Application deadline for 2007 antelope and elk hunts is Feb. 13
By Rory Aikens, public information officer, Arizona Game and Fish Department

Hunters can now apply for the first-ever Arizona draw specifically only for antelope and elk. The deadline to submit applications is 7 p.m. (MST) on Feb. 13. Applications must be received by the Arizona Game and Fish Department by that time; postmarks don’t count.

This is the first year with an earlier application deadline for antelope and elk. The idea of having the rescheduled draw is to let hunters know early enough whether they have been drawn for these two popular big game animals, prior to their applying for fall hunts for deer, turkey, javelina, bear and buffalo during the traditional application process in the early summer.

The 2007 Arizona Pronghorn Antelope and Elk Hunt Draw Information booklet is available at Game and Fish offices and license dealers statewide, and online at azgfd.gov.

Applicants can currently apply with paper applications. The department expects the online application option for these hunts to be available by mid-January.

The grace period for the draw will end at 5 p.m. on Jan. 19. During the grace period, if a paper hunt permit-tag application that’s manually submitted contains an error, the department will make three attempts within a 24-hour period to notify the applicant by telephone (if a phone number is provided). This allows for an application to be corrected, rather than being rejected from the draw; it also provides an incentive to get your application in early.

Don’t forget that hunt-tag fees have increased for 2007. You can find the new fee information in the draw publication for antelope and elk (pages 4 and 5) or in the 2006-2007 Arizona Hunting and Trapping Regulations – new 2007 fees table (pages 9 and 10).

Here’s a tip for your 2007 calendar; mark the second Tuesdays of February, June and October: These are the deadlines for the pronghorn antelope and elk draw; the draw for fall hunts for deer, turkey, javelina, bighorn sheep and buffalo; and the draw for spring hunts for javelina, bear, turkey and buffalo, respectively. The last two deadlines are tentative and require Arizona Game and Fish Commission approval.

Also, for those of you who don’t have javelina tags, some 2007 spring javelina tags are still available on a first-come, first-served basis. To find out what hunts have tags left, call (623) 236-7702 or visit the department’s Web site at azgfd.gov/draw.