AGFD News

Don’t stash away your favorite trout fishing gear -- put it to good use! Fall spotlighting effort brings record ferret results Highlights from the October Game and Fish Commission meeting 3 agencies to manage Horseshoe ranching and collaborate with public to develop plan Arizona Wildlife Views television wins top honors at regional Emmys Fire damage on Cibola Wildlife Refuge closes Island Unit to hunting access Game and Fish partners with Mexico to release black-tailed prairie dogs Nov-Dec issue of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine includes wildlife calendar Former commissioner Curtis Jennings passes away Forest Service seeks comments on Rosemont Copper Project DEIS Public invited to open houses on plan for Glen Canyon Dam operations View the full article

Deadline to apply for spring hunts is Oct. 11; online application service available Happy 15th, 20th and 30th anniversary to Arizona’s black-footed ferrets Ben Avery Clay Target Center now open 7 days a week Fix your sights on the 2011 Western CMP Games and Creedmoor Cup Trout stocking begins at Green Valley Lakes in Payson on Oct. 20 Portion of Fossil Creek Road to be temporarily closed Oct. 17 Get your 2012 Arizona wildlife calendar Arizona Game and Fish Commission to meet Oct. 14 in Phoenix BLM seeks public comment on Draft Resource Management Plan for Sonoran Desert National Monument View the full article

Deadline to apply for spring hunts is Oct. 11 Calling all kids - Fossil Creek fishery opens Oct. 1 Record number of wild-hatched condor chicks confirmed in Arizona Arizona waterfowl season set, regulations now available online Public meetings to discuss management of AZGFD’s Horseshoe Ranch property Come witness the release of North America’s largest flying land bird to Arizona’s wilderness Heritage grants application deadline nears for wildlife-focused projects Game and Fish releases young hawk affected by historic Wallow Fire Information sought in pronghorn poaching in Prescott Valley Applicants sought for Arizona Game and Fish Commission AZGFD professionals recognized for conservation and education efforts Arizona Wildlife Views television show nominated for multiple regional Emmys View the full article

Duck and goose hunters who have been hibernating during the 100-degree heat can start thinking about blustery weather now that the 2011 Arizona Waterfowl and Snipe Regulations are posted at the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s website at www.azgfd.gov/rules. View the full article

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Arizona’s hunting regulations amended to incorporate expanded hunting areas All was quiet on the dove-hunting front opening weekend Arizona’s bald eagles hit it out of the park in 2011 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to continue funding to support Arizona’s sport fish stocking program Be a part of black-footed ferret conservation Free youth workshop offered to teach Arizona small game hunting basics Boating safety equipment compliance rate improves Come witness the release of North America’s largest flying land bird to Arizona’s wilderness Get your spring hunt application in early, take advantage of correction period Tips for reporting poaching and other wildlife law violations Notice of proposed rulemaking to amend sport falconry license rules Outdoor Hall of Fame inductees honored at banquet View the full article

New rules restrict use of rifles, pistols in metro hunt units for public safetyPHOENIX – Hunters rejoice, you now have access to approximately 1 million acres of public and state trust lands within municipal boundaries this hunting season, but there are regulation changes that relate to these new opportunities and public safety that hunters need to know. These opportunities required amending the 2011-12 Arizona Hunting and Trapping Regulations, as well as the 2011 Pronghorn Antelope and Elk Hunt Regulations because the changes to state law became effective after these publications were distributed. View the full article

Arizona Wildlife Views is an Emmy-winning television series produced by the Information Branch of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. View the full article

It’s finally here. Dove season, an Arizona tradition, opens on Sept. 1 and runs through Sept. 15. Even with the weekday opener, new all-day hunting hours allow many hunters to modify their schedules to take in five days straight of wing-shooting action. View the full article

The Saturday, Aug. 27 portion of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission meeting is now set to begin at 10:30 a.m. with the presentation of the proposed hunt guidelines package. View the full article

The proposed hunt guidelines, which would set the framework for the annual hunting regulations for upcoming seasons, will be considered by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission during the Saturday, Aug. 27 portion of its meeting in Phoenix at 8 a.m. The commission may vote to approve the guidelines or direct the department to consider changes and/or new opportunities in the guidelines. View the full article

