Antelope hunt unit 10

[Arizonahunter]

WOW!!

[monstercoues]

WOW X2 haha. Lark have you been in trouble with the G&F before? You are sure quick to bash them, when I feel Brian did a great job explaining their survey methodology. There certainly was no intent to mess up anyones hunt. Unfortunately someone was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I am sure they didn't run that buck out of the unit and antelope aren't hard to find again. I have been buzzed by G&F in January archery deer hunting and they blew a stock for me. I was upset, but I understand they have a job to do and it's not surveying antelope in the winter time when they have been known to migrate up to 100 miles away. Bet nobody thought about that one huh?

[my2cats]

I think it is nice that the game and fish try to explain this behavior by saying it is the only time available, well I was out there in July and August and that seemed to be just as good of a time as any to me, no hunting going on, easier to clasify the does from the fawns and the bucks are easy. I spoke to a field supervisor last night and he informed me that they know the size of their herd and what the sucess rate is going to be so this survey wasn't for that biological reason hhhmmmm. Something you may have missed in my explaination is that just because they were doing a survey doesn't mean that they didn't commit a crime. I witnessed harassment of a hunter and the game, there is no reason to chase and circle for at least 3 miles so they can count to 5; one buck 3 does and a fawn! The survey during the hunt is truly just ignorance and poor decision making on their part and a good excuse to keep the game on edge. If you believe that the antelope didn't run out of the country and they are easy to find anyway, well I think you should try to hunt a true trophy that has been chased around for a while by an aircraft, seen 20 vehicles a day for the last week and gone into the trees for safe keeping and get back to me.

The simple truth is I witnessed a crime and I want citations written and the Judge to make the decision on the facts, that is my pursuit, ignorance and politics are not enough reason to let this contionue to happen.

[.270]

monstercoues, everything is public record. look it up and see how many violations i've had. c'mon. it's easy to do.

 

this happened on the 8th. the season ended on the 9th. you saying they couldn't have waited until the 10th? all the goats gonna be gone? the azgfd did a big diservice to hunters with their actions and then their explanation was even worse. there is no reason what so ever for them to do arial surveys during a season and then for them to try to justify it with scientific reasons makes it even worse. do it in the winter when they are herded up. don't screw up some guys hunt after he waited 35 years for a tag. if they wanna do something out of an airplane, shoot some dang coyotes when the does are fawning. if an outfitter or hunter of even joe public pulled the same stunt they would have been prosecuted. i think 2 cats has shown a lot of restraint. this oughta be on the evening news. Lark.

[monstercoues]

Whats your last name so I can look ya up HAHA!

 

I understand your frustration man, but you have to realize they have alot of units to survey and little time with only 2 planes. Everyone wants to complain about the G&F every chance they get. Most of the complaints are they don't patrol enough or we don't see them on the weekends. Well most people are out on the weekends and thats why they flew on during the week. I completly agree with you that they should have waited until the hunt was over or flew it before the archery hunt like they did the unit I was drawn for. I waited 15 years for a tag and would have been upset too if this happenned to me, but I do understand they have a job to do and they certainly should have waited til the hunt was over. I read alot of your posts and you seem to always put down the Game and Fish. I think alot of people don't realize that without them, we wouldn't be hunting anything in this state.

[WHT_MTNMAN]

I've never bashed Game and Fish but this is just plain wrong. A guy waits not 5-10 but 35 years, one more time, 35 years, for a goat tag and this happens, that sucks big time. Archery deer or even Elk screwed up by G and F doesn't even come close to compare, Sheep does. I would be ticked and I'm a guy that doesn't get upset at much.

I completely understand the need for science and science based info, but come on, shorten the seasons by one day or something, DO NOT FLY WHEN HUNTERS ARE HUNTING, IMO kind of like biting the hand the feeds you.

my little rant.

