Does this just bother me?

[HDHNTER (Guest)]

I don't know about the rest of you out there in cyberland, but I'm starting to get a little frustraded. Being from AZ, the odds of getting drawn for deer is very low. I have accepted that and have been waiting for 4 years now to get a deer tag. Then, deer season comes around and every other guy I talk to that did get drawn doesn't have time to go! What a waste of a tag! Does anyone else out there share my thoughts on this?

 

[BCWILL]

Howdy,
This very thing DRIVES ME CRAZY !
I had a buddy that put in for a Bull draw (moose) up north for the exact region I hunt and Yes he was drawn for the "Any Bull" and then decided he wasn't gonna go anyways x(
"BC" Will

 

[freedivr2]

Yep, sure does. What's even worse is that those wonderful folks who drew tags but "don't have time" to go have taken away opportunity from others who didn't get as lucky. Too bad we can't sell/transfer tags if 1) we get sick and CAN'T go or 2) just decide we don't have time. That's a shame to let a tag go to waste with other hunters w/o tags chompin at the bit for em.

 

[swish]

I'm with ya and all bet it happens alot more then we all realize. Great example, this year my hunting buddy (past hunting buddy) his son, my son and myself put in for unit 10 late bull tags. We where fortunate enough to get drawn after years of putting in and sure enough 1 week ago I got a phone call letting me know that him and his kid are not going. When I asked why, he told me just to much going on at work and he won't be able to go for the full week. Not a problem I thought at least he can come up for the weekend, but according to him it's just not enough time. Needless to say I am pretty up-set about the whole thing, 2 great tags wasted and just the 2 of us in camp.

 

[hedges]

If you know somebody who isn't going to use their tag then tell them to turn it in to the Fish and Game office. They'll give it to the next hunter in line.

 

[swish]

Unfortunatley Arizona does not allow you to turn your tag in and then re-issue it, maybe some day they will catch up with most all other western states.

 

[Could be worse. (Guest)]

Well, yes, that sucks, but I think hunter success is one of the factors in setting tag numbers. Hopefully the number of flakes averages out over the years. Now, what really sucks is when anti's with no intention of hunting draw the tags, to save an animal's life.

 

[Rockwell]

I believe the answer is to require every Az applicant to take and pass the hunter safety course before being able to apply for any big game tag. Other states require this. Why in the world doesn't Arizona? Safety first right?
Then, Arizona should require the tag money up front instead of the way they have it set up on the internet where an applicant is only out of the minimal application fee.
If these two things are done in Arizona, it would leave only the serious hunters in the pool, and omit the animal rights activists and the corn balls that apply on a whim and then decide to not go later because they have "more important" things to do.
Mike

 

[HDHNTR (Guest)]

Well said Rockwell. I too believe that would be a big deterant to the weekend warrior crowd that we get here in AZ putting in for the draw. As well as the knuckleheads that put in because it gives them a good excuse to go ride their quads in the fall.

 

[MartinHunter]

My uncle took a guy out elk hunting this year who drew a tag for an area that we had put in for and had not drawn. We know the elk here like the back of our hands because it is were we generally deer hunt. Anyways, that's the problem; his friends (2 of them) had drawn with him in his party and are not using their tags. I think they had no intention of hunting with their tags to begin with, and that they had just put in a party permit in order to boost the one hunters success at drawing. That is lame, I think.

Michael

 

[azhunter22 (Guest)]

Im from Az also and along with my brother i have put in for elk for the past 3 years he has for the past 7 and we havent got drawn. My brother puts in every year and gets drawn, he puts his 1st choice cow but he always gets drawn. I have 3 B pints and my oldest brother now has 7. My middle brother jason has only had his hunter ed point and gets drawn, he goes though . What i was getting to though is about the use of a tag, my friend works with a guy that got drawn for 6A N. bull archery and didnt go. When my brothers and I went for his cow hunt we called in so many bulls, I told my friend that i would go with the guy to help him out and call for him and stuff for free obviously cause im not a guide but man how could you waste an elk tag that puts meat on the table and a story to talk about for years. I still to this day think that the elk hunt that we went on with my brother was the most awesome thing I have done so far, with buglking and getting the elk right there and taking pictures and that, what a rush to have a huge bull come within 10 yards and bugle at you WOW!! it is excititng. Hopefully next year we all 3 get drawn im not wasting B points on a freakin cow though.-Justin