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When the Midwest is cold and snowy, in Arizona the springtime is all about calling in a wild turkey in the pines, or stalking a javelina in the open desert. The seasons for these two sought-after species are set and hunters can begin submitting applications for tags issued through the drawing process. View the full article

Owners of large tracts of land within some municipalities, who desire to prohibit hunting on their lands without their written permission, may find the need to properly post their property boundaries due to recent changes to Arizona Revised Statutes §13-3107. View the full article

The Arizona Game and Fish Department will be part of a multi-agency enforcement effort on the Colorado River this weekend, checking for individuals operating under the influence (OUI). View the full article

The proposed draft hunt guidelines are now posted at www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines for the public to review. The guidelines will be presented to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission on Aug. 27 in Phoenix. View the full article

In this issue: Commission sets spring hunts Dove hunters getting cyber help this year Back-to-school fishing tips from Game and Fish Game and Fish’s Heritage grants return in 2011 with new simplified processes Wildlife viewing workshop set for White Mountains Submit your nominations for the 2011 Commission Awards Sandhill crane regulations online Don’t miss out on the Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet Additional roads in Wallow Fire burn area to reopen Aug. 15 Game and Fish investigating elk poaching near Ash Fork View the full article

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission will hold a telephonic meeting at 4 p.m. today, Friday, Aug. 12. The meeting is to consider amending some elk hunt restrictions due to the implementation of legislative changes enacted through SB 1334. The limited-opportunity general elk hunts 3071 through 3092 inadvertently included note 37 in a recent amendment process (Saturday, Aug. 6) that added restrictions to hunting on private lands. View the full article

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission will meet Saturday, Aug. 6 at 8 a.m. in Phoenix. Items to be discussed include setting of the waterfowl and spring commission orders, reviewing access conditions in unit 1 and 27 for the upcoming elk season, and ammending other commission orders to incorporate open areas per SB 1334. View the full article

The Arizona Game and Fish Department has posted the 2011 Sandhill Crane Regulations, which includes the drawing information for limited hunts at www.azgfd.gov/rules. Paper hunt-permit applications are now being accepted by mail only and must be received by Aug. 30, 2011. Applications can be mailed to either P.O. Box 74020, Phoenix, AZ 85087-1052, or 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000. View the full article

High Country Hummers Festival canceled due to Wallow FireDue to the high potential for flash flooding down Rudd Creek in the aftermath of the Wallow Fire, a large part of which goes through the Sipe Wildlife Area, the Arizona Game and Fish Department has made the very difficult decision to cancel the High Country Hummers Festival for 2011. The decision to cancel this very popular event did not come lightly, but was necessary in the best interests of public safety. View the full article

In this issue of Wildlife News for July 29, 2011: Big Lake, the trout fishing hot spot in the state Drawing results now available for Arizona's fall big game hunts Dove hunting season should be just like the good old days Application deadline approaching for grants for hunting, fishing, shooting and trapping outreach Help iconic desert tortoises during monsoon season Online OHV Decal renewal notices now being offered by Game and Fish Don't miss the latest edition of Arizona Wildlife Views TV Unit 10 hunting access on private ranch preserved during wind farm construction Arizona Game and Fish brings home conservation awards for communication products Looking to try something new? Nominations sought for conservation-related awards recognition Game and Fish Commission to set waterfowl and spring hunts Fish consumption advisory issued for specific fish species on Tonto Creek Attend the Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame to celebrate induction of five new members View the full article

For those of you who receive Arizona PBS Channel 8 (KAET-TV), don't miss out on the 2011 season of Arizona Wildlife Views, the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Emmy-winning television show. Another new episode airs tonight, July 26 at 7:30 p.m. View the full article

1 million acres opened to hunting; 10 white-winged dove limits; all day hunts PHOENIX – Arizona Game and Fish has turned back the hands-of-time for dove hunters, with the launching of the new 2011-12 Arizona Dove and Band-tailed Pigeon regulations that are now available online at www.azgfd.gov/dove. View the full article

The proposed hunt recommendations for the 2012 spring and 2011-12 waterfowl hunts are now online at www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines. View the full article