Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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The annual grant program for Local Sportsmen’s Groups is now open. Deadline: Applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. (MST) on Monday, July 7, 2014; postmarks do not count. As we discussed, we have opened the application process earlier to help get the funding in your hands sooner for those August and September events, either beforehand or as a reimbursement. Also, from last year, you do NOT need to be a federal 501c3 designation, just a not-for-profit entity. For application and infor... Full story
PHOENIX – To reduce the looming threat of summer wildfires following one of Arizona’s driest winters on record, officials have announced fire restrictions for many locations throughout Arizona. The restrictions take effect just as the busy Memorial Day weekend begins on Friday, May 23. Fire danger conditions, local closures and restrictions are subject to change. Many of the state’s most popular destinations will be affected by the fire restrictions that take effect this Friday. Stage II and e... Full story
7‐15 New to Hunting Listing Annual Hunt Regulations Doug Burt via HAHWG solicitation 2014 (new) June – July: Outdoor Skills Summer Adventure Camps Info: Multiple 5‐day, day and overnight camps for 4‐6th graders, and 6‐8th graders: activities include kayaking, archery, air guns; travel camps includes camping, hiking, fishing, wildlife observation, survival skills, slingshots, swimming, team competitions and more. Fee required. Dates: June 9‐13, 16‐20, and 23‐27; July 7‐11 and 14‐18 Location: P... Full story
For something different, head to Lynx Lake, where some anglers reportedly are having some decent action catching brown trout. Here's the tip: Try fishing a No. 18 or 20 with wooly bugger about 4 feet under a float with a 4-pound test leader. THE REEL DEAL Hello, anglers, First, a quick fish story. On Tuesday, April 8, angler Jack Head of Phoenix was taking his wife and sister-in-law boating, fishing, and for a quick picnic. What he saw in the Agua Fria arm floating on the surface was a...
The draw results for Arizona's 2014 elk and pronghorn antelope big game hunts are now available by visiting https://az.gov/app/huntdraw/home.xhtml and scrolling down to the "View results and bonus points" link. Applicants can also find out if they were drawn by calling (602) 942-3000 and selecting option two. There were more than 140,000 applicants for this year's elk/pronghorn antelope draw for hunts or bonus points, and 26,041 tags were issued. The total number of applications, including...
Renovation has been completed on the boat ramp and facilities at Arivaca Lake, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) says the lake is once again open to vehicular traffic. However, the newly remodeled boat ramp is currently unusable as it is completely out of the water due to below-normal rainfall in the area. Several feet of lake water will be required to return Arivaca Lake to its normal levels, with more rainfall being the most critical factor, but the lake shore is open to...
The Arizona Game and Fish Department's 2014 Outdoor Expo and Friday Youth Day drew a combined 48,000 attendees, the highest three-day total in the event's history. The weekend Outdoor Expo, held March 29-30 at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, was visited by 41,000 people. Sunday's attendance of 20,700 was a record for an Expo Sunday. The Friday Youth Day, geared toward school children, teachers and chaperones who preregistered, was attended by 7,000, another record. The Youth Day was... Full story
The Wildlife for Tomorrow Foundation is soliciting nominations for this year's inductees into the Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame. Every year the Outdoor Hall of Fame recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant and lasting contributions toward Arizona's wildlife, the welfare of its natural resources, and the state's outdoor heritage. To submit a nomination, download a nomination form (PDF and MS Word versions of this form can also be downloaded from www.a...
Anglers who love to fish Roosevelt Lake located in central Arizona's Tonto National Forest have a future hope for the fishery -- monster bass. To help boost fishing opportunities at the 13,000-acre lake, the Arizona Game and Fish Department is partnering with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) through April to stock up to 500,000 fry of Florida-strain largemouth bass, which have been known to eventually attain sizes up to 20 pounds. The FWC will be donating the bass fry...
Now is the time to get the tackle box ready, grab the fishing rods, and explore northern Arizona for some spring fishing! A particularly warm and dry spring has arrived, and unfortunately it followed a mild winter. What does this mean for the fishing? It means that the Arizona Game and Fish Department is stocking northern Arizona lakes and anticipates that by late May or early June, as temperatures warm up and lake levels drop, water quality will diminish and conditions will be unsuitable for... Full story
April and October can be the best months of the year to fish in Arizona. The water temperatures are ideal for waves of spawns. Access to high country lakes has opened the way for lunker holdovers. The flathead frenzy hardly left. The buffet is laid out - bass are spawning, especially with the April full moon; crappie should be spawning; flathead catfish are making camera lenses struggle to keep fish in frame; trout are being stocked all across the high country and anglers are catching holdovers... Full story
The geographic center of Arizona is about 55 miles ESE of Prescott, and the closest town hall to that location is that of Camp Verde. There is a bronze plaque to that effect in Rezzonico Park, placed there by the Arizona Professional Land Surveyors. The park in on Montezuma Castle Highway in Camp Verde. In fact, there is a ton of stuff to see and do in and around Camp Verde, including Montezuma's Well, Montezuma's Castle, and Tuzigoot National Monument. If you like the outdoors, you will love... Full story
Rising temperatures and longer days mean spring is here and newborn wildlife will become increasingly visible. The Arizona Game and Fish Department understands people's desire to help seemingly abandoned animals such as baby birds and bunnies, but reminds the public that "helping" or "rescuing" baby wildlife can have unintended negative consequences. "The public's intentions to care for wildlife are admirable, but removing baby wildlife from the wild often results in their death," said Mike... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department and its partners of the Southwestern Bald Eagle Management Committee have lifted the closure put into place annually to help bald eagles during the breeding season at Lake Pleasant. The closure was removed at noon on April 1 because the bald eagles in the area failed to produce young and will not breed this late in the spring. Most other previously announced closures remain in effect because bald eagle breeding activities are still continuing in those areas.... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department implemented Stage 1 fire restrictions at all department wildlife areas on Friday, April 18. The restrictions are part of the restrictions issued by the Arizona State Forestry Division on state-owned and state-managed lands outside incorporated municipalities due to the increased risk of wildfire in the state. Stage 1 restrictions mean that no open fires are allowed -- including campfires and wood or charcoal-burning stoves and barbecues. Smoking is...
