Flatlander

I never would have guessed him that big from that pic. We’ll probably smoke a 150 first day and bring the historical trophy quality down for a while.

I didn’t even know about that ram. I need to go look at the reports!

Bonus pass tags for sheep and bison are applied as a total species. So the first 20% of all available sheep tags are given to the applicants with the most points, regardless of hunt number. No units automatically go to max point holders.The max point holders usually take all available permits for the top tier units: 22, 28, 24B, etc. Had someone with max points applied for a hunt with only 1 tag, then there would be none available for the random pass. Because the max point holders chose other units, the one tag in 37B falls to the random. I do not believe that all tags for 37B have ever gone to the max point holders (there were 2 tags for a few years). It isn’t a trophy unit, historically it produces 160” rams.

Drew the 1 and only tag in the unit. He’s 14 year’s old. For crying out loud. Not gunna lie, I was one of those dude’s whose head was exploding when I checked the results.

37B for my kid. Turd.

It wasn’t me. Dammit.

Old guy’s heads just exploding left and right!!!

Somebody in our family got one.

Easy for you to say. You don’t have to sit at dinner every night with 4 other people insisting they drew the sheep tag that rightfully belongs to you.

Somebody in our family is a new member of the 0 sheep points club!

For anyone following the heber horse issue the there is another opportunity to provide public input. Be respectful. Stay on topic. Whatever you do DO NOT THREATEN TO SHOOT THE HORSES. That will only give fodder to the horse people demanding protection. https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTAzMjMuMzc1MTc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5mcy51c2RhLmdvdi9wcm9qZWN0Lz9wcm9qZWN0PTE4OTE2In0.99w_8hHFSTAHj78z90wVL1u9b_GHTJ_fovcrAuCNmHo/s/1488344871/br/100485216863-l

We are talking about two different revenue streams with two different uses. Proceeds from auction tags are designated for the HPC fund that pays for grants to do projects. They can only be used for this purpose and cannot be used for AZGFD operational costs. The limited entry permits generate additional operating revenue for the department and it would be unlikely for it to fund a project in a significant way. Although the decision to stop auctioning commissioner tags and the issuance of these particular limited entry tags are timed closely, they are not related. Limited entry tags will continue to be issued periodically as approved by the commission a few years ago. Commissioner tags will continue to fund projects through the HPC.

Gilbert High School has a meat processing class that students can take as juniors and seniors where they get to slaughter and butcher livestock and game. Great program.

That tag is still good for 11 more days. You can donate it to a charity and they can get a kid or vet out for the remainder of the hunt. Eddie Corona at Outdoor Experience for All can help. +1 (480) 529-8340

I know we are right before the holiday and mid-season on a bunch of hunts, but there is an issue in Unit 3A that needs immediate attention. Below is a picture of the hunt recommendations for 2024 Elk and Antelope. Included in the recommendations is a modification to the boundary description for 3A that changes the hunts or area for draw tags to that portion of the unit within the Apache Sitgreaves NF. The remainder of the unit was converted to OTC at the insistence of the ranchers in the area. With the OTC designation, the Elkins ranch has entered into an exclusive access agreement with an outfitter who is selling OTC hunts for $10k. This privatization of hunting and commercialization of a public resource is not in line with the North American Model and is a disservice to all hunters. Please submit a comment to AZGFD to close elk hunting in the Zeniff hunt area until these ranches create a public access agreement similar to what other ranches in the state have done. Submit comments to: AZHuntGuidelines@azgfd.gov

Please do and keep us posted. This is all about creating a solution that provides good outcomes for everyone. I understand their position and why they did what they did. But I think better options can be developed.

Part of our license fees go to the land trust. That’s why you can access and hunt it with a valid hunting license. It’s not luck, it was designed that way.

No, he locked his gates and doesn’t allow anyone on paying or otherwise.

Update: Carlisle reached out and informed me that his gates have been locked for a few years. He previously had allowed A3 exclusive access but no longer has that in place. Therefore no need to include their ranch in your comments to AZGFD.

When I spoke to Despain during Summer of 2022 he was the one who told me all the ranchers were going to lock their gates if AZGFD didn’t convert everything to OTC. As far as I know his land is still open to the public.

This is why it’s BS: Prior to 2022 ranchers in 3A and 4B banded together and started complaining about all the elk on the ranch lands north of the forest boundary. The hundreds of elk in the juniper country are eating them out of house and home. There is legitimacy to this, there are lots of elk in places they hadn’t been for several years. AZGFD responds by creating a bunch of new draw hunts starting in July and running through December in 2023. Success is pretty high. Game and fish also runs a BUNCH of pop man hunts which are also pretty successful. Not even halfway through 2022, before the draw hunts even start, the ranchers decide everything north of the forest boundary has to be OTC. They threaten to lock their gates and deny access to ALL hunters if their demand isn’t met. Sportsmen contest this but AZGFD concedes and converts everything to OTC starting in March 2023. Carlisle had already locked his gates due to a dispute over a AZGFD violation years before. He had at one time given A3 exclusive access, but that agreement is no longer in place. Elkins locked his gates and refuses hunters access to remove the elk. At some point Elkins sells exclusive access to Big Chino Outfitters who has a similar arrangement on a large ranch in western AZ. They advertise hunts for $8500+. So essentially, the ranchers used their ploy to get OTC tags as a Trojan horse to create land owner tags that they can sell to the highest bidder. The have unlimited supply and the most generous seasons in the state. This was never about elk eating grass or drinking water. This was always about ranchers maximizing their return on the public’s resource while simultaneously flipping the public the bird. That is why this is BS. Please write to AZGFD and ask them to discontinue the OTC Zeniff hunt area seasons until Elkins enters into a public access agreement.

What are you guys finding useful for digiscoping? My buddy has something he bought on Amazon that will attach to any phone and any optic, but he doesn’t have the name of it. Anybody have any suggestions?

I think my position on social media and hunting is well documented. In the essay below Matt Rinella makes a few points on why his brother and others like him are bad for hunting. https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:https://freerangeamerican.us/matt-rinella-unfollowing-hunting-social-media//

For those who have not heard, Tony Mandile aka Outdoor Writer on CWT passed away yesterday from complications related to COPD. Another AZ legend has returned to the dust. Rest peacefully my friend.

Check your PM’s.