Arizona Game and Fish Commission sets 2009 fall hunts
Enhances first-come, first-serve system for leftover permit-tags
The Arizona Game and Fish Commission approved the remaining big game fall hunting seasons for deer, turkey, javelina, bighorn sheep, buffalo, bear and mountain lion at its April 18 meeting in Phoenix.
The application deadline to apply for a hunt permit-tag is Tuesday, June 9 by 7 p.m. (MST), Postmarks do not count, and there is no online process available. You can start applying once the regulations are posted on the department's Web site at
www.azgfd.gov/draw.
Draw application instructions, season dates, permit numbers, hunt numbers and other draw related information will be published in the 2009-2010 Arizona Hunting and Trapping
Regulations booklet that should be available for download at www.azgfd.gov/draw the last week in April. Printed copies of the booklet should be available at all Department offices and license dealers statewide no later than the second full week in May. To apply for a 2009-10 fall hunt permit-tag, paper applications must be used - no online application service is available.
Applicants should note, there is a new P.O. Box for submitting hunt permit applications and the new address should be reflected on the new envelopes. The new address is Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn.: Drawing Section, PO Box 74020, Phoenix, AZ 85087-1052. However, applications mailed to the old address will be automatically forwarded to the new address.
Another date to remember is ? May 28 ? which is the end of the application grace period. During the grace period, if you apply for one of the remaining fall hunts and make a mistake on the application, the department will attempt to call you three times in a 24-hour period and allow you the opportunity to correct the mistake. After that date, mistakes can cause your application to be rejected.
New for this season is a dual method and schedule for applying for leftover tags on a first-come, first serve basis. In an effort to streamline the process and reduce the waiting time, hunters will have the option to buy a leftover permit-tag at department offices - after a by-mail-only grace period.
?The mail-only process didn't allow hunters to take advantage of a last minute openings in their schedule to go hunting, because we couldn't process the paperwork quick enough, said Brain Wakeling chief of game management. ?With this improvement, they can go to their local department office, see what hunts are available and buy it right there over-the-counter. This is a huge improvement in removing a barrier to hunter recruitment and retention.?
For first-come, first-serve leftover tags for fall 2009-10 hunts paper applications are accepted by mail only starting Aug. 3 after 8 a.m. Beginning Aug. 10 at 8 a.m. hunt permit-tags can be obtained at any department office or by the mail application process.
Another change worth noting is the deadline to apply for a pheasant permit is now the same as the fall draw deadline of June 9 by 7 p.m. MST. Pheasant hunters are to use the same application materials as the fall big game hunts with the new deadline date.
TONY MANDILE
How To Hunt Coues Deer