Flatlander

Hey guys this is good feed back but voicing your feedback here won't help shape the program. It was pretty clear to me last night that the department is not emotionally attached to tag surrender, they are simply reacting to feedback they have received. So if you don't like the idea, show up to a meeting and say so. Or send Scott Lavin from the dept an email and let him know your opinion on the topic. There is really 0 benefit to the department for this process unless hunters want it. From being at the meeting it definitely appears that the consensus is in favor of tag surrender. So if you don't like the idea, you need to speak up to the right people.

Sorry guys I had a typo in my previous post. Giving club members priority for surrendered tags was universally agreed to as a BAD idea. I would be very surprised if AZGFD moves forward with that option. I think the numbers of tags surrendered in other states is around .25% it's so minimal I don't know why anyone cares if it's an option.

I am nearly 100% that is a Chupacabra. You are fortunate, day sightings are rare. Non-game animal, you can harvest year round.

Thanks Brian!

Thanks guys for the info. The hotel is booked. I will report back after the trip.

I was in attendance tonight and listened to what the G&F had to say. I have never before attended a Sportsmen Constituent Group Meeting, and I didn't have to join or register anything, I just showed up and said my piece. Here are my takeaways: 1. The dept. will be implementing a new interface component to their website which will allow for each person to interact with the department individually and see the things they use most on their screen page. This is being implemented, is free to the public and should help improve the way we buy licenses, update payment, register watercraft, etc. This is a much needed update and should produce lower overhead and operating cost for the Dept. 2. The Dept. has gained authority from the state to break away from the state's IT provider and begin developing their own systems for the draw, etc. As others have tried to explain during draw troubles in the past, up until this time the Dept. has been required by the state to use the IT provider contracted by the state for all state departments. This has been the genesis of draw problems in the past. They are in the process of developing a new platform for the draw with the goal of bringing everything in house. 3. The "Club" or "Bundled services as they are referring to it is still conceptual, but the commission has asked them to implement something by 1/31/2015. I am still not clear what the goal of the club is, but from what I gathered it appears to be two pronged: First; To more fully utilize technology in the recruitment and retention of new hunters and Second; to develop a new revenue stream to help fund the commitments the Dept. has already made to technology i.e. the Portal or web interface page described in number 1. 4. Tag Surrender, this is a hot button issue with hunters, and for what reason I cannot figure out. The Dept would like to use this as an enticement for hunters to begin doing more online and thereby join their "Club" or "Bundled Services". For whatever reason tag surrender is omething that hunters in this state are showing they want, and the dept is trying to find a way to provide it. In my mind this service is useless. If their is an emergency I can (and have) already petition the Dept. and ask that my points be restored and the tag returned. Almost everyone else in attendance thought this was a great idea. It was noted that protections need to be put in place to prevent abuse of the system i.e. someone putting in on a party app and returning thier tag but not the tag of other party applicants is one example. 5. Issuance of surrendered tags. Everyone in attendance, including the Dept. seemed to agree that giving a priority to "Club" members for returned tags was a BAD idea. This is a bad idea and I will be shocked if the Dept. moves ahead with it. 6. early access to draw results, it seemed as though the department recognizes that it is unlikely that folks would find any benefit, because hunters can already see if they will be receiving a tag by checking credit card info. There is not a feasible way for the dept. to get the info out sooner than the credit card companies. 7. Other ideas were offered for "Club" benefits or incentives; most notably was access to draw odds and statistics via the portal. This, in my mind is a worthy benefit and the first thing that has been mentioned for whch I would be willing to pay. There is a market for this data and very few resources for obtaining it currently. I believe that constituents want the Dept. to improve on the level of information currently provided and the ease with which that information is obtained. If the department provided this at an added cost, It is my belief that many people would respond favorably, more so than allowing tag surrender or priority to receive surrendered tags. Overall my feelings were this: AZGFD is working hard to find ways to better connect with new constituents. Hunter and angler recruitment is way down across the country and the facts are that if we don't find ways to make hunting more mainstream, our rights will be trampled and our heritage lost. Yes, this is an attempt for the Dept. to help fund a new project, and their goal is to make it a self sustaining project. If that means they provide added services at an added OPTIONAL cost, then great. I am in support of that. More than anything though I will say that there a re a handful of people working really hard to make sure the voice of sportsmen is heard by the agency responsible for managing wildlife. If no one else speaks up or voices a concern then nothing will be done. These meetings are the time to have your voice heard, this is not a commission meeting with commissioners trying to cram down their lunch during a two day solid meeting fest while hunters talk about what they want. this is one on one interaction with the people who are developing the program. There is an abundance of ways that this tool could be used to improve what we get from the dept. at limited additional cost. For instance, I know that in some units with access problems the Wildlife Managers have maps showing what gates are locked and which are open. These are currently only available by contacting the WM directly and asking for it. This portal could be a way to centralize these types of documents and off set the cost of maintaining them. Water catchment info could be published on the portal and accessed with a yearly subscription, things along these lines can be a great benefit to hunters. Lastly, Mad Props to Allen, Hector and Stan who are out there trying to make a difference. Wildlife does not belong to any individual, it belongs to us collectively, and so it is necessary to have some ruling party to manage it. If we speak up, participate in the process and provide useful, relevant information, we can be a powerful force in helping to shape the way our state's resources are managed. I plan to attend again next Tuesday at Bass Pro if possible. I hope to see many of you there.

Posting the time and location again might be a good idea.

Somebody jump on this . . . Great deal on a great bow. My favorite Matthews ever.

My dad taught me this when I was young: Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt. ABRAHAM LINCOLN Your ignorant, small minded and racist comment has given us a pretty good idea of what composes your substance as a human being. My wife and children may be "Window Lickers" as you describe them but they understand English, respect for others, and consequences for their actions something I'd be happy to teach you the same way I taught them. Unfortunately for you, your small world only gets smaller when you reveal your character with a comment like this. Now we all can see you for what you are and this community won't put up with someone who is willing to degrade their peers because of where they live, or what they look like. You had an opportunity to share thoughts and ideas with thousands of individuals who share your passions and interests but you crap that away when you begin building walls out of skin color and heritage. I hope Amanda bans you for life, and I will send her an email saying as much. There are too many good people on this site to waste any space with your intellectually weak rhetoric.

Still available?

You guys almost have me sold. We are taking the family to the ABQ area for 4 days at the end of July to check it out for ourselves. Any suggestions on where to get us some authentic Nee Mexican cuisine? Any must do activities? I've been looking at a town that's about 20 minutes from our office there named Edgewood. Anyone have any insight on that area? I really like the idea of being out of town and near the mountains but still close to work.

I would say right now that the deer in 3c are benefitting from the elk numbers leveling out. Scientifically I can't verify that but the deer I see coming out of 3c now seem much better than right after the RC fire. Back to the fire discussion, my heart goes out to The people impacted. Danny White lives near us and he is friends with my parents. I am sick for him.

What you are saying is based in fact. A couple of years ago the WM from unit 1 (Packer is his screen name I believe) shared the rationale for increasing tags following the Wallow fire. And essentially he said for the first couple of years the habitat couldn't support the herd sizes it had previously so the increase in tags was to reduce herds and allow the new growth to take hold. Once the new growth took hold it sustained more animals than prior to the fire, and increased nutrients for those animals which correlates to increased antler growth. Once the boom of new forage levels out and the new growth begins to get thick and the rich post fire nutrients are gone then the increased forage is lost and you begin to return to pre-fire herd levels and the boom is over.

I could be in the max point pool for javelina if they did that.

Let's hear it

How could AZGFD get your contact info from CWT?

The Goldwater institute should look into this. I don't even think it's legal for a state department to run a private club.

Everything you listed should be a fundamental service provided to all sportsmen in this state, not requiring an extra fee. Sportsmen groups supported the simplified fee structure, and the day it was approved you raised prices on every tag in the state. Now you would like to provide basic services to sportsmen at an added cost. Not cool. See you at the meetings.

TJ I would have figured at your age there would always be room for a big blonde!

Will you take me fishing and show me huge bulls?

There is no way I would ever dip that skull in anything. that is an awesome presentation the way you have it. I may have to build something similar for my bear. Congrats on a BRUTE!

If you don't draw and want some help next year hit me up. Atleast I can make sure you are in the game. I ran out of time this year and did not run the odds. But typically I have a good handle on where not to put in.

I just bought a generic one and put in there, it fits fine.

Somebody would start a thread to cry about it.

If you can't sell it SRP will give you $50 for an old freezer.