Red Rabbit

I like the owl pics. Is that blood on his beak, or the natural coloration? Doug~RR

Another pic, courtesy of Bob Uecker. Doug~RR

The 2008 -2010 hunt guidelines are on the G&F website . Study these proposals carefully. More G&F medicine for increased OPPORTUNITY. Go to a meeting to express your reasoned opinion. http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/hunt_guidelines.shtml Propose up to 5 % of the whitetail tags as December. Last year the recommendation was to offer 5-10% in the late season. This year in 2007, about 9% of the tags are for December hunts in most units. So, let’s cut December tag numbers in half, crowd the early seasons even more to decrease harvest and validate increasing tag numbers (ie opportunity) further. Keep Whitetail units 6a, 23, 30b, 31, 36b for alternative management units to harvest older age class bucks with up to 30% of the total harvest during the late season. In 36C, 12% harvest in Dec. In 2005 16% harvest was in Dec. In 6a for 2006 16 of 76 deer were harvested in December for 21% of the total harvest. Does this mean that permits will be shifted from Oct and Nov back to Dec to more approach 30%? At least 2% of the general deer tags to juniors-only. Now, the recommendation is for at least 3%. Still need more Junior tags, in my opinion. Is permitting the Kaibab archery hunts in the future? Laying the groundwork. From page 9C of the 2008-2010 Hunt Guidelines: “Archery deer harvest will be managed not to exceed 20% of the overall harvest in a unit. When archery deer harvest meets or exceeds 20% of overall harvest, the Wildlife manager will recommend reductions in archery hunt opportunity according to the following prescriptions, to include permitting harvest. Permitted harvest once prescribed will be managed to meet demand by weapon type.” (2006 archery data not available) In 2005, archery harvest in 12a was106 and rifle harvest was 640, for a % harvest by archery of 14%. However, in 2004, archery harvest in 12a was177 and rifle harvest was 416, for a % harvest by archery of 30%.

Sounds like she may be a candidate for a bird dog, private charter school instead of home schooling. I remember working with Rica almost daily that first summer, and she just about had me trained by October . RR

Stan, How's that Visla doing on training? Will she be ready for a first quail season next fall? Doug

They look well used, even before the fall to concrete. At $2600 for repairs, or $535 for min repairs, might be time to cut your losses. For 2600, you could get new Swaros and then some. RR

Just a heads up that the Bowhunter Happening will be moving to Sunrise, May 26-28 http://www.arizonabowhunters.org/

Lance, Sure would be nice if a few sinkholes in lower lake were plugged and you could still use that ladder. Doug~RR

Flagstaff Archers, Rim Country Bowhunters and Granite Mountain Archers will be having their 3-club scene shoot at Willard Springs 14 miles on I-17 south of Flagstaff on the weekend of June 23. Doug~RR

Christian, Glad you enjoyed the shoot. I always liked the shoot at Clints Well and the course layouts (but did not make it this year for the first time in several). Smokers are fun and a learning experience. Hope to meet you at some other shoot. The three northern AZ clubs are having their scene shoot the weekend of June 23 at Willard Springs south of Flag. Doug~RR

http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/resources/1971_act.html Will need to start digging that BBQ pit in the backyard. Might need to start researching where to have a habitat improvement project and test the Nosler E-tip when it comes out Doug~RR

SPF Sold Pending Funds RR

BENELLI NOVA pump, 12 Ga., 28". Advantage Max 4 camo. Improved cylinder, modified & full choke tubes. Primos Jelly Head 0.655 constriction turkey choke. Limbsaver recoil pad. Fired only 7 times. $350 shipped conus to FFL. Doug~RR

SOLD PENDING FUNDS RR

Lohman CD Varmint Caller. Two 15 Watt speakers. Remote (works just a short distance 20 yards, better to use manual controld). Wall charger. 4 CDs. $175 shipped conus. SOLD Doug~RR

SOLD

SOLD Remington 1100, 12 Gauge, 2 3/4" chamber, 26" VR Improved choke. I fell once and bent the vent rib (see pic). I have taken 0000 steel wool to cut the stock shine. 14" lop. Pachmeyer Whiteline pad. Uncle Mikes Sling studs added. Extra 26" vent rib barrel, 2 3/4" magnum or 3" mag steel shot. Rem choke. Full, Imp, Mod tubes. $500 shipped, or f2f in Phoenix over Easter. Doug~RR

Last year there were a total of 64,508 big game permits issued for deer, antelope, sheep, elk and buffalo (not counting turkey and javelina). There were at least 97,931 hunters applying, so limiting the draw to one species does not guarantee a tag. Species;# permits; # applicants Deer; 38,682; 90,378 Antelope; 959; 27,640 Elk; 24,766; 97,931 Sheep; 93; 16,332 Buffalo; 8; 1998

I think you would need to look at why some draw multiple tags and some draw none. Is it the unit choice? number of bonus points? How many years since they have drawn? Some people beat the odds and get lucky, but I think some want to make the exception the rule and think many people get multiple tags. Utah has that you can only apply for one species, but this is for limited entry hunts and one can still apply for the general hunts, and Utah has more game. What are the number of hunters and total lnumber of tags? Does it work out that there would be one tag per person? If it went to one species only, I think you would see a greater choice for elk initially since it is the most popular/desired species. No, I'll take my chances and wish to apply for all species, and hope for one. Would like the hope that I could draw elk, sheep and/or deer and not be eliminated by having to select just one species. Would your friend want a preference point system for each species, knowing it would be 5-10 years before he will draw a bull elk tag and cannot hunt anything else in the meantime? Doug~RR

Hooked on Coues, I would tend to agree with you. If the first two hunt choices were seperated into seperate draw passes, it would more likely reflect peoples first desire. But G&F has used the first choice as expressing desire to validate shifting of archery cow elk tags to rifle cow tags last year. Isn't what people put down first choice what the really would want? I would be one that would still put a December Coues or Kaibab hunt first choice though, even if the choices were run separately. Under the current system, I have sometimes put a November hunt second choice to help assure that I would get to hunt, but I would still prefer a quality December hunt over a more crowded November hunt that has less deer movement and bucks not out beginning to find does. G&F has the conclusion that people prefer the opportunity to hunt over the preference to hunt quality/trophy, but I still feel the draw chooices do not support that conclusion. If hunters' first preference was just to hunt, then their first choice more likely would be an Oct or Nov hunt. Perhaps the reason also that many put in for the October and November WT hunts is for the chance to go hunting once each year, considering the low draw odds for elk and antelope and sheep and buffalo. If AZ's game population was higher and people had the chance to hunt some species every year, I bet the survey results would not be what they are. But we should face the fact that AZ is arid and cannot its habitat cannot support the populations (game or people) other states have. For the same aridness reason, snow skiers suffer in our state. Looking at the declining buc:doe ratios shows me that the population continually cannot support the number of hunters. Maybe we need to realize that we cannot hunt every year in AZ. G&F wants us to be able to hunt each year, but to do so would mean hunts that give lower success rates, like the idea of having an archery elk hunt in Dec as was originally proposed a year ago. Doug~RR

Thanks for the heads up. I should be able to attend in Flag. I have a differing viewpoint regarding the "opportunity" survey results. I have added up application numbers for the 2006 WT hunts. My feelings are that people will put in for what the would like to hunt for their first choice, and what they would settle for their second choice. Third through fifth choices are almost a futile/moot choices as not many permits remain in the second round of the draw. The department uses this same first choice rationale to allocate archery vs rifle hunts and bull vs cow hunts. Permits have been shifted to the November and October hunts and these will be considered "opportunity" hunts. December hunts will be considered quality/trophy hunts. 15,345 permits were issued in 2006 for the Oct/Nov opportunity hunts. 1875 permits were issued for the December Quality hunts. In other words, 89% of the permits were allocated as opportunity hunt permits, and 11% for quality hunt permits. For the Oct/Nov hunts, there were 10,097 first choice applicants for the 15,345 permits. For the quality Dec hunts, there were 10,474 first choice applicants for the 1875 Dec permits. In other words, 51% of the applicants applied for the quality Dec hunts and 49% for the early opportunity hunts. 51% of the first choice applicants would like to draw for only 11% of the tags. 51% of the applicants would like a quality trophy hunt over an opportunity hunt. 10474 hunters applied for only 1875 permits, for a mathematical draw percentage of 18%. 10,097 first choice hunters applied for 15,345 permits for an overall draw average of 100% (more permits than applicants). The percentage of hunters applying for a quality trophy WT hunt (51%) (and in my mind saying they prefer a quality trophy hunt), does not coincide with the survey results that showed that about 35% said harvesting a trophy was more important and 65% said having more frequent opportunities to hunt was more important. Actions may speak louder than words = applications speak louder than surveys. I realize that having 51% of the permits in Dec to reflect demand (or 35% to reflect the survey) will not result in a quality hunt due to crowding, and the buck population could not support such a shift in permits to Dec and still maintain an age class of quality WT. But I do feel the analysis of applicants support the concept of having some WT hunt units managed for quality rather than all for opportunity, as seems to be the trend. One can look at the buck:doe ratios and see the steady decline in the last 60 years from 66:100 in 1946 to 27:100 in 2006. It would be interesting to see the data showing the numbers applying for unit 12 and 13 mule deer tags (quality) vs south of the river (opportunity), and what people applying north of the river first choice did for second choice. Would this data support the survey results of opportunity over quality? Doug~RR (I posted this on other forums)

The Shuttle T-Loks fly to the same point of impact out of my LX as field tips. The new NAP HellRazor should be a good penetrator, but those elk shoulder blades will stop a lot of arrows. http://www.broadheadtests.com/ RR

I started in about '72 going to Greer every August with a high school friend, Robert Tolone. His family had two cabins just up the lane from Jack and Rusty's cabins. Our first stop was to drive in to Tunnel lake and look at the water level. When they paved the roads to the lakes, we thought the place was ruined. Used to camp at Benny Creek Campground, just a road to camping spots with no tables or outhouses across from Hoyer, for free when the Tolones were not in town. Could drive the truck down to the shoreline of Tunnel to launch the boat for a night of brown trout fishing. Gas was sold up the hill at Northwoods. Charlie and Sue Tripp had the Circle B- great people and shared many times with each visit. Thanks for letting me think back. Doug~RR

The upside is that those who applied in NM will know those drawing results posted June 20, before the new, later AZ deadline of June 26. This could prevent some hunt date conflicts. Doug~RR

The Tusayan Ranger district/Grand Canyon reported 0.05" yesterday and 0.14" for the month. Keep dancing. Nothing last night in Flag, but it is sprinkling now. Doug~RR