Tag Archives: Hunting

Ben Avery Clay Target Center offers deal for dove hunters

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PHOENIX — While practice might not make perfect when it comes to dove hunting, it sure could put more of the fast-flying, acrobatic birds in the game vest. As part of the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s “Getting Ready for Dove” campaign, the Ben Avery Clay Target Center is offering dove hunters an opportunity to sharpen their wing-shooting skills in advance of the season opener September 1.

A $5 coupon has been posted online, good for one round (25 targets) of trap, skeet or sporting clays. The coupon is valid for one visit between August 19 and September 2. Visit https://www.azgfd.com/Shooting/BACTC/ or https://www.azgfd.com/hunting/species/smallgame/dove/ to print the coupon. Or just show the coupon on your mobile device when checking in.

“We want Arizona’s dove hunters to have a successful and enjoyable season,” said Jonathan McCraw, range manager. “We’re pleased to be able to offer them an opportunity to come out and break some targets, while saving a few dollars when they bring in a printout of the online coupon or show it on their mobile device.”

“This is a great way to dust off the shotgun and squeeze in a little preseason practice.”

The Ben Avery Clay Target Center is a professionally managed public shotgun-shooting facility, located at 5060 W. Skeet St. (about 1.5 miles west of Interstate 17 on West Carefree Highway) in north Phoenix. Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday (closed Mondays through September). For more information, call (623) 434-8119, or visit https://www.azgfd.com/Shooting/BACTC/.

As a reminder, dove hunters can purchase their Arizona hunting license and Arizona migratory bird stamp online at https://license.azgfd.gov/home.xhtml. Both documents must be in a dove hunter’s possession in the field when the season opens September 1. Save time, buy online!

For more information about dove hunting, visit www.azgfd.gov/dove.

Dove, band-tailed pigeon regulations now available online

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PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Department has posted the 2017-2018 Arizona Dove and Band-tailed Pigeon Regulations online at https://www.azgfd.com/Hunting/Regulations/.

What hunters will notice right away is the new format. The color brochure is easier to read and features important hunting information, such as season dates, daily bag and possession limits, and legal requirements, at a glance. The printed version should be available at all department offices and more than 200 license dealers by mid-August.

A youth combination hunt/fish license is only $5 and includes an Arizona Migratory Bird Stamp. Hunters 18 and older who want to hunt doves and band-tailed pigeons (as well as ducks, geese, coots, snipe and common moorhens) must possess a valid Arizona hunting license, as well as an Arizona Migratory Bird Stamp for the 2017-18 season. Both can be purchased online at https://license.azgfd.gov/home.xhtml, or any department office or license dealer.

The dove season begins September 1 and runs through September 15. The late season is November 24 through January 7, 2018. The band-tailed pigeon season is Oct. 7-20. For more information about hunting doves or band-tailed pigeons, visit https://www.azgfd.com/Hunting/Species/.

2017 fall hunt draw results now available

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PHOENIX – The waiting is over for hopeful hunters who applied for a 2017 fall hunt permit-tag.

There are three ways to obtain draw results for the deer, fall turkey, fall javelina, bighorn sheep, fall bear, fall bison and pheasant seasons:

  • Sign in to your AZGFD customer portal account.
  • Visit https://draw.azgfd.gov, then click on “View Results and Bonus Points.”
  • Call (602) 942-3000 and press “2.”

A record 90 percent of all applicants applied online (131,457), compared to 10 percent who filled out a paper application (14,309).

For those who were unsuccessful in the draw process, a list of about 2,300 leftover permit-tags is posted at http://www.azgfd.gov/draw. The department will accept applications for leftover permit-tags—by mail only—beginning Monday, July 31. Leftover permit-tags will be available for purchase on a “first come, first served” basis at all department offices beginning Monday, August 7.

All permit-tags are scheduled to be mailed by Aug. 4; all refund warrants by August 11.

Game and Fish develops proposed hunt guidelines

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PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Department is seeking public comment on proposed hunt guidelines for the 2018-19 through 2022-23 hunting seasons.

The proposed guidelines were developed based on input received through written public comment and information gathered during a webinar and eight public meetings conducted statewide. The proposed guidelines can be viewed on the department’s website at http://azgfdportal.az.gov/hunting/guidelines (PDF).

Comments on the proposed guidelines may be submitted through August 2 to AZHuntGuidelines@azgfd.gov, or by mail: Hunt Guidelines, Attn.: Amber Munig, Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086.

