Couesi1

Megahunter, 24B is a really good unit. All of the places suggested are real good. Get in there and glass. you'll find em. I would only go hunt the golf course near gold canyon if you wanted a pile full of legal problems.......wrong species, (all mule deer), trespassing on private property (golf course is private), shooting too close to occupied buildings etc. Baaaaaaaaaad idea, surely that was only a joke??? c-1

The increase in license fees is already done....it passed the house and legislature and was signed by the governer. (senate bill 1365). With support from constituents, which includes the folks who use this website, there is a possibility that some game and fish employees (including game wardens) can get a well-deserved and overdue pay raise in the future. I'll support 'em. I hope others will too. c-1 P.S. good luck to all in the draw - won't be long now.

Diamondback Az, Doesn't matter, the information I read was incorrect, and I'll stand by that too. You are correct, they all got in the game knowing what it pays, and yes, there are a lot of cool perks. However as I stated, you can't pay the bills with perks, although most of them scrape by. The married guys with wives with good jobs are a whole lot better off. Until about the late nineties it was almost impossible to get hired on as a Wildlife Manager. Since then it has been difficult to find enough qualified applicants to keep the roster of districts full. To make things worse, many long-tenured officers have left for other police agencies just to make ends meet a little better. Bottom line is, most of these folks will hang on and finish their careers, but they certainly deserve more. C-1 P.S. Couesdog, Rembrandt et al., thanks for your apparent support for these people, they do and always will appreciate it.

Diamondback AZ....sorry but your information is not correct. The top end of the salary range for a Wildlife Manager II is 49K. The top end of a Wildlife Manager III (First line W.M. II supervisor) is 56K. Secondly, and more importantly, as the system is now, no-one ever tops out the pay range. As a result, you have a majority of your W.M. II's making mid to high 30's. We are talking about guys up to and including 20 year career field officers. As you can see, misquoting information in a forum like this does an injustice to the Game Rangers. I'm sure it wasn't intentional, just incorrect. Anyhow, there may be a push sometime in the future to get these guys and gals a WELL-DESERVED pay increase. This will be a great opportunity for supporters of the Department and the Game Rangers to help them out. This forum is a means to that end and you guys can help them with your efforts. All of the perks like take home vehicles, Public Safety Retirement, working with wildlife etc, etc, are very nice to these folks, but they don't pay the bills. These folks aren't one dimensional (money lovers) or they wouldn't be in this field.....especially 15 or 20 years. These folks are dedicated and have very important jobs.....let's help 'em out,.......I will. How about you? C-1

I thought it was about helping amanda too. That CHD character likes the limelight and sympathy cause it seems to be all about him quite often. Anyhow, I got $20.00 I'd contribute. I've been out of the loop and don't have much time to go back to catch up........is this site becoming a financial burden for Amanda????, .....if so I would contribute cause it's a good and fun site. C-1

Monster, Welcome, If you're new to, or interested in hunting in Arizona, just for fun ask for information regarding a specific spot to find a big whitetail buck in a particular unit............a good unit for example, would be unit 23 or unit 36C. Then see what kind of responses you get. The gang is very helpful. Maybe I'll even respond. C-1

Hey Josh, No I don't know what you mean.........what exactly did you mean by that "off the clock statement? Please explain. Thanks C-1

mark, good news.....let him know we're all pulling for him. c-1

Hey Mike, GOD Bless you and your family, we'll all be pulling for you. Remember, GOD never gives us nothing that we can't overcome. Keep the faith and remember that Jesus loves you, your wife and your kids...........hang in there brother, keep the faith. Look forward to hearing from you soon. C-1

Scottyboy, I'll stand by my statement,....you're wrong. No offense taken please. There are enough game wardens in Arizona to cover for the lucky one that gets drawn for a choice tag every now and then. I'm speaking only about Arizona Officers, I don't know too much about Texas or any other states. Remember one thing, most or all Game and Fish officers got into the business for one reason, the love of the outdoors and hunting and fishing, Oh.....I forgot the part about the BIG Bucks they make......so they do get time off to hunt. C-1

Redman, the commission meeting where the commissioners approve the hunt package proposals etc. is in April. After that, the ball rolls......my guess would be sometime in May. It's a paper only draw this year..........throw out all of your old application forms.......they're coming up with new ones. C-1

Southpaw, P.S. Scotty boy is incorrect,........You can get time off to hunt, there are lots of game wardens out there to work hunts, and they dont all get drawn, just like the rest of us. C-1

Southpaw, Have you done any intern jobs with the Game Department while in college?? You might want to look at the Arizona Game and Fish right away, versus spending time guiding........if you are woods wise and have good people skills you might even get hired as a game warden right away if your degree is in wildlife or a closely related field. The game department has been hiring lots of new rangers lately and are probably going to hire more. If they are not interviewing/hiring right away, there are usually other jobs you can get in the mean time until they hire again. Good luck, C-1.

