AZ G&F not responding to reequest for info on Boquillas Ranch agreement. WHY?

[Capt. Don Martin]

We all know about the recent issue with the Boquillas Ranch putting up information on their website that they were going to charge hefty access fees for tags that they deemed "High Demand."

 

The fees were going to be $500 for a number of elk and antelope tags, and they were going to limit those with permits to only two assistants.

 

They also raised the price for guides who want to operate there from $300 to $500.

 

Arizona Game & Fish said they had no prior knowledge that this was going to happen, so they said they were going to start negotiations with the Navajo Nation, who actually owns this 750,000 working cattle ranch in northern Arizona.

 

So finally with just a week or so before the application deadline, the Department said they had reached an agreement with the Navajo Nation to reduce the access fees from $500 to $80.

 

Hmm sounds good for us, right?

 

I got a call from a man who said that we as sportsmen needed to know what the Department had agreed to do in exchange for the reduction in fees.

 

In the past, they have done tank clean outs, vegetation manipulation (cutting junipers) and building water catchments. They even used sportsmen dollars to grade roads on the ranch that you and I could not use.

 

So I sent a letter to Director Voyles asking for him to provide the details of this year's agreement.

 

I never got so much as a phone call from him or his underlings, explaining what they had done.

 

Well I wondered, why did he not respond to that simple request?

 

Bottom line is he didn't.

 

So I wrote to each of the Commissioners and told them of my request and of his lack of response. The Director serves at the pleasure of the Commission so I figured that would get me an answer.

 

Guess what? No answer from any of them either.

 

So now this really is causing me to wonder why the secrecy? This is a simple request for a valid question on what the agency has done in regards to the negotiations this year?

 

So what are they hiding?

 

What did they do that they apparently don't want you, the sportsman to know?

 

This is not over I assure you.

 

I have written another formal request (FOIA) for this information and am sending it in.

 

Several of you have asked on another forum why the Department didn't do what they did to the antelope hunt in Unit 19B, when they refused to be strong armed by that land owner and closed down the antelope hunt there.

 

I've been doing a little "math" on the Boquillas situation and I think the answer is simple..it is about money--and lots of it.

 

Just look at how many elk and antelope tags are going to be issued for Unit 10 this year. Figure in the $13 application fee ($15 for non-residents) and YOU do the math. Yep, BIG MONEY. Plus the unit is about 2,300 square miles in land mass. Right now only about a third of that is really open to unfettered public access. So if they closed off the Boquillas and forced the hunters to only go into areas that are open, what would happen to the wildlife populations there? Yep, get hammered real bad. Adjoining ranches would also feel the heat of a huge number of hunters trying to hunt on their lands too.

 

Look I'm not pointing any fingers at anyone, but when the agency refuses to tell us, the folks that are buying licenses, and tags and supports these folks on a daily basis, the answer to this question, well there is just something amiss.

 

I hope that you, like me want to know the answers to the question about what happened this year.

 

We have a right to know, and I'm not stopping til I get some answers.

[218buck]

Thanks for sharing be curious to see what happens

[ThomC]

It is no different than what happened to Obama when he met with Castro. He was told to go pound sand also. I would bet that the Indians told G&F the same. Another leftist idea gone awry.

[yotebuster]

I can't tell if that's a 350 bull and that's the biggest sum beach I've ever seen or if it's a normal sized dude and a 320 bull.

[elkaholic]

well Don that's probably why you didn't get appointed to the commission - someone who wants answers !

[PRDATR]

I can't tell if that's a 350 bull and that's the biggest sum beach I've ever seen or if it's a normal sized dude and a 320 bull.

 

 

Camo dude looks a little like Big Browns.

[Capt. Don Martin]

FYI, hunter is Patrick Scrogin, a Wounded Warrior and the smaller guy is Cody Jalbert, one of my guides at Arizona Wildlife Outfitters. This is a bull that Patrick took on a early rifle hunt in Unit 10 last year.

 

Guy is a stud! They hiked over 30 miles in 4 days on this hunt.

 

They had this bull opening day. but passed hoping to find one larger and not broken.

 

Didn't happen. They relocated and got him on the morning of the 4th day.

 

Was just on the Sportsman Channel, Long Range Pursuit and was a Gunwerks production.

 

As to Boquillas Ranch situation, I filed a public records request and am getting the 2015 contract for the ranch.

 

Would you believe that right now there is no 2016 signed agreement, but it is believed everyone agrees and it will be signed next week.

 

To all the conspiracy theorists, think the the reason the draw results haven't came out is because the Department is waiting on that agreement to be signed?

 

Department would be hard pressed to recall 1,000-1,1000 elk tags in Unit 10 IF that agreement isn't signed.

 

Would cost the Department about $200,000 too in lost revenue.

 

But it seems it is a done deal.

 

I've asked for and hope to get a copy of the agreement.

 

I have a good idea what it says, but will wait until I have a copy before I share, just in case I'm wrong.

[Chris]

Have you written a letter to them and gotten a response on any subject?

[Capt. Don Martin]

Chris, I wrote a letter to Director Voyles, and as of today, no response.

 

I sent emails to EACH of the G&F Commissioners, as of today, not response!

 

I have spoken to Mr. Jim DeVos, from the Department. The 2015 contract will be sent to me. When the 2016 contract is signed and in hand, I'

ll get that too.

[8OWHUNT247]

I saw that episode of Long Range.. Well earned bull right there.

[Chris]

This has been my observation on G&F....

 

I think the Game and Fish pretend to accept the publics input. They just want to do, whatever it takes to pump money to the house!

[muledeerarea33?]

They're too busy reading the 2016 elk thread, jump on over fellas, free beer over there

[105Coues]

Chris, I wrote a letter to Director Voyles, and as of today, no response.

 

I sent emails to EACH of the G&F Commissioners, as of today, not response!

 

I have spoken to Mr. Jim DeVos, from the Department. The 2015 contract will be sent to me. When the 2016 contract is signed and in hand, I'

ll get that too.

Don't feel like the lone ranger my friend, i too wrote every member of the commission concerning the outrageous fees and about the situation and received no response from any of them. I guess this shows where we rate. I explained to them once again that making these deals is a dangerous game and will result with more people extorting money from hunters. I so wanted to put in for 10 archery again but this obviously discouraged me, only to hear they cut a deal later.