The next commission meeting will be held Sept. 5-6 at the department’s Pinetop regional office located at 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd., Pinetop, AZ 85935. Friday’s meeting starts at 10 a.m. with an executive session, followed by the public meeting. Some of the topics to be covered include litigation reports, quarterly budget review, notice of [...]

Participation indicates program accommodates future hunters Time constraints and a reliance on technology have impacted all aspects of society, and the educational arena is no exception. Internet-based education programs, including hunter education, have evolved to better accommodate students’ schedules and learning needs in today’s fast-paced world. The Arizona Game and Fish Department introduced its online [...]

Shawn Wagner, Region I Pinetop wildlife manager, was recently honored as “Wildlife Manager of the Year” by the department and as the “Pogue-Elms Officer of the Year” by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA). “Wagner is an exceptional credit to the department,” says Bob Birkeland, wildlife manager supervisor. “He was nominated for [...]

The 2008 Arizona Big Game Super Raffle (AZBGSR) was held July 19 in Phoenix and nine lucky ticket holders walked away with a special big game tag and the chance at a hunt-of-a-lifetime, and one took home a fine optics package. The winners are: * Cal Sutton, Peoria – Antelope * Dwight Callahan, Gold Canyon [...]

Are you searching for some information on elk hunting? Do you want to find all you can about junior hunting stories? Well, now you can. The entire archives of Hunting Highlights have been added to its new blog Web site. What’s nice about it is the convenience of categorizing by topic and date of entry, [...]

The Association for Conservation Information (ACI), awarded the department’s Hunting Highlights e-newsletter a second place for design and information in the “Big Idea, Small Budget” category. This is the second award in as many years for Hunting Highlights. The Association for Conservation Information is a non-profit association of information and education professionals representing state, federal [...]

Answer: Provided by Gene Elms, law enforcement branch chief The ammo the statute is referring to is an entirely metal bullet and does not exhibit any of the characteristics of a mushroomed lead bullet on impact. These rounds were outlawed for hunting because they do not create a substantial wound for harvesting an animal humanely. [...]

The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s volunteer program provides opportunities for volunteers to participate firsthand in managing Arizona’s wildlife resources. Our goal is to provide you with a congenial and cooperative atmosphere where you can build relationships with staff and other volunteers, as well as gain knowledge about Arizona wildlife and wildlife management. We recognize [...]

Want to learn how to hunt tree squirrels? The Arizona Game and Fish Department will conduct a free small game hunting camp on Oct. 10 and 11 in the White Mountains to provide Arizona youth and others with the basic skills they need to successfully pursue tree squirrels. The program will also provide an overview [...]

Do you know a young hunter that would like to go big game hunting? Here is the perfect hunting trip for a youngster fresh out of hunter education class. There are almost 2,000 fall javelina tags available for junior hunters. The permits are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The majority of the hunts are [...]

New regulations affecting off-highway vehicle use will go into effect Jan. 1, 2009, thanks to a joint effort between Arizona sportsmen and off-highway vehicle (OHV) user groups. OHVs are defined as those machines primarily designed by the manufacturer for off-highway use and weighing 1,800 pounds or less. New requirements include: Purchase of an annual sticker [...]

First-ever juniors-only over-the-counter spring turkey tags Temperatures of 100 degrees often bring on the need to hibernate indoors. However, even without the scorching weather, children are spending more of their time indoors, in front of computers, TVs and video games. In an effort to curb this “nature deficit disorder” (which has been linked to a [...]

Thirteen-year-old Sam Wrasse has always shown an interest for hunting, which is unusual, since he comes from a non-hunting family. My brother Grant, and Sam’s father, Clayton, have been business partners for a long time, so Sam was always around to hear our hunting adventures. With his dad’s blessing, Sam started going with us on [...]

Did you know that increased gasohol demand and the bountiful dove hunting opportunities in central Arizona this year for the Sept. 1-15 early season have something in common? They do. According to an article published by the Arizona Farm Bureau written by George Frisvold, a professor of agriculture at the University of Arizona, for the [...]

There is nothing like the feeling of shooting a dove at first light on a humid Arizona morning, but sometimes, the best part of the hunt is sharing your harvest with close friends and family members. Here is a tried and true recipe, guaranteed to get you excited about that 3 a.m. wakeup. Using filleted [...]

Okay, this issue is not all about doves, but that’s where we’ll start. The season opener kicks off Sept. 1 and coincides with Labor Day this year. This year should prove to be one to be remembered, for two significant reasons: rain and grain. Don’t miss the dove hunting outlook article by Rory Aikens to [...]

Spring hunt draw regulations are now posted online Hunters can start applying for Arizona’s spring 2009 hunts Aug. 22, 2008 PHOENIX –  Arizona’s spring 2009 hunt draw regulations have been posted on the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Web site at www.azgfd.gov/draw. Hunters can now start applying for the spring hunts for turkey, javelina, buffalo and bear. [...]

Volunteer opportunities for hunters By Les Bell, volunteer coordinator, Arizona Game and Fish Department The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s volunteer program provides opportunities for volunteers to participate firsthand in managing Arizona’s wildlife resources. Our goal is to provide you with a congenial and cooperative atmosphere where you can build relationships with staff and other [...]

Commission approves budget, dove orders, special big game tags and more at June meeting By Doug Burt, public information officer, Arizona Game and Fish Department Last week’s Arizona Game and Fish Commission meeting proved to be more than just a routine gathering in an air conditioned auditorium during blazing 110-degree June temperatures. In addition to [...]

Early forecast – small game hunting Story and photos by Rory Aikens, public information officer, Arizona Game and Fish Department There is some good news for dove hunters. Super abundant winter and early spring rains last year resulted in a robust seed crop in the desert. This should result in a nice fat population of [...]