AZ G&F not responding to reequest for info on Boquillas Ranch agreement. WHY?

[AZ G&F not responding to reequest for info on Boquillas Ranch agreement. WHY?]

We all know about the recent issue with the Boquillas Ranch putting up information on their website that they were going to charge hefty access fees for tags that they deemed "High Demand."

 

The fees were going to be $500 for a number of elk and antelope tags, and they were going to limit those with permits to only two assistants.

 

They also raised the price for guides who want to operate there from $300 to $500.

 

Arizona Game & Fish said they had no prior knowledge that this was going to happen, so they said they were going to start negotiations with the Navajo Nation, who actually owns this 750,000 working cattle ranch in northern Arizona.

 

So finally with just a week or so before the application deadline, the Department said they had reached an agreement with the Navajo Nation to reduce the access fees from $500 to $80.

 

Hmm sounds good for us, right?

 

I got a call from a man who said that we as sportsmen needed to know what the Department had agreed to do in exchange for the reduction in fees.

 

In the past, they have done tank clean outs, vegetation manipulation (cutting junipers) and building water catchments. They even used sportsmen dollars to grade roads on the ranch that you and I could not use.

 

So I sent a letter to Director Voyles asking for him to provide the details of this year's agreement.

 

I never got so much as a phone call from him or his underlings, explaining what they had done.

 

Well I wondered, why did he not respond to that simple request?

 

Bottom line is he didn't.

 

So I wrote to each of the Commissioners and told them of my request and of his lack of response. The Director serves at the pleasure of the Commission so I figured that would get me an answer.

 

Guess what? No answer from any of them either.

 

So now this really is causing me to wonder why the secrecy? This is a simple request for a valid question on what the agency has done in regards to the negotiations this year?

 

So what are they hiding?

 

What did they do that they apparently don't want you, the sportsman to know?

 

This is not over I assure you.

 

I have written another formal request (FOIA) for this information and am sending it in.

 

Several of you have asked on another forum why the Department didn't do what they did to the antelope hunt in Unit 19B, when they refused to be strong armed by that land owner and closed down the antelope hunt there.

 

I've been doing a little "math" on the Boquillas situation and I think the answer is simple..it is about money--and lots of it.

 

Just look at how many elk and antelope tags are going to be issued for Unit 10 this year. Figure in the $13 application fee ($15 for non-residents) and YOU do the math. Yep, BIG MONEY. Plus the unit is about 2,300 square miles in land mass. Right now only about a third of that is really open to unfettered public access. So if they closed off the Boquillas and forced the hunters to only go into areas that are open, what would happen to the wildlife populations there? Yep, get hammered real bad. Adjoining ranches would also feel the heat of a huge number of hunters trying to hunt on their lands too.

 

Look I'm not pointing any fingers at anyone, but when the agency refuses to tell us, the folks that are buying licenses, and tags and supports these folks on a daily basis, the answer to this question, well there is just something amiss.

 

I hope that you, like me want to know the answers to the question about what happened this year.

 

We have a right to know, and I'm not stopping til I get some answers.

[Decoy question]

Big Browns is right on...Every situation is different, you just got to get that "feel" and then, some of time you are wrong! LOL

 

I like using decoys (I use Avian X) and they have really worked!

 

One time a few years ago on San Carlos, my friend Eric and I had a pair of gobblers walk in on us while we were in a blind with the decoys out front.

 

On video it was 1,2,3, BAM and both long beards hit the ground!

 

Man I can't wait till April 2 and that San Carlos opener!

[San Carlos in THREE weeks!]

Knothead.

 

I think we are all gonna camp at Point of Pines Lake and spread out from there.

 

I will have my beat up beige 2006 Ford Super Duty, and will be staying I think in a converted cargo type trailer.

 

Stop by and say HI.

 

I am thinking with this being an early, warm spring, we should be right on the money!

 

After San Carlos is over, gonna head to Oklahoma and hunt with my boys and grandson(s). That ought to be fun too!

 

I didn't buy a tag for San Carlos next year, decided to go to Florida and get an Osceola and finish up my slam!

 

Would like to go hunt the Hualapai Reservation, but they are really proud of their tags..$450... But they are less than 75 miles from the house.

 

Course with costs of fuel and such, in the end, might be about the same..

 

Didn't draw in AZ for Gould's, or Nevada for Rio's but this San Carlos hunt ought to be a good one.

