Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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PHOENIX -- A coalition of Arizona-based agencies has an important message for everyone heading outdoors this summer: Be a responsible recreationist. It only takes one spark on dry grass, leaves, branches or needles to start a wildfire. Chainsaws, dragging trailer chains, carelessly tossed cigarettes, fireworks, abandoned campfires, unshielded OHV mufflers and discharging a firearm all can create sparks and cause wildfires. No matter how a fire starts, anyone found responsible may have to pay tho... Full story
Arizona's boating season is in full swing and the Arizona Game and Fish Department geared up for it with life-jacket exchange stations at four of the state's lakes on May 16. Boaters with tattered and worn ski-vest type III life jackets exchanged them for new ones at Lake Pleasant, Saguaro Lake, and Lake Havasu. Accidents Happen "Accidents and incidents can happen to anyone at any time so it is absolutely critical everyone aboard a boat has a fully functional life jacket. It's also the law,"... Full story
Learn how to paddle and cast May 23 at Fool Hollow Lake in Show Low with a 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. kayak fishing clinic. The clinic is free. Reserve a spot with a refundable registration deposit of $20. Class size is limited, so register by calling the AZGFD Pinetop office at (928) 532-3680. Why learn to kayak fish? Kayak anglers are a growing community of outdoors enthusiasts who enjoy the exercise, quiet, and ability to stealthily paddle into fishing areas that boats cannot reach. Catch fish, stay... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department has announced the official launch of its new Customer Portal and redesigned Web site. The portal allows customers to create a secure account where they can manage and view their contact information, as well as their license and draw results information and bonus points, in their personal "My AZ Outdoors" section. Mobile Friendly "Best of all, it's mobile friendly, which means you can view all of this on your smart phone," said Information Systems Chief Doug... Full story
An unforgiving environment, the Black Mountains northwest of Kingman feature extreme summer temperatures, steep rock faces, and hold little forage. While few may consider the setting an ideal destination, it's home to the majestic desert bighorn sheep and provides a unique wildlife viewing opportunity for the public, hosted by the Arizona Game and Fish Department's regional office in Kingman. Two Days Scheduled The department has scheduled a pair of two-day Desert Bighorn Sheep Natural History W... Full story
Tip Of The Week Trout stocking in our mountain streams has begun and will continue every week until September. In the White Mountains region, big holdover trout have been caught at Big Lake, Luna Lake, Carnero Lake, and Becker Lake (there are special regulations at Carnero and Becker.) The Reel Deal The recent full moon helped trigger a heavy wave of spawn activity in the Phoenix/Tucson-area desert lakes. Although largemouth bass spawn through June, this will likely be the final such apex of... Full story
Fish hatchery workers across the nation are preparing for their busiest time of the year. During the next two months, Arizona Game and Fish Department employees and volunteers will stock more than 500,000 catchable "farm fresh" trout, providing the public an opportunity to engage in conservation - some for the very first time. State-run aquaculture not only enables families to etch lifelong fishing memories, but also it is a leading driver for conservation of America's ecosystems. The Goal Unfor... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is now accepting applications for $75,000 available in grant funding for local sportsmen's organizations to provide public, hands-on, mentored projects focused on the retention of new hunters or anglers. The priority funding focus of this year's grant program is on moving beginners from the recruitment stage to the retention stage of the Adoption Sequence. Projects and events that involve the pursuit or harvest of wildlife or fish with a license are being... Full story
PHOENIX – Based on public input received this year, the Arizona Game and Fish Department has developed a first-draft revision of the hunt guidelines and wants to hear more about how this revision might be improved. The hunt guidelines provide the biological and social parameters used by wildlife managers to formulate the annual hunt recommendations (season structures, season lengths, season dates, permits allocated, etc.) These recommendations result in the hunts in which licensed hunters may p... Full story
PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Department now is accepting online applications for 2015 hunt permit-tags issued through the draw process for deer, fall turkey, fall javelina, bighorn sheep, fall buffalo and pheasant (the draw process for elk and pronghorn antelope took place in early April). To apply online, visit https://az.gov/azgfd/draw/home.xhtml and scroll down to “Apply for a Draw.” The deadline by which the department must receive all applications – online or paper -- is 11:59 p... Full story
PHOENIX – The 2015 edition of “Hunt Arizona,” the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s yearly compilation of big and small game hunting statistics, is now available online at https://azgfdportal.az.gov/Hunting/surveydata. The free, downloadable, PDF publication includes draw, survey and harvest statistics for a five-year period, as well as information on distribution, life history and behavior of big game, small game and other wildlife. The 209-page publication is easy to use and includes the lat... Full story
PHOENIX – The clock is ticking for hunters who have yet to apply for 2015 hunt permit-tags issued through the draw process for deer, fall turkey, fall javelina, bighorn sheep, fall buffalo and pheasant. All online and paper applications must be received by the department no later than 11:59 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, June 9 – a first-year change from the traditional 7 p.m. deadline. Postmarks do not count. Applicants are encouraged to use the online service at https://az.gov/azgfd/draw/home.xhtml (sc... Full story
(APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz.) -- The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), in partnership with the Dolly Steamboat and Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, is offering a two-day opportunity to view and learn about desert bighorns, one of our state's most fascinating native mammals. Desert bighorn sheep are true icons of the wild American Southwest, thriving in some of Arizona's steepest canyons and most rugged mountain ranges. In addition to hosting a pre-viewing workshop in Mesa on Saturday... Full story
PHOENIX – The last thing Jenni Rice expected Wednesday was to get a call from the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The Cottonwood woman had been randomly chosen to receive a $500 gift card to Sportsman's Warehouse, an incentive to use the department's online service to apply early for 2015 fall hunt permit-tags. Rice was among almost 30,000 hopeful hunters who applied online before the 11:59 p.m. (MST) June 2 incentive deadline and was automatically entered into a random drawing for the gift c... Full story
This week is the final stocking of the season until September, but we're making it a BIG one! Please enjoy a safe and fun summer with your families! Here's the load sheet for this week (a total of 27,300 pounds of catfish): Tucson area -- Lakeside Lake 1,500 (pounds); Kennedy Lake 2,000; Silverbell Lake 2,500; Sahuarita Lake 2,000 Maricopa area -- Copper Sky Lake 1,500 Phoenix area -- Veterans Oasis Lake 1,000; Desert Breeze Lake 1,000; Kiwanis Lake 1,000; Red Mountain Lake 1,500; Riverview... Full story
KINGMAN, Ariz. –– The deadline to apply to attend a unique Desert Bighorn Sheep Natural History Workshop is just days away. The Arizona Game and Fish Department's Region 3 office in Kingman will host two, two-day Desert Bighorn Sheep Natural History Workshops on July 31-Aug. 1 and Aug. 7-8. The deadline to apply is noon Wednesday (June 17). The first day of each workshop is mandatory classroom education from 6-8 p.m. at the Kingman office. On the second day, participants enjoy a four-hour, she... Full story
KINGMAN, Ariz. –– The Arizona Game and Fish Department will be part of a multi-agency enforcement effort on the Colorado River system this weekend, checking for individuals operating under the influence (OUI). Game and Fish and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be enforcing Arizona's OUI legal limit of a .08 blood-alcohol content. All boaters passing through the checkpoint will be subject to a systematic safety inspection. Operators will be checked for alcohol impairment and required saf... Full story
When the Ben Avery Shooting Facility's main range opens bright and early June 4, recreational shooters will zero in on several improvements: An earthen berm that serves as a backstop for 67 shooting stations that will be higher, more level and - most important - safer. New LED light fixtures that will brightly shine above every shooting station. A 3-inch layer of closed-cell polyurethane foam insulation on the underside of the steel canopy that will provide sound dampening. In order to complete... Full story
Sixteen tons - of fish! You may have heard the old song by Tennessee Ernie Ford, "16 Tons." Well, by early April, that's how many catfish and sunfish will have made their way into Community Fishing waters. We stocked the first catfish of the season March 19, and more recently, we stocked all the "core" waters with bluegill sunfish. Another 14,400 pounds of feisty catfish are beginning to make their home in the Phoenix and Tucson core waters. See the Community Fishing Program stocking schedule... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department has completed its 2015 hunt draw for elk and pronghorn antelope. The results are available by visiting https://az.gov/azgfd/draw/home.xhtml and scrolling down to "View results and bonus points," or viewing them on your portal account. You also can call the department at (602) 942-3000 and press "2." By The Numbers 25,932: The total number of permit-tags issued. 150,915: The total number of those who applied for hunts or bonus points. 111,588: The total... Full story
Despite record temperatures, the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s 2015 Outdoor Expo presented by Shikar Safari Club International, held March 28-29 at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, was visited by 33,100 people. This does not include the Friday Youth Day, geared toward school children, teachers and chaperones, which was attended by 5,900. The Youth Day also was held at the Ben Avery facility. The annual Expo showcases activities such as fishing, hunting, shooting sports, a... Full story
Are you fascinated by reptiles? Do you have a yard big enough for a dog, but no time to take one for daily walks? Is someone in your family allergic to pets with fur or feathers? If so, consider adopting a desert tortoise through the Arizona Game and Fish Department. "We cannot stress enough how detrimental removing tortoises from the wild and backyard breeding are to the species," said Tegan Wolf, Arizona Game and Fish's tortoise adoption program specialist. "This iconic desert species has... Full story
A Valley man charged with possessing two Bengal tigers, which are restricted in Arizona, appeared in Maricopa County Superior Court last week. After a nearly year-long investigation, Fahad Zeshawn Rafi (also known as Shawn Rafi) was charged with possessing prohibited live wildlife and other related violations. One White, One Orange Juvenile The Arizona Game and Fish Department first received a call to its Operation Game Thief (OGT) hotline on Dec. 27, 2013 reporting that a Valley man had posted... Full story
WONDERS OF WILDLIFE -- Did you ever wonder how biologists track the movements of animals that swim, fly, slither or hide and how telemetry is used to track those animals? If you subscribe to Arizona Wildlife Views magazine, you will and also enjoy stories about passing along the hunting tradition in areas that are close to home, turning a bad day's fishing into a good day's fishing - and so much more. Every subscription includes the wildlife calendar issue, packed with winners from our annual... Full story
PHOENIX – One thousand youth hunt/fish licenses will be given away free of charge at the "Bonsall Park 1,000 Youth License Giveaway," on Saturday, April 25 in Glendale. The giveaway coincides with a free fishing clinic -- loaner rods will be available, no license is required, and bait will be provided. Licenses will go to the first 1,000 youth ages 10-17 during the event at Bonsall Park. Register on-site during clinic hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. "We're excited to have an opportunity to give kids a... Full story
