Arizona Bait Ban - AZGF wants "Bait" ban

[deerhunter]

I have a few sights established. And I have salt bought that I plan on and will continue to put out so................ I wish G&F luck.

[ronaldo]

Coues and sheep hit the nail on the head... They want to sell tags but dont want anyone to fill them...

This is a very true statement.. Then they will try and intimidate you with a casual encounter in the field.. I heard one say one time.. " all hunters are guilty of something illegal, I just have to figure it out"

A holes

Ron

[gotcoues]

Agreed, they don't want us to fill tags. Correct me if I'm wrong but their target goals for our success rates on deer hunts (rifle) is 20%. They will keep handing out more tags (higher numbers) until the succes rate is around 20%. A deer every 5 years of hunting? That's absurd. Also, I would think, most archers who fill their Aug Archery tag have already paid for a rifle tag. I hope hunters will unite and voice their opinion against these new type laws.

[tjhunt2]

We've been down this road before. It's not hard to see that the anti groups will stop at nothing. Whether you agree or disagree on how your fellow hunters use a cetain method or the tools of his/hers likings should be of no significant. We must stand up and support each other in this fight and not divide ourselves over the little things. It's what they want us hunters to do.

 

I feel each critter organization, and we have many, should send a representative to the meetings to express on behalf of us hunters how we feel. This doesn't let us off the hook for our own resonsibility and each of us should still send letters, e-mails, and place phone calls concerning our position on this baiting issue.

 

Let's keep this positive by standing together. If we let them pick a piece off here and there before you know it our rock is down to a measly stone.

 

Don't just agree with this post but pick up a pen, type a letter, or make a phone call. It's a start. Thank you!

 

TJ

[Coach]

I'm right there with ya TJ.

[tjhunt2]

I'm right there with ya TJ.

 

Thanks Jason, it's fellow hunters like yourself that can make this work.

 

Together we stand, divided we fall.

 

TJ

[1uglydude]

At the meeting yesterday they said the proposed rule would not include salt or water.

[huntjunkie]

Thanks for going we're there many in attendance? What was their reason for the proposal?

[bowsniper]

At the meeting yesterday they said the proposed rule would not include salt or water.

 

Uglydude, can you give us anymore details? I hope that since it does not include salt, the rest of you who don't use food supplements will stay on board to help those who do - primarily archery hunters I think. Your method of hunting - game cams, high power optics or guns, electronic calls, cover sents, anything, could be next.

 

Mark

[AZLance]

Today it is anything but salt, but next it will be salt also. Oppose this rule change at all costs!

[DesertBull]

foot in the door

[1uglydude]

Thanks for going we're there many in attendance? What was their reason for the proposal?

 

Primary reason is worry about CWD, with "lesser" reasons of fair chance and hunter ethics concerns.

 

As I recall, two people spoke on it (could have been three...can't remember if Koleszar spoke on that issue or not). NWTF said they would support bait ban as far as turkeys are concerned. Steve Clark spoke for himself, and not for AES, in support of the bait ban and expressed a desire that it be sold as a wildlife management concern and not an attempt to limit how people hunt.

 

They are also proposing lifting the mandatory reporting requirement for archery. Not sure where they're going with that. How can they justify closing some units down in December if they don't have the reporting to support it? Personally, I'd like to see it go the other way and see mandatory reporting for all species and all weapons.

[1uglydude]

At the meeting yesterday they said the proposed rule would not include salt or water.

 

Uglydude, can you give us anymore details? I hope that since it does not include salt, the rest of you who don't use food supplements will stay on board to help those who do - primarily archery hunters I think. Your method of hunting - game cams, high power optics or guns, electronic calls, cover sents, anything, could be next.

 

Mark

 

The rule hasn't been written yet, but the committee said that they are working with a definition that would ban "ingestible substances" except for water, salt, or minerals. Ranchers will also be allowed to put out whatever supplement they want.

[DesertBull]

Thanks for going we're there many in attendance? What was their reason for the proposal?

 

Primary reason is worry about CWD, with "lesser" reasons of fair chance and hunter ethics concerns.

