Az. Game & Fish Public Meeting!!

coueskiller · Jan 16, 2006

Hey Guys,
The meeting in Mesa is tonight and Flagstaff is tomorrow night @ 7pm. Those of you who like to hunt Archery bull in Sept. and rifle Coues in Dec. need to attend these meetings as the AZGFD is proposing to move 50% of the Sept. archery bull tags to archery any elk tags in late Nov. and to move 90% of the Dec. coues tags to earlier hunts on Oct. & Nov. This is a major issue that will have a huge impact on draw odds and hunt quality in our state so I ask of you to please take one night out of the year to atted these meetings, you think it's hard to draw these tags now, can you imagine how hard it will be if these changes are approved!!!!! If anyone has any questions on meeting times,dates or locations feel free to email me and I will get you the info.

Geoff

[email protected]

tooele · Jan 17, 2006

So where is the meeting address etc.

T

coueskiller · Jan 17, 2006

Mesa meeting tonight @ 7pm at the AZGFD office located at 7200 East University.

Flagstaff Meeting tomorrow @ 7pm at the AZGFD office located at 3500 South Lake Mary Rd.

Geoff

sremim · Jan 17, 2006

I would love to be there however I am going to school out of state and obviously cannot go. I would send them my concerns on their website however, I believe it is a waste of time and effort. Do you really think they care what people send them on the internet? Throw in an extra word on behalf of us who have a legit reason for not being there. I oppose both measures.

coueskiller · Jan 17, 2006

Sorry to hear you feel that way Sremim, I just hope guys like you are few and far between!! Thanks for your help in this matter.

Geoff

caelkhnter · Jan 17, 2006

I live in Ca and cannot make the meetings. However and notwithstanding Sremmin's view, I think it is important for all of us to give as much input as we can. I hope those that can't attend have responded to the elk survey. The last thing anyone would want to say is that the changes did happen and you did not try your best to prevent it or at least give your 2 cents on the matter. Of course if no one takes the time or makes the effort to get involved, the the change will probably happen. You might as well try to have an impact even if you think it is unlikely to change the result. Then you can at least say you got involved and did try.

sremim · Jan 17, 2006

You're sorry I feel what way? That they don't look at what comes to them over the internet? It's true. They don't. It is better coming to them in person. Sorry I asked for you to voice for those of us who cannot make it.

sremim · Jan 17, 2006

By the way, I have sent them my opinions on the matter, and have taken the elk survey.

coueskiller · Jan 17, 2006

sremim thanks for taking the time to take the survey and email the AZGFD with your comments. I will speak for all of us at the flagstaff meeting tomorrow.

Geoff

caelkhnter · Jan 17, 2006

sremim I did not mean to imply that I thought you were doing less than what you could on the matter. I think you have and are, that is great. I was just trying to get the point across that even if someone agrees with you, that the game and fish do not take serious the input made via the net, that like you they should try anyway because you could be wrong and it might make a difference. In other words lets all give our input ,via internet or in person or whatever !

HullinPhx · Jan 18, 2006

So did anyone go to the meeting last night? How did it go?

coueskiller · Jan 18, 2006

Well we had a great turn out last night in Flagstaff with 55 - 60 people showing up for the meeting!! Votes were taken on the Archery elk and coues deer hunt structure changes with the results of 95% of us opposed the commission's recomended hunt structure changes! Let's just hope they listen to the public's opinion and leave these hunt's as they have been in the past! OH and by the way the Dept. went so far as to tell us this wasn't about the MONEY,quote" This is not a money issue, the AZGFD does not need the money" YEAH RIGHT!!!!!!

Geoff

HullinPhx · Jan 18, 2006

Thanks for the update Geoff!!!

opportunist · Jan 19, 2006

I hear they want to add a 4th Coues hunt in some units, taking most of the December tags away and cut the archery Javelina and winter deer seasons back by 2-3 weeks.

December Coues deer tags are going to become as coveted and hard to draw as a late season mule deer tag.

http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2682

sremim · Jan 19, 2006

Thanks for the support. If they don't need the money they don't need to raise tag fees. Right.

redrabbit · Jan 19, 2006

At last night's G&F meeting in Flagstaff, the publications handed out said G&F wants 5-10% of the WT tags in the late season (alternative deer management plan handout, and stated in Guidelines and Recommendations handout), up to 10% of the permits offered during December(in letter from Leonard Ordway, Game Branch Chief). Brian Wakeling of G&F stated they would like to see the December tag numbers around 10%, and those units with 6% now could (note: not would) see an increase.

For 2005, the % of December tags ran from 0% to 10.3% (my calculations)
Unit 29=5.3%, 30A=8.3%, 30B=0%, 31=4.8%, 32=6.4%, 33=6.75%, 34A=1.4%, 34B=4.3%, 35A=8.3%, 35B=5.9%, 36A=5.5%, 36B=7%, 36C=10.3%

If they hold to 5-10%, some units should see an increase. If they want to increase opportunity in the south, some could see an decrease in the December tags and still be in the 5-10% range.

The big shift in tags from December will be for the central AZ units. In the Hunt Guidelines, units 6A, 21, 24A, 24B are proposed to have Nov 10-19 and Dec 22-31 whitetail hunts. Units 22, 23, 27, 28 have proposed Oct 27-Nov 5 and Dec 22-31 hunts. Unit 6B has Nov 3-9 and Dec 22-31 listed. No units have four WT hunts listed (as some have said).

95% plus of the attendees at last nights meeting in Flag were opposed to the restructuring of the WT tags and of the Archery elk tags.

Email address to send your comments to G&F is
[email protected]

You can fax your comments to 602-789-3929