Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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PHOENIX - Your next fun-filled outdoor adventure begins at the Arizona Game and Fish Department's (AZGFD) annual Outdoor Expo on Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30. Located at the 1,650-acre Ben Avery Shooting Facility in north Phoenix, this popular event showcases Arizona's abundance of wildlife-related and outdoor recreation opportunities, including wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, camping, off-highway vehicle (OHV) and boating recreation, and more. Expo hours are 9... Full story
There's still time for Arizona hunters to take aim at some of the best wing-shooting opportunities the state has to offer - but the clock is ticking. Waterfowl The general waterfowl season ended Jan. 31, 2025. In response to hunter requests, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) simplified the annual "Arizona Waterfowl and Snipe Regulations" and combined the previously designated "Mountain" and "Desert" zones into one statewide zone. That pushed the general waterfowl season back to a... Full story
AZGFD ISSUES PRECAUTIONS -- With the detection of avian influenza (HPAI) in domestic and wild birds in Arizona, the Arizona Game and Fish Department urges hunters and falconers to help prevent the spread of the disease and stay safe. Visit these sites for important information: USDA-APHIS Avian influenza, CDC Avian influenza, USFWS Avian influenza.... Full story
AZGFD, Partners Secure More Than $24 Million Dollars For Conservation Restoration project will benefit critical wildlife movement corridors, winter habitat for state's wildlife. The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), in partnership with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever (PFQF), the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM), and the Arizona Association of Conservation Districts (AACD), is excited to announce a recent award of $24.5 million through the USDA Natural... Full story
Wildlife has been active in the mild winter climate of Arizona's lower and mid elevations, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department has been receiving increased reports of human-wildlife conflicts in many parts of the state. Here's some recent activity: • The Tucson area has received more than 20 wildlife feeding complaints since August - made all the more concerning in light of the fact that Pima County has seen an uptick in wildlife rabies cases this year. • Pima County is also seeing issues i... Full story
Arizona's bald eagles are back, and they will soon be preparing for the next generation of eagles at breeding sites statewide. To assist with the state's continued bald eagle population growth, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) encourages outdoor recreationists, aircraft pilots, drone operators and motorized paragliders to do their part by not disturbing the state's 104 eagle breeding areas. To protect breeding attempts, some portions of public land and water areas will be... Full story
Hunters may be randomly selected throughout the year to meet specific objectives. The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is seeking to bolster its pool of hunters who apply to be randomly selected throughout the year for specific population management hunts. Population management hunts enhance the department's ability to meet population and habitat management objectives when traditional harvest strategies are not meeting these objectives. At this time, two separate population management... Full story
NEW THIS YEAR – Conservation First USA received extra tags, enough to conduct two separate raffles. The first raffle ended in December, but wait, there's more! The second raffle campaign for ten more tags will run from January – June 2025. Until August 14, 2026 Winners of these tags will have 365 days to hunt almost anywhere in the state. The hunting season for all tags is August 15, 2025 – August 14, 2026. 100% of the proceeds from these raffle prizes will go to on-the-ground conse... Full story
The Ben Avery Shooting Facility (BASF) is shining the spotlight on a new way to have some fun breaking clay targets. When the sun goes down on the first and third Thursday each month, recreational shooters can gather behind the Clay Target Center Pavilion and give their shotguns an "after-hours" workout under the lights on the 5-Stand course. "5-Stand@Night" puts an exciting and challenging spin on a popular clay-target shooting game. From 7 to 9 p.m., shooters aim at colored targets that... Full story
Sandhill cranes by the thousands are once again returning to their wintering grounds at the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area in southeastern Arizona. For the next several months, more than 20,000 of these fascinating birds, along with waterfowl and other wetland-associated species, will provide an unparalleled wildlife-viewing experience. "In my opinion, there just isn't a better wildlife-viewing opportunity in Arizona" said Jeff Meyers, wildlife viewing program manager for the Arizona Game and... Full story
VERMILLION CLIFFS, Ariz. – Partners in Arizona-Utah California Condor conservation, including the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), gathered at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument on Sept. 28 for the successful release of four captive-raised and endangered California condors into the wilds of far north Arizona. The Peregrine Fund and the Bureau of Land Management hosted the event in conjunction with National Public Lands Day. Cheers erupted from an enthusiastic crowd at the viewing s... Full story
Fall Raffle Launches With Bonus Tags Conservation First USA (https://conservationfirstusa.org/) is excited to announce a unique opportunity for you to win one of eight big game hunt permit-tags in its special fall raffle. The tags (one each for mule deer, whitetail deer, bison, elk, pronghorn, javelina, mountain lion and black bear) grants you the opportunity to hunt almost anywhere in the state for 365 days - a rare and valuable chance for any hunter. Key Details: • Unlimited ticket p... Full story
Applicants also can purchase PointGuard products, add Arizona E-Tag The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) reminds hunters who applied for 2025 spring hunts that 11:59 p.m. (Arizona time) Tuesday, Oct. 15, is the deadline to update credit card or debit card account information. The same deadline applies to purchasing a PointGuard product. Choosing PointGuard Plus, or the standard PointGuard, ensures that applicants can surrender their hunt permit-tag for any reason, and the accumulated...
