- Two public meetings remain for elk, antelope hunt recommendations
- Low OHV Decal compliance numbers unacceptable
- Agencies partner to protect Tres Rios area
- New program teaches the fun sport of archery to families
- Target archery shooters and bowhunters: Expand your skills, try 3-D targets
- Photo contest winners announced; wildlife calendars go on sale Nov. 1
- Dig out the deeks – the full waterfowl season is taking flight
- Come network with Game and Fish on Facebook
Two public meetings remain for elk, antelope hunt recommendations
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The remaining meetings will be held at these Game and Fish regional offices:
- Monday, Oct. 26, 6-8 p.m. – Flagstaff regional office, 3500 S. Lake Mary Road
- Tuesday, Oct. 27, 6-8 p.m. – Mesa regional office, 7200 E. University Drive
Previous meetings were held Oct. 12 in Pinetop and Oct. 20 in Kingman.
After the public forums have been completed, the final proposed draft hunt recommendations that will be presented to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission will be made available for public review at six regional open houses. No formal presentation will be made; however, a knowledgeable staff person will be available to discuss regional hunt recommendations.
The open houses will be held on the following dates:
- Monday, Nov. 23, 3-5 p.m. – Pinetop regional office, 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd.
- Tuesday, Nov. 24, 3-5 p.m. – Kingman regional office, 5325 N. Stockton Hill Road
- Tuesday, Nov. 24, 3-5 p.m. – Yuma regional office, 9140 E. 28th St.
- Friday, Nov. 27, 3-5 p.m. – Tucson regional office, 555 N. Greasewood Road
- Tuesday, Dec. 1, 3-5 p.m. – Flagstaff regional office, 3500 S. Lake Mary Road
- Wednesday, Dec. 2, 3-5 p.m. – Mesa regional office, 7200 E. University Drive
A PDF version of the 2010 hunt recommendations for elk, pronghorn antelope, and population management hunts will be available for review at the Game and Fish Department's Web site beginning Saturday, Nov. 21 at www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines.
Each year, the department makes recommendations to the commission regarding the management of game species for the annual hunting and trapping regulations, which establish the seasons, dates, bag limits, open areas, and hunt permit-tag allocations based on the framework of the hunt guidelines set by the commission every two years. These recommendations are in accordance with the recently revised hunt guideline package, which is effective for hunts starting in the fall of 2010 through the spring 2012.
The final recommendations are scheduled to be presented to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission for consideration during its Dec. 4-5 meeting in Phoenix at the Game and Fish headquarters at 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix (1.5 miles west of I-17). The agenda will be posted at www.azgfd.gov/commission under commission agenda.
To learn more about the hunt recommendation and hunt guidelines process, visit www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines.
Low OHV Decal compliance numbers unacceptable
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In the latest report from the Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division (MVD), only about 21 percent of all eligible OHVs and OHV owners are taking part in the new program.
“Twenty-one percent is well below the projected participation rate and is disappointing considering the value of this new program,” said Larry Voyles, director of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “This user play, user pay program will provide the resources needed to promote safe and responsible OHV use, ultimately providing the tools to help ensure access.”
The benefits of the OHV Decal program include information and education efforts, facility development and maintenance, maps, signage and increased enforcement. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is currently hiring seven law enforcement officers that will focus their efforts on OHV-specific issues across the state.
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Other projects that are being funded through the OHV Decal program include the new OHV Laws and Places to Ride booklet that is an ongoing joint venture between Arizona State Parks and the Game and Fish Department. A continued grant program to help clean up and restore riding areas and new informational outreach items like riding area maps will be created in the future.
The OHV Decal costs $25 and is good for one year from the date of purchase. It can be obtained at any MVD office, MVD third-party service provider, or online at www.servicearizona.com.
For more information about the OHV Decal program or OHV use in Arizona, go online to www.azgfd.gov/ohv
Agencies partner to protect Tres Rios area
The Arizona Game and Fish Department, Maricopa County Attorney's Office, and the Goodyear and Avondale Police Departments are instituting a collaborative protocol for enforcement of state and local laws to better protect the Tres Rios Project Area in the southwest Valley.
Under the agreement, announced Oct. 15, the agencies will collaborate on law enforcement patrols, signage, and investigation and prosecution of crimes that occur in the Tres Rios Project Area. The agencies will also participate in coordination of clean-up efforts in the area.