The Arizona Game and Fish Commission voted unanimously today (April 22) to support an alternative developed by 28 cooperating agencies and stakeholders for the non-essential population rule that governs Mexican wolf conservation in Arizona and New Mexico. The proposal, which has an unprecedented level of stakeholder support, is being submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for consideration in its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). While still conceptual, the alternative is... Full story
When the Arizona Elk Society heads out on Saturday, May 3 with volunteers to help restore wildlife habitat near Payson, they will be joined by Field & Stream® as part of the magazine’s Hero for a Day program. The magazine will be filming the family-friendly project, to highlight the work of the volunteers and the area’s outdoor opportunities. It will be broadcast on www.fieldandstream.com, a top destination for sportsmen, as part of a ten-video series. The Arizona Elk Society scored a big win...
(PHOENIX) – The future of recreational shooting in Arizona looks a little brighter after a successful fundraising event at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix on Saturday, April 12. The Arizona Game and Fish Department teamed up with TreadLightly! to sponsor the combination fun shoot and dinner party attended by nearly 200 people. Recreational shooting in Arizona came under increased scrutiny when the Sonoran Desert National Monument, one of the last parcels of public land open to r... Full story
The following is a summary of Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project (Project) activities in Arizona on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests (ASNF) and Fort Apache Indian Reservation (FAIR) and in New Mexico on the Apache National Forest (ANF) and Gila National Forest (GNF). Non-tribal lands involved in this Project are collectively known as the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area (BRWRA). Additional Project information can be obtained by calling (928) 339-4329 or toll free at (888) 459-9653, or by...
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is making constituents aware of upcoming public input opportunities regarding bison management at Grand Canyon National Park. The National Park Service (NPS) has initiated a public scoping process for a bison management plan and environmental impact statement (EIS) for Grand Canyon National Park pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. The NPS is working closely with the U.S. Forest Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department on this effort.... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department has posted the 2014-15 Arizona Hunting Regulations online at www.azgfd.gov/draw. Hunters may now apply for a 2014 hunt permit-tag issued through the drawing process for deer, fall turkey, fall javelina, bighorn sheep, fall buffalo and pheasant. (The drawing process for elk and pronghorn antelope occurred earlier this year.) At this point, paper applications may be submitted by U.S. mail to Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn: Drawing Section, P.O. Box... Full story
The 20th Annual Payson Wildlife Fair is happening on Saturday, May 10. This free event in the cool pines runs 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Green Valley Park, 1000 W. Country Club Dr. in Payson. Admission, parking and activities are free! The Arizona Game and Fish Department will be stocking 800 pounds of rainbow trout for this event; that’s more than 1,000 fish going into the lakes! There will be fishing poles and bait available to borrow for free. No fishing license is required during the event hours (... Full story
On March 4, 2014, the Southwest Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) notified the public that the Service had designated 764,207 acres of land in southern Arizona as critical habitat for the rarely-present jaguar. This action completed the third review by the Service that examines the need for jaguar critical habitat in Arizona. The two prior reviews found that designation of critical habitat in Arizona-New Mexico was not warranted. The Arizona Game and Fish Department does... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department Outdoor Expo is all set for Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30, at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix. Admission and parking are free. There's plenty of hands-on fun for all ages. Check out the huge kids' fishing tanks and take home a free photo. Learn target archery and try other shooting sports in a safe, supervised, controlled environment on the range. Get a feel for specialty shooting disciplines like clay target, cowboy action, practical... Full story
Tip Of The Week Spring bass fishing can be excellent, and there's one technique that can turn average bass days into exceptional ones. During the pre-spawn (generally water temperatures of less than 55 degrees), when targeting big, transitioning bass in the shallows, try dyeing your soft plastic bass lures orange. Water clarity is generally limited in our warm-water fisheries right now, and an orange tail can help trigger bass feeding on crawfish. During a spawn (when water temperatures are at... Full story
