az4life

Wow , What a great buck! Sure would like to see more pictures of that one. Congrats to the lucky hunter!

Here is a picture with 2 vehicles sporting CWT decals. Next, We need to go for 3 in one picture! One more for Daryl_s and posterity.

LOL... I think the "fartsack" is also called a "dutch oven"....

I read the latest email from AGFD and was amazed at the first 2 articles. Article 1 is discussing the proposed fee increases, and article 2 discusses the HRR (Hunter Retention program) I noted the info from the core HRR group did not cite any tag fees as concerns but the committe met back in 2004. Also noted the proposals to increase hunter opportunity (tag redisribution) seem to have grown from this committee. I sent in 2 more scorching letters of my dissatisfaction, and urge others to do the same. Keep the heat on the commission or we can kiss our western way of life goodbye. IMO These 2 articles together is sort of like placing a turd next to a punchbowl. Text below.... Fees increases are coming before the commission for final approval The Arizona Game and Fish Commission is scheduled to finalize the rule-making process for proposed fee increases on most hunting and fishing licenses, tags, stamp and permits during the Saturday, Feb. 11 portion of its two-day meeting in Yuma. The Game and Fish Commission is meeting at the Shilo Inn, 2550 S. Castle Dome Road, Yuma, on Feb. 10-11 starting at 8 a.m. both days. The department is still accepting written comments on proposed fee increases until Feb. 6. Comments can be submitted by sending an e-mail to rulemaking@azgfd.gov. Public comments received will be provided to the commission for consideration during its Feb. 11 meeting. Although the department originally planned to present final rulemaking in March, the department notified the public earlier this year that it will instead present final rule changes in February. If approved by the commission, the increases would not become law until the department obtains final approval from the Governor's Regulatory Review Council. If approved, the increased fees would become effective for 2007 licenses and tags. The proposed changes include: * Increased fees for resident and nonresident big game hunt permit-tags, adoption of Class J and K family hunting and fishing licenses, and adoption of the Class L, M, and N super conservation hunting and fishing licenses. * An equal increase for resident and nonresident guide licenses. * A new class of reduced-price junior hunt permit-tags for elk, deer, javelina and turkey at an equal cost for resident and nonresident youth. * Elimination of the proposed Class A premium hunt permit-tags for deer and elk. Examples of the new pricing structure include a general resident fishing license going from $18 to $23.50, a resident elk tag increasing from $78 to $114, a resident deer tag going from $19.50 to $34.75, a resident combination hunt and fish license increasing from $44 to $54, and a youth combination hunt and fish license going from $25.50 to $26.50. The Arizona Game and Fish Department sought the increases through the rulemaking process after the Arizona Legislature approved higher fee caps last year. The new fees were sought to help the department meet increasing operating expenses and to address program priorities. If you have questions or would like a copy of the changes, you can visit the department's Web site at azgfd.gov or contact Carlos Ramirez, the department's rule writer, at (602) 789-3288 or at rulemaking@azgfd.gov. Efforts are underway to increase hunter retention The Arizona Game and Fish Department has recently undertaken efforts to explore opportunities for increasing hunter and shooter retention and recruitment in the state. In September of 2004, the department chartered a Hunter and Shooting Sports Retention Team (HRR Team) to evaluate potential barriers to hunting sports and to identify specific recommendations that can be adopted by the department to address declining participation in hunting and shooting sports. These trends reflect a national phenomenon that has been experienced by state wildlife agencies throughout the country. Game and Fish?s Pinetop Regional Supervisor Jon Cooley, who chaired the HRR Team, provided the Arizona Game and Fish Commission with a briefing of the team?s findings during the commission?s Jan. 20 meeting in Scottsdale. One tool the HRR Team used during the process was to conduct an online hunter needs assessment survey that was distributed to 50,000, with the department receiving responses from approximately 7,000 people, the majority of which consisted of active Arizona hunters. The survey participants identified several factors that represented ?barriers? to their participation in hunting, including: * Not getting drawn for a big game tag ? 90 percent. * Urbanization/development of hunting areas ? 65 percent. * Lack of time ? 59 percent. * Off-highway vehicle disruption ? 54 percent. * Overcrowding ? 51 percent. The ability to go big game hunting might be a barrier to participation, but the HRR Team also recognized other hunting opportunities as a way to diminish barriers and increase recruitment. ?Among the major themes reflected in the approaches recommended by the HRR Team is emphasizing small game hunting as a vehicle to promote hunting recruitment and retention and to serve as a bridge to the more limited big game hunting opportunities,? said Cooley. The HRR Team developed12 main recommendations as the base of a comprehensive hunter recruitment and retention program, which are broadly highlighted in the following: 1. Construct a comprehensive property management plan for the Robbins Butte, Powers Butte and Arlington Wildlife Management Area complex to promote small game opportunity and provide a venue for hunter recruitment/retention activities. 2. Develop a short-term hunting lease program through landowner relations designed to obtain access to private lands for small game hunting opportunities. 3. Implement enhancements to the department?s Hunter Education Program that promote course convenience and flexibility to customers and that further institute adaptive management evaluation/management practices that mitigate potential barriers to entry. 4. Charter a team to identify improvements in the delivery of hunting information through the annual regulations booklet in a manner that encourages and facilitates use and understanding by new/inexperienced hunters in particular. 5. Evaluate existing big-game draw and hunt structures to maximize hunting opportunity on a sustainable basis. 6. Institute special licenses that promote participation of new hunters through family/friend social structures that serve to reinforce and support hunting activities. 7. Create department positions, public information and outreach efforts, and Web site enhancements that promote and support hunter recruitment/retention programs and activities. 8. Create a new hunter recruitment and retention coordinator position within the Information and Education Division to launch and coordinate the implementation of department hunter recruitment/retention programs, activities and promotions. 9. Establish a full-time shooting range development coordinator position in the Information and Education Division to promote convenient public access to shooting sports/ranges. 10. Launch coordinated, department-wide public information and outreach efforts that promote hunting and otherwise reinforce hunter recruitment/retention efforts and activities made available to the public. 11. Update the department?s strategic planning documents to proactively address urban encroachment as it relates to maintaining small game hunting opportunities in proximity to urban areas, which serve to advance hunter recruitment and retention efforts. 12. Conduct periodic/annual reviews of important hunt draw and license sales data and trends and apply adaptive management practices to department hunter recruitment/retention programs as needed. Various HRR Team recommendations are already being implemented. For instance, the big game hunt guidelines were significantly revamped this year in light of the hunter retention team recommendations. Efforts were also increased to provide small game hunters better information on where to go for quail, doves, rabbits and waterfowl. The department developed a Hunter Newsletter and a process has been initiated to look at improving the hunt regulation booklet.