The hunt guidelines provide the biological and social parameters used by wildlife managers to formulate the annual hunt recommendations (season structures, season lengths, season dates, permits allocated, etc.). These recommendations result in the hunts in which licensed hunters may participate. While hunting opportunity is important, wildlife is held in the public trust; therefore, using science-based principles to shape the guidelines process remains paramount to ensure healthy, sustainable and diverse wildlife populations in perpetuity.

“Your comments are important,” said Amber Munig, big game management supervisor. “The biological sideboards for managing wildlife and maintaining healthy, sustainable populations are fairly broad. Your input helps us fine-tune management within these sideboards. Please take a moment to give us your views.”

The final proposed hunt guidelines and all public comments, along with department responses to those comments, will be shared with the Arizona Game and Fish Commission at its September meeting in Flagstaff.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department does not receive general funds from the State of Arizona. The conservation and management of the state’s game animals is made possible by funding generated from the sale of hunting licenses, tags, and matching funds from the Wildlife Restoration Act, a federal excise tax that hunters and manufacturers pay on guns, ammunition and other hunting/shooting-related equipment.

Finding right outdoor skills event is a lot easier

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PHOENIX — When it comes to choosing a “how-to” outdoor skill event, one size does not fit all.

So, where does one begin? Look no further than the Arizona Game and Fish Department, along with its extensive network of partnering organizations, which offers dozens of events throughout the year to suit almost everyone’s needs through the Outdoor Skills Network.

Those events now appear in a new format, organized based on skill level and interest:

  • Introductory: No hunting or pursuit of wildlife, shooting lessons, instructional, typically one-day activity. Introductory – knowledge or information imparted.
  • Beginner: Basic take of wildlife, one-day event, pass shooting, species include dove, ducks, squirrel. Beginner – a person who is inexperienced, novice, a person who has begun a course of instruction or is learning the fundamentals.
  • Developing: Pursuit of wildlife, overnight events, remote locations, species include quail, rabbit, predators, javelina, turkey. Developing – one who is learning by practical experience under skilled workers of a trade, art or calling.
  • Intermediate: Pursuit of more challenging species, deer, elk, stalking, remote locations, overnight, a lot of field time. Intermediate – applies some already learned basic skills to adapt and meet the next level of learning, skill development.
  • Experienced: Coming soon, minimal mentoring, base camps and “meet-ups.” Experienced – having knowledge or skill in a particular field, especially a profession or job, gained over a period of time.

“We are really excited with this new format,” said Doug Burt, the department’s hunting and shooting sports program manager. “We hope it’s better for the customer to find what’s right for them.

The new format can be found on pages 24-29 of the “2017-18 Arizona Hunting Regulations” and by visiting www.azgfd.gov/OutdoorSkills.

In an ongoing effort to better serve the public, the department recently launched a new online registration system. It’s a winning combination that’s customer-focused and mobile-friendly, as well as a time-saver.

Of course, event types and descriptions are merely guidelines. Most events offer activities that are suitable for all skill levels, from hunting, fishing and shooting to learning more about wildlife, habitat and conservation.

“In the end, we want the attendee to have the right expectations and the right experience,” Burt said. “That’s the key to keeping folks engaged in hunting and traditional outdoor recreation activities.”

There is no cost to Arizona taxpayers for this program. Game and Fish does not receive any of the state’s general tax funds and operates under a user-pay, public-benefit model. The program is an investment in the continuance of wildlife conservation efforts and outdoors recreation participation in Arizona.

To learn more about how hunters, anglers, shooters and boaters fund wildlife conservation, visit www.azgfd.gov/h_f/federal-aid-cycle.shtml.

Paper applications for 2017 fall hunts now being accepted

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PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Department has posted the 2017-18 Arizona Hunting Regulations online at www.azgfd.gov/draw.

The department now is accepting paper applications for 2017 hunt permit-tags issued through the draw process for deer, fall turkey, fall javelina, bighorn sheep, fall bison and pheasant. The online application service for the draw is expected to be available in early to mid-May.

Paper applications can be mailed to: Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn.: Drawing Section, P.O. Box 74020, Phoenix, AZ 85087-1052, or dropped off at any department office statewide. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. (Arizona time) Tuesday, June 13. Paper applications must be received by the department by the deadline. Postmarks do not count.

The printed 2017-18 Arizona Hunting Regulations booklets are expected to be available in the next week or two at department offices and license dealers (PDF) statewide.

In the meantime, hunters are encouraged to open a free AZGFD customer portal account. The portal allows customers to create a secure account where they can manage and view their contact information, as well as their license and draw results history and bonus points, in their personal “My AZ Outdoors” section. A portal account is a mobile-friendly, convenient way to access the online license purchase and hunt draw application systems.

