AZLance

corn with "hog wild" poured over the top of it...

10 new fires last night from all the lightning in the Coronado national forest...

I have 13 cameras out right now, and have never had any issues with any one stealing one... You have to be smart about where you put them and how you camoflauge them...

Its raining on the monument fire right now...

14 new fires started in the Sonoita/Patagonia area from the lightning... my buddies house almost burned.

Only problem, lots of lightning to go with the rain...

36 A & C are pretty much all state land... Rumor has it that the State Land department is going to close access to State land next week, if there is no rain... better hurry up or pray for rain.

Wildfire information There are currently three significant wildfires burning in Arizona. The Arizona Game and Fish Department, although a wildlife agency, is a community-minded organization, and is concerned for the citizens and communities that have been displaced, lost property, and endured hardships from these tragic events. Dozens of Game and Fish law enforcement officers are assisting the firefighting effort by helping with evacuations, security, and sharing important on-the-ground knowledge of the community and landscape to incident management teams. It is far too early to know the short-term or long-term impacts the fire will have to habitat, wildlife, waters, access, hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation until the fires are put out and crews can go in and make an assessment. The Wallow Fire in northeastern Arizona on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests lies within Game Management Units 1 and 27; popular hunts in these units include elk, antelope, deer, turkey and bear. There are two fires burning in the Coronado National Forest, the Horseshoe Two, primarily Unit 29 and portions of Unit 30A; and the Murphy Complex, which encompasses Unit 36A, 36B, and 36C. Both of these areas are popular for hunting mule deer, white-tailed deer, javelina, and small game. For those who have applied for or already have a hunting permit in any of these units, there are no provisions in state law (ARS §17-332) or Commission rule for Game and Fish to issue any refunds, reinstate bonus points or offer a rain-check. However, worth noting, is that until the fires are put out, there is no certainty what the conditions will be in these areas, and hunters could find conditions ranging from area closures to near-normal conditions come hunting season. As an example, here is what the department found in Unit 3C in the aftermath of the huge Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002: Of the Unit 3C habitat on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests impacted by the fire, 28 percent was determined to be severely burned, 19 percent moderately burned, 26 percent low impact, and 27 percent was unburned. There was no significant reduction in the availability of big game animals in the fall hunts. Department personnel conducted two aerial surveys and several ground surveys in the unit after the fire. There was no evidence of any large migration of elk or deer out of the burn area. With the onset of the monsoon, it is anticipated that a significant portion of Units 1 and 27 will have adequate forage, and that elk will be well distributed prior to the hunts. For those that are still planning to apply for a fall hunt, you may want to take these variables into consideration when applying. Game and Fish will continue to provide information related to wildlife, habitat, and outdoor recreation in these areas as more is learned at www.azgfd.gov. To stay informed on fire incident information, visit www.inciweb.org.

Right now all areas in the National forrest are closed. But what the Forest service is wanting to do is keep the burned areas closed for up to a year. They are worried about liability. Falling trees, errosion, ect.. Here is a map of the Murphy burn area: fire map

"Any violation of this prohibition is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000.00 for individuals, and $10,000.00 for organizations and/or imprisonment for not more than six (6) months. [Title 16 USC 551, Title 18 USC 3885, Title 18 USC 3571, Title 18 USC 3581]." If I had waited 10+ years for a elk tag, I would think the 6 months and $5000.00 was a relativley small amount, and take my chances! They gotta catch you before they can fine you!

If you remember the Aspen fire in unit 33 a few years ago, all burn areas were closed to entry for over a year. Fortunatley, that fire didnt burn the entire unit, and there were places to still hunt.

Most of the Wildliand fire hand crews are indian crews from the reservation, they also have a few Hot Shot crews. They get contracts with the Forest Service to work on most large fires. So yes, they have a huge fire fighting contingent. This is how many of their locals are employed. They also have a big reputation of starting "job" fires, for job security. That is how half of the Rodeo-Chediski fire started.

The Forest Closure order already states that the forest will be closed until Dec. 31st 2011. It is online on their web page.

I believe it was 1/4 and I found that the gold worked on cloudy days, and the silver worked best on clear days...

++1

I used to catch them anywhere from where the tubers get in the water to the bridge. Castmasters seemed to work the best. Used to limit out. Also pulled a 6 pound largemouth out of there using a small crankbait behind my tube.

Here is the link to the lastest burn map for 36B fire map

There are clouds building up south of Nogales today, usually that means we are a few weeks away. Hurry up Monsoon...

Just took the kids down the street to the fireworks stand and bought $100.00 worth of fireworks. The guy at the stand says his sales have been thru the roof, and he was re-ordering because of low quanities. Cant wait to have some good ole' fashioned fun!

just a few, from last year... in unit 22

Strategy: Hunt hard, wear out the soles of your boots, glass and call, same as every other unit in the state. There is no majical answer you get from anyone on here. Go put out trail cameras on every watersource that is not next to a road, the bears are thirsty and will come eventually...

my trail cameras have picked up more bears in unit 22 than any other unit...

Blaming fireworks for fires is like blaming spoons for Rosie O'Donnell being fat... Cigaretts thrown from car windows start more fires each year than fireworks here in AZ.

Hey guys, give em a break, these illegals are only doing the jobs that lazy Americans wont do, like starting fires!

Daryl, you are correct this fire started in Mexico and has now burned across the border...