Now that is a lot of antlers! Very cool indeed. I guess you can find a lot of them if you spend time in the field? Looking at that pile there looks to be a lot of nice ones that stand out. I wonder how long the shed hunting will not require a tag? Thanks for posting the pics.

Sweet! Congratulations on the addition to your family. I bet you will break her in right, and have her out on the range soon.

The more comfortable you are while glassing, the longer you are likely to do it. Think in terms of comfort whenever you question the best methods. A seat pad, or small chair and the right clothing is crucial. Staying warm is important if you want to stay steady. I dress in layers and use an inflatable seat pad. Larger glass requires a steady tripod, and even 10x binos are helped greatly with a tripod. It is truly amazing the thngs you can see with binos on a tripod that you will miss if you freehand glass. Be patient and look for parts of animals in bushes, around trees, behind rocks, etc. Rarely do you see a whole deer up and out in the open. It can be quite fun to see who can spot more game when you do it with another person. Good Luck

Wow, That artivle was all my reading for the night! Great take and summary of the 1500 pages. Shooting off my email tomorrow and hopefully it will do some good! Thanks Kevin!

Those reports might be worth the money if they were electronic files. Manipulating, ranking and searching the data is much easier that way. I hate to spend the money and then have to key it all into my own database.

I agree. This is what you would call an EXTREME game camera. Let me start my wish list for next Christmas right now...

Maybe we can try to hook up Tuesday at 11:30 next week. Remind me on Monday.... I will bring the camera

Now the way this story keeps changing, you gotta wonder what really happened. First he is ICU then thye say he is out of ICU and it was just precautionary due to his age. Next thing you know he is supposed to have had a heart attack, but after that thye say it was a mild one. So mild in fact that he never even had any symptoms of a heart attack? Say what? Then the news says it was due to a pellet being lodged in his heart. Was that lawyer guy Wittington? naked when he got shot or what. How could bird shot get through clothing, and several inches of flesh to lodge in his heart from 30 yards away? Is the press corps trying to get even with the VP for not reporting the incident to them as it happened? Is there a cover-up? If so, is it a cover-up for Cheney, or Wittington or maybe others involved who are not yet named? Hey I support the administration for the most part but A lot of things are not quite jiving on this story. We Probably will never know the whole truth.

Well said! As far as feeding and attracting wildlife into an area, maybe is it not criminal if you are just grouping them up when they already live in the genral vicinity. Interpretation... It depends on what the meaning of IS , IS...

Another sighting / meeting in central Phoenix! Nice to meet you today Daryl_S. Thanks for introdcing yourself! Wish we had more time to chat but that is what work is not all about. It sure was different to see 2 vehicles with the CWT decals in the same parking lot. If you need a picture of your decal on the window, let me know the next time you are in the area for classes we can try to grab lunch and I can snap a picture and post it for you. Later Marlon

Becker Hey, it Looks like you stumbled on to the deer farm.

I just heard VP Cheney and company did not have the required bird tags either, so he got a warning. He has since mailed the fee of $7.00 to Texas. It is not any different than Golf or Baseball. You take a bit of risk when you do anything and for the media to make like he purposely or carelesly opened up with an AK-47, is just plain stupid.

Good one for sure! I Just heard VP Cheney got a warning for the incident this weekend. Neither he or the lawyer he peppered had the $7.00 bird tags. Hmm.. I bet that is a day they wish they could have a do-over for that day.

Keith NOOOOO Bad Charma... PLEASE CHANGE YOUR ICON BACK! Yes I know it was a low blow bringing in the Cards, but it was the worst comparison I could come up with. I forgot to add the $35M "Fly Away" program the US has tested to fly UDA's back home after they are caught here. I feel for Scottyboy on this and I bet his co-workers are stewing on it too!

I am sooooo Steaming on this one! US Gives $376M to Mexico for US Border Enforcement This is a US problem as the interests are primarily US. Since when is is allowable for us to abdicate our border enforcement. If we care enough to take action with the AGFD, then we sure ought to take offense at this mullarky and write out representatives, senators and even the president of our country. Something positive has to be done! -------------------------------------- How did they spend the money? Let's see now, recently the Mexican Goverment has printed tens of thousands of maps and brochures advising its people how to cross into the US undetected. No brochures advising against it, but instead, a how to manual. Last year they printed comic books to teach the general process for crossing, what to take, and what to do if caught. Mexican officials routinely decrie the US border tightening policy as inhumane, and unwarranted. There have been multiple documented border incursions by uniformed Mexican Military in military vehicles often in gun battles even as far north as Casa Grande about 5 years ago. I believe Mexico is great place to visit with some great people, but I would not want to live there. Apparently so do many of it's citizens. Based on the current capture statistics, the flow is increasing, not improving. This is like the AZ Cardinals trading down a first round draft pick because they do not know who to pick or giving their opponents money to take it easy on them in a game.

You guys pointed out a lot of what Jay Leno will be sharing tonight I bet! I read what the Brady's had to say about it. Y'know. Jim Brady, gun control activist... and his wife Sarah. I'd guess Brady still has his lawyers credentials. "Now I understand why Dick Cheney keeps asking me to go hunting with him," said Jim Brady. "I had a friend once who accidentally shot pellets into his dog - and I thought he was an idiot." "I've thought Cheney was scary for a long time," Sarah Brady said. "Now I know I was right to be nervous." Trust the media... Just despicable how the media is grabbing on to this. some of them just saying that Cheney shot him, and not clarifying or even saying peppered. I recall a few years back the Mesa PD had a shooting and they killed a guy who was charging them with a knife, they said the 6 (+or-) police officers fired simultaneously and hit the suspect something like 30 times. Facts were that he was hit with about 26 pellets and 4 slugs. That story sure told the facts but slanted in a way that suited the liberal paper's end in convincing people the police were unjustified.

Seems like I have seen the photo before, maybe 3 yrs ago. I seem to think it was from Canada or Montana, but no proof. Things on the internet do seem to recycle, but in any case it is a big lion!

I may be showing some favoritism, but I would have to say AZ is in th eHeart of Coues country. Coues n Sheep - Nice haul for you and your friends in 05! BTW - I thought fondling another fellers horns was bad manners.

Amanda Maybe a few of us could team up in several units and go on a drive to look at a bunch of tanks all on the same day. With a little pre-trip training and pre-buying a few supplies, we might be able to cover and fix a lot of tanks in one day. Any chance we could get better info on location of some possible tanks in a not of units? I would sort of like to take a different direction and look over and repair tanks in some areas I am not that familiar with. See some new country and "pay it forward" by fixing a tank or 2 that I won't benefit from. Gonna have to be soon though as summer is coming on fast!

Congratulations Amanda on joining the 1000 plus club. Funny though, I don't feel much over 700, how bout you?

Thanks for the extra effort in posting those pictures. Nice buck for sure.