CouesWhitetail

The U of A Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society is presenting its first annual Game Dinner on January 21st, 2006. Tickets are $20 each. For more information please call Mike Rice at 520-440-2885 or mlrice@email.arizona.edu. And even if you can't attend, donations would be greatly appreciated.

Yes, it's great to see the site's ranking continuing to climb. I always wanted to break into the top 25 since that is the first page of listings on the hunting top 100 website. Now I think we have gotten to 23, Which is great! Averaging like 570 visitors a day. Whereas in the first year or two of this website, I remember wishing I could get to an average of 200 a day. FYI - the ranking is based on a 5 day average of visitors per day. And since most people seem to visit on Mon - Friday, there are two days (Sat and Sun) where visitation is quite a bit less than during the week. I guess you guys visit this site while you are working.... Anyway, once Sat and Sun are in the 5 day average, the ranking drops and then when it's just M-F, the ranking goes back up. So that is why it changes a few ranks during the week. Amanda

Now that is a cool find! I once found what I think were some very old and probably military binoculars. Very cool find, but it was before I had a digital camera, so I never got pics. And since they were on the San Carlos, I just left them where they were. Amanda

Cool pics Josh! Amanda

My husband and I went out scouting an area I had never been before. There was a spring a ways back and we hiked to it and as I climbed down into the drainage bottom, my husband said, "look there is a petroglyph about 6 feet from you". So we started looking around and found lots of them. This place was an excellent water source so I can see why people would hang out here making rock art. Some of the shapes were snakes, people, geometric shapes, and one I think is a kokopelli. It's a bit faded, but I can see a flute and his spikey hair. It's the first pic shown. He is facing to left. First time I have ever found petroglyphs. Also had another first. We watched a couple eagles harrass a javelina herd. I think they were trying to scare a young one away from the herd, but the pigs all circled up and then move away. Pretty awesome to watch the eagles kind of dive bombing the pigs. The only reason we saw the pigs was because we stopped to watch the eagles. Neat stuff. Enjoy the pics. Amanda

I am sure the AZ Deer Association will be putting together some kind of statement or alternative ideas. Most of the board members are out hunting and so it's been hard to get together to talk about this. But we have jan and feb to give feedback to the commission. Amanda

sdrhunter....I don't know if they have any records of the need to increase tags. I am assuming that the commissioners hear it from people verbally. I have no doubts that the dept hears lots of complaints from hunters that they never get drawn. And Rembrant and sdrhunter I agree the draw odds won't improve appreciably and certainly go down for the preferred hunts. And thanks Coosefan for the thank yous! And thanks to BowhuntCoues for going to the meeting on Sunday and filling out a card and giving us some feedback. I do also believe the commissioners are interested in hearing ideas and finding ways to improve things for hunters. And if we have some good alternatives, I think the dept will agree with them too. Amanda

Thanks Dave! For those of you that were unable to make the commission meeting, here is a small summary of events. There were a fair number of hunters, but not as many as I thought would come. I think it was due to short notice and it being on a Friday. Leonard Ordway gave a presentation on his recommendations. The commission asked some very good questions during his presentation. Then they asked for public comment. I gave some brief comments about how I was concerned about the loss of quality in favor of quantity of tags. I told them I was willing to wait several years for a quality hunt rather than get drawn more often for what I consider to be a tag of lesser quality. I mentioned Dec WT and Sept archery bull elk hunts in particular. I told them that I understood that they hear from a lot of hunters saying "I never get drawn anymore" and I wanted them to make sure they knew there is a large segment of the hunting population that prefers a quality hunt over being drawn more often. Several hunters, primarily archery elk hunters, got up also and said essentially the same thing. The commission seemed to still think that the average hunter wouldn't agree that quality of a hunt opportunity is important. Seemed to me they were definitely focused on getting more hunters in the field, regardless of hunt success or draw odds. One commissioner didn't seem to understand why an archery bull hunt in Sept was of higher value than a Nov archery bull hunt. And another commissioner cautioned me that I should not imply the proposal raises money for the dept., or rather that money entered into the decision at all. I know lots of you think otherwise, but he was very serious about it not being a consideration in their decision making. I urge all you guys to go to a commission meeting if you feel strongly about this. The dept is always under pressure to issue more tags. This proposal is one way to that. But I think it sacrifices quality of the hunts. It really bothers me to see that. But the only way it won't happen is if the commission believes that enough hunters feel the same way. If you go to a meeting, you can fill out a blue card so that you can speak. Or you can fill out written comments on the blue card and not speak. If you aren't comfortable speaking at the meeting, you can still go and write your comments and listen to others. Also, the commission wanted suggestions on alternatives. They didn't just want to hear hunters say they were against the proposal. They wanted specific things that would provide palatable alternative. I think with more time to think about it, hunters will come up with some alternatives. A couple guys offered some at the meeting already. Amanda

