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mcelkhunter

Senior Hunt

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I saw this topic kind of start on another thread and found it very interesting as this is a discussion that my dad, uncle and I had last year either during a hunt they had or during my son's JR hunt. But anyway the idea is for the G&F to have a Senior hunt (during a prime season) similar to the JR hunt.

 

I would be very much in support of a hunt like this, however, some of the things we talked about is that if they were to do something like this they should include stipulations like must be a resident, must have purchased and/or applied for Elk/Antelope during the last several years, say 5 or 10, etc...

 

 

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As mentioned before, I think its a good idea especially for those that have supported AZ hunting for many, many years. Hence having to have applied for so many previous years, or so many bonus points.

 

They could set it up to be during the same hunt as the early rifle bull, but its own separate category to apply.

 

Once in a lifetime tag. Non-transferrable.

 

 

 

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As mentioned before, I think its a good idea especially for those that have supported AZ hunting for many, many years. Hence having to have applied for so many previous years, or so many bonus points.

 

They could set it up to be during the same hunt as the early rifle bull, but its own separate category to apply.

 

Once in a lifetime tag. Non-transferrable.

 

 

Why make it a once in a lifetime thing? How about simply adding 10 permits or so to the early elk season open only to holders of Pioneer licenses and let us compete in a draw with other Arizona seniors?

 

To qualify for a Pioneer's license, a hunter must have been a resident 20 years (I think it is) and be at least 70 years old.

 

My wife and I got ours three years ago.

 

There aren't enough antelope tags to hold a seniors only hunt, and there are too many youngsters who haven't hunted antelope here yet. I stopped applying in Arizona years ago for that very reason.

 

Bill Quimby

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I agree! make it for minimum 20 year resident, at least 60 years of age. 10 years of applying for big game. give them 10% of total tags per unit, just like we do for non residents. without these pioneers that funded our hunting rights for many years hunting in Az. we need to bring this up at the nxt G-F meeting, what a great idea!

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I completely agree with this....My grandpa is 82 yrs old and is an Arizona resident, and I garuntee he has more miles on unit 27 than all of us on this site put together. He is also a member of every hunting organazation there is plus attends every azgf meeting he can yet he has NEVER drawn a premium hunt and has only drawn a late november hunt 3 times!

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I agree! make it for minimum 20 year resident, at least 60 years of age. 10 years of applying for big game. give them 10% of total tags per unit, just like we do for non residents. without these pioneers that funded our hunting rights for many years hunting in Az. we need to bring this up at the nxt G-F meeting, what a great idea!

 

Why make it so complicated? What's wrong with just requiring a Pioneer's license?

 

Bill Quimby

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Why make it so complicated? What's wrong with just requiring a Pioneer's license?

 

Bill Quimby

 

 

I think it will take away from the hunt with making our SR's wait till 70 years of age. I've noticed with my own family and friends that still hunt in there 70's it is very tough on them trying to hike and getting into some of the tough mountain terians we have. also with our state being flooded with new hunters every year. this will give our long time poineers a better chance of hunting az. again I only have to go another 30 years to make it to 70, so maybe I'm talking non-sence, but the guys I know in there 60,70's. I feel they should also have a higher advantage due to there years of being a longtime az hunter. :unsure:

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I would also agree with a senior hunt. The pioneer license holder idea that bill suggested sounds fair and would establish an easy benchmark. My father-in-law has hunted elk with me when he was 82. He's know 85 and if I drew a tag for this year he'd go again.

 

The only thing that I worry about when establishing special hunts is someone always feels left out. Law suits begin to be used to establish additional hunts for those LEFT OUT. And, the whole system starts crumbling. We'll end up with special needs hunts, women only hunts, non-hunter hunts and god forbid, gay and lesbian hunts. The state of Iowa supreme court will declare it a human rights violation not to.

 

But, after all that, I'm in favor of a Senior Hunt Season.

