IA Born

We are hosting an in-person classroom Hunter Ed class in Flagstaff Feb 8-11. I set it up three weeks ago and only one kid has registered so far. Class will be 6-8pm Feb 9 and 10, 8am-5pm Feb 11, and the field day will be 9am-1pm Feb 12. Classroom portions will be at the Flagstaff AGFD office and the field day will be at the NAZ Shooting Range. 100% attendance for all portions is mandatory. NAZ NWTF and the local AMDO group will be providing pizza lunch on Saturday, Feb 11. All firearms and ammunition will be provided. Preference is for kids who need the class to hunt; however, we encourage parents to take the class with their younger kids. As of this morning, there are 17 seats left. Thursday, February 8, 2024 6:00pm - 8:00pm Friday, February 9, 2024 6:00pm - 8:00pm Saturday, February 10, 2024 8:00am - 5:00pm Sunday, February 11, 2024 9:00am - 1:00pm Full transparency: we set the class schedule up based on local instructor availability and local (Flagstaff, Williams, Parks, Bellmont, etc.) kids' availability. We've found that drawing a class out 2 hours at a time over 3 weeks gets old and information retention is not great, leading to lower success/passing rates. Saturday can be a long day, but we break it up by rotating stations with the AGFD room split with a divider and rotate between each side, pulse the lobby so kids aren't sitting in the same seat all day. Throw in plenty of breaks, an hour lunch with a test review, and plenty of jokes, and the day flies by. The kids get plenty of time and opportunities to blow off steam and pent-up silliness and wiggles. On top of that, we rarely, if ever, go until 5 pm. We will not be accepting online students into the field day for this class. We do not have enough instructors to maintain the required instructor:student ratio and keep everyone safe. Our Flagstaff instructor group will be hosting several online field days this spring-fall for those students who took the online course and need a field day. https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/206214

It's me. I'm the contact point person to reach out to for Hunter Education classes in Flagstaff. We're looking at another class July 18-21.

Seriously, dude? I was going to go $255. $265?

Jeff Knorr, Jeff Knorr Construction (https://www.jkc-inc.com/about-us-jkc-inc-in-flagstaff-az) is solid, so is Mike Furr Construction (https://mikefurrconstruction.com/). I'd have to dig for the other names I've worked with/dealt with here in town that I'd feel good recommending. Mike Furr did our loft addition several years ago and got us a quote for another back room addition a couple of years ago. You won't go wrong with either one in town I will tell you, though, that most contractors are booked out about a year, maybe more. That could have changed, but be prepared for that answer. Mike Furr wasn't booked out that far in advance, but the cost of lumber and concrete at the time made our addition cost-prohibitive, so we passed.

Thanks! That's one of the best compliments Jacob can get! I'm a diaphragm and pot call guy. My diaphragm is always my go-to, especially for when they are coming in close if I'm calling for myself. I use my pot calls just as much, especially if I'm working them into range. I love to use my diaphragm and pot calls simultaneously to sound like two different hens. Its very much a rub your head/pat your stomach thing, but it got easier with practice. Every since my son started making calls, I only carry his. I have 4 or 5 of his in my vest now, including slates with different wood, frosted glass, and copper calling surfaces. I don't carry a box call anymore because I can't use one worth a crap. My daughter learned to use one from an awesome box call guy and she makes fun of me when I use mine because of how horrible she says I sound.

Taking my SIL to the airport Wednesday afternoon (3/13). I can bring the rifle and reloading stuff with me for anyone interested.

Peregrine falcons reach up to 200mph in their dives, but they aren't considered land animals. That category is for animals that are pedal (bipedal or quadrapedal) in motion. As a long-time studier of evolutionary biology, I can confirm that the pronghorn antelope is, in fact, the 2nd fastest land animal in North America. The fastest land animal in North America is the person ball-pointing while running to the bathroom! Sorry, I couldn't help that one. I'll sit in timeout now.

All I'm going to say is that I'm glad I wasn't taking a drink when I read this...

The only time we've used BB guns in Flagstaff in my 10 years as an instructor was one online field day that we made a last-minute switch to do the field day indoors at AGFD office in Flagstaff. It was a crazy 2-foot snowstorm in January, so we administered the final test in one half of the conference room and had a "range" set in the other half of the room. Otherwise, we've never done anything but have them shoot .22s. I know that when it gets too hot or is raining, the instructor group will use BB guns at Ben Avery if they need to stay indoors. IHEA allows it simply because all we're looking for is safe firearm handling and making sure the kids follow TAB+1. We can do that with a BB gun just as easy with a .22. I'll be perfectly honest and say that I've had multiple conversations with parents about the need to work on firearm safety with their kids. I've been a part of failing kids from the class because they pointed a firearm at me during the walkthrough exercises. Granted, they were either unloaded or dummy/non-functional firearms, but the idea is the same with TAB+1 and firearm safety and we tell them upfront that safety is paramount and they can be failed/asked to retake the class for unsafe actions.

