Arizona.

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission awarded those Special Big Game License Tags, sometimes called Commissioners’ tags, to selected 501(c)(3) wildlife conservation organizations to raise funds for wildlife, so you should soon see information coming from those organizations on how you can participate.

The selected organizations will be marketing and selling the tags – some may already have started doing so.  Here’s the neat thing about this program -- all revenues are returned to the Arizona Game and Fish Department to be directly used to benefit those species through wildlife and habitat management in coordination with the Arizona Habitat Partnership Committee. Administrative and marketing costs must be covered by the wildlife conservation organization.

As usual, it is you, the hunter conservationist, who generates the most revenue for wildlife conservation and management.

Tags are typically made available to the public through auctions or raffles. The uniqueness of these special tags is that the hunting season is year-round, but with the same wildlife conservation restrictions applied to other permit holders. These allow tag winners the time to pursue a trophy animal, many of which can only be found in the southwest and some only in Arizona – particularly, the Gould’s wild turkey, desert and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, Coues white-tailed deer, and the world-famous Kaibab mule deer.

The tags awarded in June are valid from Aug. 15, 2010 to Aug. 14, 2011.

Three tags for each of the following 10 Arizona big game species were allocated: pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, black bear, buffalo, elk, javelina, mountain lion, mule deer, Coues white-tailed deer and turkey. If you are interested in pursuing one of these tags, the following is a list of the organizations selected and how they will be making the tag(s) available to the public:

• Arizona Antelope Foundation (AAF) – Awarded three tags: two pronghorn antelope tags and one bear tag. One antelope and the bear tag are to be auctioned at the AAF banquet (date pending). One antelope tag is to be auctioned at the Arizona Elk Society Banquet in March 2010. Contact: www.azantelope.org .
  
• Arizona Bowhunter’s Association (ABA) – Awarded three tags: one each for bear, buffalo and javelina. All tags to be auctioned at the ABA 2010 annual banquet. Contact: www.arizonabowhunters.org.
  
• Arizona Big Game Super Raffle (AZBGSR) – Awarded 10 tags, one tag for each species. Raffle tickets sold all year, drawing to be held in summer 2010. Contact: www.arizonabiggamesuperraffle.com.
  
• Arizona Deer Association (ADA) – Awarded three tags, one each for mule deer, Coues white-tailed deer, and mountain lion. All tags to be auctioned at the ADA annual fundraiser. Contact: www.azdeer.org.
  
• Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society (ADBSS) – Awarded three tags, two bighorn sheep tags and one mountain lion tag. The Mexicana subspecies tag to be auctioned at the Wild Sheep Foundation (formally FNAWS) convention in Reno, Nev. in February 2010, the Rocky Mountain subspecies tag and the mountain lion tag will be auctioned at the ADBSS banquet in March 2010. Contact: www.adbss.org.
  
• Arizona Elk Society (AES) – Awarded two tags, one elk tag and one buffalo tag. Both tags to be auctioned at the AES fundraising banquet in March 2010. Contact: www.arizonaelksociety.org.
  
• Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) – Awarded three tags, one each for mule deer, Coues white-tailed deer and javelina. Both deer tags to be auctioned at the MDF 2010 National Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah in February 2010. The javelina tag is to be raffled at the Arizona chapter’s fundraiser and banquet (date pending). Contact: www.muledeer.org.
• National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF)  – A
  warded two turkey tags. One turkey tag to be auctioned at the NWTF 2010 Annual National Convention in Nashville, Tenn. in February 2010. One turkey tag to be raffled or auctioned by the Arizona Chapter of the NWTF (date pending). Contact: www.nwtf.org.
  
• Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) – Awarded one elk tag. Tag to be auctioned at the 26th Anniversary Elk Camp Convention in Reno, NV, March 2010. Contact: www.rmef.org.

And while nothing may match the excitement of having one of these coveted tags and the adventure they bring, the hunts pale in comparison to the projects put on the ground through the dollars raised.

