AZGFD_PIO

ALL, RED ALERT: DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, THE DRAW DEADLINE (PAPER AND ONLINE) IS BEING EXTENDED UNTIL: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14 BY 7 PM (MST). Further details will be coming from the Department shortly. Please pass the word. Best Regards, Douglas Burt Hunting and Shooting Sports Program Manager Arizona Game and Fish Department dburt@azgfd.gov (623) 236-7487 Desk

New Hunter Opportunity - Cranes! Hey guys, if you know a friend, neighbor or relative that is new to hunting, or has an interest, here is a great chance to harvest a sandhill crane for them. There are seven spots still available for a Game and Fish assisted juniors-only sandhill crane hunt near Gillespie Dam area. The hunt is by permit and an application must be filled out and mailed to the department. Here are the details: 9007 Dec. 10-12 $7.50, 1 tag for one crane. http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/h_f/regulations/...egulations2.pdf Please share this with "new young hunters" as a recruiting effort.

Thank you very much. The draw is one complicated process that requires orchestration by many, many workgroups in the Department. Complicated even further by 3rd party tools for providing the results by phone and online. Each draw rears a unique snag to deal with. Congratulations to everyone that was successful. For those that missed the draw, had an error on their application, or just didn't get drawn - there is still hope. There are more than 5,500 leftover tags leftover, many of those are for deer in southern Arizona (aka Coues') so, set your calendar for the first-come, first-served date of Aug. 2 (by mail only), and starting Aug. 9 you can walk in to a local Game and Fish office, fill out an application and by your permit-tag - in person! Happy hunting all, and thanks to all the Coues' Whitetail.com members for all they do the conservation of Arizona's wildlife. Doug Burt, information branch dburtatazgfddotgov

Overall, it sounds like you have the right answer on this, but for additional clarification: The signs you are seeing are a small component of a larger program designed to open up areas for outdoor recreation. The Arizona Game & Fish Department participates in about 10-15 multi-year contracts with private landowners (mostly large ranches) each year. This opens or maintains access to nearly 2 million acres of mostly private or state trust land. To answer your question the signs are purchased with funds generated from the sale of lottery tickets (no hunting Lic. dollars go towards the RESPECT program). You will periodically see these private property signs around the state. In most cases they are placed by the Department to help reduce conflict with private landowners and assist in helping hunters know where they can and can’t be. In some cases the signs may be placed on a private in-holding within a larger block of federal or state land. In some cases a private landowner may grant access through their private property on a specific road, but not want people hunting on their land. In other cases there a parcels that see significant amounts of trespass and we are working to try a reduce conflict. I hope this helps solve this mystery. Here is a link to more details on our web page: http://www.azgfd.gov/outdoor_recreation/la..._overview.shtml Sal Palazzolo Landowner Relations Program Manager Arizona Game & Fish Department Phoenix, Arizona 85086 (623) 236-7503 office "Conservation will ultimately boil down to rewarding the private landowner who conserves the public interest"-Aldo Leopold 1934

I’m writing in regard to the posts about the disposal of bear parts south of Flagstaff. These bear parts came from a nuisance male bear that had to be drugged and then killed due to his regular movements into the area of homes and the public safety risks involved in the frequent interactions with people. Animals that are drugged as part of wildlife management activities are not suitable for human use and so the staff member who killed the bear took the head and paws (the portions they were concerned would draw more interest) and then disposed of the rest of the animal in the woods, as we do many animals such as road kills. We have reviewed our protocols and have provided more information to our staff so that in the future animals like this will be disposed of at the landfill. The staff member who disposed of the bear recovered the remaining body parts and disposed of them as well. I apologize for all the stress this has caused in the hunting community and appreciate the interest people have shown and the opportunity to review our protocols and make needed adjustments. Ron Sieg, Arizona Game and Fish Department Region II Supervisor Flagstaff

Produced by California Waterfowl about the importance of hunters, hunting and conservation. http://www.calwaterfowl.org/web2/pr...hyhuntvideo.htm HD Version: http://www.vimeo.com/4383093 Very well done and great message delivery! (sorry if this is the wrong forum for this topic)

