This is the year! Set your calendar for a week earlier than past years. Small game season for quail, squirrel, ducks and more opens Friday, Oct. 3.
Abundant snow and rainfall has occurred since the end of 2007. Much of the precipitation fell at the right times and in the right areas. In short, plenty of [...]

Fall outdoor hunting activities just for the kids

See Arizona’s unique wildlife and reconnect with nature
PHOENIX —  Javelina, turkey and sandhill cranes - oh my! It may not be exactly like the famous Wizard of Oz quote, “lions and tigers and bears” – but to many it still invokes a sense of mystery and adventure.
In [...]

PHOENIX —  The early dove season closes Monday, Sept. 15, but wingshooters can extend their wingshooting opportunities by heading to the high country and pursuing band-tailed pigeons, blue grouse and chukar partridge beginning this Friday, Sept. 12.
After hunting dove in unseasonably hot desert temperatures, a retreat up north, where the [...]

Tree Squirrels Changes
Sometimes we get so excited about big game hunts designed for youth that we forget about the traditional entry-level positions and the fun these hunts generate. Rabbits and squirrels are an excellent chance to get young people in the field to hone their skills or to have a quiet [...]

Fall Turkey Changes
Until 1991, fall turkey permits were issued over the counter, but declining turkey populations resulted in the issuance of fall permits through the draw. The department developed a protocol for adjusting permits that reflects the habitat quality and population status. Each turkey unit is evaluated annually during the hunt [...]

Fall Javelina Changes
Javelina is an under-used resource for Arizona hunters. They are the perfect big game animal for beginners, and even experts can learn from pursuing these interesting game animals. Javelina are fun to stalk and provide excellent training in the use of binoculars and primitive weapons for hunting. Although rumors [...]

Buffalo
Buffalo hunt management objectives are arguably either the easiest (Raymond Wildlife Area herd) or most difficult (House Rock Wildlife Area herd) to achieve. The Raymond herd is smaller and less likely to abandon the wildlife area, and has access to less rugged, remote country than does the House Rock herd. We [...]

Elk Changes
Relatively few changes occurred to the elk hunt guidelines compared with the deer. The most notable amendment was the addition of 400 permits for archery bull hunts during November. This was a new idea, similar to moving white-tailed deer permits out of December to provide greater numbers of tags. It [...]

What About Archery?
Archery hunts are longer than most rifle hunts and the season timing is more advantageous. Yet, rifle hunters have higher hunt success because of the advantages of their equipment. But every time we need to reduce harvest, general season hunters end up with fewer permits and archers still have [...]

Doing Away With Quality?
December white-tailed deer hunts are highly sought after because hunter densities are low and whitetails are more active during the breeding season. This combination yields the lucky tag holder an improved chance to selectively harvest older age-class animals. Why would the department change these seasons?
December white-tailed deer hunts [...]

Deer Changes
Over the past two decades, deer populations generally have declined in numbers. Weather has not been favorable, as we’ve seen predominately dry winters and intervening summers of spotty rainfall. These dry conditions were not conducive to favorable habitat conditions. While deer populations declined, rural Arizona was changing as well. [...]

Changing seasons: Hunting seasons, that is

Increasing hunter opportunity while maintaining hunt quality

Sept. 5, 2008

This article was written by Jim Heffelfinger, game specialist in the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Tucson region, and Brian Wakeling, the department’s big game management program supervisor. The article was originally published (abbreviated version) [...]

5-stand now available at Ben Avery Clay Target Center

Variety is the spice of life for target shooters

Sept. 4, 2008

PHOENIX — Recreational clay target shooters can now enjoy the challenge of 5-stand at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility’s Clay Target Center in Phoenix. The center has added 5-stand [...]

Getting started in something new is always hard, be it a new hobby, skilled trade or other interest. The same holds true for hunting, prompting the Arizona Game and Fish Department to host several hunting workshops to teach the basics of hunting javelina.
These informative workshops are taught by knowledgeable wildlife biologists [...]

Looking for a fun activity to unglue your son or daughter from the TV or computer?

In the West Valley, the department and the Chandler Rod and Gun Club will host the annual Robbins Butte Juniors’ Dove Hunt at Robbins Butte Wildlife Area (about 40 miles west of Phoenix) on [...]

Hunters: Put a little spring in your step
Spring hunting regulations are now posted online
Summer is ending, fall is about to begin, it’s time to put a little spring in your step – spring hunting that is.
Arizona’s spring 2009 hunt draw regulations are now available online at the Arizona Game and Fish [...]

It looks like the early reports from Monday’s opening day are either that of boom or bust.
My particular hunt was a bust - despite the prescouting we did prior to the opener.
Leaving one to wonder, “did the heavy storms of last week play a role?”
I got with one the Arizona Game and Fish Wildlife Specialist [...]