With deadline approaching, be certain your application is submitted on time by dropping it off to the nearest department office, along with one (or more) of your used outdoor-related magazines to any department office.

In an effort to bring the great outdoors and hunting heritage to U.S. military personnel overseas serving our country, the department has teamed up with the nonprofit organization, Outdoor Experience 4 All, by providing magazine collection points at all department offices through the spring draw deadline. Outdoor Experience 4 All has arranged to have all the donated magazines packed up and sent overseas to the troops while they are away. To learn more about the magazine drive, contact www.outdoorexperienceforall.org.

There are Arizona Game and Fish locations in Phoenix, Mesa, Flagstaff, Pinetop, Kingman, Tucson and Yuma. For addresses, visit www.azgfd.gov/offices.

For more information about hunting and the big game draw process, visit www.azgfd.gov/hunting.

• Year-round: Rabbit season (cottontail and jackrabbits)
• Sept. 1: Dove season
• Sept. 5-6: Robbins Butte juniors-only dove hunt
• Oct. 2: Squirrel season
• Oct. 2: Quail season (excluding Mearns’)
• Nov. 20: Dove late season
• Nov.27:  Mearns’ quail season

Many of these hunts require a hunt permit-tag allocated through the drawing process. Hunters can submit an application as soon as the regulations are posted on the department’s Web site.

Applications must be received by U.S. mail or hand delivered by Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. (MST) and postmarks do not count. There is no online application system. For more details about applying for a tag through the draw, visit www.azgfd.gov/draw.

The good news is the commission continues to offer hunts not tied to the lottery process. There are many nonpermit-tags for direct purchase over-the-counter at any license dealer, including the juniors-only spring turkey season, the archery-only javelina hunts in metro units, as well as general and archery-only spring bear seasons.

First introduced in the spring of 2009, the over-the-counter juniors-only turkey hunt is a big success, with excellent participation and an overwhelming support from the sportsmen’s community.

To facilitate the new program, the department partnered with many organizations and hosted a couple of mentored hunting camps to encourage beginning young hunters to get involved. These camps were so successful that there will be three camps during the opening weekend in the spring of 2010.

If you’re a new hunter, you can find out more about these event and more like them at www.azgfd.gov/hunting and check out the “Mentored Hunting & Juniors-only Events 2009-10 Season” feature on the right side of the page.

Kids 14 and under interested in getting started in hunting big game, such as javelina, turkey, deer, and are required to take an Arizona certified hunter education course.

The department offers a variety of courses from the introductory course, combo course to the latest online self-paced course. Each offers plenty of lessons in addition to hunter and firearm safety.

If you are planning a hunt in the spring, now is the time to get your hunter education completed. To find a class near you that suits your schedule, visit www.azgfd.gov/education and select “Hunter Education.”

The season begins Oct. 9 in the mountain zone and Oct. 23 in the desert zone. The mountain zone season ends Jan. 17 while the desert zone ends Jan. 31. However, for scaup ducks, the season is only 86 days, with a delayed start but ending at the same time in each of the zones.

There are two other changes, canvasback ducks are legal to take this year (last year was closed) and the bag for pintail has been increased from one to two.

Included in the regulations are two juniors-only hunts. There is an early season junior hunt Oct. 3-4 in the mountain zone, and then a late season junior hunt Feb. 6-7, 2010 in the desert zone. Both hunts are great opportunities for kids, 17 and under, to have the field to themselves.
While it may come as a surprise, Arizona offers a number of good duck hunting opportunities across the state from jumping stock tanks in the desert to decoying and calling ducks over lakes, streams, and marshes.

Water conditions throughout the state are good to average, which is the key to holding ducks that migrate from the northwest. As the season progresses, keep your eye on the weather forecasts for Idaho and Utah. When those states experience freezing weather and cold fronts, Arizona will typically see new ducks arriving shortly after. To get started in duck hunting all you need is a shotgun and some non-toxic shot. However, hip waders are a great asset. After that, it is just plain addictive. There is nothing like sitting on the edge of a marsh, while the sun rises and listening to the whistling wings of ducks coming into your decoy spread.

All waterfowl hunters 14 and older need a general hunting license (those younger must be accompanied by a licensed adult). Additionally, a state waterfowl stamp and a federal duck are required for those 16 and older. For those hunting snipe, coots and moorhens a state migratory bird stamp is required for those 16 and older. New this year is an alternate duck stamp using a youngster’s artwork from the federal duck stamp contest; however, it is only available at the Phoenix Game and Fish office. Regular Arizona duck stamps are available at most retailers who sell licenses.

To learn more about waterfowl hunting, visit www.azgfd.gov/hunting and select “Waterfowl Hunting.”
2010 Spring Turkey, Javelina, Buffalo and Bear

This may be summer, but there is an interesting way to have autumn and spring on your mind.

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission on Aug. 1 approved the hunting regulations for the upcoming waterfowl season and the spring hunts for 2010. So fire up your computers on Aug. 21, which is when both regulations should be available online at www.azgfd.gov. Although it is always possible that the regulations could be posted a few days early if the stars and ducks align.

Here’s your chance to win one of Arizona’s 10 top hunts, while also contributing to wildlife conservation. It’s a win-win for everyone. But Super Raffle mail orders must be received by July 12 and online orders will be accepted at the Arizona Gig Game Super Raffle Web site until 10 p.m. July 12.

The big game tags available in the raffle are for 365 days of hunting almost anywhere in the state during the 2009-2010 hunting season, and ticket prices range from $5 to $25. Raffle tickets are offered for the following species:

• Elk
• Desert Bighorn Sheep
• Buffalo
• Antelope
• Turkey (Merriam’s or Goulds)
• Coues Whitetail
• Mule Deer
• Javelina
• Black Bear
• Mountain Lion

You can also get tickets for the incredible “Swarovski Optics Package” valued at more than $5,000. The money raised from the optics package is used to defray the costs of the raffle itself. All the money raised from the hunt raffle tickets goes directly to wildlife management efforts.

Arizona offers some of the best trophy opportunities in North America for each of these species.  A quick review of both the Boone & Crockett and Pope & Young record books will confirm this.  (Click for B&C and P&Y websites). If you are after a truly huge mule deer, elk, antelope, Coues deer, desert bighorn sheep, or buffalo, then Arizona is where you need to be.  The only huntable population of Gould’s turkeys in the United States exists in southern Arizona and can be hunted with the raffled turkey tag.

Remember, hunters are the original conservationists and have financed most of the wildlife conservation efforts in the United States for the past century. This raffle is just another creative way to raise money for these remarkable conservation efforts. It’s a proud and successful heritage.

For more information visit www.arizonabiggamesuperraffle.com.

The Arizona Deer Association is sponsoring the Great American Deer Raffle to benefit Arizona’s mule deer and Coues deer herds.

The raffle features six unique items, five of them hunts, including one for an Arizona Commissioner’s Coues deer tag. This special big game tag offers a year-long hunting season and is not limited to any one specific unit.

Tickets are available through online purchase only. The deadline is June 22. Each raffle entry is only $10, and for $50, you will be entered into all six drawings.

The drawing will be at the Arizona Deer Association’s annual fundraising banquet on June 27 at the Chaparral Suites Resort, 5001 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale.

For more information, visit www.azdeer.org.

PHOENIX – The 2009 drawing for Arizona elk and antelope hunt permit-tags has been completed, and the 117,873 applicants can now visit the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Web site at www.azgfd.gov/draw or call (602) 942-3000 and follow the prompts to see if they have been drawn.

Be prepared to provide your department identification number, plus your birth date to access your specific draw information.

Hunt permit-tags will be mailed out to successful applicants no later than April 24, 2009. Refunds for unsuccessful applicants (minus the application fee) will be mailed out to the person shown as “Applicant A” on the application form no later than April 24. Any licenses requested via the draw application process, regardless of draw success, are scheduled to be mailed out prior to April 24.

Game and Fish officials said there are 41 leftover general antlerless elk tags for limited opportunity hunts and 55 leftover archery-only antlerless elk tags for limited opportunity hunts that can be applied for by mail only beginning April 27, 2009 (first-come, first-served). The list of leftover tags is posted at www.azgfd.gov/draw. Please mail applications to Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn: Draw/1st Come, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086.

There are also two antelope permits and 57 elk permits (different permit types) remaining at Camp Navajo for those eligible. For more information, visit the Camp Navajo Web site at www.campnavajo.com or e-mail hunting@campnavajo.com.

Remember that the Arizona Game and Fish Commission will be setting the other 2009-10 big game hunts for deer, turkey, javelina, bighorn sheep, buffalo, bear and mountain lion during its Saturday, April 18 meeting at the Game and Fish headquarters on Carefree Highway just 1.5 miles west of I-17. Department recommendations for fall hunts will be available online for review on April 4 at www.azgfd.gov/h_f/hunt_guidelines.shtml.

You will be able to start applying for those hunts once the appropriate information is posted online. The anticipated deadline to apply is Tuesday, June 9 (the second Tuesday of June), pending approval of the schedule by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. As a reminder, the online application process will not be available.

There are three types of rabbits that can be hunted in Arizona: the cottontail, black-tailed jackrabbit and the towering antelope jackrabbit.

The hunting season is open all year with only cottontail rabbits having a bag limit (10 in 2008-09); there is no limit for jack rabbits.

Rabbit hunting teaches many of the same skills needed for pursuing big game, including locating game, stalking, shot placement, harvesting, field dressing, and game meat preparation.

The only equipment needed is a modest rimfire rifle (.22s and the new .17s), or for very young beginners, a small-gauged shotgun is perfect, along with a sharp knife, binoculars and water.

Youth age 13 and under (2 max.) accompanied by a licensed adult can hunt for free and without a hunting license. A general hunting license is required for those 14 and older. (Hunter Ed is not required for small game – but it is encouraged.)

For a list of Jackrabbit Jim’s hunting tips, click here.

So, hop to it!

