IA Born

Get your tickets while you can!

I will be in Tucson tomorrow through Sunday for my son's school's fall break. I can bring any of this stuff with me to meet in Tucson or off I-10/I-17 in Phoenix.

Not sure where you're hunting, but I can point you some 11M spots if you need a change of scenery! Hoping to get out this week after school and next Sunday to help fill my son's youth 10 cow tag now that I'm back walking post-surgery!

I grew up in Lambs Grove, right across Hwy 14 from Newton. I'll be jealous of you getting Casey's pizza and good sweet corn again (the best in the country, as far as I'm concerned). -10 degrees (with wind chill) was my limit for pheasant hunting. People thought I was nuts, but I loved chasing birds in the snow!

Where in Iowa did you move from and where are you moving back to? I left Iowa in 1997 for grad school, Grad school in El Paso had me in AZ for field work most of the time and I moved here in 1999. The lure of better turkey hunting, better fishing, and owning a good chunk of farmland is always in the back of my mind. Good luck on the move!

Always appreciative of feedback and how to make things work better. Had a long discussion with our committee and, especially, our raffle chair. We have dropped the tickets available for the Marsupial Bird Bag to 50 (minus the ones already purchased). We have about 40 tickets left for the $500 SW gift card raffle and 20-something on the Prois Turkey Vest. https://www.naznwtf.org/shop The bird bag system:

We're raffling off another AZ Lifetime Combo License. If anyone wonders what we do with the money we raise, our NWTF Chapter (NAZ Chapter) in Flagstaff donated 600 lbs of turkeys to the Navajo Nation right before Christmas so families could have a Christmas dinner. We also have an $1800 scholarship that we partner with a local company on to give to a senior in high school who is active in hunting/conservation. Our chapter is also very involved and supportive of the local Hunter Education program in Flagstaff. These are a fraction of what we do with the funds we raise. https://www.naznwtf.org/product-page/az-lifetime-combo-license-raffle-1

Traveling to Tucson next Thursday (August 18) to move our daughter into her dorm at UofA. Can bring stuff to Tucson (meet near campus) or meet in Phoenix area off I-10/I-17 Friday on our way home.

Sorry, been offline again and finally heard back from our raffle sponsor. I get what you're saying 100% and appreciate your feedback. I hate sketchiness and want to give you a straight answer. We have 28 tickets left on the Prois women's turkey vest, 45 left on the $500 SW gift cards. and 100 tickets (out of 103?) left on the Marsupial bird system. I inquired about the status of the Marsupial system, thinking it had been donated. Its been on our site far too long. If it were donated, we'd just pull a winner and be done. Unfortunately, the individual who set that one up wasn't thinking too far ahead and its lack of popularity or lack of desirability is showing. I'd love to just pull that one and give the few people who bought tickets their money back.

Sorry, been gone and distracted quite a bit. The lifetime license sold out a long time ago. I don't recall who won it. Our raffle coordinator never removed that from the website. The turkey vest has a limit of 30 cards and the SW gift cards and Marsupial bird bag have limits of 100 each. We have a ways to go on them, but need to get them pushed and sold out, so we can get to something else. Please help spread the word of the raffles going on!

Another vote for the InReach mini. I don't have it, but I've done the research and two of my friends have it. One stayed in daily communication as he was solo backpacking the AZT this spring. My other friend had to use is SOS function when a guy in their elk hunting party broke his leg several miles deep in the Colorado wilderness last fall. My wife has used an InReach to send "I'm ok" texts when volunteering with our fish monitoring crew deep in the Lower Colorado River up from the confluence in the Grand Canyon. Definitely worth the money.

Bump. Will be in Scottsdale this Thurs-Sat and can bring stuff

Looks like they have it set for July 23rd, starting at 0730 at the Northern Arizona Shooting Range just east of Flagstaff. Not sure of my availability, but it will likely be posted on AGFD website after July 4. I could be wrong on that. It could be earlier, depending on how AGFD runs their posting timeline. I know new classes are always posted on a Tuesday. It will likely be limited to 18 slots due to the limited number of instructors available, though, so keep a sharp eye out and get registered quickly.

Update sent out to HE Instructors this morning regarding the need for field days: "We have been granted an extension on the Hunter Education Deferral for this fall and next springs youth hunts. This should take the pressure off and help us get back to normal operations by the end of the year. HE Deferral - (applies to all youth with big game tags) is in place which defers the completion of the online field day: To ensure youth ages 10 through 13 who have big game tags for upcoming hunts are able to participate in that hunt, AZGFD will allow them to defer completion of the required, in-person portion of Hunter Education until we resume normal operations."

One of our instructors is trying to plan and organize an online field day in Flagstaff for online students post-deer draw. He's looking at either July 18 or 23. I'm on the bubble for helping on the 23rd (my only possible day). Be advised, though, we typically ask parents that bring their kids to stay behind in the shade during the walk-through/non-shooting portions (parents aren't allowed on the shooting range, anyway). We've found it eliminates parents badgering and pressuring their kids for correct/wrong answers and lets the kids be fully engaged without fear of what a parent/grandparent will do say. We have at least two instructors for every 10 students, per policy. If the parent is a registered student, then the above doesn't apply and we encourage parents to take the class with their kids for the very reason you mention. Let me know if I can help you with anything on the class up here, assuming it happens.

Oops. That's what I get for multitasking. Updated above, but $25 for the boots.

The Hunter Ed Advisory Committee has a meeting tomorrow night with AGFD HE staff. This is a great question to ask since it's been clear as mud lately. I'll make sure and ask. I know we'll be putting on regular online field days in Flagstaff this summer, so stay up on the website for updates.

Vests are SPF

My kids have outgrown all of their youth stuff now. Time to find a good home for another youth. Both youth XL and in excellent condition. In Flagstaff, but will be near Cabela's this Thursday (May 12). $20 each and will ship at buyer's cost. NWTF JAKES turkey vest Upland Game Vest

Bump. I'll be near the airport June 8 and in Scottsdale for a family trip June 23-25

Bump. I'll be near the airport June 8 and in Scottsdale for a family trip June 23-25

Bump

I live in Flag and need to get out chasing pike at ULM, especially with my 9wt fly rod. Any spots better than others?

TTT. I'll be in Glendale May 12 and can meet up near the area/stadium.

Cleaning out more gear that hasn't been used in a while and won't be used in the near future. Might as well offer it up to someone who can use it. The Wyoming Saw is the only thing used more than lightly, but I only got about a quarter through my daughter's elk before I lost my patience, packed it up and went a different route. Quiver has never seen the field, only range time and backyards. I don't remember the brand of the quiver, but its a 3-arrrow off my daughter's old bow. I'm too lazy and busy to look up how much I paid for everything, so all items are $15 each plus shipping, unless you're in Flagstaff and can meet up. 3-Arrow Quiver Wyoming Saw