rthrbhntng

One of the biggest concerns with the Mexican gray wolf is that 90% of it's historic range is in Mexico. To force AZ and NM to house the only wolves when between the states we were 10% of the historic range is irresponsible. Most of the range was in southern AZ. With other endangered species the US has compacts with Mexico, such as the sonoran pronghorn. They did release 5 wolves in Mexico but they quickly disappeared. Another problem is if a wolf comes across the border from Mexico it is considered a separate population and has full protection, meaning it can't be caught and returned, even though it came from the same stock as the AZ/NM wolves in the 10j population that can be caught and returned to the secondary recovery area. Much of the issue is not about wolves, it is about emotion and politics. Steve

The hardest part in this issue is that we are gaining momentum, support and unity from most of the affected parties including; State Agencies, Counties, ranchers, Cattle Growers, Legistators (both in AZ and DC) and many others. The missing key is a unified voice of Arizona sportsmen and other land users that will be impacted the most. The wildlife we enjoy and that sportsmen pay for is in jeopardy and sportsmen won't step up and do anything about it. The AES and other groups here in AZ have been involved but the general sportsmen have not. We are fighting this issue for you. It is frustrating to fight the feds as CnS stated, many times they have made up their mind, many times they only respond to the antis and threats of litigation. I see more traction for our side right now and will continue to fight for our members and sportsmen but we need your help. Most of you know me and I try not to get on the soapbox but if you really care about the wildlife we could use your help. The AES is trying to design software where all you have to do is put in your name and email and the proper letters will be automatically sent out. This is the same system that the antis are using against us. Steve

The problem individual have is that the USFWS, while they will take any comments that are sent in only the comments that have merit will make it to the top of the list. That said we can add names as a group of concerned sportsmen. As always one can join a group and make sure that group is involved in the commenting on issue such as this and other things like the FS Travel Management. If you know of any groups that would like to be represented please pass the info on. If you want you can copy the letter and put your name on. That may work best so that we are all saying the same thing. At this point we, sportsmen, need to be on the same page and show that we support each other. There is much at stake and we need to show unity. So feel free to copy and sign. Here is the link to send it in. http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=FWS-R2-ES-2013-0098-0001 If everyone that read this would take 5 minutes and copy the letter and send it in we could show that AZ sportmen care about our state wildlife. Steve

Do you have a business or are you part of a group that will be affected if the USFWS expands the area that wolves can roam from I-40 to the Mexico border? The Arizona Elk Society has been at the table represnting the interest of our members. elk hunters and sportsmen here in Arizona for 6 years on the issue of Mexican wolves. I can tell you that the partnerships with agencies, other stakeholders, counties and the legislators here in AZ and at the US capitol are growing and gaining support to fight for AZ. What I am asking for is for sportsmen and other land users here in AZ and surrounding states to help show strength by signing on to these comments. Right now we are in a time when that is pblic comments that are due by Sept. 19 and two more due on Oct 28 about the MW issue. If you know of any groups or businesses that will sign onto the comment letters I need to know ASAP. The AES is part of a working group that is trying to mobilize forces and while some may think we don't have a chance I think that with more support from the public and others we do have a chance. Steve Clark rthrbhntng@cox.net

Good luck to all the elk hunters. Keep in mind that the water has spread the elk far and wide. Many are not finding elk in the usual spots. This happened last year too but it will be worse this year. Glassing and hiking will make you successful. Steve Clark Arizona Elk Society

Kinda interesting to finally get this forwarded to me today seeing that I am on the contact list for most Forests releases. For Immediate Release Aug. 16, 2013 Public Affairs Contacts: Brady Smith, Forest Public Affairs Officer, 928-527-3490 Dean Jones, Forest Deputy Public Affairs Officer, 928-527-3643 Brienne Magee, Flagstaff Ranger District Public Affairs, 928-527-8290 Parking trailers in forests prohibited during hunting season Flagstaff, Ariz. – The Coconino National Forest is asking all northern Arizona-bound hunters to refrain from leaving their trailers unattended in the forest during the upcoming hunting season. In previous seasons, law enforcement officers have found numerous trailers parked in the forests for the purpose of reserving a location for the entire hunting season and also because the individuals did not want to haul their trailers back and forth. Parking a trailer in the forest for this purpose violates Forest Service regulations. If trailers are left unattended for more than 72 hours, the Forest Service considers them abandoned property and may remove them from the forest. Violators can also be cited for this action. Enforcing these regulations protects the property and allows recreational users equal access to national forests. This regulation applies to all national forests in northern Arizona, including the Coconino, Kaibab and Prescott forests. For more information, contact the Coconino National Forest at (928) 527-3600.

My question would be that if I follow the Travel Management rule and park within 30' of a road and backpack my camp in 2 miles am I now in violation of the 72hr rule. Didn't see anything about my camp being within eyesight of the vehicle.Hmmmm.