Groundwork laid to pass down hunting heritage
Sportsmen’s groups invited to attend June 20 meeting
By Doug Burt, public information officer, AGFD

In previous issues of Hunting Highlights, we’ve discussed the issue of the future of hunting, particularly the concern about declining participation in this American tradition nationwide. Wildlife agencies and industry are working on a large scale to bring awareness to this situation and incorporate programs to reduce the trend.

Last year your Game and Fish Department created a unique group of passionate individuals to address this concern in Arizona. The Hunter Heritage Work Group (HHWG) is made up of dedicated volunteers throughout the many branches of the agency, all with one common goal – a passion for continuing the hunting and angling legacy.

The HHWG has made some great strides towards this goal by removing barriers to go hunting, increasing introductory programs, teaching new people to hunt, and sharing the message of how hunters play an important role in wildlife conservation.

However, with all great tasks, there is still much to do. Like all movements, it is at the grassroots level where change really begins. This is nothing new, and there are already many local groups promoting youth outdoor events, hunting camps and public outreach. The department is working with a number of groups on these types of programs, but “together” we can do even more.

This is why the HHWG is extending an open invitation to all sportsmen’s groups, rod and gun clubs, and conservation organizations to attend the next HHWG meeting at Vincent Ranch near Woods Canyon Lake on the Mogollon Rim, Saturday, June 20, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Many of the members will camp out Friday through Sunday to allow for some informal campfire discussions and getting to know one another.

The HHWG has two bi-annual meetings to discuss big-ticket action items. One of the main items on the table is a grant request from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). The department is requesting a grant to assist the creation of a formal Mentor Program. The goal of this program is to work with and help fund hunting organizations to start their own recruitment programs by hosting hunting camps – both small and big game – for new hunters.

Many other items will be discussed at this meeting that are of interest to all sportsmen in Arizona. If you are interested in coming to the meeting / campout, or want more information, please contact Craig McMullen at CMcMullen@azgfd.gov.

For directions to Vincent Ranch, click here.

To stay on the theme of new hunters and becoming a mentor, we’ve compiled a number of articles in this issue of Hunting Highlights geared towards helping this cause:

• Everything you need to know about the new Apprentice Hunting License and how it works.

• A look at all the smiles of the first annual junior jack rabbit hunt camp.

• A breakdown of all the details on the department’s newest youth hunting program – an over-the-counter spring turkey nonpermit-tag for 2009 is a must read for all hunters.

• A quick look at how the annual Outdoor Expo is shaping up – don’t forget to tell your neighbors.

• And game management issues that many sportsmen have expressed concern over.

Until next time, happy hunting and be safe.

Doug Burt is the department’s public information officer for hunting and shooting sports. He’s also involved in the Hunter Heritage Workgroup, which is focused on increasing public awareness, acceptance and participation in hunting. He has been an avid small game, upland and waterfowl hunter since moving to Arizona in 1986, from Michigan.

KINGMAN, Ariz.  – The Arizona Game and Fish Department is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the illegal killing of a bull elk.

The elk was shot and left to waste on Oct. 25 at the Corner Dam Tank in Game Management Unit 18A, north of I-40 off the Fort Rock exit.

The suspect vehicle is a white Ford Explorer, which was seen parked at the tank at first light on the day of the poaching.

Game and Fish officers are investigating the case.

“Leaving an animal to waste is not the act of sportsmen,” said Velma Holt, supervisor for the Kingman office’s west sector. “We understand mistakes can happen in the field and we have protocols for such cases.

“However, the most important thing is that we are able to salvage the meat of an animal and not have it go to waste, as was the case with this incident.”

Anyone with information about this poaching is asked to contact the Operation Game Thief hotline at (800) 352-0700. Caller identities will remain confidential upon request. The department is currently offering a reward up to $1,500 for information leading to the arrest of the individual(s). Callers may also contact the Game and Fish Kingman office at (928) 692-7700.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department wants to remind archery-only deer hunters with over-the-counter permits there are a number of Game Management Units that are not open hunting areas for the 2008 December hunt, as in past years.

Game Management Units 17A, 20A, 22, 23, 37A, and 42 are not included in the December 2008 archery-only season. These units will not be open until the Jan. 1-31, 2009 season.

Archery-only deer hunters are reminded to thoroughly review the 2008 Arizona Hunting and Trapping Regulations before taking to the field for their deer hunt. A 2009 general hunting license is also required to hunt beginning Jan. 1, 2009.

Harvest percentages are the reason for the structure change. In units where the archery harvest exceeded 20 percent of the overall take, the seasons have been shortened, or in some cases, they have become part of the draw system.

The reason for this change is to allocate the harvest among deer hunters in proportion to the demand for that weapon choice. In some management units, the harvest proportion for certain weapon types exceeded the demand.

The same system applies for units where the harvest is less than 10 percent of the total harvest. In those cases, the season was extended. Game Management Units 4A, 4B, 8, 9 and 19A benefitted from this and will see a new season from Jan. 1-16, 2009 for over-the-counter archery-only deer hunters.

The 2008-09 Arizona Hunting and Trapping Regulations can be viewed or downloaded from www.azgfd.gov/rules.