 

As I recall, two people spoke on it (could have been three...can't remember if Koleszar spoke on that issue or not). NWTF said they would support bait ban as far as turkeys are concerned. Steve Clark spoke for himself, and not for AES, in support of the bait ban and expressed a desire that it be sold as a wildlife management concern and not an attempt to limit how people hunt.

 

They are also proposing lifting the mandatory reporting requirement for archery. Not sure where they're going with that. How can they justify closing some units down in December if they don't have the reporting to support it? Personally, I'd like to see it go the other way and see mandatory reporting for all species and all weapons.

 

In other words, lie about the reasoning like any good politician would do.

[rthrbhntng]

Uglydude said "As I recall, two people spoke on it (could have been three...can't remember if Koleszar spoke on that issue or not). NWTF said they would support bait ban as far as turkeys are concerned. Steve Clark spoke for himself, and not for AES, in support of the bait ban and expressed a desire that it be sold as a wildlife management concern and not an attempt to limit how people hunt.."

A little out of context but it won't matter to those that don't care.

 

Here is my take on baiting, much of it has to do with personal experience and research from groups like WAFWA, AFWA and The Wildlife Society. These groups are made up of Wildlife experts across the U.S. and Canada.

Baiting is not related to equipment, baiting is a widlife management issue. Those that say that CWD and other diseases that are caused by close proximity transmission and transmission through saliva are not of concern in AZ have their head in the sand. In a quick search on CWD it has been found in Utah near the AZ border. Others say that Arizona does not have the deer density to worry about CWD, many areas of Utah have similar deer densities and they have it already in those areas. Arizona Game and Fish is charged with the public trust of wildlife management and faces complex biological, social and economic issues. AZGFD must manage wildlife today for tomorrow.

Some quick research indicates that public baiting of game species may create a variety of pontential management concerns including; concentrating wildlife at greater than normal densities, increasing direct and indirect contact among wildlife species, detracting from wild behavior, increasing the likelihood of disease transmissions within and among species, reducing home range, affecting populaitions of non-target wildlife species, increasding competition and stress among and within the target and non-target species. These are the widlife management issues that we must be aware of. AZGFD has the responsibility to be proactive managing our wildlife. In the case of our deer adn elk herds we have a very limited resource. We as hunters need to value those resources and be responsible for our future generations.

I do care about the wildife of Arizona enough to educate myself and speak up at the Commission meetings. I worry about the next generation of hunters and how we recruit them and teach them about conservation so that they can help with the work that needs to be done. I care about issues related to access in our National Forests and much more. I do respect the AZGFD for the work they are doing and sometimes I don't agree with their ideas. When I don't agree I spend time researching the issue and if I can find a scientific or biological reason to fight them I do. I have learned that fighting an issue related to wildlife management with emotion and going against the science and biology is usually a no win situation. That is the difference between me and the envirolitigants, they use emotion to override the science because it gets news and raises money for them.

I will continue to educate myself on the issue of baiting and watch the wording very carefully. Then when the public comment period is upon us I will be there. I will also take time to get involved ahead of time with face to face meetings of the dept personel working on these issues. I am concerned. The public may not realize it but one of the reasons that areas that could support Big Horn Sheep doesn't have any is because of the threat of disease transmission from domestic sheep. These diseases are real and they are a threat to OUR widlife.

 

Those that know me know that if I thought this was an issue about restrictions to hunters I would fight it. Right now with a little research and a few phone calls I see it as a wildlife management issue.

 

A few other things that uglydude didn't tell you about is the restriction on importing scent products made with deer and elk urine. It has been proven that CWD and other diseases are spread by urine and the highest concentration of CWD has been found on deer farms, some deer farms are where they harvest the urine to make fesh urine based scents.

They are working to restrict the importation of animal carcasses from surrounding states because of diseases like CWD. You will have to bone out totally or have your meat processed by a licensed processor. You can't bring in a skull that has any meat in it. This means if ou hunt in Utah or NM and you want to bring your cape back you will have to totally cape out the head. This will affect a bunch of people that I know that don't have the expertise to cape a head.

If diseases like CWD were not one of the reasons for working on the baiting issue then the urine and meat issues wouldn't be there also.

They are also working on wording for the pick up of dead heads, sheds and horns. The wording they used was very simple and it is the same as I have always known it to be, so no black helicopter suprises there for me. They just want to put it in writing for all to understand.

Steve