Can I reserve a campsite by parking a vehicle, placing a tent or other personal property on the forest in advance of occupying the site? No, vehicles, personal property or other objects including tents left on the forest for the purpose of reserving a campsite or storing property is in violation of Title 36CFR 261.10(f)"Placing a vehicle or other object in such a manner that is an impediment or hazard to the safety or convenience of any person" The violation is a Class B Misdemeanor with a fine of $250. In addition leaving property unattended for 72-hours is considered abandon property under Title 36 261.10(e) "Abandoning personal property". Fine is $250 for a vehicle or structure and $100 for other objects. Vehicles and other personal property left unattended over 72-hours may be impounded by the Forest Service

The Arizona Elk Society is a 501c3 non Profit and is located near you in Glendale/Peoria. Always looking for volunteers. www.arizonaelksociety.org. Steve

GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS BENEFIT BANQUET On June 30, 2013, 19 wildland firefighters from the Granite Mountain hotshot Crew from Prescott, Arizona lost their lives fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire. These dedicated young men lost their lives protecting our natural resources and private property. The devastation to their families is unimaginable. Wildlife Conservation Organizations have come together to raise money for the families of the fallen Firefighters. We are holding a benefit Banquet for the families of these fallen Heroes and the lone survivor on AUGUST 29th at Tim’s Toyota Center in Prescott, Arizona. All proceeds will be distributed to charities providing direct payment to the families, scholarships, and Fallen Firefighter Fund. This is a great event showing support from the hunters, anglers and Sportsmen of Arizona. We have received tons of hunts, custom guns, houseboat trip and much more. Check it out on the website. Tickets are $50ea or a Reserved table of 8 for $500. Tickets are onsale on Eventbrite.com. www.yarnell19banquet.com Facebook; granitemountainhotshotsbenefitbanquet Steve

Getting close to banquet time. There are some great hunt, trips, guns and much more. If you can't come check out the live auction and after the banquet online silent auctions. You can bid on the live auction items from anywhere you get internet. www.yarnell19banquet.com

Great video for the gutless method. http://elk101.com/videos/gutless-video/

Here is the newer style large Double Bull Blind. Other than dust has not been used. Has windows on one side and slot opening on the other. Come with bag and shoot through mesh. ps. not a great idea to set up in the house. Sold

Sold

Thank you very much. You will make a couple of young elk hunters day. Hopefully we can find a couple of kids that will be able to use them this year at the hunt. Thanks for helping out. Steve

The Arizona Elk Society puts on many youth hunting camps a year. Our next one is our Junior Elk Camp in Unit 6A. If you would like to donate them to that camp let me know. Thanks Steve Clark, 602-885-0835

GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS BENEFIT BANQUET On June 30, 2013, 19 wildland firefighters from the Granite Mountain hotshot Crew from Prescott, Arizona lost their lives fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire. These dedicated young men lost their lives protecting our natural resources and private property. The devastation to their families is unimaginable. Wildlife Conservation Organizations have come together to raise money for the families of the fallen Firefighters. We are holding a benefit Banquet for the families of these fallen Heroes and the lone survivor on AUGUST 29th at Tim’s Toyota Center in Prescott, Arizona. All proceeds will be distributed to charities providing direct payment to the families, scholarships, and Fallen Firefighter Fund. This is a great event showing support from the hunters, anglers and Sportsmen of Arizona. We have received tons of hunts, custom guns, houseboat trip and much more. Check it out on the website. Tickets are $50ea or a Reserved table of 8 for $500. Tickets are onsale on Eventbrite.com. www.yarnell19banquet.com Facebook; granitemountainhotshotsbenefitbanquet Steve