 

 

[RHINO]

I've been in your situation before and it is plain bs. The game and fish made their count and noticed that the buck you were hunting was nice and they wanted to look at it as much as they could. I had a similar thing happen to me in 24a and a hellicopter. I had stocked this nice mule deer for several hours walking around the mountain that he was on and coming in from behind the deer. When I was about a 100 yards out a hellicopter flew over and hovered over the deer for about a minute and then flew off. He stayed high enough so that they didn't spook the deer to bad. All the deer were in plain sight, so there was no need to take a second look right? wrong. As I was crawling in position to get a shot at the nicer buck, the helicopter came back and hovered over the deer at about 50 ft. He was low enough so that I could easily have hit them with a rock. Of course the deer were spooked this time. There was no need for them to come back and take a second look or to get that low. Same as with in your case to continue to circle your buck. They could have counted your buck after the hunt or that same day without spooking him nearly as bad. They just don't care about your hunt or anybodys hunt.

[Coach]

Obviously 2 sides to every strory, but I can certainly sympathize with the hunter in this case. Of all times to do the arial survey, right in the middle of a hunt?? Seems from that vantage point they could have recognized that there was a stalk going on and moved to a different herd for the time being.

 

I'm grateful for the efforts of G&F, and I don't think they had malicious intent, but they could have been a little more discreet, and mindful of the situation. I feel for you my2cats, waiting that long for the tag, only to have the perfect stalk blown - has to be hard to swallow.

 

Good luck on future hunts.

[mje1]

Im sure they couldve counted those goats from a little higher up and not buzzed them out of the country especially during such an important hunt for many. I dont think they count every animal during a survey they see so many and use a formula based on what theyre seeing right?

But the important question is did you get an antelope?

 

Mark

[EagleEye]

Hunting seasons are only certain times of the year they cant do a survey in July that really pisses me off two last year someone I know hunted unit 22 and they had prescribed burns starting on opening day what A JOKE IN MY OPINION THOSE FREAKIN IDIOTS OWE YOU AN ANTELOPE TAG AND IF THEY COULD SEE THE ANIMALS THEY COULD SEE YOU AND SHOULD HAVE LEFT YOU ALONE. HUNTER HARASSMENT FOR SURE.

[EagleEye]

I WOULD TALK TO A LAWYER.

[dzell]

you should get another tag that is bs if some random person pulled that g&f would be all over them there is plenty of time in the year to survey antelope they need to pull there heads out there almost as big of a joke as the forest service :angry: :angry: :angry:

[chompy]

I agree with Lark theres only 3 weeks of antelope season all year and you pick that time to ruin someones hunt, that is truly unbelievable. I do know of a couple wm's that would never do such a thing, but unfortunatly there are many officers that problay enjoyed it.

[Couzer]

I WOULD TALK TO A LAWYER.

 

+1

[monstercoues]

Lark, he had 4 more days to hunt and the season ended on the 12th, not the 9th. My2cats, I had a tag this year in another unit and hiked on average 10 miles a day. I hunted 7 days before I decided to go back to some of the bucks I passed on in an area the first day. I easily saw 10 or more people a day, but they were all on the roads. It's amazing what you can find away from the roads. I happen to know some people who know some people who said you were at your truck when the plane was over head and that the buck was only a mid 70's inch buck at best. I also heard that they circled because there was a herd behind the ones you saw and there was a few fawns in the group they were making sure were fawns when they did the classification on the herd. No buck with that group and No Hunters in sight of either group, except for a guy at his truck! I also know that they fly surveys for the upcoming years population estimates and not for last years, so that is why the supervisor told you he knows what the population estimate is at the time. No doubt it sucks that they did surveys during a hunt, but with 2 planes and everything else they have going on they have to do what they have to do to fit everything in. Plus you had 4 days left to hunt and probably 90% of the hunters were done and you had the whole unit to yourself darn near. I noticed you haven't said whether you harvested an antelope or not. I can tell you that if you were sitting in your truck at the time that is truly sad that you are making this such a huge ordeal. It is even sadder that you have gotten so many people to hate the game and fish and if it wasn't for them doing such a good job managing and protecting our wildlife, you wouldn't have been able to hunt antelope in the first place.