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8/31/2007 Wildlife News - Aug. 31, 2007
When 5,000 or so doves and 50 young shooters per day and their mentors come together at the Robbins Butte Wildlife area near Buckeye, the end result is a lot of fun for everyone involved. When, Where and Who: The Arizona Game and Fish Department, working in cooperation with the Chandler Rod and Gun Club, is conducting the Youth-Only Dove Hunt on Sept. 8-9 at this remarkable 1,681-acre wildlife area located in one of the largest surviving mesquite bosques along the Gila River. Directions: Take I-10 west, and then turn south on Highway 85 (toward Gila Bend). The Robbins Butte Wildlife Area is located just off Highway 85, seven miles south of Buckeye (cross the Gila River and look for the wildlife area signs on your right). Why: It's an annual treat for all involved. During the first of these annual hunts, one young girl made a comment that shows how much this hunt can mean to a youngster; "I out-shot my brothers. It was more fun than Disneyland." Check it in, check it out: Young hunters (through age 17) and their mentors are asked to arrive by 4:30 a.m. to check in. It's first-come, first-served for the available shooting stations. If there are more young hunters than shooting stations, a drawing will be held at 4:45 a.m. All young hunters are required to check out as well. Breakfasts awaits: There is an excellent reason to check out - a sumptuous pancake and sausage breakfast will be prepared by the dedicated sportsmen of the Chandler Rod and Gun Club. The breakfast has become as much a tradition as the youth dove hunt. Star Wars Picture Opportunity: The Robbins Butte manager, Phil Smith, has arranged to have Chewbacca, Princess Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker (his dogs) for a photo opportunity and paw autographs for any Star Wars fan to enjoy. "Phil is one of our charter members and he is devoted to putting a smile on a child's face," said Eddy Corona of the Chandler Rod and Gun Club. Jim Lindsey from Lindsey Trucking Inc. will have his latest "Rock Crawler" on display. What to shoot: Participating youngsters can bag mourning dove, white-winged dove and collared dove. The bag limit is ten dove per day, with no more than six being white-winged dove. The collared dove bag limit is unlimited. What to wear: Wearing hunter orange is not required but is recommended. If you are 14 to 17 years of age, you are required to have a hunting license and an Arizona Migratory Bird Stamp. Anyone under 14 years old can hunt without a license when accompanied by an adult with a valid Arizona hunting license and migratory bird stamp (each adult can bring up to two young hunters age 14 and younger). How long can you shoot? Shooting hours are from 5:35 a.m. to noon. "Bring plenty of shot gun shells, water, sun block, snacks, something to sit on, bug repellent, a hat or cap, shooting glasses and a camera. Oh, and please pick up your trash," said Corona. What parents should wear: Parents will retrieve the downed dove, so wear comfortable shoes and dress accordingly (wearing hush puppies is optional). "I would encourage parents to bring their kids out and enjoy what the outdoors has to offer. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at (480) 529-8340. Did I mention bring more shotgun shells?" said Corona. Hay Wagon Transportation: Transportation to and from the shooting stations will be provided via hay wagons. Breakfast will be served from about 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. Chance to win a shotgun: Raffle tickets will be sold on both days and the winner can leave with a Remington 870 Youth Model 20-gauge shotgun provided by The Chandler Rod and Gun Club and Bear Mountain Inc. A second gun may also be raffled.
You can now take an Arizona Boating Safety course online to earn your Arizona boating license in only four easy steps. 1. Log onto www.azgfd.gov/boating
or www.boat-ed.com/az.
What is the difference between a boating license and a boater education card? What it's called depends on your state, but it represents the same thing-proof of completion of an approved boater education course. Most boaters don't know the exact name of the official certification for their state, so it's commonly referred to as a boating license. Passing the Arizona Boating Safety course may make you eligible for a discount on your boat or PWC insurance. Send a copy of your boating safety course certificate to your boat insurance agency and start saving!
