bonuspointjohn

It appears that the defendant in this case has pled and will face sanctions on multiple fronts......

A theoretical approach here. If you commit a misdemeanor and then get compensated for it (Eastman's Bow and gear) and it is over $1,000 in value does that not then constitute a felony?...Legal minds seem to think that qualifies as a felony.....

I was in attendance last night at the meeting as a board member of Conserve and Protect. I felt that there were ideas presented that need to be explored further and that the issue of "No Auction Tags" was abundantly clear. Congratulations to those who did come and presented their ideas. Mr. Willet has a couple of ideas that I think offer some credible solutions. Rich Williams did a great job of moderating the meeting and most were able to express their views. I will not post again, but I did want to thank those who did show up last night to express their views.

I was in attendance tonight as a member of the Board of directors for Conserve and Protect AZ. I was impressed by the presentations that were made and I think that the offer made by Mr. Gillet was one that bears a lot of possibilities. Congratulations on presenting some cogent thoughts and being prepared for the meeting. I will not post any further but I felt it was appropriate to comment on how the information was presented. I felt that Rich Williams handled a difficult task as moderator very well and most people handled themselves in a controlled manner. Andrew I would like to talk more about your offer for services and I think you have a winner there in the making. The bottom line is that the department is facing a shortfall of money in the very near future. I personally do not want to see a DNR situation and that means hunters and anglers have to think outside the box on ideas on how to proceed. BPJ

The following article will be shown in the Arizona Republic tomorrow. It would benefit all sportsmen to spread the word that this is management of wildlife by emotion and the ballot, not by the AZGFD, which it should be. This group[ is sponsored by the HSUS from Washington D.C...... certainly not driven by Arizona residents........BPJ http://azc.cc/2yrZ6Su

https://www.gohunt.com/read/life/the-political-spiral-of-mountain-lions-in-california Kalifornia has had the ban since 1990. the results have been predicatable..... The cost to fight this initiave if it gets to the ballot would be out of the price range of every conservation group in the state combined.......

The HSUS under the group name Arizonans For Wildlife has filed with the State of Arizona to get signatures for a ballot initiative in 2018..... Read the piece that is on tomorrow morning's Republic..... http://azc.cc/2yrZ6Su

If it makes it to the ballot, it will pass. Arizona is the 2nd most urban state in the union and they will play on the heartstrings of all the soccer moms in Arizona about how cruel killing lions is. Cost for fighting a ballot initiative is upwards of $4 million ........ No group has that type of money to fight it.....

Good job Amanda, Yes... I did say Coors.... my mouth would not work right after the shower...Lou Gehrig was a favorite of mine which goes back to my grandparents who loved him and had a bust of him that I saw every day that I went to their home on the way to school. It is a dreadful disease and I hope someday they find an answer. Glad you added the prickly pear juice. Gave it a nice twist.....Thanks for posting the ADA youth camp in 23 North this October..BPJ

Under the DEIS published last week by the U.S.F.W.S., there is the potential for wolves to be released across most of the state of Arizona. the I-40 corridor is the northernmost boundary that they currently have in place. The betting money is that they will expand that in the forseeable future to have wolves released north of the Grand Canyon and into Utah soon after. The good news is that there will be a press release scheduled for tomorrow that may have most of us applauding the Arizona Game & Fish Commissioners as the Arizona Game and Fish Department. It appears that there will be a fight between the Federal Government and the State of Arizona regarding the Mexican gray wolves. This is our last stand against the feds and hopefully we will be successful. Once the press release becomes official I will post it on CWT for your perusal. BPJ...

I waited 15 years for my first rifle bull tag and was drawn in 2004. The day after I received the notification that I was drawn I went in for an ultrasound. I was diagnosed with Kidney cancer and underwent surgery on August 6th. to remove one kidney. I checked then and there were no provisions for any relief for the tag, Long story short, I did go with my sons. I had help from some very great people and I did get a bull. The memories regarding the difficulties are very vivid. The pain was there all along the way but I wanted to be out there. It may be a very memorable hunt. As far as the petition goes, that will not carry a lot of weight, because so many have been in that position before and had to pass on their tag. The good news however is that the commission is working on a program to turn in a tag and then be in line the following year. Many other western states have that in place already. Best of luck no matter what happens BPJ

It also happens to be the event where the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle committee meets and draws the names of the winners for the year. That raffle again will provide the AZGFD with over $400,000.00 for HPC projects during the year. This years winners included 6 from the state of Arizona. Charlie Kelley does a great job of running this program and it has yielded over $2.5 million dollars since it's inception, courtesy of Pete Cimellaro's efforts. Without Pete's concept this never would have taken off or been approved through the legislature, nor would all of that money been given to the AZGFD. Thanks to Pete for his brainchild and Charlie for manning this program for the past 3 years.....BPJ