Any suggestions? What can the Arizona Game and Fish Department do different with their hunt structures to make it better for hunters, while still managing within biological sideboards, and to improve hunter recruitment and retention? If you have ideas and suggestions for these questions and more, now is the time to share them. Every two years the department reviews and revises the existing hunt guidelines and recommends changes that address the direction given by the Commission.The hunt guidelines set the framework (biological and social) that the department (wildlife managers) use to develop specific hunt recommendations and set permit levels, season dates and season structures. The guidance for the 2009 package, which will be the framework for setting the 2010-11 and 2011-12 hunting season structures, is for: • Standardization, • Simplification, • and Increasing Hunter Participation. The current hunt guidelines to be revised can be reviewed and downloaded at www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/h_f/huntingrecommendations/2009/HuntGuidelines.pdf. Please submit ideas and comments through May 31 to: azgamebranch@azgfd.gov or mail them to: Hunt Guidelines Arizona Game and Fish Department 5000 W. Carefree Highway Phoenix, AZ 85086. Please help us make Arizona’s hunting experiences the best in the nation. :rolleyes: To learn more about the hunt guideline process, and listing of public meeting dates and locations, visit www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines.

I wanted to share this with your members, I didn't see a post already, if there is one - sorry for any duplication. First thing - you are not being charged for the duplicate. The department made a mistake and ran the applications for spring of 2009 again, which triggered the issuing of the license if you applied for it in your application. We are in the process of sending a postcard out with the same information. Here is that "official" statement: I think it will be handy to have an extra license. I can keep one on my person, and the other in my hunting pack - that way I know I have it with me at all times. I hope this helps. If you have questions, feel free to call the main customer service number at 602-942-3000. Doug Burt, PIO

The Arizona Big Game Super Raffle has nine special big game tags up for raffle to raise money for wildlife in Arizona. The deadline to purchase tickets is this Sunday, July 13 by 6 p.m. (Arizona time) The big game tags up for raffle include one each for pronghorn antelope, black bear, buffalo, Coues whitetail, desert bighorn sheep, elk, javelina, mule deer, and turkey. In addition, there will be a Swarovski optics package raffled, which will pay for the administration costs of the Super Raffle. Launched in 2006, by a consortium of sportsmen’s / conservation groups in cooperation with the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, as a way to raise money for wildlife habitat work the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle returns all ticket proceeds to the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Every dollar raised for each species will go directly toward the management of that particular species. Last year’s raffle raised $557,641. Raffle tickets cost between $5 and $25, depending on species, and can only be purchased online at www.arizonabiggamesuperraffle.com. The site is a Authorize.Net verified merchant site and they accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Discover cards. The public drawing is Saturday, July 19 at 3:30 p.m. at El Zaribah Shrine, 552 N. 40th Street in Phoenix, during the Arizona Antelope Foundation fundraising banquet. Special big game tags are granted to qualifying nonprofit organizations, dedicated to wildlife conservation, by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission through a public application process each year per A.R.S. § 17-346 and R12-4-120. 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.

For those that are heading out next week for the juniors-only turkey hunt - road closures may still be an issue by then.

BowNut and others - Yes, there are now OTC tags for Elk. However, they are for unique hunt areas for the most part - not full units like you noted. There is the Lower Colorado River Hunt AREA as defined by special boundries. Also, with in that area is the Rincon Basin Hunt Area (archery only). These OTC tags are for marginal habitat areas. “Hunters should not have expectations of high numbers of elk in these areas, but especially the Alamo Lake area and 12A and 12B on the Kaibab. The elk densities are extremely low. Hunt success is going to be correspondingly low.” Here is the link to the full details on Elk Over the Counter tags as well as hunt area MAPS. http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/over-the-counter-elk-tags.shtml http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/h_f/OTCelkhandout.pdf Any questions can be handled by customer service at 602-942-3000. or post here and I will try to assist you. AZGFD - Public Information Department