My 2015 Nevada bird!

My 2015 Goulds

 

My buddy Eric is a "hard core" turkey hunter and I'll stay up there till we are BOTH done, no matter how long it takes.

 

Oh well..Gobble-gobble!

[San Carlos in THREE weeks!]

Well going up on my early San Carlos spring turkey hunt in about three weeks.

 

Got a number of friends going up too so we'll probably camp together.

 

Gonna get a fishing permit this year and eat some fresh trout while I'm there. You know you get tired of steak and pork chops, LOL!

 

This will be the first time I've hunted the early hunt, so not quite sure how it will be. We have all done well on the late season, and we just wanted to see how it is on that early season.

 

My friend Eric and I both got birds on the late hunt in 2015, but we really had to work for them. Matter-of-fact, we have never spent so much time as we did last year to fill our tags...

 

 

But we learned a lot of new country and areas where we never would have thought there were turkeys at, so maybe this year will be better.

 

Got our Avian X decoys, lots of assorted diaphragm calls, and box calls, so looking forward to the hunt with my friends!

[New turkey video to fire you up!]

Some great footage guys!

 

Congratulations!

 

Come on San Carlos, two weeks away!

[Last NR Supplemental Hunter Education Class for 2016 on April 23]

There is a difference, not only in the instruction, but also in the final test given. The Supplemental class covers in depth a lot more of the rules and regulations that NR hunters need to know. And now we do have a shooting component in the class, but again it is different that would be given to the online or regular resident hunter ed classes.

 

If you are an Arizona resident who took Hunter Ed in another state since 1980, you too are obviously eligible to take the 1 day class.

 

The Department set the rules for what was needed to take the Supplemental class.

 

I'm not sure when online field days are offered. I know they are listed on the AZ G&F website.

 

We have had them (online field days) up here in Region 3 before and I'm sure we will again. The last one I attended though had more instructors than we had students!

 

Jim Rich is the other Chief Instructor in Region 3 and he does the scheduling of the resident classes and the online field days for this area.

 

Don Martin

Chief Instructor

Region 3

[Results of Arizona Wildlife Outfitters 2016 Big Pig contest!]

Since this is primarily to keep track of the weights and sex of the animals in Region 3, it has restrictions (have to be weighed on camp scale) folks from other units haven't bothered to enter. The other thing I am tracking is the success for those who get TWO tags every year! So far, they seem to have a much higher success rate than those who get just one tag! Why do you think that is? These I think are great "talking points" when meeting with AZ G&F personnel.

 

Pigs are allowed from northwestern Arizona; Units 10, 18A, 15's, 16A, 18B and 19B. Remember I am collecting data from the javelina in these areas. We had entries this year in Units 19B, and 16A this year, but no one brought in a pig.

 

Pigs must be weighed on the scale at our camp! You wanna drive a long ways to weigh a pig? Then come on over. Obviously most who enter are hunting in Unit 18B cause that is where we camp...

 

Remember this isn't some "BIG CONTEST" where prizes are given. It started out just friends a clients, but it has gotten bigger over the years.

 

It would seem that those who were a top of the board this year just got lucky..they didn't really know they were shooting big pigs..At least that is what they told me.

 

As for the "yawners" come on over next year and get in. Costs just $10.. Then go out and bring us YOUR heavyweights! By the way wildwoody, I believe it is "whoopee" not whoopy..But I may be wrong.

 

Always those out there that like to criticize..lol.

 

Pigs are completely gutted when weighed. No heart, lungs, or entrails allowed.

[Close and personal encounter with a javelina this year!]

And yes, Jay went over and looked for blood, on pig 1 and 2, no hits!

[Last NR Supplemental Hunter Education Class for 2016 on April 23]

Today, I have scheduled the last Supplemental class for NR's in 2016. This is for all those that want to hunt in Arizona!

 

The class details are this.

 

First in order to take this class you MUST have taken a recognized Hunter Education class in a state other than Arizona since 1980 and be able to prove it with a state issued card!

 

This MUST have been a state class; not the NRA, or some gun club class. This is the FIRST and most important requirement to take this class!

 

You must send me a copy of that card via email at info@arizonawildlifeoutfitters.com or by FAX 928-681-2838.

 

After I receive the card, you will be put on the class roster.