Great buck Kristen! I second what firstcoueswas80 says! Amanda

Here is a flyer that a bowhunter sent me. I believe it was done by DesertChristian Archers. Stop_proposed_elk_hunts.pdf

Here is the agenda for tomorrows meeting. Item #8 is the Game Branch Chief's presentation of the hunt changes. Then later in the meeting they will have a call to the public to give comments. Final051209AgendawithAddendum.pdf

Here are some documents from AGFD regarding the hunt changes. 2006_2007_Fall_Hunt_Big_Game_Guidelines_and_Recommendations.pdf 2006_2007_Small_Game_and_Trapping_Recommendations_12_1_2005.pdf 2006_2007_Dove_Waterfowl_Seasons.pdf 2007_Spring_Recommendations_12_1_2005.pdf

If you don't know who your Representative is, here is a link to find out. I put the senate link a few posts earlier. Find my Rep and contact info Amanda

Here is the Call to Action that the AZ wildlife federation has sent out to sportsmen and wildlife enthusiasts, with instructions on making calls to Senators. I thought some of you might want to use the following directions to make a call. Amanda CALL TO ACTION! CALL YOUR SENATORS AND CONGRESSMAN NOW TO STOP THE PUBLIC LANDS GRAB! If the House Budget Reconciliation Bill becomes law, your favorite hunting or hiking area may soon have a ?No Trespassing? sign. The Bill would sanction the sale of hundreds of millions of acres of public lands to corporations at fire-sale prices. Then the corporations could develop or resell the lands for housing subdivisions, ski areas or other commercial development. If this Bill remains intact, it would authorize the largest corporate sale of public lands in the history of the United States! These provisions would threaten both the Grand Canyon National Park and Oak Flat Campground, which contain areas subject to sale under the Bill. Over 641,000 acres of Arizona?s public lands would be immediately subject to sale, with millions and millions of acres at risk! YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! ACT NOW IN 3 EASY STEPS! 1. CALL THE CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD AT 202-225-3121 AND ASK FOR SENATOR MCCAIN?S OFFICE. ONCE YOU ARE CONNECTED TO HIS OFFICE, TELL HIS STAFF THAT YOU WANT TO LEAVE THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE; ?I?M CALLING TO SAY I OPPOSE THE PUBLIC LANDS GRAB IN THE HOUSE RECONCILIATION BILL. PLEASE ASK THE SENATOR TO STOP IT NOW! ? 2. THEN ASK TO BE TRANSFERRED TO SENATOR KYLE?S OFFICE AND LEAVE THE SAME MESSAGE THERE. 3. NOW ASK TO BE TRANSFERRED TO YOUR REPESENTATIVE?S OFFICE TO RELAY THE MESSAGE. THIS MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE WE CONFRONT IN THIS DECADE! PLEASE ACT NOW!

Here is the letter the conservation groups sent. You may want to send letters to the house reps as well as senators. Amanda Dear Representative --------, We represent the sportsmen?s organizations of Arizona. We are writing this letter to express our concerns regarding the provisions in the House Budget Reconciliation bill which would permit the privatization and sale of Arizona?s Public Lands though modification of the 1872 Mining Law. Wildlife and open space define the character of Arizona. They are an important part of our quality of life in Arizona and they significantly impact our state?s economy. Our Public Lands are home to over 751 different species of wildlife. Public Lands in Arizona are used by a large majority of our resident?s and our visitors for hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing. These activities contribute millions of dollars annually to Arizona?s economy and support over 17,000 jobs. Our rural communities benefit significantly from these dollars. The sale of Public Lands in Arizona would adversely affect our opportunities for hunting and fishing, our way of life, and our economy. We strongly urge you to critically examine these provisions, and to do what is right for Arizona. Thank you for your attention regarding this matter. Yours Truly, Anglers United Arizona Antelope Foundation Arizona Bowhunters Association Arizona Predator Callers Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society Arizona Elk Society Arizona Flycaster's Club Arizona Trout Unlimited Arizona Wildlife Federation Scottsdale Sportsmen's Club Southern Arizona Sportsmen's Alliance Southwest Walleye Anglers Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club