Every dollar raised from each species tag goes directly to the management of that species and allows for a multitude of wildlife conservation projects. Management of the dollars and projects are in coordination with the Arizona Habitat Partnership Committee.

Projects range from water improvements, wildlife friendly fencing, wildlife studies, game surveys, translocations, habitat restorations, land acquisitions and more. Many of these projects are matched and further leveraged with other funding sources, labor, or supplied materials, stretching every dollar spent even further.

In the end, the real winners of the Special Big Game License Tag Program are the citizens of Arizona. Through the dedication of concerned hunters and sportsmen, Arizonans can continue to enjoy the state’s full complement of diverse wildlife for generations to come.

To learn more about the programs put on the ground by the Habitat Partnership Committee as a direct result of the Commission’s Special Big Game License Tag program, visit www.azgfd.gov/w_c/hpc.shtml.

Elk viewing workshop planned

Would you like to experience the sound of a bull elk bugling or see a cow elk keeping a watchful eye on her calf?

The Arizona Game and Fish Department and Mormon Lake Lodge invite you to attend an elk viewing workshop on Saturday, Aug. 29. The workshop includes a presentation, a field trip to watch elk in their natural habitat, and a free BBQ sponsored by Mormon Lake Lodge.
  
Mormon Lake is unique as it is only one of two natural lakes found in Arizona. During the early fall, hundreds of elk can be observed at the site and along Lake Mary Road.
  
“This workshop will be fun for the whole family and we encourage people of all ages to come enjoy the state’s wildlife treasures,” says Arizona Game and Fish Department Public Information Officer Shelly Shepherd. “We are excited to co-host this event again with Mormon Lake Lodge and their education staff, and to be able to offer participants a BBQ following the workshop. It’ll be a great way to end the day.” 
  
The workshop will begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29. Participants will be divided into two groups that rotate between the presentation, to be given in the Kachina Room, and the field trip. The groups will switch after about an hour. The field trip location will be determined the day of the event based on where the elk are seen. The free BBQ will be held outside of the Kachina Room beginning around 6 p.m.. 
  
Spotting scopes will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring binoculars, water, snacks, and to wear appropriate clothing. 
  
To register for the workshop, contact the Flagstaff Game and Fish Office at (928) 774-5045.  For more information about the BBQ dinner or the lodge, call (928) 354-2227.
  
Mormon Lake Lodge is located at 1 Main St. in Mormon Lake. To reach the lodge, participants should travel south on Lake Mary Road to the second Mormon Lake Road turnoff. Go past the lake overlook, which is approximately 25 miles from Flagstaff.  Follow Mormon Lake Road about 1.5 miles to the lodge.

Five inductees to be honored at Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet

Five inductees into the Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame will be honored at the Wildlife for Tomorrow Foundation’s annual Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet on Friday, Aug. 21. The honorees are:

Bill Post. Recently retired as Chairman and CEO of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (parent of APS), Mr. Post has dedicated his energy and ideas to making Arizona a better place to live. From establishing APS as a leader in clean, renewable energy, to supporting an initiative to re-introduce the condor back into Arizona, to ensuring his company’s wildlife protection, water management and forestry programs are among the best in the electric utility industry, Mr. Post consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to his home state and its unique environment. In one of his most high-profile successes, APS in 2005 decommissioned the Childs and Irving hydroelectric power plants, opting to restore Fossil Creek to its natural water flow, thereby resurrecting a lush riparian area for a new generation of Arizonans.

Dr. Robert Ohmart. During a long and distinguished career as a zoology professor at Arizona State University, Dr. Ohmart enthusiastically taught undergraduates and coached more than 40 graduate students in an array of studies ranging from raptors to tortoises and bighorns to burros, as well as the habitats they required. His pioneering work on restoring riparian vegetation along the lower Colorado River contributed significant insights into the complexity of Southwestern riparian systems.