Another benefit of having a portal account is the opportunity to sign up for the “I Support Wildlife” program, which helps fund wildlife conservation in Arizona. An annual membership for $25 includes access to the new “premium” version of the Recreational Access Arizona (RAA) online mapping application, the latest fish stocking reports, an “I Support Wildlife” window decal and a one-year subscription to the award-winning Arizona Wildlife Views magazine.

The premium RAA mapping application is a significant upgrade over the free version and is a tremendous tool when planning your hunt. It is designed to work on all mobile devices (with active cell service) and lets you see your current location in reference to different data layers, including Game Management Units, wildlife waters, Arizona land ownership, an ESRI USA Topographic (USGS 24k Topo) basemap and more. Even better, the premium mapping application allows you to create your own point locations and automatically save and sync that data to all of your devices.

For questions about opening a portal account, call the department at (602) 942-3000 and press “7.”

Will open camping bring more trash?

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WILLIAMS – You might remember in January when people came to enjoy the snow. They left the area in the same condition that they would not allow at home and even report to their local police. To be fair, some of this trash is even be from locals.

The lake camp sites are starting to open later this month, but people have already started camping and trashing camp sites open along the roads.Early in April, we found this tent at a camp site we visited. It is an Ozark Trail 4 person Instant Dome Tent. The tent was actually usable except of the fiberglass rods that held the tent up. One of the rods was broken. The unfortunate design of the tent did not allow the replacement of the rod, so the happy camper just left it and the carrying case laying at the camp site.

Later in the month we found several trash bags laying at a camp site deeper in the forest. We continually find beer bottles, cans, dog bowls and other trash laying around camp sites and on trails and in the forest.

Another problem we have seen is RVs parking in parking lots designed for trails or parking to block open roads.

We welcome visitors to Williams and enjoy seeing people from all over the world. We like hunters who come to use our facilities. We ask, however, that you observe the common courtesy you expect others to show you.

  • Do not park in roadways so that you block others from using the camping sites.
  • If you hike our trails, don’t drop your water and beer bottles and cans and other trash on the ground. Pack it out.
  • Anglers please do not leave your fishing material and trash behind. Some of the lakes have tubes in which you can put fishing line. They all have trash cans. Please pick up after yourselves.
  • Do not leave your trash behind. Williams provides receptacles you can use for trash.
  • While driving, do not throw trash and cigarettes out of the window.
  • If you are having a party anywhere, do NOT release balloons into the air. They not only trash the forest, a balloon knocked out power in Bellemont when it hit a power transformer.

We ask that you keep our home clean.

2017 elk, pronghorn hunt draw results available

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PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Department has completed its 2017 hunt draw for elk and pronghorn. 

The results are available by visiting https://draw.azgfd.gov/ and scrolling down to “View results and bonus points,” or by calling the department at (602) 942-3000 and pressing “2.” 

By the numbers:
  • 25,613: The total number of permit-tags issued.
  • 172,736: The total number of those who applied for hunts or bonus points.
  • 129,743: The total number of applications submitted (paper application and online).
Permit-tags for successful applicants, along with refunds for those who were unsuccessful in the hunt draw, are expected to be mailed by Friday, April 21.
In the meantime, there are 791 leftover elk permit-tags – 731 for the minimal occurrence zone/low density (general) hunts in game management units 12A, 12B, 13A and 13B. All remaining permit-tags will be available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis as follows: 

  • By mail: Applications will be accepted by mail beginning at 8 a.m. April 24 and must be addressed to: Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn: Draw/First Come, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ  85086. Do not mail applications to a Post Office (P.O.) box.
  • In person: If any leftover permit-tags remain, they also will be available for purchase beginning at 8 a.m. May 1 at any of the seven department offices statewide. 
Some of the leftover elk tags are for Hopi hunt open areas and are available to everyone, both tribal members and non-tribal members, through the first-come, first-served process.

A number of leftover elk tags remain for military hunts at Camp Navajo, for those who qualify. For more information, visit https://dema.az.gov/army-national-guard/camp-navajo/garrison-operations/camp-navajo-hunting-information, e-mail sarah.b.golabiewski.mil@mail.mil, or call 928-773-3225. 

Now that the draw is over, it’s time to start planning that hunt. The first step is to open an AZGFD customer portal account. It’s quick, easy and – best of all – it’s free. Just visit www.azgfd.gov, click on the “Sign in to Account” button in the upper right-hand corner of the home page, then select the “Create an Account” option, filling in the requested information.