The sky must be falling on those poor fellers. You know, I'm watching "Saving Private Ryan" tonight.........maybe the whiners at U.S.O. should watch that movie for a reality check and a reminder of how good we really do have it. Wa, Wa, Wa! C-1

Don't send the petition or whatever document to the game and fish commissioners. They are on our side! You're wasting time. Make copies and send to every single representative and senator in the state house. Send one to the governer too. Additionally, write your senators/legislators on the issue, even if you already have. I haven't heard anything lately.........that thing might still be alive. It needs to be quashed! C1

Young hunter, Sounds like a good plan for a spring break, a good option too is to catch crappies at roosevelt. If the fishin' is slow, you can check out 24B, 22 and 23, (some of that depends on creek flows). Your parenets are very wise, Lake havasu on spring break is not a good idea. There is nothing good that can come out of a trip like that. You know the old saying, go to Havasu on vacation, go home on probation. I went to Roosevelt to fish every spring break during my college career.........I usually went alone and it was some of the best times I've ever had. Stay on the right track. Couesi1

Hey Gang, Where else can you have the privilege to hunt 44 days in December and January(if you shoot a bow as poorly as I do) for whatever the new price of an archery tag and license totals for a resident? That doesn't even include the days during the fall hunts. Come on, I just went snow skiing one day with my daughter and dumped almost $200.00. My point is, it's still a bargain. The game department isn't doing the big money grab, they're trying to keep afloat, ....... just like the rest of us. Couesi1

You know, when you spend your life stepping on people's heads on your way to the top, eventually you're gonna be called on it. Too bad it took this long. I wonder what his "legacy" he so desired to have will be now? C.1

Correction.....as they pertain to "off highway vehicle rules" sorry. Couesi1

Quads arent the problem in themselves. The people who don't operate them in a courteous, legal, ethical manner are. Unfortunately, that number is increasing as more of the generation X types are getting into the outdoors and riding their quads.......they give the others a bad name. Things may be tightening up in the near future as they pertain to highway rules, which should help with the problem. It's about time! Couesi1

Hey Quigley Coues Hunter, That is quite a nice buck young man. Welcome to the club. Those bucks don't grow on trees. Harvesting one like that is quite a deal. Congratulations, and thanks for the post. Couesi1

Hmmmm, lets see......."promise not to tell" sounds like, "checks in the mail" also like, "I promise I'll still love you tomorrow" also like, "I'm only having one beer"......etc. etc. etc. Couesi1

Anyone who actually thinks that justice was served in this case should really try and think a little deeper.....if that's possible. Those wardens made him do that????????????? What planet are you on? That sorry piece of dung hosed a couple of state police officers....granted, they were "only" game wardens, but nonetheless, they were doing their job. Secondly, their families were deprived of them cause they had the courage to deal with that pin head. They were doing their duty by investigating an individual who was violating the laws the officers were sworn to uphold in behalf of the citizens of Idaho.......just like all game wardens do in their respective states. Oh, and by the way, most of the loud mouths who piss and moan about game and fish officers are usually the same ones who give game and fish wardens just cause to investigate them and their activities. It's a defense mechanism for insecure folks who make bad decisions while they enjoy our great outdoors. You know the old saying, the best defense for bad decisions is a good offense and a big mouth. Couesi1

Rembrandt, thanks, I wish i was intelegant, but as yuo can c, I are not reeely. The udder nite my wiife waz tranzllating n' tiping evreething 4 me, as i espresssed mi thots. She was knot hear toniite, so I amm bak to reeealliteee. Couesi1

The addition of the early hunt offers more total hunting opportunity for the good sportsmen of the state of arizona. The goal in Unit 23 will be and has always been to harvest a certain number of bucks on an annual basis (harvest objective). The only difference will be that it will be achieved through the combined harvest of an early hunt and a late hunt, versus solely a late hunt. The game and fish is not planning on hammering this resource. They are providing more hunter opportunity, and yes, of course, making a few extra bucks. You gotta consider that they also have to pay for increased operating costs such as gas for fleet vehicles, insurance, overhead costs, etc. etc. etc. The harvest objective will probably be about the same. This can be increased in response and in line with increases in population, and that usually doesn't happen in one year, like with quail. It takes time. Secondly, I believe the muzzleloader hunt in unit 24A in 2004 was for mule deer. This hunt is part of a rotation of alternative hunt structures within the central units. You can figure this out by tracking the history of muzzleloadeer and jr. hunts within region 6 over the last several years. The mule deer harvest objective is the goal for 24A, just like whitetail in unit 23. For example, say the unit manager wanted to harvest 100 mule deer bucks in 2004. Would it make any difference biologically if 100 mule deer bucks were killed solely by rifle hunters, or if 40 were killed by rifle hunters and muzzleloader hunters killed 40 and archers killed 20 for a total of 100? No. A buck, is a buck, is a buck. The goal is to come close to the harvest objective. 23 and 24A don't exist in a vacuum, just like any other unit......there are many factors to consider when doing this stuff, not the least of which is competition for tags between weapons types. The overall decision to distribute tags in an equitable fashion among different weapon types for a species within a unit boils down to application rates by weapon type, (demand), success rates of weapon types etc. I personally wish 23 wouldn't have a stratified structure cause I like the late hunt and it decreases my chances of obtaining a tag. However, if this change provides more hunters the opportunity to hunt deer overall. I can live with that for the good of the order. It's not all about me. Secondly and more importantly, that Rembrandt fella killed the last decent buck in unit 23 in december. Couesi1