 

The class is done one day, Saturday April 23, 2016 and starts at 7 a.m. (Arizona time) till about 6 p.m. and will be held at the Mohave Sportsman's Club 7 Mile Hill Range, which surprisingly, is located 7 miles west of Kingman on Old Highway 66.

 

You MUST register on the Game & Fish Department Website. While it shows it on the website is a online field day, it is NOT! It is the Supplemental class. Look for the date, April 23, 2016 in Kingman Arizona!

 

Once you complete the class, you will receive your graduation card from Kalkomy! You will not be issued one after the class.

 

You will receive the permanent bonus point on your account prior to the Sheep/deer draw! I promise...

 

If you have any questions you can call my cell at (928-303-9481) text, email (Info@arizonawildlifeoutfitters.com)or FAX me at 928-681-2838.

 

Note I will be on vacation on turkey hunts in Arizona and Oklahoma from April 2nd through the 19th, so I recommend you don't wait till the last minute to register.

There is a strict limit of 40 persons who can take this class due to the room size restrictions.

 

If you want that permanent bonus point for sheep or deer, this is your last opportunity to take this class and have it on your record PRIOR to the 2016 draw.. And yes, with the new rules, having the most amount of bonus points on your account is recommended!

 

Don Martin
Chief Instructor
Arizona Hunter Education
Region 3

[Last NR Supplemental Hunter Education Class for 2016 on April 23]

Today I have scheduled the last Supplemental class for NR's in 2016.

 

The class details are this.

 

First in order to take this class you MUST have taken a recognized Hunter Education class in a state other than Arizona since 1980 and be able to prove it with a state issued card!

 

This MUST have been a state class; not the NRA, or some gun club class. This is the FIRST and most important requirement to take this class!

 

You must send me a copy of that card via email at info@arizonawildlifeoutfitters.com or by FAX 928-681-2838.

 

After I receive the card, you will be put on the class roster.

 

The class is done one day, Saturday April 23, 2016 and starts at 7 a.m. (Arizona time) till about 6 p.m. and will be held at the Mohave Sportsman's Club 7 Mile Hill Range, which surprisingly, is located 7 miles west of Kingman on Old Highway 66.

 

You MUST register on the Game & Fish Department Website. While it shows it on the website is a online field day, it is NOT! It is the Supplemental class. Look for the date, April 23, 2016 in Kingman Arizona!

 

Once you complete the class, you will receive your graduation card from Kalkomy! You will not be issued one after the class.

 

You will receive the permanent bonus point on your account prior to the Sheep/deer draw! I promise...

 

If you have any questions you can call my cell at (928-303-9481) text, email (Info@arizonawildlifeoutfitters.com)or FAX me at 928-681-2838.

 

Note I will be on vacation on turkey hunts in Arizona and Oklahoma from April 2nd through the 19th, so I recommend you don't wait till the last minute to register.

There is a strict limit of 40 persons who can take this class due to the room size restrictions.

 

If you want that permanent bonus point for sheep or deer, this is your last opportunity to take this class and have it on your record PRIOR to the 2016 draw.. And yes, with the new rules, having the most amount of bonus points on your account is recommended!

 

Don Martin
Chief Instructor
Arizona Hunter Education
Region 3

[Last NR Supplemental Hunter Education Class for 2016 on April 23]

Today I have scheduled the last Supplemental class for NR's in 2016.

 

The class details are this.

 

First in order to take this class you MUST have taken a recognized Hunter Education class in a state other than Arizona since 1980 and be able to prove it with a state issued card!

This MUST have been a state class; not the NRA, or some gun club class. This is the FIRST and most important requirement to take this class!

 

You must send me a copy of that card via email at info@arizonawildlifeoutfitters.com or by FAX 928-681-2838. After I receive the card, you will be put on the class roster.

 

The class is done one day, Saturday April 23, 2016 and starts at 7 a.m. (Arizona time) till about 6 p.m. and will be held at the Mohave Sportsman's Club 7 Mile Hill Range, which surprisingly, is located 7 miles west of Kingman on Old Highway 66.

 

You MUST register on the Game & Fish Department Website. While it shows it on the website is a online field day, it is NOT! It is the Supplemental class. Look for the date, April 23, 2016 in Kingman Arizona!

 

Once you complete the class, you will receive your graduation card from Kalkomy! You will not be issued one after the class.

 

You will receive the permanent bonus point on your account prior to the Sheep/Deer draw! I promise...