As a reminder, all fields requesting information must be completed. For example, both Social Security and Department ID fields must be completed. If your Social Security number is also your Department ID number, your Social Security number must appear in both fields.

The portal allows customers to create a secure account where they can manage and view their contact information, as well as their license and draw results history and bonus points, in their personal “My AZ Outdoors” section. A portal account is a mobile-friendly, convenient way to access the online license purchase and hunt draw application systems.

Another benefit of having a portal account is the opportunity to sign up for the “I Support Wildlife” program, which helps fund wildlife conservation in Arizona. An annual membership for $25 includes access to the new “premium” version of the Recreational Access Arizona (RAA) online mapping application, the latest fish stocking reports, an “I Support Wildlife” window decal and a one-year subscription to the award-winning Arizona Wildlife Views magazine.

The premium RAA mapping application is a significant upgrade over the free version and is a tremendous tool when planning your hunt. It is designed to work on all mobile devices (with active cell service) and lets you see your current location in reference to different data layers, including Game Management Units, wildlife waters, Arizona land ownership, an ESRI USA Topographic (USGS 24k Topo) basemap and more. Even better, the premium mapping application allows you to create your own point locations and automatically save and sync that data to all of your devices.

“I Support Wildlife” bridges the widening gap between wildlife facing new threats and a sharp increase in the cost of conservation. The department receives no Arizona tax dollars to support its mission to conserve and protect more than 800 wildlife species, the most of any non-coastal state in the U.S.   

For questions about opening a customer portal account, call the department at (602) 942-3000 and press “7.”

2017 fall hunt recommendations now posted on AZGFD website

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s 2017 fall hunt recommendations for deer, turkey, javelina, bighorn sheep, bison, bear and mountain lion are now available online at www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines.

A series of six “open houses,” where constituents can review and ask questions about the proposed recommendations, will begin next week at Game and Fish regional offices statewide. No formal presentations are planned.

  • Thursday, March 30: 3-5 p.m., Kingman, 5325 N. Stockton Hill Road.
  • Thursday, March 30: 4:30-6:30 p.m., Mesa, 7200 E. University Drive.
  • Friday, March 31: 3-5 p.m., Tucson, 555 N. Greasewood Road.
  • Tuesday, April 4: 3-5 p.m., Pinetop, 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd.
  • Tuesday, April 4: 3-5 p.m., Yuma, 9140 E. 28th St.
  • Wednesday, April 5: 6-8 p.m., Flagstaff, 3500 S. Lake Mary Road.

The department annually makes recommendations to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission regarding the management of game species, which establish the seasons, dates, bag limits, open areas and permit-tag allocations based on the framework of the hunt guidelines set by the commission every two years.

The proposed recommendations will be presented to the commission for consideration during the Saturday, April 8, portion of its April 7-8 meeting at Game and Fish headquarters, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, in Phoenix. The agenda will be posted at https://www.azgfd.com/Agency/Commission.

Six public forums scheduled for fall hunt recommendations

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department has scheduled six public forums to meet with constituents about developing the 2017 fall hunt recommendations for deer, bighorn sheep, turkey, javelina, bison, bear, mountain lion, and small game animals.

The department annually makes recommendations to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission regarding the management of game species for the annual hunting and trapping regulations, which establish the seasons, dates, bag limits, open areas, and hunt permit-tag allocations based on the framework of the hunt guidelines set by the commission every two years.

The meetings will be conducted from 6 to 8 p.m. at these Game and Fish regional offices:

Wednesday, Feb. 22: Kingman, 5325 N. Stockton Hill Road
Tuesday, Feb. 28: Flagstaff, 3500 S. Lake Mary Road
Thursday, March 2: Pinetop, 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd.
Thursday, March 2: Mesa, 7200 E. University Drive
Thursday, March 2: Yuma, 9140 E. 28th St.
Monday, March 6: Tucson, 555 N. Greasewood Road​​​​​​​

Constituents who are interested in specific game management units within those regions will have the opportunity to discuss management direction.

“The meetings allow sportsmen and other members of the public to stay informed and provide input on the hunt recommendations,” said Amber Munig, big game management supervisor. “We will be discussing the direction for the recommendations based on survey data, harvest rates and the hunt guidelines. We won’t be proposing permit numbers at this point, but we will generally discuss where permit numbers might be headed.”

After the public forums have been completed, the final proposed draft hunt recommendations will be made available for public review at several regional open houses and posted on the department’s website at www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines in late March.

The final fall hunt recommendations will be presented to the commission for consideration at its April 8 meeting in Phoenix.

To learn more about the hunt recommendations and hunt guidelines processes, visit www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines.