Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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Here it is: already February of a new year that just got started "a day or so ago", didn't it? No, it was over a month ago, and 2024 is well underway. My how time flies, and it's easy to miss opportunities because they're often over even before we make our plans to participate. So, what's the bottom line here? Don't miss out. Ideas are plentiful: from Arizona Game & Fish, from 'Touch a Truck' at Lake Pleasant, from Margie Anderson, from Fearless Kitties in Fountain Hills, from the Arizona Ren Fa... Full story
Arizona's bald eagles are back, and they are now 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 97 eagle breeding areas. To protect breeding attempts, some portions of public land and water areas will be temporarily... Full story
Raffle Proceeds Benefit Arizona's Wildlife Why don't you give someone special (perhaps yourself!) a ticket for Conservation First USA's 2024 raffle! Seven lucky individuals will win one of seven special big-game tags (bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, bison and turkey) for the 2024–25 hunting season. Buy tickets today! New this year: Purchase the "All 7 Package" and receive one entry per species, PLUS a free entry for the Swarovski Optics Package. Details: • Raf... Full story
AZGFD aims to meet elk 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, a population management hunt for any elk is planned for February in portions of... Full story
Hunt Guidelines Available For Review The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s proposed amendments to Arizona hunt guidelines for fall 2023 through spring 2028 seasons are available for review at https://www.azgfd.com/hunting/regulations/hunt-guidelines-process/. All questions or comments about the proposed changes can be emailed to AZHuntGuidelines@azgfd.gov. The public also is invited to call any of the department’s regional offices statewide and ask to speak with a game management bio... Full story
We've said goodbye to 2023 and now is a good time to reflect on the changes that we want - or need - to make in 2024; how about adding an outdoors resolution to your list? The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) offers some simple resolutions, any one of which should be easy for an outdoors enthusiast to stick to - • Fish local. Make it a point to wet a line this year at one (or more) of the state's 50-plus waters in the Community Fishing Program that are seasonally stocked with channel c... Full story
The data management system AZGFD uses to track the locations of wildlife, including javelinas, is getting a major overhaul. Kudos to StateScoop and reporter Keely Quinlan for a recent news story about how the Arizona Game and Fish Department is consolidating all of its wildlife tracking data into a new, cloud-based management system known as the wildlife data warehouse. With the data available in one place, Arizona's wildlife researchers can help conservationists, policymakers and land... Full story
• More revelry at the Renaissance Festival, • More safety for drivers and elk, • More awards for positive outdoor activities and supporters, • More trout in community waters, • More places to explore, and • More focus on the Second Amendment. This issue celebrates the "newsy New Year" that is ahead of us. This month the Arizona Game & Fish Commission honors those individuals who have excelled in their support for wildlife and outdoor concerns. In February, the annual chance to step back in tim... Full story
Arizona Game and Fish Department wildlife officers have been actively searching for a coyote or coyotes that have bitten three people since Saturday in the area just east of Interstate 17 and Happy Valley Road in Phoenix. On Saturday, Dec.9 a 4-year-old child was bitten on the lower leg while walking with family members. Also on that Saturday, a man who was jogging in the same area was bitten by a coyote. On Monday, Dec. 11 , a man was bitten on the heel by a coyote south of Happy Valley Road ne... Full story
PHOENIX - Mark your calendars! The Arizona Game and Fish Commission's annual awards banquet will be held on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, at the Hilton Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs Resort, Grande Ballroom, 11111 N. 7th Street in Phoenix. 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. Sixteen award recipients chosen at the commission's Sept. 8 meeting in Greer,... Full story
Public comment accepted through Jan. 11, 2024. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is beginning review of its Article 10 rules (pertaining to off-highway vehicles). Under A.R.S. § 41-1056, every state agency shall review its rules at least once every five years to determine whether any rule should be amended or repealed. Each agency shall prepare a report summarizing its findings, its supporting reasons, and any proposed course of action, and obtain approval of the report from the Governor's... Full story
The annual interagency survey of the endangered Mount Graham red squirrel showed a decrease in the latest population estimate in the Pinaleño Mountains of southeastern Arizona. The annual survey, conducted jointly by the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), Coronado National Forest, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, resulted in an estimate of 144 squirrels. This is an increase from the 109 squirrels estimated in 2021, but lower than the 156 squirrels estimated after a new survey... Full story
Award of $24 million comes from Federal Highway Administration. PHOENIX - The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has awarded Arizona a $24 million grant for a wildlife overpass and other improvements designed to reduce crashes involving wildlife and better connect habitats across Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff in northern Arizona. The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), in partnership with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), sought the grant through FHWA's Wildlife... Full story