 

If you have any questions you can call my cell at (928-303-9481) text, email (Info@arizonawildlifeoutfitters.com)or FAX me at 928-681-2838.

 

Note I will be on vacation on turkey hunts in Arizona and Oklahoma from April 2nd through the 19th, so I recommend you don't wait till the last minute to register.

 

There is a strict limit of 40 persons who can take this class due to the room size restrictions.

 

If you want that permanent bonus point in time for the sheep or deer draw, this is your LAST opportunity to take this class and have the point PRIOR to the 2016 draw.. And yes, with the new rules, having the most amount of bonus points on your account is recommended!

 

Don Martin
Chief Instructor
Arizona Hunter Education
Region 3

[Close and personal encounter with a javelina this year!]

I have been hunting javelina since the 70's and have taken my fair share of the little Grey Ghosts of the Desert.

 

I've taken them with a shotgun shooting slugs, a 50 caliber muzzleloader, open sighted 357 Magnum handgun, scope handgun (Savage Striker in .223) and several rifles in various calibers.

 

This year, I was hunting with my friend Jay Chan on the last Tuesday of the general rifle hunt in Unit 18B after just about everyone else in our camp had tagged out. Jay was using his son's new 6.5 x 284 while I was using my Rock River Fred Eichler edition AR-15.

 

At the first place we stopped, I got lucky and glassed up a herd of about 10 animals feeding on a sunny hillside at 675 yards away in a canyon.

 

We saw that the herd had several large adult animals in it so we decided to make a stalk on the herd.

 

Wind was right so off we go. Note I had sustained a pretty severe injury to my left knee in December so I have to walk very slowly and use a walking stick to stay upright.

 

There was an old two track road leading into the bottom of the canyon and it was still in the shade, so the set up was just about perfect for us to slip up onto the unsuspecting herd.

 

Jay and I slowly worked our way down the old road and got to within 200+ yards of the herd and set up.

 

I had identified the herd boar and Jay had picked out a couple of old, adult sows as our targets.

 

Problem was we could never get two of our targets in the scopes at the same time. I would have the boar in my scope, but Jay didn't have one of the mature sows in his. Then Jay would have a target, but I couldn't see the old boar. This went on for almost TWO hours as we "bird dogged" the herd around the mountain.

 

It is the longest I have ever been on pigs without firing a shot! However when you are selective, these things can happen.

 

So finally the pigs spook a little and run around the backside of the mountain I had first found them on.

 

As we move around the mountain I see the boar about 200 yards above us, slowly walking at the base of some rim rock.

 

Not wanting to take an off hand shot at that distance, we moved on till we were on the back side of the mountain.

 

My knee was hurting bad, so I sat down on a nice rock had had a concave face, perfect for sitting on.

 

I told Jay I wished I had brought my J-13 javelina call, as I had left it in the UTV. Jay said he had a call, an old Circe jackrabbit model that he he has used successfully in the past for locating javelina.

 

So Jay starts to call and I have the AR sitting next to me. Jay goes through the first series and I see nothing. He starts a second series when at the 7 minute mark I hear teeth clacking, snarling, and woofing as a large adult javelina comes running around a Palo Christi tree not 15 feet in front of me!

 

In a flash the pig runs past me, but it was very, very close. Later we measured and it was TWO feet from me! I hollered at Jay as the pig went by and I looked around to see what looked like Jay and the javelina doing a "dance."

 

I stood up, grabbed the AR and watched as the pig ran off into a canyon. I saw him coming out of the brush at 100 yards and got him in the scope and fired! Missed, hit behind him. He kept running and I shot again as he emerged from behind some turbinella oak. "Did I get him?" I asked Jay as the pig disappeared from view. "I don't think so," Jay said just as the pig came out of the brush and up the side of the canyon.

 

Jay started calling again and I walked over to look into a large deep ravine. Then I saw them. Two pigs were headed towards me about 70 yards away. When I stepped out in the sunlight, they stopped and backed up into a small Palo Christi tree. I could see the pig in the scope and fired, but the bullet hit a branch and deflected into the ground, at the feet of the pig.

 

Now one would think this would cause the pigs to run away, but NOPE, these two headed into the deep ravine in front of me and were out of sight in a flash.

 

Suddenly I looked up and at 10 yards, the two were walking straight at me!

 

I stepped back and the lead pig stopped. When she turned her head I aimed at her neck and fired! She went straight down, but the other pig started running towards me and went by at a distance of about 20 feet and straight towards Jay!

 

I saw Jay trying to get the pig in his scope but it was gone in a flash.

 

I recovered my pig and asked Jay to sit on the rock where I had been when the first pig ran by. I had him put my pig where the pig had beento show just how close the encounter had been, The only difference is that the pig was running at me, while the pig in the picture is facing away from Jay.

 

 

Never in my hunting career have I been so close to a javelina who was so heck bent on fighting some unseen predator who was putting what it thought was the hurt on a young pig.

 

One thing is certain, this should tell the average hunter that you should never go into the field without some kind of predator call!

 

They really do work!

 

[Results of Arizona Wildlife Outfitters 2016 Big Pig contest!]

Here are the official results of the 2016 Arizona Wildlife Outfitters Big Pig contest.

 

I hold this contest each year primarily to gather good data on what the size are of the javelina populations in Unit 18B, but we also try and collect data from hunters who take pigs in other surrounding units.

 

This year we had 35 entries in the hunt and 21 of the hunters bagged a pig.

 

Our Big Pig winner was Joe Hererro who bagged a monster sow that weighed 44.68 lbs.

 

 

Our smallest weighed 19 lbs. 4 oz.

 

 

I want to thank all the hunters that entered this year.

 

The data I collect I use when I go to meetings with the Region 3 folks and we discuss javelina, which by the way, is Arizona's second most hunted big game animal.

 

Don Martin

Arizona Wildlife Outfitters

 

Here was the pig I took near the end of the general rifle hunt. This is an average adult pig for this unit, 36.61 lbs.

[Unit 18B Muzzlelaoder success with the Utah Boys!]

I had the pleasure of hunting with two of my friends from St.George Utah on the opening weekend of the HAM hunt in my favorite javelina unit, Unit 18B.

 

Dan Driggs and Bryan Beckstead, who was on his first ever javelina hunt, came down to spend some time in the Arizona Wildlife Outfitters camp.

 

I had to assist my brother on opening day, so I sent the boys off their own.

 

None of us did any good, but others in our camp filled out, so Gary was going to have some help the next day.

 

I wanted to be a good host, so on Day 2 I had the opportunity to go out with these two, who I affectionately call, "My Mormon Boys."

 

First place we stopped it didn't take Dan long to glass up a small herd up on a hillside about 700 yards away.

 

While I watched through the Swarovski spotting scope, (my knee was busted up and I couldn't hardly walk!) the boys made a move on the pigs but of course they moved around the mountain where I couldn't see them anymore.

 

When the boys got there I told them the pigs had moved and to look in the thick brush where they had gone. I told them if they didn't find them to use a varmint call to try and make them move.

 

Turned out to be good advice. They didn't see the pigs until after Bryan did a couple of calls. The pigs started huffing and clacking their teeth, and they moved out of the thick brush across onto a semi open hillside.

 

Dan got a shot at 160 yards and dropped his pig.

 

Bryan shot and just missed.

 

But he reloaded and his second shot was on the money at about the same range. Pretty good shooting by those guys with smokepoles!

 

Both pigs were good size. Dan's pig, which is the second one he's taken in the past 4 years, weighed 39.74 lbs. Bryan's beast, his first, weighed 40.05 lbs.

 

 

 

Glad the boys tagged out.

 

The second pair of "My Mormon Boys," Colby Adams and Roy Echols, will be coming in tomorrow for the start of the general rifle hunt.

 

Oh, on Wednesday, my brother connected on an "oops" pig. He though he was shooting at a big boar, when in fact he shot a small boar.

 

I don't wanna embarrass him, but I've taken jackrabbits that I think are bigger than that one!

 

Good hunting guys!

 

Don Martin

Arizona Wildlife Outfitters

 

 

 

[BIG Unit 18B javelina!]

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go out with my friend Joe Hererro on his HAM hunt in Unit 18B.

 

Joe had just one day to hunt and so we decided to make a quick trip from Kingman to a spot in the north end of the unit that I had not been to for a couple of years. It was close to town and Joe wanted to be out of the field by 4 p.m. as he had a party to go to. It was to be a quick dash and glass..I didn't really expect to see anything.

 

So we get there at daylight, glass a couple of areas on a flat and see nothing but a few antelope.

 

I decide to have Joe drive to the top of a mesa and we'll look over some far away canyon country.

 

Once again the Swarovski spotting scope is money when I see a group of at least 5 pigs at a range of 1.5 miles as the crow flies.

 

I ask Joe if he wants to go on a hike.

 

Joe hasn't got a pig in about 6 years and it was 10 a.m. so he said sure, and off he goes. I couldn't go with him as I have a messed up knee and am awaiting an MRI...

 

Anyway, Joe makes good time and I tell him how I think he needs to go to get within range of the feeding pigs.

 

Then Joe disappears and so do the pigs.

 

For a couple of hours I don't see Joe or the pigs.

 

Seems he had got to the edge of a GIANT canyon and decided to walk down in it and up the other side!

 

When I finally hear from him, it is via a text message as we had no radios. He tells me that he is on the end of the point where the pigs were first seen.

 

I look in the scope and see a single pig up and feeding. It is now close to 1 p.m.

 

I tell him to look at the juniper tree to the east of him and he texts, "I see em."

 

I watch through the spotting scope as he sets up and fires. He is using a 50 caliber muzzleloader.

 

Next thing I see is a text that says, "I probably shot the wrong pig!"

 

Seems the herd of 8 had detected him and were starting to get up and move away. This one old sow was standing just 25 yards away so Joe made her take a dirt nap.

 

I watch as he field dresses the pig and gets packed up.

 

Now it is 1:30 p.m.

 

I watch as Joe starts hiking and then once again he disappears. At 4:30 p.m. I start to get worried. Where the heck is he? Has he fallen down, broke a leg, knocked himself out, had a heart attack, etc. I have not got a text from him since 1:30.

 

I move up onto the mesa so I got a better view and text reception but I see and hear nothing!

 

At 5 p.m. I hear a shot down below the mesa and figure its Joe at the spot I had originally dropped him off.

 

I drive back off the mountain, and sure enough there he sits, with this blank stare on his face. I give him water, and a sandwich and ask what happened. Seems I couldn't see that the canyon I had been looking at was a lot longer than I thought it was, and he had to walk an extra mile to avoid crossing it.

 

"I'm whipped," he said.

 

It was then I looked at the javelina by his side. IT WAS HUGE! He says something like is it bigger than Gary's? (Gary is my brother who had screwed up on Wednesday and shot a 19 lb. boar)

 

I went to pick it up and I told him that the pig was way, way bigger than Gary's!

 

Ultimately, around 8 p.m. we met friends Jay Chan and Jack Gunnoe at Jack's camp which was by the Big Sandy River. See Jay had the "official" scale we use for our Big Pig contest. Joe's pig--and Jack's too, had to be weighed on this scale.

 

Jack, who was also in the contest, weighed his first. The boar pushed the scales to 39.68 pounds, which is a big pig in our area of the state.

 

Then Joe put his pig on the scales.

 

I gasped when I saw it weighed 44.79 lbs!

 

In all the years I have been guiding and doing studies on javelina in northwest Arizona by hosting Big Pig contests each year, I have seen just one javelina that weighed more than that one did. Dan Reed brought in a giant sow a number of years back that weighed 44 lbs 10 ounces. That is the largest pig I have ever seen, field dressed.

 

So know I know why Joe was completely worn out. He had carried that old girl on his back for about 3.5 miles!!!

 

Obviously Joe is on the lead in our contest, and in second is one of my archers who thumped a pig that weighed 41.8 pounds in January.

 

Bryan Beckstead came down from St, George Utah and he bagged his first javelina last week, a sow that weighed 40.05 lbs. He is in third place.

 

We have 9 hunters still in the contest that have rifle tags next week in Unit 18B so it will be interesting to see if anyone can get a pig over 40 lbs, which is rare.

 

For Joe, he is looking at getting a half mount of this old sow on a rock as he has never had a javelina mounted before. I told him I'd be willing to bet that he'll never get a larger one in his lifetime!

 

Oh, Joe missed the party and his wife dislikes me even more! Not bad though for a quick dash and glass!

 

Official weight! Scale doesn't lie!

 

Joe is 6'2" and 270 lbs. He is holding the queen of the desert, Pigzilla!

 

Pigzilla looking to the right. Note how big her shoulders and head are!

 

Another view of the big shoulders and head of this desert pig.

 

[Oldest javelina EVER? Taken in Unit 16A by a Juniors hunter.]

I didn't have a scale, but did pack him out and by the time we got back to the truck I though he weighed 100 lbs! LOL

 

Young man kept saying, "You want me to carry him?"