I have a 24a tag and plan to hunt much of the two weeks. Can't wait! Unfortunately, I don't have a specific buck patterned out or anything, but I know some good areas to try. Amanda

AGFD is proposing these changes to increase hunter opportunity and also increase revenue for the Dept. I think part of the problem is that they constantly hear people saying "I never get drawn anymore" and so they are trying to find ways to get more tags out there. But of course there are only so many deer and so you have to issue tags that will have less successful hunts so your deer kill doesn't increase even though more people are out there. If enough hunters go to the meetings and say that they are willing to be drawn less often in order to have more chance at getting a Dec tag for WT or Sept tag for Elk, then I think the commission would listen. I have spoken with AGFD personnel who say even just one person making the case for something can change the commissions mind. And of course if 100's of hunters show up to say no, then they will listen. From what I can see, these changes are not biologically necessary for deer mgmt or elk mgmt. The changes are proposed to increase revenue and "hunter opportunity". Please go to as many meetings as you guys can. Stand up and say what you think. If you like the changes or not, at least let them know so they can make an informed decision. Amanda

Please try and attend the meeting(s) if you feel strongly about this. Seems to me the proposal lowers hunter opportunity to hunt during prime seasons for WT and elk. I can't sleep lately due to thinking of how they want to change the seasons in 24A. This year may be the last time I actually draw a dec tag! Here is a link to another thread where there is a list of the proposed changes: AGFD proposed changes Amanda

Send letters to AZ Senators. You can find phone numbers, faxes and addresses on the following site: Contact info for Kyl and McCain Get writing! Amanda

Great pics! Looks like you have a nice spot there. I forgot.... which trail camera are you using? Have you guys seen the new moultrie digital that puts the moon phase and temp right on each pic? I think it's a cool feature. It's the moultrie digital 200 or something like that. Amanda

Here are the pics:

Interesting discussion going on here. I guess it all depends on how you define overgrazing. Personally I think overgrazing is occuring when the native vegetation is being changed in such a way as to lower it's carry capacity for wildlife. I see plenty of areas on USFS land where cattle grazing has led to changes in habitat and it generally is reducing the carrying capacity of the land. I think hunters would be wise to take a closer look at habitat changes. The photo Scottyboy showed shows how obvious some of the impacts of grazing can be. You don't have to be a range scientist to see it happening. I also don't think ranchers should be villified as evil people who don't care about the land. Most ranchers I know are excellent people and I admire their way of life. I have seen some reasonable grazing where there are cows and yet still native grass is making it to seed. I think making money grazing in the desert must be an almost impossible task and with the vagaries of rainfall and cattle prices it's got to be very difficult to adjust stocking rates at just the right time. I was just talking to my neighbor and he says that since the USFS had to pull cows off the land during the drought that it has made it almost impossible for some ranchers to be able to have enough money on hand to restock the land when the time is right. It's an incredibly difficult business..it seems to me. But I am no expert in ranching. I do know that I enjoy talking to ranchers and their families and seeing how amazingly self-reliant they are. Kids that grow up on ranches are so much more interesting than kids that grow up in cities. So I think it's a great way of life. Amanda

Good point Bert. There are many older hunters who have heart problems or joint problems and can't get around. Amanda

Nice pic Josh! Hope you find the coues pic and post it too. I find indian ruins more often than petroglyphs. It sure was fun to see these. Amanda

Thanks for pics and info Bret. It's interesting you mention seeing a coues in terrain you thought was more for a sheep. Just today while glassing I was thinking that it's a good idea to glass some country you think is too steep for coues. My hunting buddy years ago glassed up a buck walking in nothing but one of those rock slides/talus slopes. He said he never would have imagined a coues would walk there. I think it's a good idea to test assumptions sometimes.... Amanda