It's the season of giving. We have had suggestions for boaters, hunters, outdoor enthusiasts overall, and veterans. But, what about the other members of our "extended family" - our wonderful wildlife? Of course they cannot let us know what they need, but I think with some guidance from organizations such as the Arizona Game & Fish Department, Conservation First USA, and multiple other species-specific support groups, we can embrace some great gift ideas for our wildlife. Three examples come to... Full story
Conservation First USA launched its 2024 raffle where seven lucky individuals will win one of seven special big-game tags (bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, bison and turkey) for the 2024–25 hunting season. Buy Tickets Today! The real winner is Arizona's wildlife. Every dollar raised for each species through the raffle is returned to the Arizona Game and Fish Department and managed by the Arizona Habitat Partnership Committee. With input from local habitat partners a... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has announced the winners of the 2023 wildlife photo contest. The 12 winning photographs are included in the full-size 2024 wildlife calendar that is published in the November-December 2023 issue of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine. AZGFD currently has a subscription special for Arizona Wildlife Views. A one-year subscription to the bi-monthly magazine ordered by Dec. 31, 2023, will include the wildlife calendar and a bonus issue (seven issues total)... Full story
Arizona's deer and elk populations remain CWD-free due to surveillance efforts. The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is asking hunters to continue doing their part to help keep Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) at bay. CWD is a fatal wildlife disease that affects the nervous system of deer and elk. All successful deer and elk hunters are encouraged to bring the head of their harvested animal - especially bucks and bulls - to any department office statewide between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday... Full story
When it comes to experiencing some of the finest wing-shooting that Arizona has to offer, the "second" dove season - which opens Friday, Nov. 17 - is not to be missed. While the bigger white-winged doves, prized during the traditional 15-day season in September, have long since migrated to Mexico, the more acrobatic mourning doves remain abundant and widespread. The second season is a longer one, lasting 45 days and running through Dec. 31, 2023. There still is a 15-bird daily bag limit, all of... Full story
Now that the weather is cooler, the fishing is starting to heat up! It's that time of year when cold water fishing really starts to take off, so make sure you have your gear in order. Whether you are new to fishing or are a seasoned angler, here are a few tips to make sure your gear is ready for the fall. If you are new to fishing and are looking for a rod and reel for cold water fishing, I would recommend a 7-foot, medium-power, fast-action spinning rod with a 2500-size spinning reel. This rod... Full story
Included are pronghorn, elk, and fall and spring turkey for 2024-2025. The Arizona Game and Fish Department's proposed recommendations for 2024 pronghorn, elk, fall turkey, population management hunts, and limited entry seasons, as well as for 2025 spring turkey hunts, 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 approved by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. All... Full story
Wildlife management relies on valuable data. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is encouraging hunters who harvest a big game animal affixed with a GPS or VHF tracking collar to return that collar undamaged to any department office statewide. While harvesting a collared animal is legal, Game and Fish asks hunters to refrain from cutting, damaging or otherwise destroying any portion of a collar. A collar easily can be removed from a harvested animal's neck by loosening two nuts on the black... Full story
Feeding of wildlife suspected of contributing to the attack. A woman died eight days after being hospitalized as the result of an apparent elk attack on her property in the Pine Lake community in the Hualapai Mountains, about 15 miles southeast of Kingman. The attack occurred on a late October afternoon while the woman’s husband was in Kingman. According to the husband, when he returned, he found his wife on the ground in the backyard with injuries consistent with being trampled by an elk. He al... Full story
A binational captive breeding program was initiated to save the Mexican wolf from extinction. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the reintroduction of Mexican wolves to the wild in the U.S. Once occurring throughout parts of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, the Mexican wolf had all but disappeared by 1970. In 1976, this gray wolf subspecies was listed as endangered, and a binational captive breeding program was initiated to save it from extinction. In 1998, the U.S Fish and Wildlife... Full story
Comments will be accepted through Nov. 6.The Arizona Game and Fish Commission is seeking to amend the previously published Notice of Proposed Rulemaking within Articles 1, 2, 3, and 6. The intent of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was to enact amendments developed during the latest Five-year Review Report. After receiving feedback from stakeholders and members of the public, the Commission is removing proposed changes to the use and sale of live baitfish. Amendments to R12-4-314 (Possession,... 
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Winter moisture improves overall brood survival for desert quail. Arizona hunters know that timely rainfall is the key to giving quail populations a much-needed boost. After a winter of above-average precipitation, which generated a springtime carpet of green vegetation that's necessary for desert quail reproduction, hunters might want to carry a few extra shotgun shells when the season opens Friday, Oct. 13. A Great Year! "This should be a great year to chase Gambel's quail," said Dr. Larisa... Full story