 

 

 

 

Fun hunt,

 

Don Martin

Arizona Wildlife Outfitters

[Oldest javelina EVER? Taken in Unit 16A by a Juniors hunter.]

In December I was able to assist a young man from California who had drawn one of the muzzleloader deer tags in Unit 16A.

 

I got him a companion javelina tag, which those juniors hunters there are allowed to buy.

 

First day out, within 5 minutes of glassing at the first spot, I got lucky and spotted a group of 10 pigs.

 

The young man had never even seen a live javelina, so we decided to go after them.

 

Long story short he made a good shot on the herd boar at 85 yards.

 

That's when it got interesting!

 

When we checked, the pig had NO TEETH other than his tusks!

NOTE! I put the rock in the pig's mouth to keep it open for pictures!

 

Took the pig to Region 3 where Game Specialist Erin Butler looked at it and said she believed it was 9+ years old!

 

That is really old for a javelina, especially in that unit which is over run by predators, including mountain lions and coyotes.

 

Wished I would have brought my scale, would have liked to weigh him. He was big bodied!

 

Unfortunately after he got the pig, they got a call about a family emergency, so we didn't get to hunt anymore.

 

Because of the age of the javelina, and it being his first one, Dad decided to have it mounted. Amber Kirby at Down and Mount Taxidermy got the call.

 

Good kid, a great experience, and a super old boar!

 

Don Martin

Arizona Wildlife Outfitters

[Hunter safety course]

Titanium700, IF you've had a hunter safety class in ANY state since 1980 you can take a one day class here in Kingman.

 

I'll be posting our class date on the AZGFD website soon, and that class is also limited to the first 40 that sign up.

 

All day class, starts at 7 a.m. ends around 6 p.m.

 

Guaranteed you will earn a lot about Arizona and our rules and regs, and especially how the draw system works.

 

Don Martin

Chief Instructor

Region 3

[16A help needed (updated, Buck Down)]

I was able to assist a young man from California who had a muzzleloader deer tag in Unit 16A, along with a companion javelina tag.

 

The young man and his dad had hunted for two days and had not seen anything.

 

We went out early one morning and I got lucky when I found a herd of pigs after glassing for less than 5 minutes.

 

We made a stalk and the young man bagged his first javelina with one shot at 85 yards!

 

 

This may be the oldest javelina that I've ever seen! He had no front teeth at all, and Erin at G&F aged him at 9+ years old!

Note, I put the rock in the pig's mouth to hold his mouth open for the photos.

 

Right after we got the pig, they got a call about a family emergency and had to leave.

 

But at least he got his first javelina.

 

Deer hunting was really tough this year in Unit 16A for a lot of the kids.

 

Always glad to help out our young hunters, who are the future of hunting in America!

 

Don Martin

Arizona Wildlife Outfitters

[Hunter safety course]

For those who don't mind coming to Kingman, we are TEACHING a two weekend Hunter Education class that starts on the second weekend of March.

 

Note that I say TEACH as that is what we do! Our students don't just get exposed to the concepts of Hunter Education, they are TAUGHT it and walk away with a lot more knowledge than they will ever get in an online class.

 

You must register on the Department's website. Go to Hunter Education, and follow the prompts.

 

I know its a long ways to drive, but in my opinion it is well worth it!

 

Class is limited to the first 40 who sign up! We make this class exciting and a lot of fun.

 

Some of our graduates will also receive a new pair of 10x50 binoculars, courtesy of the Mohave Arms Collectors Association, a couple of kids and their parent or guardian will get a free overnight striper fishing trip this summer on Lake Mead with me, and some lucky graduate and a parent will get to go on a one day varmint hunt with an experienced local varmint hunter.

 

It truly is an awesome learning experience for the kids.

 

Don Martin

Chief Instructor

Region 3

AZ Hunter Education

928-303-9481

[Hunt success in Unit 18B on the juniors hunts!]

Me and the guys at Arizona Wildlife Outfitters had an awesome time last weekend in Unit 18B on the juniors javelina hunt.

 

Cody Jalbert assisted 4 young men on their hunt and they all got shots and two of them bagged pigs!

 

AWO guide Tad Levandowski and myself, along with Jay Chan assisted Golden Valley residents Ryan and Laura Borden on their hunts.

 

It was tough on opening day, we found just three pigs despite some serious glassing all day. Our young hunters didn't get a shot!