The Tres Rios Project Area encompasses portions of the Salt, Gila and Agua Fria rivers and includes the 200-acre Base and Meridian Wildlife Area located near Phoenix International Raceway about 15 miles west of Phoenix. The area includes unique riparian habitat but has been impacted in recent years by littering and various other illegal and inappropriate activities.
“We’re excited about this effort to enhance the Gila River corridor and its special riparian environment,” said Rod Lucas, supervisor for Game and Fish's Mesa region, which covers much of central Arizona. “We hope our work together will make this area an enjoyable destination experience for the community, families and other visitors.”
The area also hosts the annual Tres Rios Nature Festival each March, which showcases the history and special ecology of the area. The upcoming festival will be held March 6-7, 2010 at the Base and Meridian Wildlife Area.
New program teaches the fun sport of archery to families
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The Arizona Game and Fish Department is offering a Family Archery Program at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix beginning Oct. 12. This introductory program is designed to give families a hands-on experience to learn more about archery and possibly start a new family tradition.
The program focuses on three specific archery disciplines: target, field, and 3D archery. Each participant is taught range rules, bow and arrow safety and handling, correct form and stance, and scoring for the different discipline venues.
The three-session program will be held Oct. 31, Nov. 7 and Nov. 14 (all Saturdays) from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The first session is mandatory and pre-registration is required. Participants must be 8 years of age or older.
The cost for the entire program is $40 for individuals, $45 for teams (at least one child and one adult), and $50 for families (at least one child and two adults). Equipment will be provided, however archers may bring their own equipment.
The Ben Avery Shooting Facility is located along Carefree Highway just west of the I-17 in Phoenix.
To pre-register for this event, please contact Brett Moser at (623) 582-8313 or e-mail bmoser@azgfd.gov.
Target archery shooters and bowhunters: Expand your skills, try 3-D targets
Arizona Game and Fish offers fun shoots
Step off the range and into the field and expand your archery skills in judging distances, terrain, and identifying the target zone on a variety of life-sized 3-D targets in a natural desert setting.
All ages and skill levels are welcome, so bring the entire family out to the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in north Phoenix to enjoy some cool fresh air and the Sonoran landscape. The 20-target course will add a new dimension to your archery skills.
“The course uses life-like animal targets (elk, turkey, bear, deer, etc.) set in the desert landscape and it makes for a fun and challenging shoot,” said Mike Raum, bowhunter education coordinator for Arizona Game and Fish. “On 3-D courses the distances are not marked. Targets could be on a hill or in a valley, and the scoring area varies on each target, much different from the target range. It’s a lot of fun.”
There are three shoots available this fall. No registration is required and the cost is minimal. For participants 17 and younger the course fee is only $3. The cost is $12 (includes $7 range fee) for shooters 18 and older. The scheduled shoots are:
- Saturday, Oct. 31, open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec 19, open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Additionally, the course is open to all Arizona Archery in the Schools shooters as part of the 3-D Regional Shoot. For Archery in the Schools 3-D information, please contact Tanja Washburn at (623) 236-7233 or twashburn@azgfd.gov
The Ben Avery Shooting Facility is located on the northwest corner of I-17 and Carefree Highway. Archers can enter the range at Archery Drive, which is the first light on Carefree Highway about 1.25 miles west of I-17. For a facility brochure and site map, visit www.azgfd.gov/basf.
To learn more about the outdoor programs like watchable wildlife, environmental education, fishing, shooting sports, hunting and others offered by the Arizona Game and Fish Department, visit www.azgfd.gov/getoutside.
Photo contest winners announced
Wildlife calendars go on sale Nov. 1
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Grand Prize Winner:
- Ted Hendy, long-nosed leopard lizard
Monthly Winners:
- Ann Beisser, javelina
- Bob McBride, Northern cardinal
- Bruce Taubert, regal horned lizard
- Bryan Hughes, Western diamond-backed rattlesnake
- Cathy Illg, Harris’ antelope squirrel
- Shirley Ramaley, cactus wren
- J.P. Bruce, redhead
- Michael Burm, bighorn sheep
- Pia Wyer, great horned owl
- Ron Watkins, chub
- Ted Hendy, wild turkey
- William Wells, Eastern collared lizard
To see the winning images, pick up a 2010 Arizona Wildlife Calendar for your very own. Calendars go on sale Nov. 1 at all offices of the Arizona Game and Fish Department for just $3. Or visit www.azgfd.gov/photocontest to print an order form you can send in at your convenience. The page also offers a gorgeous slideshow of honorable mention images.
Dig out the deeks – the full waterfowl season is taking flight
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A lot of waterfowl hunters have already been taking advantage of the mountain zone waterfowl opportunities. Now the season has shifted to the lower elevations as well.
Randy Babb, an Arizona Game and Fish biologist and veteran duck hunter, said waterfowl reproduction estimates for this year are good in North America, with most species showing an increase in numbers. Summer surveys this year indicated nesting was generally up.
“A common problem we experience in Arizona, despite nesting success, is warm winter weather. Often warm winters in the western states will ‘short-stop’ much of the migrating waterfowl before they make it to the southern U.S. So while states north of us (Utah, Nevada, etc.) enjoy fantastic hunting, we experience sporadic shooting at best,” Babb pointed out.
On the other hand, he said, if warm weather keeps Arizona’s high country waters open, many ducks and geese will spend the winter there rather than migrating to lower elevations.
“Simply put, many migrating waterfowl species go no farther south than they have to. If we have a warm winter, our state’s high elevations will likely offer the best hunting,” Babb said.
The early part of the season offers the best opportunities for some of the early migrants like cinnamon and blue-wing teal. November is usually when waterfowl hunting in the desert areas really picks up.
”At this time free water at northern latitudes typically becomes scarce, forcing birds southward to seek feeding and resting areas. Mornings after big winter storms and severe cold snaps are often an excellent time to check desert stock ponds for ducks,” Babb said.
Decoys will prove useful on central Arizona lakes, rivers, and ponds. “If you are decoying, you'll want to start early. Have your decoys set and your blind built before legal shooting time comes. Once again, a little scouting will be a big help in finding a productive shooting spot,” Babb said.
Ducks tend to congregate in backwaters, slow runs on rivers, and sheltered areas on lakes such as coves and the mouths of rivers and creeks.
“With some scouting you will discover that though there may be several spots that seem to look good and are used by ducks, there is one or a few spots that they prefer. Set out your decoys and build your blind while it is still dark so you will be situated at legal shooting time,” he advises.
Typically the best shooting is in the first couple of hours of the day, so it is important to be ready by legal shooting time. “On a typical duck hunt, shooting is usually over by 10 or 11 a.m. Geese generally fly a little later than ducks, but you'll still want to be prepared by first light,” Babb said.
Ducks will tend to move more in inclement weather, so shooting often lasts longer on these days. “Ducks have excellent eyesight and color vision, so keep this in mind when hunting them. Camouflage is recommended. It is also very important to remain motionless while birds are working the decoys or coming in,” said the veteran waterfowler.
To retrieve downed birds from stock tanks, try using a fishing rod rigged with a topwater plug. Cast over dead birds and reel them in. The same rig fitted with a diving plug will retrieve decoys in deep water by snagging the anchor line. Remember, only non-toxic or steel shot may be used for ducks and geese.
Come network with Game and Fish on Facebook
Connect with others who share your outdoor interests
Do you want the latest news, updates, videos and photographs from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and even get the opportunity to chat with others who share your interests?
Then click here and become a “fan” of the Arizona Game and Fish Department on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/azgafd. It’s interesting. It can be loads of fun. And you can connect up with others who share your same outdoor interests.
“Currently, there are 26,480 Arizonans on Facebook who have indicated they like fishing, hunting, shooting sports, boating and similar outdoor activities, so you’ll potentially have a lot of new friends out there who share your outdoor passions,” said Public Information Officer Rory Aikens, who himself is a recent Facebook convert.
The Game and Fish Department is also on another social network, Twitter. “We are using these communication outlets to provide outdoor enthusiasts with multiple ways to get timely information even while they are on the go,” Aikens said.
The department also has a robust Web presence at www.azgfd.gov and uses e-mail-based subscriptions to send news updates, fishing reports, hunter highlights and a number of other e-news products.
You can even go blogging at the Game and Fish Department, post photographs, and share such things as fishing or hunting experiences.
“These evolving social networking sites provide all of us another opportunity to get timely information, share ideas or experiences, and become involved in the outdoor world, even while sitting indoors dreaming about our next outing,” Aikens said.
The department has added a “Share or Bookmark” bar to our articles, blogs, outdoor calendar dates, and user photo sections. This makes it easier than ever to share news and photos with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, E-mail, and 150+ other bookmarking and sharing services.