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), alongside conservation leaders, Gov. Katie Hobbs, and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, recently celebrated the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) decision to remove Apache trout from the federal Endangered Species List . The delisting announcement was made by Secretary Haaland at a special event in Mesa in early September. "The recovery of Apache trout is a culmination of more than five decades of hard work and the cooperation of many... Full story
PHOENIX - The Arizona Game and Fish Commission announced the recipients of the 2024 Commission Awards at its September meeting in Prescott, Ariz. The awards recognize Arizonans who have contributed significantly to the conservation of the state's wildlife, its outdoor heritage, and the mission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. This year's recipients are - • Award of Excellence – Kohinoor Kar – ADOT • Youth Conservationist of the Year – Ryder and Cadence Walton • Media of the Year – The Wi... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department's proposed recommendations for the 2025 fall and spring seasons for turkey and bison are available for review at www.azgfd.com/hunting/regulations/hunt-guidelines-process/. The hunt structures and recommendations were formulated based on the hunt guidelines recently approved by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. All questions or comments about a particular game management unit or hunt can be emailed to AZHuntGuidelines@azgfd.gov. The public also is... Full story
Falcons are known for their incredible speed and agility, and usually feed on smaller birds, which they dive at and capture in mid-air. Commonly observed falcons in Arizona include the peregrine falcon, prairie falcon and American kestrel. The merlin and crested caracara are also in the falcon family. • Accipiters, such as Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks, have short rounded wings and long tails and are common forest-dwellers. They are expert at chasing small birds through trees and catching t... Full story
The Dirt Expo is going back to Westworld in Scottsdale, Ariz., Arizona's original and largest Off-Road, Sand, and UTV Expo is going BIG for its 10th Anniversary on December 7 and 8, 2024! Everything from -industry-leading vendors, legendary raffles, seminars, classes, and more will be on the agenda with so much more to be announced. 100's Of Vendors Exhibitors from across the country will be available to show the latest and greatest the industry has to offer. Seminars And Classes Everything... Full story
When it comes to dove hunting in Arizona, one thing is pretty much indisputable: There's never a bad season opener. When it comes to dove hunting in Arizona, one thing is pretty much indisputable: There's never a bad season opener. All signs indicate that there will be birds aplenty when the 2024 season gets underway 30 minutes before legal sunrise Sunday, Sept. 1. This is especially true for hunters who are willing to scout in the mornings and evenings between now and the opener to locate some... Full story
PHOENIX - The Arizona Game and Fish Commission has appointed Tom Finley as the new director of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The appointment came in a unanimous 5-0 vote at the Commission's Sept. 5 meeting in Prescott. Finley will replace outgoing director Ty Gray who is retiring after 31 years with the agency, the past seven as director. Finley has been with Game and Fish for 33 years and is currently the agency's deputy director. He will assume the director position following a brief... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) recently celebrated the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) decision to remove Apache trout from the federal Endangered Species List . "The recovery of Apache trout is a culmination of more than five decades of hard work and the cooperation of many partners, and it's truly an amazing conservation success story," said AZGFD Director Ty Gray. Apache trout, one of only two native trout species in Arizona, were found in streams across the White Mountai... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department has issued a Notice of Intent to Pursue Rulemaking to begin the process to amend its Article 4 rules (live wildlife) to implement the recommendations made in the recent five-year review report. The amendments proposed in the five-year review report are intended to increase the effectiveness of the rules to meet the department’s mission, ensure consistency with state and federal statutes, and to increase the clarity of the existing rules. Except for the a... Full story
Wildlife officers from the Arizona Game and Fish Department released to the wild a mountain lion that had wandered onto the campus of the Tucson Medical Center on Friday and became entrapped in an enclosed courtyard. The department was alerted to the presence of the subadult male mountain lion around 10:30 a.m. Friday. With the assistance of officers from the Tucson Police Department, the wildlife officers were able to successfully dart and tranquilize the mountain lion without injury around... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is urging everyone to wear a life jacket, and follow all safety regulations and laws this summer when recreating on Arizona's waterways. "A life jacket does exactly what it says - it saves your life when you need it," said Danny Rodriguez, watercraft law enforcement program coordinator. "However, it can only save your life if you're wearing one, and often it's too late to put one on once you realize you need it." According to U.S. Coast Guard... Full story
Community Fishing Program waters teeming with scrappy fighters. It doesn't have to be Friday to enjoy a good, old-fashioned fish fry. Cole slaw. French fries. Red beans and rice. Oh, and don't forget hush puppies. All are perfect complements to a pile of fresh-caught catfish filets, fried in a savory cornmeal batter until crisp and golden-brown. Whatever your choice of side dishes, leave the main course up to the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), which is now stocking Community Fishing... Full story