 

Score pigs 1, hunters 0

 

On Saturday it started off better when a pair of porkers ran across the road in front of us as we were driving to our first glassing spot.

 

Tad and the young hunters headed after them, but lost them in the thick brush. Score Pigs 2 Hunters 0

 

20 minutes later we had just started glassing when Tad found a group of 14 pigs coming out of a den on a nearby hillside.

 

Up the mountain they went while Jay and I kept the eye on them.

 

Laura never got a shot, but Ryan got on a sow and fired three times. Two of the shots were hits.

 

Score Pigs 2, Hunters 1

 

An hour later Jay glassed up a herd of 10 pigs about 3/4 of a mile away feeding on a hillside.

 

Jay and tad took Laura on the stalk but the swirling wind gave them away, and Laura ended taking shots at 210 and 230 yards, but unfortunately missed!

 

Score Pig 3 Hunters 1

 

Later on that day after lunch we split up with Tad and Jay taking Laura with them, while Ryan and I glassed from a good vantage point.

 

With about an hour and a half of daylight left, I glassed up a large group of pigs about two miles away on a flat.

 

 

Tad, Jay and Laura made a fast climb up the mountain and Laura bagged her boar with one shot at 185 yards with my Rock River Fred Eichler Edition AR.

 

Tad was even able to get the shot on video.

 

Final score, Pigs 3 hunters 2!

 

Laura's boar weighed 38 lbs. 7 oz and currently in second place in our Big Pig contest.

 

Had a great time with all the kids and everyone left happy.

 

Glad we were able to get them on pigs!

 

Next up is our friends coming in with HAM tags, then a few more coming with general rifle tags.

 

Unit 18B is our favorite javelina hunt and we constantly have high success there.

 

If you have a 18B tag and want some professional help, give me a call.

 

Don Martin

Arizona Wildlife Outfitters

928 303-9481

 

 

 

[Big Boquillas Ranch Threat or Leverage or Both!]

Review the 2016 fees. I commented on this in a thread on Monster Muleys, but couldn't get it copied to here.

 

High Demand tags???

 

Wow, here we go..

 

Don Martin

[Sheep hunt success in Northwest Arizona!]

Ah Lark, 4,666 posts and we STILL don't know who you or where you are from!

 

Did you know that Mr. Weiers is the one that introduced the bill that LIMITED non-residents by LAW to just 10% of the big game tags? Nah probably not.

 

Howe about Jerry worked to get the TWO part big game tags in Arizona?

 

How about Jerry went down to the border and help weld up steel vehicle traps with the AZ National Guard to help stop the "invasion" by illegals and drug runners..

 

My friend did a lot and I'm proud of him--even if I didn't agree with his position on the infamous bill.

 

But the bottom line is he got an awesome ram; one that even you little Internet "trolls" would be happy with, and I'm glad I was on the mountain with him when he ended at 24 years quest.

 

Shame that some have to try and ruin the memories of another man's once in a life time hunt for one of the most coveted animals in North America!

 

Don Martin

928-303-9481

[44BN Hunt]

Hey Dave Hallof of Peoria AZ fame, didn't you know that those other 3 hunters in that unit took rams within a few days of the start of the hunt, and Bruce and his wife were out there for 23 days?

 

You are one of the guys on these sites that facts mean very little to. You live in that little messed up world of yours and after 872 posts you don't identify yourself, and you hide behind the computer making snide remarks that are way off from the truth.

 

Didn't your parents tell you to live by the Golden Rule?

 

Nah... probably not!

 

I for one am proud to call Bruce a friend...You got any of those???

 

Nah, probably not!

 

Don Martin

928-303-9481

[Sheep hunt success in Northwest Arizona!]

Yea Dave and Larkspur, and you other "no namers" that think you know so much. You boys really are pieces of work. I gave you my address and phone numbers.. come out from hiding behind your computers and give me yours?

 

Yea, I sure to "rip people off" on the guided fishing trips, don't I ? Let's see I donate trips to the following groups; ABA, RMEF ( 3 chapters), ADA, AES, AAF, APC, MSC, ADBSS, and there is more. Just goes to show how IGNORANT you really are!

 

Come on give me a number and I'll give you a call and we can talk about this.

 

Say what you want about Mr. Weiers, but nothing you "limited entry" folks can say or do will change my mind about him as my friend.

 

Don Martin

928-303-9481