Interesting article regarding the new Boquillas agreement

[bonecollector777]

Check it out. http://kdminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=74&SubSectionID=604&ArticleID=69876

Seems like the department just took out $55,000 from the special fund they get from auction tags and paid off the ranch in the form of a "project".

I don't hunt unit ten and while I'm happy guys get to still hunt it I think it was more the department seeing revenue going down when people stopped putting in for unit 10. They claim they fought for us the hunters but seems like all it did was benefit the department and the Boquillas Ranch with a $55,000 loan. Who even knows what the money will go towards there. Either way it will just be free money for the ranch to benefit themselves. Think of all the projects that could have been done around the state with $55,000.

[azpredator@work]

My son and niece drew rifle bull tags. My niece's sister and parents are super excited and are going with us. I'll have to weigh the gas & travel time of camping off the ranch and driving into it everyday vs the $650 fee to have everyone camp together on the ranch. UGH! Only thing worse is not having a tag...

[bonecollector777]

My son and niece drew rifle bull tags. My niece's sister and parents are super excited and are going with us. I'll have to weigh the gas & travel time of camping off the ranch and driving into it everyday vs the $650 fee to have everyone camp together on the ranch. UGH! Only thing worse is not having a tag...

I think whether you camp on it or not you all will have to pay the fee to hunt on it. Or is there a separate fee to pay for camping?

[firstcoueswas80]

Check it out. http://kdminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=74&SubSectionID=604&ArticleID=69876

Seems like the department just took out $55,000 from the special fund they get from auction tags and paid off the ranch in the form of a "project".

I don't hunt unit ten and while I'm happy guys get to still hunt it I think it was more the department seeing revenue going down when people stopped putting in for unit 10. They claim they fought for us the hunters but seems like all it did was benefit the department and the Boquillas Ranch with a $55,000 loan. Who even knows what the money will go towards there. Either way it will just be free money for the ranch to benefit themselves. Think of all the projects that could have been done around the state with $55,000.

 

The only way the department would see Revenue going down is if people only applied for Unit 10 and then they stopped applying in general because of the mess up in 10.

[bonecollector777]

 

Check it out. http://kdminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=74&SubSectionID=604&ArticleID=69876

Seems like the department just took out $55,000 from the special fund they get from auction tags and paid off the ranch in the form of a "project".

I don't hunt unit ten and while I'm happy guys get to still hunt it I think it was more the department seeing revenue going down when people stopped putting in for unit 10. They claim they fought for us the hunters but seems like all it did was benefit the department and the Boquillas Ranch with a $55,000 loan. Who even knows what the money will go towards there. Either way it will just be free money for the ranch to benefit themselves. Think of all the projects that could have been done around the state with $55,000.

The only way the department would see Revenue going down is if people only applied for Unit 10 and then they stopped applying in general because of the mess up in 10.

I figured if they couldn't get the agreement done not only would some people stop putting in but they would be forced to drop tag numbers or all the elk and antelope outside the ranch would get massacred. I'd imagine there would be a lot less tags if they hadn't come to an agreement. Even if it was just 250 elk tags and a few antelope tags and probably a lot of deer tags that could be over $50,000 of lost money due to decrease in tags.

[208muley]

Just another government agency doing what government agencies do......... Whatever they want with no checks or oversight by the people they work for....... US.... guess its better to ask for forgiveness than permission.. Once the truth comes out of course.

[Str8Shot]

Just another way for the ranch to extort Hunters $$$$$$$ without them knowing .... How about the state, not renew grazing rights for the trust land portions of the ranch and fine them up the butt until they understand that 30 - 40% of that ranch is land that all are entitled to use with a hunting license ... If their operating cost goes up due to herd size, hunters are the solution and they know that ... So here let me pay you for helping you.. makes a whole lot of fudging sense

[Str8Shot]

LMAO .. After my Post this is what I got in my inbox ... Won't bother sharing the Senders Name.

" In some states you can not even hunt on state trust lands. In New Mexico the game commission leases the state trust lands for hunting. In Colorado the commission also leases the state trust lands for hunting for a dollar an acre per year. In Montana if you want to hunt on state trust lands you have to pay an extra $2.00 on your hunting license.

You are obviously to young to know much about the history of elk numbers in unit 10. 1989 there was a little over a 100 permits for elk in unit 10. In 1994 there was 300 plus permits for elk in unit 10, each year after 1994 the elk permits increased each year to 2016. 2016 elk permit numbers are 2750. Elk permits go up when the elk herd increases, a very simple equation. The G&F grew the elk herd on purpose for there benefit and hunter opportunity, at the expense of a very large private business ranching operation, which supplies all of the habitat and water for all wildlife and cattle.

G&F make's almost a half a million dollars a year off of the Boquillas ranch in license, and permit sales, and application fee's, this number is just for the hunters that were drawn and hunted on the ranch. If you factored in all applicants that applied for unit 10 but were not drawn and counted the entire unit 10 permits and applicants the dollar figure that G&F generates is between 1.6 and 1.8 million dollars.