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is reminding people not to play good Samaritan by picking up what they believe to be orphaned deer fawns or elk calves from the wild. In most cases, say the state's wildlife experts, the animals are not truly orphaned, and removing them from the wild poses a greater risk to the animal's health and well being because of policies stemming from concern over chronic wasting disease (CWD). CWD is a neurological disease that is always fatal to deer and elk. Because of the threat of CWD, Game and Fish has strict laws prohibiting the possession and transportation of live deer and elk to prevent the possible spread of the disease. Deer fawns or elk calves that cannot be returned in short order to where they were picked up most likely will have to be euthanized. Chronic wasting disease has not yet been found in Arizona, but it has been identified very close to Arizona in three neighboring states-Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. The Arizona Game and Fish Department has had an aggressive monitoring and testing program in place since 1998. There is currently no evidence that CWD affects humans. Department officials say it is a good practice to leave all baby wildlife, including birds, in the wild where they belong. "If you see a baby animal on its own, don't assume it's orphaned and in need of your help," says Elissa Ostergaard, an urban wildlife specialist at the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Tucson office. "The parents usually are near-by. They may be out gathering food or taking a short break from their young, and if you remove the baby, then you're actually creating a problem." However, if an animal is shivering, sneezing, very lethargic or obviously injured, then you should call a Game and Fish Department office. More information about CWD can be found on the department's Web site at azgfd.gov/urbanwildlife. This section of the department's Web site also contains more information on dealing with truly injured, sick or orphaned wildlife.
On July 1, the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department and Bureau of Reclamation began enforcing the restriction on motorized vehicle use in the Agua Fria conservation area at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. They said that the decision to enforce Park Rule R-107 was made to ensure public safety and to protect the conservation area. Currently, the agencies are preparing a long-term plan for the area and would like to hear from community members who recreate there. If you would like to be a part of this effort, please plan on attending one of the upcoming public meetings listed below:
People with an interest in wildlife, conservation and the great outdoors are invited to attend a variety of free activities in Arizona to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day, which is Sept. 22. Events include a "Get Outdoors" outdoor expo at Tempe Town Lake on Sept. 22, a mini-expo at the Tucson Sportsman's Warehouse store on Sept. 22, and various seminars or booths in the Phoenix, Tucson and Kingman areas Sept. 17-21. The events provide the opportunity for people of all experience levels to learn about or enhance their knowledge of the great outdoors and outdoor recreation pursuits. Click here for a complete list of events. National Hunting and Fishing Day was established by Congress in 1971 to recognize hunters and anglers for their contributions to wildlife conservation. More than 100 years ago, hunters and anglers were among the first to realize that expanding civilization and unregulated market hunting were causing serious wildlife population declines, threatening the sustainability of many species. The efforts of hunters and anglers to change that situation helped pave the way for today's science-based systems of wildlife management, where regulated hunting/fishing and habitat management programs have restored and maintained sustainable wildlife populations for all to enjoy. Today's wildlife conservation efforts are funded primarily by the more than $1 billion annually that hunters and anglers spend on license fees and excise taxes on sporting equipment. These monies support wildlife conservation programs, habitat acquisition and outdoor recreation opportunities in Arizona and throughout the country.
The next public meeting of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission will be held Friday, Sept. 7 at the Arizona Game and Fish Department Pinetop office at 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd. The meeting begins at 8 a.m. Among the agenda topics are:
The commission may vote to take action or provide the department with direction on these and other items on the agenda. To see the complete agenda, click here.
Hunters in Arizona are proving to the critics that voluntary efforts to conserve endangered wildlife do work. In only two years, hunters have helped achieve a 50 percent reduction in the amount of available spent lead ammunition in the California condor's core range. While the numbers indicate a good start, Arizona Game and Fish is encouraging more hunters to participate in the successful non-lead ammunition program. Lead poisoning has been identified as the leading cause of death in endangered condors and the main obstacle to a self-sustaining population in Arizona. Studies show that lead shot and bullet fragments found in game carcasses and gut piles are the main source of lead in condors. Since condors are group feeders, several birds can be affected by feeding off of one carcass or gut pile containing lead fragments.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department, and its partners, the Arizona Deer Association, Arizona Elk Society, Arizona Antelope Foundation, Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, and the Arizona Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, ask hunters to continue sportsmen's proud tradition of wildlife conservation by using non-lead ammunition in condor range. Copper bullets offer hunters superior knock-down power, are less toxic, and do not fragment like lead ammunition. More than 90 percent of hunters agree that non-lead bullets perform as well as, or better than, lead bullets on game. The majority of big game hunters on the Kaibab Plateau and Arizona Strip have used non-lead ammunition to help condors since 2005, although expanded adoption of the successful effort is needed to further reduce lead exposure and mortality in the birds. The condor is the largest flying land bird in North America. The birds can weigh up to 26 pounds and have a wingspan of up to 9 1/2 feet. Condors were first reintroduced in Arizona in 1996, and they now number 57 in the state. Visitors at the Grand Canyon and Vermilion Cliffs may be able to observe the birds, especially during the spring and summer. Hunters drawn for hunts in condor range will receive more information by mail on how they can help. For more information on condors and lead and a list of available non-lead ammunition, visit azgfd.gov/condor.