How about a shot at $250 before it goes to ebay. Thanks

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One of the problems we as organizations have is that we forget to tell sportsmen and the public the good things that we do. I thought I would post a few of the recent projects here for you guy to see. The AES has been hauling water up north in Units 9-7E-7W and 6B since April. It is dry. We are getting many calls from other areas and we are trying to get more volunteers lined up. One of the problems is that since we partner with AZGFD and the USFS we must coordinate and follow rules that take time and energy. We can't just hook up a trailer and go. Sometimes public volunteers can help and get things done quicker than we can. Last year the AES bought a truck, put a 400 gallon tank in the bed and hooked up our 850 gallon tank to it. Also in the truck is all the tools and supplies to maintain water drinkers. We hired a contractor to work with G&F and the USFS hauling water and fixing tanks. In 2012 we hauled over 60,000 gallons and fixed numerous tanks. We spent $88,000 total on the program. This year we are on the same track and branching out into other units. Here are some links to articles about 2013 and a short report on an old concrete tank we reconditioned a couple of weeks ago. I know many of you are members and thought you might like to see some of the things we are doing this year. Thanks for your support. If you are not a member please consider joining to help us continue our mission. www.arizonaelksociety.org http://tempekyrene.azcentral.com/news/environment/116131-water-wonderful-thing-and-arizona-elk-society-making-it-happen http://tempekyrene.azcentral.com/news/environment/109371-together-green-arizona-elk-society-and-audubon-society-form-conservation-alliance http://www.fishcamphunthike.com/elk-society-seeks-volunteers-for-habitat-projects/blog-153/ http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2013/may/24/volunteers-cut-trees-save-meadows-elk/ Trip report for repair at Catchment 666 June 24, 2013 Staff and volunteers from the Arizona Elk Society (AES) have made great strides in improving water availability for wildlife. During a field trip to Game Management Unit 7, we went to concrete catchment 666 and found it was essentially nonfunctional due to cracks in the concrete that made waterflow to the storage tank difficult. In order for water to be available for wildlife, water had to be hauled to the unit. The importance of this drinker was noted during the field trip as there was a trail used primarily by elk to reach the drinker. This picture shows the state of the catchment before the project began. The extensive growth of grass impeded the flow of water into the storage tank. The first step in restoration of this catchment was to remove all of the vegetation so the cracks could be repaired with a concrete patch material. A generator provided the power for a line-trimmer to remove the vegetation down to the concrete. After the vegetation was removed, the next step was to remove all of the tar used previously to patch the concrete. Following the removal of the tar, all of the cracks had to be filled with concrete patch. Here, AES volunteers trowel the patch to ensure that the voids are filled and to prepare the apron for the final step which is rolling on the final topcoat. In the final step of the project, volunteers finish up rolling the final topcoat. This catchment style is common in the Flagstaff area and this is the third apron that AES has repaired. Without a doubt, the catchment is now ready to catch water and provide a more reliable drinker for wildlife to meet their needs in the hot, dry period before monsoons make water more available. It took the crew of four a total of three days to complete project. Thanks to the crew for helping wildlife.

Thought I would post a shout out to all the volunteers last weekend at our Buck Springs work project. THANK YOU to all of the 170 hard working VOLUNTEERS that came out to the Arizona Elk Society Buck Springs wildlife habitat work project over the weekend. We finished a great amount of work with all their help. We had Boy Scouts and volunteers working in the riparian stream beds, sawyers cutting trees with teams of volunteers stacking the cut trees to be burned later, a team working on a wildlife enclosure to protect sensitive plants and trees, teams removing miles of old barbed wire fences, and more AES volunteer sawyers cutting trees and teams stacking them to clear pines out of another riparian draw. This was one of the largest volunteer work weekends in our history and every volunteer did a fantastic job.

Here is a video that we used at the Arizona Elk Society Banquet. Steve Chappell put this together. We know that many are getting revved up for this year's hunt. Good way to start your Tuesday.

Arizona Elk Society volunteer work project July 13-14, 2013 Buck Springs, which is in the Coconino National Forest north of Payson, is a unique place with very high value for wildlife. The area is home to a great elk population as well as turkeys, bears, songbirds, native fish and a host of other important wildlife species. One of the keys to making a good place into a great place for wildlife and wildlife enthusiasts is helping to restore the function of the wet meadows that are so important to wildlife. At one time, these meadows acted like giant sponges and stored moisture, slowly leaking the water into the creeks, maintaining the riparian community. Many of these meadows and the associated riparian areas are overrun with young pine trees that are invading these meadows. Unless removed, in time, the meadows will be entirely overrun with pines and the water storage role for the meadows will be lost. In a cooperative venture, volunteers from the Arizona Elk Society, the Forest Service, and Game and Fish will cut these trees down, lop the limbs off, and stack them into piles so they can be burned when dried. There are thousands of trees to remove and the more help we get, the more that can be done. As a result of removing these trees, the meadows will be more open again and the ecological function of the meadows improved. If you enjoy time in the forest, here is a chance to give something back and make the forest a healthier place for wildlife and for your next visit. We will also be restoring the riparian area creek channels for better flow of the water in the creeks. Using unique restoration tools we will help restore the ecological function and return water to the sponge meadows. Volunteers of all ages are needed on Saturday, July 13th, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, July 14th, 8:00 a.m. to noon. to assist in the project! The Arizona Elk Society will provide meals on Friday evening (dinner at 6:30pm), all day Sat. (breakfast at 7am), and Sunday breakfast and lunch. We need 100-120 volunteers in camp for this weekend event. All the necessary tools will be provided but please bring your own gloves. We have plenty of room for campers, RVs and tents with restrooms. Camping will be just south of Blue Ridge Ranger Station off HWY 87, near Clint Wells/Payson. Specific directions will be given when you sign up. www.arizonaelksociety.org

How about a picture of the USFS certified Arizona Elk Society volunteer sawyers. This is 10 of the 14 certified sawyers that went through 4 days of training with the USFS. The goal is to be able to improve wildlife habitat and because of our partnership with the USFS we had to get them certified. In April they cut a 200 yard wide 60 acre corridor between to large meadows in Unit 7W to make a travel corridor for elk and antelope. They will be cutting trees this weekend at our Buck Springs project.

Best way to Join if online HERE. Just an FYI we will have a new Membership Benefits program with great discounts and member Weekly Give-a-ways coming soon. Lots of new things will be announced soon. This is a great time to join and get in on the action. Plus your membership helps us expand our Water for Wildlife and Youth Outdoors Programs. Steve