It has been for sure. Holler if you need help getting a kid in a field day

Its not a law anywhere I've been made aware of, but it is, in fact, a requirement (policy) of AGFD Hunter Ed program. All good. Sorry if I caused more confusion. I figure we're all in this together trying to make sure everyone has the right information. Coffee is on me next time you're in Flagstaff!

No, taking HE through another state is not good for a point in AZ. Couzer and I were saying the exact same thing, just worded differently and I misunderstood one aspect of what he was saying. You can take another state's HE course online with no field day and meet the needs of AZ through IHEA reciprocity among most of the states; however, you will not get an AZ bonus point. You have to take HE (online or in person) in AZ to get the AZ bonus point. Clear as mud?

Sorry, I misunderstood. Yes, you are correct. Several states' Hunter Ed certifications, including CA's are valid in AZ due to the IHEA reciprocity. Sorry if I caused any confusion.

In order to get the bonus point, you or your youth will still need to take the online portion for AZGFD. AZGFD Hunter Ed is only giving bonus points for students who take the local class. I don't think CA's online class is the same as AZ's. I can verify all of that to be sure. I could be wrong, but last I knew, all students had to take an AZ class (online or in person) with the field day to get the bonus point.

I can't believe you haven't sold that. If you can advertise that in Flagstaff, I'll bet it would go quickly up here. When I got mine a year ago (2022) the dealership only had that one and there was a list of people who were making appointments to come see it. PowerWagons are super popular up here. I love mine. Good luck!

I was a venom researcher in a former life (genetics and evolution of Mohave rattlesnake venoms). I always try to stay on top of some the current venom research all these years later because it still fascinates me and because I dedicated so much of my life to it. Gila monster venom is far from toxic or lethal to humans, and its a true venom secreted from venom glands. Years of research finally documented that for the Komodo dragons, too. The article made sense to me when they said suspected allergic reaction to the venom. There are so many different proteins in the various venoms that it doesn't take much to trigger that. Anaphylactic shock is not as uncommon as people thing from all of the various venoms (rattlesnakes, spiders, scorpions, and gila monsters). When I was younger, dumber, (supposedly invincible), and in the height of my research, I kept a sidewinder as a pet. That was probably one of the dumbest things I've done in my life and I can promise you there is some serious competition on that list.

More and more people are figuring this out, especially for their kids so their kids can hunt. CA, NM, and TX all offer an online course with no field day and it meets the IHEA reciprocity. Unfortunately, it doesn't get anyone the AZ bonus point, so if parents want that for their kids, they still need to take the online course or classroom course in AZ. We're getting ramped to hopefully offer one online field day per month up here in Flagstaff starting in March. I'm looking forward to meeting zslayer and his daughter there.

Banquet information is in the link, but its March 23 at the DoubleTree on Rt 66. We always have a special table just for the ladies and our JAKES (youth) table is always great for our future generation. Pre-registration is required so we can get an accurate meal count. Doors open at 5pm, with dinner and program starting at 6:30 pm. Only 200 tickets sold due to space limitations at the DoubleTree, so get your tickets now. https://events.nwtf.org/30020-2024

Very true. The Ethically Hunting AZ program gets them the AZ bonus point, but does not meet out of state requirements.

Correct, that class was an in-person only classroom class. It was canceled the day it was supposed to start due to 3 feet of snow and I-40, I-17, and 89A all being closed by Thursday afternoon. When we have in-person/classroom classes up here, we don't accept online students because we don't have the instructor capacity to maintain the required ratio of instructors to students. We're starting to get organized for our annual online field days up here in Flagstaff. There is potentially one 3/30 and we're hoping to get at least one every month from March-October. I have five names/contacts I'll be sending the lead instructor for the online field days. Shoot me a pm and I can add you to the list.

^^^mostly what they said. Its required for kids 10-13 years old in Arizona to hunt big game. Once a kid turns 14 its no longer required by law. Most other states have a "born after this date..." requirement, so it behooves every kid to take it regardless of age if they have long-term plans to hunt other states. This hits home. More and more we're seeing (through studies and questionnaires) that young people getting into conservation as a career do not have a hunting and fishing background. It was my love of hunting (specifically upland bird hunting in Iowa during the boom years of the 1985 Farm Bill and CRP program, followed by the bust years after it ended in 1995 that helped lead me to a career in wildlife biology/conservation.

Are you wanting a call? Its been a long day, so I want to make sure I know if there's an ask. If you're wanting a call, he can make it happen.

I'll message you, but your calls should be ready and shipped by the end of this week, hopefully mid-week depending on Jacob's basketball practice.

May actually be in north Phoenix Fri (1/26), mountain biking at the Apache Wash trailhead off Dove Valley Road/Sonoran Desert Dr. Can bring the rifle and reloading stuff it if someone wants it.

Savage stock and Rem 700 BDL stock sold. Rem 700LA synthetic stock still available. May actually be in north Phoenix Fri (1/26), mountain biking at the Apache Wash trailhead off Dove Valley Road/Sonoran Desert Dr. Can bring it if someone wants it.