G&F is mandated by law to manage all wildlife on all lands. Looks like they did not fallow there mandate very well when they let the elk herd grow on purpose to today's levels "

 

First off - I am 42 and was Born and Raised in Arizona ...

 

Second - The Arizona Elk Heard has grown from a transplant of 83 Elk in just a little over a century ... During that Time G&F has managed the numbers and at times had to cut most Tag numbers to ensure the size and growth of the heard... Little Known Secret Elk BREED ! Especially in Good Habitat !

 

Third ... Elk Tags in the 80's were still pretty low and Though the demand was not what it is today ... Getting a Tag meant Just as Much Back then Numbers of Tags did not really start increasing at the rate they are today until The

late 80's early 90's ... Do you think the reason for this is in part to the migration , extended range and the Mortality rate in Units like 10 ? I DO !

 

Fourth - Big Bo was not owned by the Navajo Nation Until 1991 nor Ran by the Current Lessee ( think they came in Late 90's) none the less both were aware of the current population, as I am sure they were aware of how the population was growing as was the Want and Demand for Arizona Elk Tags ...

 

Fifth - Hunt Access issues have been ongoing since the early 2000's

 

Sixth - During the 2000's many projects took place at the cost of G&F as well as the volunteering of Hunters to improve infrastructure and keep access

 

Seventh - G&F make their Money from the opportunity to Hunt the ELK that belong to all the Tax Payers of Arizona ... Not because of Biq Bo (They do not own the Elk, just like they do not Own 30% of the land they try to lock up or charge For) ...

 

Lastly - At no Time That I have known has Big Bo requested a Depredation Hunt , claiming that the heard is having Such impact on the carrying capacity when combined with the number of head they are pasturing.

 

Why do you think that is ? Maybe because Depredation Hunts are Tags filled by any Joe blow Hunter and They have to Grant Access ?

 

Fact remains. The Herd growth through the 70's and 80's had grown much larger and much further north and west than I bet the old Timers Hunting muleys there in the 60's would have thought... But by the time the current Extortionists Had control, The herd was Growing along with Demand for Tags .. You would have to be an idiot to think the idea of making money off of Hunters sometime in the future was not already spinning in their heads.

 

THIS IS NOT SOME STATES >>> THIS IS ARIZONA !!!!!

[ThomC]

The state land dept needs to charge more for grazing. Then there would be more for schools. Vote no on 123. Don't let the state land dept sell state land to developers and big ranchers.

[Red Sparky]

Let's get NM right. The state game commission pays the state land office money to allow hunters to hunt state land office land with a valid license. If you want to take your kids with you onto SLO land you can't unless they have a hunting license. This is based on a yearly lease even though hunters may use the land for only two weeks. You have to follow all SLO rules which means no camping on SLO land. The game commission pays for all SLO land but if the land is landlocked by private land, you can't hunt it unless you get permission to cross the private land. Corner hopping is not legal here which means you can't access a lot of land. That means hunters are paying for about half the land they can't use.

 

If the primary lessee of they land says it will interfere with their operations, you can't access the land even if there is public access. The SLO needs to work to get more access to SLO land for hunters but that isn't going to happen.

[D.F.M.]

55,000 you don't say , Plus a charge to hunt on that property ? I could be wrong but something doesn't smell right?

[Millhouse]

"G&F make's almost a half a million dollars a year off of the Boquillas ranch in license, and permit sales, and application fee's, this number is just for the hunters that were drawn and hunted on the ranch."

 

-Sorry, but I call BS on this one....Must be doing some of that funny math.....

[elkaholic]

1600 cow elk tag sell for $240,000 approx. that's just 2 rifle cow hunts in 10 - they been doing it for over 10 yrs- sure not all hunters hunt the bo but you get the idea

 

a lot more money then you think

 

 

 

they have cashed in on the big herds - they are long gone

[mbiewer]

Let's get NM right. The state game commission pays the state land office money to allow hunters to hunt state land office land with a valid license. If you want to take your kids with you onto SLO land you can't unless they have a hunting license. This is based on a yearly lease even though hunters may use the land for only two weeks. You have to follow all SLO rules which means no camping on SLO land. The game commission pays for all SLO land but if the land is landlocked by private land, you can't hunt it unless you get permission to cross the private land. Corner hopping is not legal here which means you can't access a lot of land. That means hunters are paying for about half the land they can't use.

 

If the primary lessee of they land says it will interfere with their operations, you can't access the land even if there is public access. The SLO needs to work to get more access to SLO land for hunters but that isn't going to happen.

Don't know anything about NM... but I can show you tracts of public lands that are inaccessible due to private land encircling it.

 

Had deer tags in 20c this past fall. Another hunter stopped by the cattle outfit to ask for permission to cross to the public land behind the ranch.

 

"no, that's my family's private hunting ground"

"it's public land though...."

"if you don't like it, buy the ranch"

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

I think they should remove the Big Bo from the hunt unit and refuse to allow any animals to be killed on that ranch (since we own the animals).... after it begins to affect the grazing they will quit their extortion game and let us all back on.... might take 5-10 years but they did it to Fain Ranch years ago and it worked... so do it again I say....