Michael Mayer of Scottsdale Arizona was at it again yesterday, pleading with the AZGFD commissioners to ban hunting in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. I have attended several meetings where Mr. Mayer has tried other tactics to get hunting banned. His most recent attack was to point to a park in Tucson that charges $10.00 per person entry and how wildlife viewing there is the main attraction. He proposed that banning hunting in the Preserve would enhance wildlife so that people could view them and then the economic impact would be tremendous for the state. He has attempted in the past to get hunting banned but has been pushed back numerous times. His first attempt was that he did not like seeing people in "his backyard". We pointed out to the commission that the Preserve is public land and that it is a valid use of the land. Danger came next, and we pointed out that there has never been a hunting accident in the Preserve due to archery. Now it is the economic impact and how "if you feed them and don't kill them the people will come". There was also in attendance the mayor of Carefree, who is proposing something the commission seemed more interested in... a 400 yard barrier from any lived in structure.... not a good thing. I know of no shots for mule deer or javalina that are over 100 yards, let alone 400. There needs to be a response from the public that a 400 yard barrier is not acceptable. Finally, there was a resident from Carefree who claimed that he has found hunters in his backyard... he owns 5 acres and has encountered people who are on his property... which he refuses to post as no hunting. How will the public know if there is private land if it is not posted?... The mayor stated that people move there so they would not have fences... or posting...Huh? Please let the commissioners know if you have any interest in keeping your rights to hunt the McDowell Sonoran preserve... By The Way... Jack Husted has resigned from the commission, so don;t direct any calls or e-mails to him. As of Friday, we only a a roster of 4 commissioners... BPJ

In today's Arizona Republic there is an article regarding archery hunting in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. At the end of the article, they are requesting that people vote on whether or not hunting should be allowed. It is our time to vote. I hope that all who read this do take a few moments to vote. Go to the Valley and State section of the Republic and read the article, then vote. Thanks to all who do, you are helping to let the non hunting public understand our passion and rights to hunt. BPJ

Thanks for posting Tony. I hope more do so today.The McDowell commissioners are not very hunter friendly and there is pressure from the folks who do not like the great unwashed masses pursuing archery hunts on "their" lands....even though they are public lands...BPJ

Why don't you give me a call Archery..... I know you have my number....BTW... I suspect you have a mentor that helps with your postings. BPJ

While everyone was screaming about the baiting issue, another potentially more serious issue was discussed. In a nutshell (I can't find the document on line with AZGFD) The Big Boquillas will have the following for the next two years 1) Access fee for individual hunts of $60.00 per hunter 2) No Access to the ranch until 10 days prior to the hunt. 3) No use of Trail Cams 4) No use of OHV vehicles off roads 5) No Ground blinds 6) No hunting within 100 yards of water. 7) No Tree stands 8)The ranch will only be open from August until late December... after that it will be closed. There will be no shed hunting, no spring hunts, nothing. For those who cannot follow the thread here, this is the first of many ranches to help destroy the North American Model. This agreement has some very devastating potential when every other rancher begins to hold out their hands. From what I have heard this is a done deal.... If I am wrong (won't be the first time) please let me know....BPJ

Hey Larry, just so you know, each year when we look at all the HPC requests, if there is no access, we do NOT consider the project. Not sure what other groups do, but the ADA has always maintained that the HPC money will not go through if there is no access. If you have instances of where someone has gotten money without granting access, let me know...BPJ

Hello Archery... Sad to see you trying to stir a non existent pot. You should know as well as anyone that the AZSFW was disbanded and that all the money players have said goodbye to political ventures in AZ....Besides, it looks like the AZGFD is handling all the access issues now based on the Big Boquilla's pending compact. Just make sure you bring your wallet over the next decade to wherever you need to hunt. I like / dislike some of the items in the compact but it is certainly the wave of the future.

This has some good points... as well as some bad ones. I suspect that certain outfitters will be mad as all get out because other ranchers may do the same program. That will take away the semi-private hunts that several outfitters now enjoy when they lease ranches in certain prime units. The shed hunters will be livid because they will no longer be able to get those antler sheds each spring. (which is why some of these issues came up... road destruction, fences cut, ruts in existing roads in wet conditions) It will also place those folks who draw on more equal footing because no one will be able to use all the technology to pinpoint their favorite species. On the down side, including a bunch of friends and family for a hunt would be pretty expensive.... on top of the money for the tag and license. There are figures to back up the claims that this will open more lands for hunting as has happened in other states. Time will tell. I suspect this will be an evolving practice on all fronts. So bottom line is there is good news or bad... or both...all depends on how one looks at it. BPJ

For those interested, this is what will be appearing in Mule Deer and Sheep country.....BPJ http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/energy/solar/quartzsite_solar_energy.html

Jerry Weiers is now Mayor of Glendale.... The AZSFWC is still working on project funding and still advising the member organizations about what legislation is pending as well as educating their groups about whatever is relevant. The ADA is alive and well, we did a project in the White Tanks in December placing water in an area that really needed it. The weather on Saturday was brutal, but Sunday let us get some work done. The SCG however to the best of my knowledge has not done a thing over the past 6 months.... Glad Archery Crazy is alive and well.....

For those who have deal with feral horses and burros on public lands, this piece by the AZ Republic offers no solution yet a continuation of the problem. BPJ http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2012/12/07/20121207try-humane-approach.html?nclick_check=1#ixzz2D3pKZwpS

Commissioner Jack Husted entered a plea of not guilty after being cited on a hunting violation that he was part of. The Commissioner did the honorable thing and turned himself in, but was not happy that he has fines coming and entered a plea of not guilty for his day in court. Since I have been labeled PBJ by the masses in CWT, perhaps commissioner Husted will now be PDJ.... Prairie Dog Jack.....Glad he did the right thing, hope it all turns out well for him

Give me the names and I will tell you if they are still around..... J