What does AZGFD do exactly?

[trphyhntr]

after seeing a couple posts about the increase in tags and number of deer seemingly decrease, i have wondered for years what it is that they do. besides drive around in brand new trucks, and building new facilities. i know they write tickets to some and stock rainbow trout in certain lakes. i would assume they manage some waterholes? Ive seen the numbers of tags increase for about all species over the last 10 years, as well as the cost of the tags, do we have more deer to hunt now? Im into fishing too, and i noticed that when ever they do a project they ask for donations and people to donate their time, why? and if this increase in tags is just a money maker for the azgfd at the expense of the quality of hunts for us? (no rant, serious question)

[Red Rabbit]

http://azgfd.gov/

Lots of info about various programs and activities contained within.

[Couzer]

Politics, trying to pay thier higher ups!

[ronaldo]

They spend our money and tell us what to do.. What a deal ....Plus keep raising our prices. why do you think they split the draw? So folks could have time to get up the money to put in... Its about the $$$$$. Dont let em BS you...

Ron

[joeeden]

I always chuckle when I hear that AZGFD is greedy and money hungry. Are you fellas implying that the officials at Game and Fish are embezzling money and spending it? Whether or not you agree with how they allocate and spend our funds is one thing. But to accuse them of being greedy absolutely baffles me. So they raise the cost of tags and go buy a sweet new bass boat? They spend our money to enhance hunting and fishing in Arizona.

[bwakeling]

This is an interesting post and a very valid question. Red Rabbit provided the link to our website, and there is a lot there. My guess, based on the remainder of the first post is that the real interest here lies with game management, and probably primarily deer and elk.

 

Deer populations are admittedly low right now, but the low point was probably reached around 2002. Since that time, statewide we have been seeing a cautious increase. It is nothing like it was in the early 1980s, and I'm not claiming that we can just sit back and watch things improve. But the Department and Commission have been struggling with several concepts that consider both improving wildlife and wildlife habitat and keeping as many hunters engaged as possible. That was the "opportunity" phase that many hunters seemed to dislike. And despite our efforts to put more people afield, statewide buck to doe ratios increased.

 

This year, the Commission listened very closely to what hunters had to say and they adopted new hunt guidelines that direct the Department to manage for higher buck to doe and bull to cow ratios. In the short term, managing for higher ratios will generate fewer tags and fewer hunters in the field, but should provide more older age class animals and probably a better quality hunt for more people. The Commission followed that action in August with a reduction of over 1,000 elk tags at the December meeting. We have yet to set the deer tags for fall 2012, but I expect to see permit reductions there as well when we address them in April 2012.

 

Permit reductions certainly do reduce the revenue that the Department receives. And the Department is primarily funded by hunter (and angler) dollars, either through license fees or federal excise taxes. This is a double edged sword - hunters and anglers do fund most conservation, but conservation is not always cheap.

 

We work with several wildlife conservation organizations, including the Arizona Elk Society, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Arizona Deer Association, Mule Deer Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation, Arizona Antelope Foundation, and the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society just to name a few. These groups raise money in a variety of ways that we then put on the ground to benefit wildlife. Each year, they raise between $1.2 and $1.5 million through special license tag sales that they have to market. But we jointly decide on how we can best enhance game habitat through the Habitat Partnership Committee. Some of these groups work to raise additional funds through their banquets (the National Wild Turkey Federation routinely contributes as much to habitat work through fundraising banquets as they do through tag sales) or other grants (the Arizona Antelope Foundation recently secured a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant to benefit pronghorn in southern Arizona). This is work that we jointly pursue. Joining one of these organizations can be a great way to get involved, make a difference, and assist with solving management problems.

 

The Commission has recently liberalized mountain lion and coyote seasons in those units where predation may be influencing prey population declines. Mountain lions and coyotes may now be pursued with artificial light during daylong seasons in specific areas and specific times so that hunters may be more involved in assisting with predation management. This isn't statewide, but it is designed to help in specific areas. For instance, hunters can harvest multiple lions within Unit 16A South, and even do so using artificial light after dark, and we just released 20 bighorn sheep in this area with funding provided by the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society. If you have questions about why the Commission makes the decisions that they do, please attend the meetings. They are publicly noticed and you may address the Commission on any noticed agenda topic.

 

I have only scratched the surface on what the Department does. I am not suggesting that we are perfect, nor that we cannot improve. Our goal is to constantly keep improving. If you have suggestions, please send them our way. If you have specific questions, feel free to contact me directly at bwakeling@azgfd.gov.

