2013 Fall Hunt Recommendations

[gamespec]

A few clarifications. The recommendations for reducing the archery season length both (29 and 34A) came from the awesome field people we have that are out there on the ground and know a lot more about the unit than us Jackwagons. Those recommendations were made by the Wildlife Managers in accordance with the survey data, harvest data, hunt guidelines, and their knowledge from talking to hunters in the field. The recommendations were then sent up throught the Game Specialist, Wildlife Program Manager, Regional Supervisor, Big Game Supervisor, and then Game Branch Chief. Us jackwagons between the WM and the Commission do not make the recommendations - our role is to simply make sure the hunt recommendations are consistent with the data and Hunt Guidelines that we all have to follow. In this case they clearly were, so the hunt recommendations in 34A and 29 were fowarded unaltered to the Commission for approval. It is unlikely that Wakeling's lateral (not demotion) will have any affect on recommendations such as this that are based on survey data, harvest data, hunt guidelines, and on-the-ground experience. If a member of the public disagrees with a recommendation there is plenty of opportunity to provide input and convince the Commission (with more compelling data or argument) that it is a bad recommendation. The Commission has the option of changing the recommendation on the floor of the Public April Commission Meeting as they often do when someone has a good counter argument (many years ago the Wards simply asked for an archery Sandhill Crane hunt and got it the next year). The WMs in this case are just making hunt recommendations that are consistent with the Hunt Guidelines developed by the Department and the Public during the last process.

 

The current hunt guidelines the WMs are using apply restrictions in archery season length when archery harvest is more than 20% of the total harvest in a unit (not archery hunt success which is the % of archers who get a deer). These restrictions were put in the guidelines because rifle hunters felt it was unfair that in some units the archers were taking a higher % of the total harvest while the rifle tags were being reduced. They asked us to develop a strategy to limit archery harvest in cases were archers were getting "more than their fair share" (their words not mine or the Department's). We constantly hear complaints from rifle hunters about all the days archers get to hunt during the peak of rut and the amazing technological advancements in archery tackle in the last 20 years.

 

The Department biologists and Jackwagons don't care how a deer dies as long as the overall harvest is appropriate for the population. We manage wildlife for the public and our public processes are how the public tells us what they want. If we were in this to make money to buy trucks we would set the hunt guidelines to 7-10 bucks per 100 does and not care about what the hunt success was. Mule deer research shows that even at 7 bucks per 100 does the reproduction is not impacted and you will not reduce the number of does that are pregnant. Also if we decide 100 bucks can be harvested in a unit, we could have 400 rifle tags (at 25% hunt success) or 1429 Archery tags (at 7% hunt success). So if the Department was in it for the money we would dramatically reduce rifle tags and have mostly archery tags. The public has told us through the years how they would like us to manage the weapon-type allocation and this public process contunues every year for those that are interested in engaging.

 

The hunt Guidelines are currently being revised as they are every 2 years and everyone has the ability to be part of that process. We will be having public meetings to get your thoughts on what you'd like to see changed. The meetings in southern AZ will be May 28 (Sierra Vista) and May 29 (Tucson). If you can't make those meeting, comments can be submitted at azgamebranch@azgfd.gov, or by mail to Hunt Guidelines, Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086. If you want more information about this whole process, check out: http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/hunt_guidelines.shtml

 

The survey data I mention above is gathered in the same blocks year after year. We started doing this several years ago because WMs were flying surveys and collecting survey data in different places different years. So some years we'd run into a lot of deer and others not as many in a different place. This tells us nothing about trends in a deer population. Also we might just by chance survey more heavily hunted areas one year and get a low post-hunt buck:doe ratio and then a lightly hunted area the next year and have the B:D ratio double. That's just a bad way to collect meaningful survey data to manage a deer population with so we established consistent survey blocks to monitor trends through time as a useful index to what is going on in the population. I think it will be very interesting to see how those trends change in the next 10 years after the fire.

 

Remember that venting on a forum is not engagment in the process of wildlife management. The Department provides plenty of opportunity to be a part of the process. The Wards came all the way to Tucson to my Open House on April 3rd and we had a great conversation about all this and I helped them get their comments directly to the Commission before the April Commission Meeting. Let's work together in a productive way, but keep in mind that there are alot of people wanting the Department to do a lot of different and conflicting things.

 

Jim