This article was written by Jim Heffelfinger, game specialist in the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Tucson region, and Brian Wakeling, the department’s big game management program supervisor. The article was originally published (abbreviated version) in the September-October 2008 issue of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine.

“Changing Seasons: Hunting seasons, that is “
by Jim Heffelfinger and Brian Wakeling

No one likes change. It is disruptive, different and scary. Psychologists define stress as a person’s physical and psychological response to change. So there you have it: Change = Stress.

But without change, things never get better. Hunter participation has been decreasing for decades, and wildlife conservation needs hunters. Hunters are not only important because they generate funding and volunteers to work on wildlife conservation projects, but because they provide political support for important legislative issues. They also remind others that wildlife is significant and that it positively affects one’s quality of life. Watching hunter participation wane provides inspiration for change.

In game management, we remain responsive to what is happening on the ground, yet we must think ahead to fulfill our duty as stewards of wildlife populations. “Managing Today for Wildlife Tomorrow” is more than a catchy slogan plastered on our trucks. The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation was built as a system by which hunters’ dollars are used to fund research, protect wildlife and habitat and help us plan future management based on what we’ve learned from past research and experience. The model remains relevant today because people value wildlife. No one else has agreed to pay the tab covered by hunters, anglers and recreational shooters since the model’s inception.

It is simple. To make this system of conservation thrive, we need more hunters. To get more hunters, we need more chances for people to hunt.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department convened a team of wildlife managers, field supervisors and game specialists in March 2007 to look for ways to increase Arizonans’ chances for hunting without negatively impacting wildlife populations. In June 2007, the team shared its findings at 11 public meetings statewide and on the department’s Web site. Public comments were encouraged and accepted by fax, e-mail and mail. The Arizona Game and Fish Commission acted on these findings, specifically our recommended hunt guidelines, during its August 2007 meeting.

These new hunt guidelines allow more people to go hunting, but because of the innovative ideas generated by the team, these structures often reduced the number of people afield at the same time. When it comes to preserving our hunting heritage and maintaining the most successful system of wildlife conservation in the world, the more hunter-conservationists we have participating, the brighter the future looks for wildlife.

We are going to highlight the significant changes adopted by the Commission in relation to deer seasons, elk, buffalo, fall javelina, fall turkey and tree squirrel seasons, and share the rationale the department used in making these recommendations. An abbreviated version of this article was published in the September–October issue of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine.