Outdoor Writer

Here's the actual RULE that regulates the sheep permits: a. The Department shall reserve a maximum of 20% of the hunt permit-tags for each hunt number for antelope, bear, deer, elk, javelina, and turkey to issue to individuals and groups that have bonus points. The Department shall reserve a maximum of 20% of the hunt permit tags for all hunt numbers combined statewide for bighorn sheep and buffalo to issue to individuals and groups that have bonus points. D. The Department shall not make available more than one hunt permit-tag or 10% of the total hunt permit-tags, whichever is greater, for bighorn sheep or buffalo in any draw to nonresidents. The Department shall not make available more than 50% nor more than two bighorn sheep or buffalo hunt permit-tags of the total in any hunt number to nonresidents. Once the 20% pass is done, ALL applicants are basically on equal footing and issued NEW random numbers for as many BPs as they have.The LOWEST number is then used to determine who gets the remaining 80% of the tags in the 1-2 pass. So ANYONE, regardless of how many BPs they have, can win the "lotto" with a low number. The only thing the BPs do at this stage is provide more chances to get that low number. For a NR, however, if the 10% cap was hit during the bonus point run, they're out of luck in the 1-2 pass. I personally know one guy who moved here from Alaska and applied as soon as he was a legal resident. He drew a permit with NO BPs and killed a represenative ram near Gila Bend. And I just drew SECOND choice with 21 points. Didn't even have the Hunter Ed point!

Well, now it's really official; my tag arrived in today's mail! As I had mentioned somewhere, 15CN, with its easier terrain, was my first choice. I imagine the hunt in 45C will a lot tougher for me. The biggest hurdle could be getting within range for a shot before the sheep moves to another mountain. Hopefully he'll stay in the same place for a day or two until I can get there. When the season starts, I'll be 71 yrs. old. Although my body is in good slim & trim shape able to handle rigorous hiking, my lungs are mush due to 50 years of smoking. Thus climbing a steep mountain will badly tax the lungs. With that in mind, I'm thinking of hiring a couple of really BIG dudes to take turns carrying me up the mountain. Any takers? izquik72, I doubt Corky and friends will be helping since I drew 45C and not 15CN, where Cindi had her tag a couple years ago. Chris, I had 21 points. trophyhnter, No official guide; can't afford one. Will be mostly DIY with my son and anyone who volunteers to help. azcouesfanatic, Are you related to Skip Rimza?

Was just able to access the AZ draw results online. Looks like I drew my second choice... Bighorn Sheep Draw Successful 06034 Dec 01 - Dec 31, 2012 UNIT 45C (KOFA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE) Permit #000003

Good job, guys. NZ is a magical place. It ranks as one of my favorite hunts, even OVER South Africa.

Nice Bull!!! If he's one and the same from Texas, Corey Knowlton and I got to visit a bit on my flight to South Africa in 2003.

These are excerpts from two different articles I wrote years ago. They provide a bit of perspective on the history. Prior to the influx of civilization to Arizona in the late 1800s, both the desert and the Rocky Mountain bighorns actually inhabited Arizona's mountain ranges. James Ohio Pattie wandered the wilds of Arizona and New Mexico in 1824. His diary, THE PERSONAL NARRATIVE OF JAMES OHIO PATTIE OF KENTUCKY, contained the following: "We called it the San Francisco River. After traveling up its banks about four miles, we encamped and set out all traps and killed a couple of fat turkeys. In the morning we examined our traps, and found in them 37 beavers! This success restored our spirits instantaneously. Exhilarating prospects now opened before us, and we pushed on with animation. The banks of this river for the most part incapable of cultivation being in most part formed of high and rugged mountains. Upon these we saw multitudes of mountain sheep. These animals are not found on level ground, being they slow of foot, but on these cliffs and rocks they are so nimble and expert in jumping from point to point, that no dog or wolf can overtake them. One of them that we killed had the largest horns that I ever saw on animals of any description. One of them would hold a gallon of water. Their meat tastes like our mutton. Their hair is short like deer's, though fine. The French call them "gros cornes," from the size of their horns which curl around their ears, like our domestic sheep. These animals are about the size of deer." Because the terrain around the San Francisco River is atypical for desert sheep, the experts concluded Pattie's "mountain sheep" were Rocky Mountain bighorns. Sadly, they didn't exist in Arizona too long after the settlement of the West began. Both the Rocky Mountain bighorn and the Merriam's elk disappeared from the state during the late 1800s. The desert bighorns, victims of indiscriminate hunting and diseases borne by domestic livestock, almost suffered the same fate. In 1897, the first Arizona game law -- Title 16, Relative to the Preservation of Game Birds and Animals -- outlawed the hunting of sheep from February to October. It still wasn't enough to stem the decline and possible extinction. The state game warden reported to the governor in 1914: "Our mountain sheep have already been exterminated or driven out of a vast area of our once-good game country, and at the present rate at which the work of destruction is going on, largely through the convenient and efficient medium of the automobile, our 20,000 or so licensed hunters, will finish the work of extermination before the general public awakens to a realization of the situation, and demands a sudden and abrupt halt, in order to give our few remnants of a game a chance to replenish." Although the warden's dire prediction led to closing the sheep hunting season, even more measures to prevent the desert bighorn's demise came to fruition in 1939 with the establishment of the Kofa Game Range and Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Arizona. They served as the last strongholds for the desert sheep and subsequently provided the nucleus for experimental sheep relocations that culminated in 1957 with the first transplant to Aravaipa Canyon. More importantly, though, the short-term protection of the bighorns at the two refuges led to the reopening of a hunting season in 1953. ******************** At one time the desert bighorn inhabited most of Arizona's mountain ranges. Human encroachment, the enigma of the elk, played a major role in their decline, too. Meat hunters, not particular as to what type of game graced the table, haphazardly slaughtered hundreds of sheep. In addition, hordes of domestic livestock competed with the bighorns for the sometimes scarce, available food and water. Disease, introduced and transmitted by the livestock, decimated entire herds. Finally, interested citizens, who feared the demise of the bighorn, sought to protect it. To prevent the sheep's extinction, government agencies established the Kofa Game Range and Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Refuge in 1939. Located in southeastern Arizona, they constituted the last remaining strongholds for the bighorn. In time, the two areas provided a nucleus herd, subsequently permitting game researchers to undertake transplants into other historical bighorn areas. The AGFD selected Aravaipa Canyon, near Klondyke, as the site for the initial restocking. They constructed a 112-acre enclosure in 1957 and released 8 sheep within the following two years. The herd failed to reproduce and dwindled to two rams by 1964. Determined personnel transferred eight more bighorns from the Kofa Game Range. The second effort produced the desired results when the herd grew to 22. Hopeful the sheep would adapt, game specialists released them from the control area. Sheep in Aravaipa steadily increased to the present estimated population of 100. In 1980, permits to hunt desert bighorn in the canyon became a reality. The unit has produced exceptional rams, including a record book head taken in 1982 by John Harris. In December, Jim Ferguson of Yuma, who won a raffled permit that the state had donated to the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, pursued a ram at Aravaipa. Elated with the apparent success of the first bighorn transplant, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, with the aid of advanced trapping techniques, has continued to reestablish the sheep. Since 1980 it has relocated animals into the Superstition, Virgin, Galiuro and Eagletail Mountains; the Paria Canyon Primitive Area, the Grand Wash Cliffs and Goat Mountain. Some of these ranges have had recent, supplemental stockings. In November, 1984 the Kofa Game Range supplied 30 sheep for release at Coffee Flat in the Superstitions. Redfield Canyon, in the Galiuros, received 10 bighorns taken from the Plamosa Mountains. Long-term plans include more than 20 sites already designated as ideal habitat for future releases. Because transplants are extremely expensive, funding sometimes creates an obstacle; it takes $850 to move one sheep. Multiplying this amount times the 54 sheep captured near Lake Mead last year comes to $45,900 --- give or take a few cents! The Arizona Game and Fish Department, a self-supporting entity, found it extremely difficult to budget all of the needed funds for transplant efforts. Even though beneficial, some were postponed, while more urgent matters emptied the department's coffers. A group of hunters and conservationists, aware of the need for better sheep management programs, banded together and organized the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society in 1967. Since then, the society has raised thousands of dollars, and members, none of whom receive money for their efforts, have spent hours improving and building waterholes; assisting at sheep captures and releases and donating time for administrative work. Last year the ADBSS persuaded the Game Commission to donate two permits for fund-raising efforts. Because no provision for this unprecedented request was ever enacted, the legislature passed an amended law in July 1983. The first permit, auctioned on February 24, 1984 in California at a benefit conducted by the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep, raised $64,000 --- the amount bid by Don Pocapalia of Ranchos Palos Verdes, California. The second one, mentioned earlier, brought another $82,450. The total monies from both permits, along with other fund-raising activities, amounted to $149,000. Since all of this money will help safeguard the bighorn's welfare, the department can use other funds on additional projects. Now, by using this year's society funds only, game managers can relocate 175 1/2 sheep!

Congrats! That's three members here so far with sheep permits. Mine is in 45C. One place is Aravaipa Canyon, but you'll need to get a special permit for access from the BLM office in Safford.

The process is the same as the regular applicationas far as the cost, which is the same for a leftover deer permit and includes the app fee. You use the regular app form and you can either mail it to the street address or the P.O. Box. BOTH get delivered to the game department on the same day they are received at the PO. They are then brought in large containers to the G&F headquarters. And yes, you can put as many choices as you like on the app, and they will ALL be looked at at the same time. There is NO DRAW involved. The folks sit down around a table with a bin of apps in front of them and start opening envelopes in no specific order. So if someone is on top of the first bin, it's likely they will get a first choice leftover. The process continues until all the permits are spoken for or until they have no other apps to open. Permits that are then left go on OTC sale.

I have a friend who has an uncle that knows a gal who has a cousin whose brother is the nephew of a guy that works in the offices at AZ game and fish. He sweeps the floor every night and empties the trash cans. Allegedly, a couple years ago he told his nephew, who then relayed it to his brother, who then informed his cousin, who told the gal who emailed my friend who then told me that he had found a letter in one of the trash cans. The letter was from one of the folks in the draw department who had supposedly sent it out to a select group of his friends. In the letter he suggested that they apply using the mail-in system and that they use red ink to fill out the application. That way, he would immediately recognize them so he could be sure to set them aside and assign a low number. So there you have it.

Congrats to everyone who drew their permits!

Congrats on a great tag.

The best time for catching big flatheads has passed. Here's an article I wrote more than 25 years ago. Mickey DelRe died quite a few years ago. Verde River Whiskerfish I looked at my watch. It read 3:30 a.m. Even though the brightness seemed to hint the dawn of the May morning would arrive soon, the sun would remain hidden behind the eastern mountains for at least two more hours. Glancing up, I saw the cause of the surprising amount of light. The full moon, nestled among millions of stars, looked like a giant spotlight surrounded by an uncountable number of tiny flashlights -- all pointing their beams down on the Arizona landscape. My two companions, stretched out on their folding cots, had fallen into a steady rhythm. Each of them took turns to provide an unwelcome symphony of snores, frequently accompanied by an assortment of short grunts and low whistles. For me, any attempt to sleep would have been futile, regardless of how deep I poked my head into my sleeping bag to shut out the incessant snoring. Thankfully, my shift to stay on vigil would last another hour. By then I would be tired enough to sleep through the music of cacophony of a rock band. I rolled to my side and peeked around the edge of my sleeping bag, beyond the place where Mickey Delre and Duke Tartaglia echoed the other's snores. Two of the three rod tips, silhouetted against the light playing on the water, stood still and straight. The third, however, was bent and bobbing. I scrambled to my feet, searched for my shoes and yelled, "Fish on." My fishing partners, no doubt still drowsy from the sudden awakening, stumbled toward the water. Delre, seeing it was his rod that was twitching, grabbed it and reared back. The fish returned the tug, then raced downriver, stripping more line from the already depleted reel. Only a few wraps remained on the spool of the level-wind when Delre, still in his stocking feet, began following the shoreline to keep pace with the fish. With flashlight in hand, I stayed close behind to light the way. In the meantime Tartaglia had grabbed the net from inside the boat. Fifteen minutes later, he netted Delre's 14-lb. flathead catfish -- the sixth one over 10 pounds we had caught that night. Many fishermen would consider that a decent trip. But not Delre. "Another guy and I landed five flatheads one night. The smallest was 18 pounds, and the biggest went 41. All five weighed just under 130 pounds. Those were the good old days when Bartlett was still a fishermen's lake." Delre has fished the Verde River, below Horseshoe Dam where it flows into the upper end of Bartlett Lake for more than 30 years and remembers when the road to the 2,700-acre lake was unpaved and quite rough. Only very dedicated fisherman and boaters with good shock absorbers on their trailers challenged the 15 miles of shake, rattle and roll bumps. The dusty shoulders, littered with broken or lost parts, provided testimony to the roads toll on vehicles and boat trailers. About ten years ago, though, Maricopa County paved the first six miles from the Seven Springs Road to the Horseshoe Lake turn-off, and the U.S. Forest Service, as part of its $3.6 million improvement project at the lake, completed the paving of the last seven miles of the gravel road and added a new launch ramp and parking area last year. Future development by the forest service will add six vehicle-access camping areas, covering more than 200 acres, to the one improved site already in existence. The proposal also calls for the construction of four up-lake campsites, accessible by boat only. In conjunction with the public improvements, a private complex consisting of a marina, store, restaurant and dry boat storage dock will be located a few hundred yards south of the main launch ramp. Brian and Eric Church, who won the bid, hope to have a good portion of the operation in place sometime this year. Not too surprisingly, the catfish in Arizona is somewhat like Rodney Dangerfield; it don't get no respect. The Arizona Game and Fish Department conducted a survey in 1991. It showed nearly 36 percent of the state's anglers preferred trout, 25 percent chose the largemouth bass, while only 5 percent leaned toward channel catfish. Anyone with a fondness for flatheads, however, fell into the 5 percent of "all other fish." Many of Arizona's warm-water fisheries contain whiskerfish, but only a few regularly give up monster flatheads. The Arizona Game and Fish Department keeps records for the inland waters of the state and the Colorado River areas. Pat Coleman of Globe took his exceptional 65-lb. inland-record flathead at San Carlos Lake, and Mike Hughes of Salinas, Calif., caught his 57-lb., 4-oz. flathead near Yuma to hold the Colorado River record. Over the years, however, devoted catfish anglers have flocked to the Verdewhere the odds of landing a REALLY big fish are always good. And Delre concurs. "I really think the next state record will come from the Verde. In the last decade or so, a bunch of them have come close, including a few in the 50 to 60-pound class. So I have no doubts there's one bigger than 65 pounds swimming around in the lake. It's only a matter of time." The ideal time for big whiskerfish is early May through June. The cats, which normally roam about in Bartlett Lake, move up the river then for their annual spawning ritual and congregate in the deep holes and eddies near the faster current, where they try to ambush a meal. Many anglers consider the various catfish species as only scavengers. Actually, they are efficient predators and regularly feed on live fish. The bigger channels and flatheads most likely would starve if they relied on scavenging alone to fill their large bellies. This probably explains why many bass fishermen often hook catfish on an artificial lures. Delre uses the fish's predator instinct to his advantage. "A lot of guys still use the traditional baits like chicken livers, dead shrimp, nightcrawlers or the commercial stink baits. These are fine if you want to simply catch some fish for dinner. But when I go after cats, I'm more interested in size than numbers. Nothing works better than a big, live bait. The first thing I do when I get to the river is gather some bait. Bluegills, carp and suckers work great." Sometimes the bait gathering can be as much fun as the catfishing. When we visited the Verde last spring, we left Phoenix at 3 p.m. and launched the 16-foot aluminum boat two hours later. On the way to our camp spot, we stopped along a rocky stretch of shoreline that held an abundance of bluegills. We used ultralight rigs and small hooks baited with tiny pieces of worms to catch a few dozen bluegills. By 8 p.m, we were anchored far up the river, where the shoreline would later provide a place to set up our cots and sleeping bags for the nighttime fishing. Both Delre and Tartaglia take their catfishing seriously, and their tackle reflects it. They use heavy-duty casting rods and either level-wind or large spinning reels spooled with 25- or 30-lb. monofilament. Heavy shank, 4/0 or 6/0 hooks and 1/2-oz. slip-sinkers, rigged above a barrel swivel about two feet up the line complete their setups. The swivel keeps the weight away from the bait, permitting it to swim more freely. Tartaglia was the first one to hang a bluegill on a large hook. He made a long cast upstream, at approximately a 45 degree angle with the current. By the time the slow-moving water pushed the line parallel to the boat, the slip-sinker had settled to the bottom. Before Delre and I could get our bait out, Tartaglia's line began peeling from his reel. He smiled and patiently waited before flipping the reel in gear, wanting to be sure the fish had swallowed the bait. When the slack was nearly out of the line, Tartaglia set the hook twice. The heavy rod bent in an upside-down "U." Ten minutes later, Delre netted a 17-pound Verde River flathead.

I recently picked up this mount of two Coues I had killed several years ago but had not mounted until now. The one on the left came from Sonora and is on the back cover of the Coues deer book. The other is from 36B. The mount was meant to be a mate to the two Texas whitetails Chris Krueger had done for me a while back. He matched them up pretty well.This pic is both side by side. Although the dimensions are a bit distorted, the height and width of both are about the same. I still need to build pedestals for them.

I probably should have started a new thread in this section, but I didn't. Anyway, if you wanna see a LOT of taxidermy, check out the photos I posted of the Richardson's trophy room in the thread below. http://forums.couesw...15

Yeah, I like them youngin's because they eat good. Besides, if I didn't shoot him, you might have had a chance at him when he became a toad and promptly shot off an antler. Indeed. If I get my sheep in Dec., he'll be doing a lifesize mount for me. He also did these for me last year.

Yeah, it's quite the place. It's a separate building behind Corky's dad's place. Corky lives right next door. There are nooks, crannies and corners that I didn't even post. I'd bet there are at least 30-40 elk mounts and racks alone, and most everything in the place, including most of the African critters, were killed with an arrow.

The LAW applies to CREDIT CARDS. It probably has something to do where folks who don't pay their entire bill each month would then be paying interest on a charge where they haven't received any goods or services. On minimal amounts, the interest doesn't amount to much, but on large purchases, it could be substancial over a few months.

TJ, That would be Corky's wife, Cindi. By several minutes, she was the first person -- and woman -- to take the AZ Big Ten with a bow. Her last critter was a Kaibab bison, which she killed on the same day as Brian Hamm who also did the deed with a bow. When Corky killed his sheep with a bow last year in 22, he also completed the Big Ten deal. Cindi killed her sheep in 15C North, likely the same unit I drew. In fact, somehow Corky found out I drew and called me yesterday from the Bowhunter Happening to let me know he and his dad will be helping me. Having known and hunted with Corky for about 20 years, I can assure everyone that he doesn't need to do any e-scouting to find game. Here's a photo of Cindi with her sheep. The others are the Richardson trophy room, where dozens upon dozens of mounts taken by Corky, his dad, George, Cindi and the three kids reside. These were taken several years back, so there are a lot more now. At one time, George held the P&Y WR for Bison. Now, Corky owns that honor, and the lifesize mount has been added. Son Russell also killed a monster a couple years back.

If your CC was charged, it means you got a permit.

If I recall, in Arizona, it is ILLEGAL to charge a CC unless the product (permit) is actually sold/delivered. That's why when a person orders something that winds up backordered, it isn't charged to the card until it comes back in inventory for shipment.

PHOENIX – Arizona Game and Fish officials are asking hunters to be patient for the fall hunt drawing results because it takes time to process thousands of credit card transactions. “The computer lottery-portion of the draw process has been completed, but until all credit card transactions are processed, the draw process is not complete and we cannot post who is getting a hunt permit tag,” explained Jim Paxon, chief information officer for Game and Fish. That’s one of the reasons Game and Fish asked prospective hunters earlier this month to make sure their credit cards are up to date. Here’s how it works. Once the computer determines someone has been drawn, then the credit card information is submitted. But the process doesn’t end there. If a credit card is denied by a card issuer, multiple attempts are made to get authorization to charge it. When the credit card transaction denial is finalized, Game and Fish personnel must then determine who was next in line to get that hunt-permit tag, and then process that person’s credit information as well. In some cases, it might take multiple iterations to finalize the process on a single tag. “With more than 130,000 applicants this year for the fall draw, it’s just taking time to go through the process,” Paxon said. “If there were a way to speed up the process, we would be doing it.” With any luck it is possible that the draw results posting will become available by the end of July. “If for some reason the process takes longer, we’ll do our best to get the word out to all of you,” Paxon said."

PHOENIX – Arizona Game and Fish officials are asking hunters to be patient for the fall hunt drawing results because it takes time to process thousands of credit card transactions. “The computer lottery-portion of the draw process has been completed, but until all credit card transactions are processed, the draw process is not complete and we cannot post who is getting a hunt permit tag,” explained Jim Paxon, chief information officer for Game and Fish. That’s one of the reasons Game and Fish asked prospective hunters earlier this month to make sure their credit cards are up to date. Here’s how it works. Once the computer determines someone has been drawn, then the credit card information is submitted. But the process doesn’t end there. If a credit card is denied by a card issuer, multiple attempts are made to get authorization to charge it. When the credit card transaction denial is finalized, Game and Fish personnel must then determine who was next in line to get that hunt-permit tag, and then process that person’s credit information as well. In some cases, it might take multiple iterations to finalize the process on a single tag. “With more than 130,000 applicants this year for the fall draw, it’s just taking time to go through the process,” Paxon said. “If there were a way to speed up the process, we would be doing it.” With any luck it is possible that the draw results posting will become available by the end of July. “If for some reason the process takes longer, we’ll do our best to get the word out to all of you,” Paxon said."

My charge of $265 for a sheep permit is now official; it went from "Pending" to an actual charge a while ago.

Yuppers. After 40 years of trying, it finally happened. I had 21 BPs this time around. Not sure what hunt yet, but my first choice was 15CN and 2nd choice was 45C.

Mine got hit for $265. Guess what that is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!