G&F Deer survey coming out soon

[ThomC]

It has been reported in two other sites that a new G&F deer survey on the new proposals is coming out soon. The questions are very confusing. You need to think them thru very carefully as some may have unintended consequenses.

 

Here is my take on what will happen if these new proposals are approved. The archery deer dec/jan hunt will be shortened by two weeks. The Dec rifle hunts will be shortened by one week and that week added to the Oct. hunt. What this will cause is LESS opportunity for the archers and reduced sucess. The Dec rifle will be around the hoildays, again less opportunity because of conflicts with family activities and shortened season. The Oct. hunt will be lengthened. I the south units it is too hot for a four day hunt. I suspect that most people will not utilize to added days. But, some will so that makes the second season not very attractive because the deer will have been chased around for additional days. And since the second hunt will not be moved back there is less time between hunts to let the deer settle down. I don't like the Oct hunt because it is too hot for a good experience. The second hunt won't be a good experience because the deer will be spooked badly. The Dec hunt won't be a good experience because it is very hard to get drawn plus the short sesson at the wrong time. This is my take on the proposed hunts and I will add that my comments concern the whitetail hunts because that is what I am familiar with. The dept has somehow equated LESS sucess with more opportunity. I don't buy a tag to have an opportunity to hunt, I can hunt 365 days a year. I buy a tag to harvest a deer. To me more opportunity means more sucess.

 

The Elk hunters have spoken and it is time for the Deer hunters to do like wise.

[Rembrant]

I'm not a fan of shortening the archery season.

The rifle changes don't bother me as much as it seems to bother a lot of other people.

There ain't no opportunity in not getting drawn.

Too many people in the state. That's the problem, and it ain't never gonna go away - only get worse. Re-arrange the hunts anyway you want, it won't change the problem.

Mike

[TREESTANDMAN]

I am a little mystified as to why this is even a proposal?? Who is coming up w/ these genius ideas? It is painfully obvious the majority of the AZ hunting population do not want to sacrifice quality for quantity.

 

I think these proposals may be stemming from a survey that was done quite a while ago. In the survey the question was asked how we felt about our odds of getting drawn in Az for certain species? or something to that effect. It was unanimous that hunters were dissatisfied w/ the draw odds w/ is pretty much the obvious response. Most hunters would think to themselves, "if I enter dissatisfied, AZGFD will change that.

 

I guess our brilliant AZGFD managment decided this meant we would also be in favor of lowering our opportunity's for trophy hunts in order to provide more average hunts.

 

I am very opposed to this as I assume the majority of us are.

[TREESTANDMAN]

"The dept has somehow equated LESS sucess with more opportunity."

 

 

Well stated.

[az4life]

Thomc hit the nail on the head!

 

"The dept has somehow equated LESS sucess with more opportunity."

and in the end, they equate this to more $.

[CouesWhitetail]

I hope to have the survey up in the next day or two. The ADA and the Southern AZ Sportsmens Alliance have been working with the Dept on getting a survey done. I will post a link when it's ready for the public.

 

Thom is right that some of the questions are not as clear as I would like. They have a lot of detail in them.

 

You can only take the survey once, but while you are taking it, you will be able to go back and change your answers if you think you need to.

 

You will also be required to provide your name and birthdate so we have a way to make sure no one is taking the survey twice and we can cross check the list with AGFD lists in case we need to.

 

Amanda

[KGAINES]

Hopefully this will get the majority opinion out there, you would think that the azgfd would have done this prior to making the proposals. Getting input from hunting groups and hunters before trying to change things would have been the smart thing to do.

[SunDevil]

I am totally in line with you ThomC and had the exact same thoughts when I first heard about the potential proposals.

 

The good thing about the Oct hunt is you get first crack at them. The bad thing is it is only 4 days. Only having 4 days is pretty risky. You may have bad weather. You may not be able to find your trophy right away. Other hunters might be in your spot with no time to move. etc. etc.

 

The good thing about the Nov hunt is that is 10 days. The bad thing is that the deer have already been hunted and are in survival mode. Having 10 days gives you more time to find them and lets you get out during the middle of the week when most everyone else is back at work. Finding deer during this hunt will be harder because the deer may have been pushed into other areas or may have gone nocturnal.

 

These changes will totally make the Oct hunt more valuable and the Nov hunt less valuable. If you are drawn for Oct you will get first crack at them and be able to hunt for 10 days.

 

I do not understand the reasoning behind shortening the Dec hunt other than attempt to reduce success rates.

 

Hopefully the survey is good and they will understand the answers. CB

[DesertBull]

They not only want to add 6 days to the October hunt, they want to increase tag numbers in the early hunt and decrease them in the late hunts.

 

Their thinking is that they will kill the same number of deer overall, but put more hunters in the field in any one given year. Overall success rates lowered, actual number of deer killed, appx the same. More tags sold at their new higher price.

 

I've already started planning for the early hunts. There is no way I am waiting 5 years or more between deer tags.

 

I am getting new (lighter) backpacking gear and plan on hunting wilderness areas only.

 

I am convinced they are going to make most of the changes they proposed. They just tested the waters last year with the change to the unit 23 whitetail hunt.

[SunDevil]

I always put Dec first choice and Nov second choice. I will definetely switch to Dec first choice and OCT second choice if they make this change. CB

[bowhunter4life]

I too, do not like the shorten bow seasons."suppose to be for more hunting oppertunity" looks like less time for bowhunters.how is this getting more hunters into the field ? mike

[DesertBull]

Pay more to hunt less, sounds like a deal.

[coueshunter84]

If there are some trick questions in this thing can anyone give us a heads up as to how they want them answered? I'm guessing most of the folks on here are of the same mind frame. It would be helpful to us to know what they are looking for to forward our opinions, instead of being tricked into answering what they can interpret however they want it to read for the results.

 

This sounds a little worrysome. I hope what we want them to hear gets through. Also that there is no way they can turn it on us. Politicos seem to find ways..

 

 

Shane

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

I have spent time talking to several different AZGF employees and have more mixed feelings than ever about it all.....

 

First.... in a perfect world we could all hunt when we want to. As hunting practices become more and more successful in the Dec. & Jan. hunts, we are harvesting a greater number of deer. At one time they couldn't hardly give away coues deer tags.... so they moved most of the tags from Oct. to Dec. to improve the success of the hunters and promote coues hunting. Now.... EVERYONE hunts coues deer. If we don't get a late tag we pick up our bows and kill one anyway. The Oct. and Nov. hunts require a different game plan, but all the really good coues hunters and guides that I know are switching to these hunts and having great success. Good hunters will always harvest deer....and the recreationalists will most likly not. I have never hunted an early hunt and I LOVE my long archery season and the long Dec. rifle season. But..... there are more guys wanting tags and a TON of future hunters that are not getting opportunies to hunt at all. AZGF is concerned that these "Future Hunters" may not keep the sport alive as voters in the decades to come if they are not in the field as young adults. PLEASE, understand that I DO NOT want these changes.... but they may have a few good points. And this is hunting.... not "killing" as was seem to expect when we draw a tag or buy one over the counter.... I seem to be fortunate enough to harvest solid P & Y bucks each year and am not afraid of the time constraints......I will adapt.

 

If it were my way I would Raise the prices so that only real hunting "Junkies" would put in..... but the "rich" would still be able to as well.... I just want all the "camper/partiers" to go to the lake instead of the woods....and take their road hunting ways with them....

 

But we do need the VOTERS.....

 

I wish I had a better plan.........

[DesertBull]

Almost everyone that puts in for a Nov or Oct hunt gets a tag as it is. What do they want, left over tags like it used to be?