 

Like I said, this is an important question. There are a number of subjects on which I am not well informed, so if there is a topic for which you have a question that I cannot answer, I can probably find someone that can address that topic.

 

Brian Wakeling

Game Branch Chief

[billrquimby]

A great response, Brian. It's been nearly 20 years since I followed Arizona's wildlife issues closely, but the more things change the more they stay the same: the majority of hunters and fishermen still are unsure of the actual roles of the Game and Fish Department and the Game and Fish Commission.

 

Although you talked about this indirectly, it is the commission that should be "blamed" (if that word can be used here) for wildlife-related issues that draw complaints by sportsmen and the public in Arizona. The five volunteer commissioners set the policies that you and others in the department must implement. Your agency can only recommend permit numbers and season dates, etc. to the commission, and only after a series of public meetings to gather comments that you must take to the commissioners.

 

The commissioners may approve those recommendations or throw them out and do whatever they want. It seldom happens, but I have seen it done.

 

I attended nearly every important commission meeting between 1967 and 1994, and learned that individual commissioners had great influence in the direction our hunting and fishing took. I also came to realize that the most avid hunters and fishermen sometimes made the worst commissioners because they were unwilling to listen to new ideas.

 

At any rate, Arizona's department/commission setup is not perfect, but I've yet to see a better system. In some states, politicians set regulations, and governors appoint agency directors. We are fortunate that this is not the case here.

 

Bill Quimby

[CouesWhitetail]

Thank you Brian, I appreciate your input! And I encourage anyone with questions about big game management to feel free to contact Brian (he is the Game Branch Chief for AGFD).

 

And I also encourage you all to attend some of the commission meetings to see how things happen there. As Bill stated, individual commissioners can have a huge impact on how things are done within the dept. Individual hunters, as well as conservation groups like the AZ Deer Association and AZ Elk Society have had significant influence as well. Both groups have employed ex-AGFD employees to help make our cases before the commission and that has worked very well for issues related to the Kaibab and the recent changes in buck:doe ratios.

 

http://www.azdeer.org/presidents_%20message_Hunt_Guidelines_2011.pdf

[AZLance]

My 12 year old son could better manage Arizona's wildlife...

 

Things that are down under current G&F:

 

Mule deer herds, elk herds, javelina herds...

 

Things that are up under current G&F:

 

Tag prices, number of tags, hunter frustration, and 3 toed salamanders....

[Kilimanjaro]

I know what the AZGF DOESN'T do.. manage their quail populations appropriately and keep the cattle folk from grazing this place into the ground.

Nor do they take heed or constructive criticism from those folks and organizations who put the future of AZ's quail species in their best interest.

 

Not sure what they DO do, but I do know what they don't ..

[trphyhntr]

thanks for the response brian. for me, your response raises more questions. you mentioned all the different org's that you work with to raise money, and also mentioned grants that some of these org's have secured, and special auction tags and what not. however the response kind of makes it sound like the game and fish doesnt do much conserving on its own and that is left to private organizations who must raise their own dollars. many people are under the impression our tage fee's and licenses go to pay for salaries, brand new 2500HD Silverado's and multi million dollar facilities and little goes back into the wildlife.

[ThomC]

All of you people that think that too many tags are issued should check all the posts after a draw so you can hear all the complaints that "I cant ever get drawn". The commission gets those complaints all the time. You cant have it both ways.

[.270]

one thing they don't do is anything to improve the opinion folks have of em. ya sure see and hear of a lotta stuff that sure makes a guy wonder what they are thinking. Lark.

[synper100]

Brian, how about a public relations class for unit managers? It doesn't look good when unit managers assume everybody they talk to are guilty of some game violation. Gestapo tactics,intimidation and basicaly guilty of something. We are not all POACHERS. ESPECIALLY UNIT 33!!!!!!!!!! You know who I mean.

[111]

I'm not sure what azgfd does or doesn't do. There's many things I think they can do in the future to help improve the hunting throughout Arizona. The major issue I've noticed is balancing hunter opportunity meaning more hunters in the field, vs a quality hunt with less hunters and more trophy potential. One thing I would like to see is each region throughout Arizona designate a specific unit of a trophy type or a higher quality hunt for each species. This would spread out the quality throughout the State while leaving the other units in the region managed how azgfd chooses. IMO that leaves hunter opportunity available throughout Arizona and spreads out quality hunts througout the State as well. I don't see a sensible way to make every unit in AZ equal to the units north of the ditch, but one per region seems like a good way to start.

 

Another thing I think azgfd can improve on is seperating the archery cow elk hunts with the archery bull elk hunts. I know hunts are crammed up next to eachother throughout the fall but I think with enough thought a good solution can be made.