 

Alan

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I think a senior hunt would be a great idea but not with all the bull crap. Just make a certain age and be done with it.

 

This is one not to many will agree with me on but I have said for years that the game wardens that patrol our woods and put there lives at risk each and every day should automaticly be given a tag of their choice each year except for the once in a life time hunts. :)

 

TJ

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At age 60 I still could do most things I could at age 50 to 55, including hunting and carrying a whitetail off a mountain by myself, which I last did at age 62. The Pioneer's license is already established. It has a minimum age and number of years of residency. Why not use it?

 

Bill Quimby

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At age 60 I still could do most things I could at age 50 to 55, including hunting and carrying a whitetail off a mountain by myself, which I last did at age 62. The Pioneer's license is already established. It has a minimum age and number of years of residency. Why not use it?

 

Bill Quimby

 

Bill, I agree. I look forward to meeting you some day. :)

 

TJ

 

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I like this idea and it is one that we kicked around a few years ago on the old AZOD forum--there were guys on there at the time that stated "why should the older hunters have an edge they have hunted their whole lives here?"--valid point but it doesn't really add up when a guy is 74 years old, has max bonus points for antelope and has never hunted them. If this were to go through i think a Pioneer License holder should be able to draw a tag that they have never drawn and they have over 15 bonus points already.

 

I know a lot of the Sheep guys will have a problem with this but if it is truly going to be an advantage to the Seniors then it has to be a rule across the board. Many older guys have stopped applying for sheep a long time before they reached Pioneer status anyway and a lot of the older folks can't afford a sheep hunt so there won't that many in the pool.

 

PS--they would have to hold the loyalty point in order to draw the premium tags.

 

Just a few thoughts i had going through my head this fine Saturday morning!

 

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As mentioned before, I think its a good idea especially for those that have supported AZ hunting for many, many years. Hence having to have applied for so many previous years, or so many bonus points.

 

They could set it up to be during the same hunt as the early rifle bull, but its own separate category to apply.

 

Once in a lifetime tag. Non-transferrable.

 

 

Why make it a once in a lifetime thing? How about simply adding 10 permits or so to the early elk season open only to holders of Pioneer licenses and let us compete in a draw with other Arizona seniors?

 

To qualify for a Pioneer's license, a hunter must have been a resident 20 years (I think it is) and be at least 70 years old.

 

My wife and I got ours three years ago.

 

There aren't enough antelope tags to hold a seniors only hunt, and there are too many youngsters who haven't hunted antelope here yet. I stopped applying in Arizona years ago for that very reason.

 

Bill Quimby

 

 

Why make it a once in a lifetime tag?

 

I'm not sure how many folks would qualify to be in the drawing for one of the Seniors tags (pioneer license, etc.)if it were set up with some of the stipulations that have been mentioned on this thread, but if there are too many folks that meet the criteria, are we going to have the odds of drawing a tag become really difficult to obtain.......again?

 

One of the reasons I would support a Seniors hunt is to get the folks a last shot at harvesting an animal before they are unable to be in the field any longer; especially folks that have supported the great sport for so many years. If there were not some kind of drawing stipulations, i.e. once in a lifetime tag, once every 3 year tag, etc., there are going to be some hunters that won't ever draw the seniors hunt!

 

It definitely should be something G&F should consider IMO, I would support it and feel the majority of hunters across the spectrum would also support it. One thing is garaunteed, we are all eventually going to get to the point of being in a "Seniors Hunt" situation, so for all of us young folk', that is also something to consider. It might give us one last chance to go out with a BANG!

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Heck no! All them old codgers have shot enough game in their lifetime. :lol: :lol:

 

All joking aside, it is only fair that the seniors should be given a chance at a quality hunt with limited hunting pressure.

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no,no,no to giving tags to game wardens!!!!!!! Especially in 33. Just like the general public, they have to earn them. If they were HONEST and respectable, then maybe.

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