The Arizona Game and Fish Commission is seeking nominations for its annual Commission awards. Nominations may include individuals, organizations, clubs, foundations or government agencies. The submission deadline is Friday, Sept. 21 at 5 p.m. For an award nomination form and additional information, click here. The categories are:
Arizona Game and Fish Department employees are not eligible for nomination.
Arizona hunters are getting a "liberalized" waterfowl season of 107 hunt days for 2007-08, thanks to a decent overall waterfowl breeding season in North America, despite the fact that much of this state's waterfowl habitats continue to be affected by long-term drought. New this year is a liberalization of the canvasback bag limit. The limit on canvasbacks has increased from one to two birds per day for the 2007-2008 season. The Arizona Game and Fish Commission on Aug. 11 approved the liberal waterfowl hunting package recommended by department biologists. Once again this year, the seasons in Arizona will be split between a mountain zone and a desert zone. Waterfowl biologist Mike Rabe explained that ducks and geese arrive earlier in the mountain areas of the state and leave as the waters freeze, but typically don't come to the lower elevations until later in the fall when the temperatures are more temperate. Therefore, he said, utilizing mountain and desert zones offers hunters the opportunity to hunt when the birds are in those respective areas. For general ducks and geese, the mountain zone will open Oct. 5, 2007 and continue to Jan. 13, 2008. In the desert zone, the season will open Oct. 19 and close Jan. 27. Juniors-only hunters get a slight increase in opportunity this coming season. For the mountain zone, the juniors-only hunt is set for Sept. 29-30, and in the desert zone, for Feb. 2-3, 2008 (before and after the general seasons respectively). Arizona waterfowl hunters this coming season will have available the following daily bag limits: sevens ducks (including mergansers), with no more than two female mallards, two redheads, one pintail, three scaup, and two canvasback. For geese, the limits are four white geese (snow, including blue and Ross' geese) and three dark geese (Canada and white-fronted). Rabe said the state's wetlands, which includes lakes, rivers, marshes and stock tanks, is still being affected by drought when the waterfowl season commences; it will not only affect the availability of waterfowl habitat during migration, but will directly influence waterfowl abundance and hunter participation. "It's a wait-and-see proposition each year in Arizona when it comes to waterfowl," Rabe said. "Who knows what kind of waterfowl hand Mother Nature will deal us this year." To download the 2007-08 waterfowl and snipe regulations, visit azgfd.gov.
Five new members were inducted into the Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame at the Wildlife for Tomorrow Foundation's annual Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet on Aug. 24. The four individuals and one organization were honored for outstanding contributions and service that have benefited Arizona's wildlife and their habitats.
This year's inductees are:
The Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame was established in 1998 by the Wildlife For Tomorrow Foundation to honor those who have made significant and lasting contributions to benefit Arizona's wildlife and the welfare of its natural resources. For a more complete description of the honorees' accomplishments, click here.
Audubon Arizona is partnering with the Arizona Game and Fish Department to offer an exciting Bird Discovery Workshop for teachers and other educators from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8. The workshop will be held in the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Cactus Wren Room at 2221 W. Greenway Road in Phoenix. The workshop covers two acclaimed curricula, and instructors will receive all of the reproducible materials necessary to bring the programs home to their own audiences. "Bird Sleuth," by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, gets students in grades 4-8 enthused about birds by teaching identification and data entry skills. Participants conduct their own surveys at school or in their community and then input the data into a live online database called eBird. The second curriculum, "Nature's Sketchbook," was developed by the National Audubon Society's Audubon Adventures. This program teaches children simple sketching and journaling techniques to help them understand and celebrate their natural surroundings. Both programs are aligned to National Standards, but can also be used outside of the classroom in informal settings. The training fee is $25, which includes lunch and materials. For more information and to register, contact Cathy Wise at (602) 468-6470 or cwise@audubon.org.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department will move its Phoenix headquarters from the current Greenway Road location to a new energy-efficient facility on the southwest corner of the Ben Avery Shooting Facility property in mid- to late-October. The new address will be 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086. The facility will be located about 1.5 miles west of the I-17 and Carefree Highway interchange. The main phone number will remain (602) 942-3000. All other direct phone numbers and extensions for employees and work units will change. The new headquarters will include consolidated, modernized office space, expanded meeting facilities (including a 200-seat auditorium), a climate-controlled warehouse, laboratories, and a vehicle maintenance facility. For more information, visit azgfd.gov.
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