Frances Werner. The first woman appointed to serve on the Arizona Game and Fish Commission (appointed by then-Governor Bruce Babbitt), Ms. Werner has long been a strong advocate for cooperation between governmental agencies, the public, and the various resource users, She has served on many boards and committees of wildlife and land management agencies, including Arizona Game and Fish, the Bureau of Land Management and the Arizona State Land Department.

Mesa Hunter Education Instructor Team. Started in 1974, this program has been dedicated to meeting the hunter education needs of residents in the East Valley for 35 years. The program has been coordinated by a total of four chief instructors since that time and currently has 55 active instructors who graduate about 10 percent of all of the state’s hunter education graduates. Since 1996, the team has accumulated over 29,000 volunteer hours teaching hunter education to more than 5,400 students.

The Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club. Started by a small local group in 1936, the club has expanded into a vibrant and energetic family organization of more than 300 members dedicated to supporting the enhancement and protection of wildlife, habitat, wildlife-dependent outdoors recreation, and public vehicular access on public lands. Since the 1960s, volunteers have taught hunter education and firearms safety to thousands of youth and adults. Club members also volunteer their time and efforts to numerous habitat improvement projects, conduct wildlife and outdoor recreation-related events, and are politically active.

The Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame was established in 1998 by the Wildlife For Tomorrow Foundation to honor those who have made significant contributions to Arizona’s wildlife, the welfare of its natural resources, and the state’s outdoor heritage. Selections for induction are made each year by the board of directors of the Wildlife For Tomorrow Foundation from a list of nominations submitted.

For more information about the banquet, contact the Wildlife for Tomorrow Foundation at (623) 204-2130. For more information about the Wildlife for Tomorrow Foundation, visit www.wildlifefortomorrow.org.

Reward offered in elk poaching case

PINETOP, Ariz. – The Arizona Game and Fish Department is asking for the public’s help in finding the individual responsible for the illegal killing of a large bull elk found shot on July 31. It was left in the vicinity of Pinot Ridge on Bluegrass Ranch Drive in Pinetop. 

“The poacher left this majestic animal to waste, and we need assistance from the public to find the individual responsible,” says Bruce Sitko, spokesman in the department’s Pinetop office. “This isn’t the action of a hunter; it’s an act of a criminal stealing wildlife assets and resources from the people of Arizona.”

To report information on this incident, or any Game and Fish violation, call the department’s Operation Game Thief hotline at (800) 352-0700. Caller identities may remain confidential upon request. Callers are eligible to receive a reward of up to $8,000 for information leading to the arrest of the violator responsible for this poaching case.

Cabela’s offers free women’s intro to Outdoors Day Camp

GLENDALE – Cabela’s is offering women an opportunity to get involved in the great outdoors by offering six free mini-seminars during a one day female-only camp on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at the retailer’s store in Glendale.

The morning sessions will begin at 8:45am and include an introduction to handguns, shotguns and archery, followed by a free picnic-style lunch and keynote address by author Debbie Ferns. Ferns is from Tucson, and authored Babes with Bullets.

Other presenters include Ashley Lynch, Arizona Game and Fish; Todd Hulm, Alpine Bows; Paige Carter, Taser; and Ben Koller, Hook-Up Outfitters.

All classes will be held in Cabela’s conference facility in Glendale, 9380 W. Glendale Avenue. The event will be over by 3:30 p.m.  To register, call (623) 872-6700. The day is free, and students need not bring anything but their enthusiasm!

The afternoon sessions will include a primer on TASER personal protection, fishing, casting and fish cleaning. An optional hands-on archery demo will be held after closing ceremonies.

There will be several raffles and Cabela’s discounts for everyone in attendance.  Participants should be at least 15 years of age, and pre-registration is required as space is limited. Whether you’re a casual enthusiast, hunting widow or planning your very first outdoor experience, this day is for you.
 

Join Game and Fish on a ferret-finding mission
Volunteers critical in recovery effort

KINGMAN, Ariz. – While the elusive, nocturnal black-footed ferret has established a foothold in Aubrey Valley, the Arizona Game and Fish Department needs volunteers to continue monitoring efforts of the endangered animal’s uphill climb.

Game and Fish will be conducting a spotlighting effort from Oct. 1-5 and is seeking wildlife enthusiasts who wish to help find the small predators.

“Volunteers have played a critical role in this recovery effort,” said Jeff Pebworth, wildlife program manager at the Game and Fish Kingman office. “We don’t have the personnel to fully staff these efforts and the program’s continued success depends on people remaining involved.”

Twice thought to be extinct, a small population of black-footed ferrets was discovered in 1981. A mere 18 were left when captive breeding efforts began in 1985. In 1996, Arizona’s Aubrey Valley, west of Seligman, was selected as a reintroduction site.

“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in Arizona,” Pebworth said, “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently determined Aubrey Valley to be a successful black-footed recovery site. A lot of that credit falls on those who have donated their time to help.

“However, it is critical we continue to closely monitor this population and the only way to do so is through these spotlighting efforts.”

Those who do volunteer, Pebworth explained, earn the right to brag about their participation and in the recovery of this animal.

Volunteers must be able to stay attentive from sunset to sunrise, be able to carry up to 30 pounds while backpack-spotlighting for two-hour durations. They must also be willing to learn how to use a Global Positioning System (GPS).

Individuals can volunteer for one or more dates. A parent or guardian must accompany any youth under the age of 18.

Those wishing to volunteer, or needing more information, should e-mail azferret@azgfd.gov by Sept. 21 with “October Spotlighting” in the subject line. Please indicate what night(s) you are available to help; include a first and last name, a contact number, and if anyone else will be attending with you.

Also, please list any of the following equipment you can bring: GPS, clipboard, backpack (to carry a 30-pound battery), headlamp, pen, compass, binoculars, walkie-talkies, 4x4 vehicle (please list passenger capacity), compass, spotlight (that can plug into a cigarette lighter), or a cordless rechargeable spotlight.

Weather in the Aubrey Valley can be unpredictable, so individuals need to dress appropriately.

“We’ve made progress,” Pebworth said, “but we’re a long way from recovery. It is critical we continue to document ferret numbers and understand how this population is holding up in the wild.”

Do you know where the buffalo roam in Arizona?

Buffalo are synonymous with the great west, but not many people realize that Arizona is home to these magnificent animals.

To increase awareness and provide more information on the buffalo found in the state, the Arizona Game and Fish Department is holding a bison workshop beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22 in Flagstaff.
  

The workshop will include a presentation on bison in northern Arizona followed by a field trip to the Raymond Wildlife Area to view these amazing animals. The presentation will be held at the Game and Fish office in Flagstaff at 3500 S. Lake Mary Road. The field trip will take participants 30 miles east of Flagstaff on I-40 and another 12 miles to the wildlife area. 

The Raymond Wildlife Area was purchased by the department in 1942 from Flagstaff physician R.O. Raymond to serve as winter range for the Anderson Mesa pronghorn antelope herd. Due to drought conditions in 1945, the ranch became home for buffalo that were moved from the House Rock Valley herd. Visitors to the Raymond Wildlife Area may have the opportunity to see and photograph descendents from the first buffalo herd in Arizona.    

“This is our second bison workshop in northern Arizona and based on attendance last year, even with stormy weather, we expect another great turnout,” says Arizona Game and Fish Public Information Officer Shelly Shepherd. “This type of workshop is for the entire family and we encourage everyone to come out and learn about Arizona’s wildlife.”   

Attendees should prepare for a one hour presentation followed by a 30 mile drive to the Buffalo Ranch Road exit on eastbound I-40. To access the Raymond Wildlife Area, the public will continue for another 12 miles from the exit on a dirt road. The road to the wildlife area is accessible for most passenger vehicles. Once there, the department will arrange for transportation to locate and view the bison.
  
Some scopes will be available, but it is recommended that participants bring binoculars, water, snacks, and dress appropriately for the weather and field trip. 
  
For more information and to register for the workshop, contact the Game and Fish office in Flagstaff at (928) 774-5045.