Outdoor Writer

Online application service now available for 2012 elk and pronghorn antelope hunts Jan. 6, 2012 The Arizona Game and Fish Department has announced that the online application service for Arizona’s 2012 elk and pronghorn antelope hunt draw is now available. Hunters who haven’t yet submitted an application now have the option of applying online by visiting www.azgfd.gov/draw and selecting the link to the online service. The application deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 by 7 p.m. (MST). Online applicants are advised to apply early and not wait until the last minute, in case any technical issues arise on deadline day. Those applying online will have to pay the non-refundable $7.50 application fee (which is charged as part of the tag fee whether applying online or with a paper application). Also, a 2012 hunting license is required of all applicants to apply in the draw. If you haven’t already purchased your license, you can do so through the draw application process. Please keep in mind that if you are purchasing your license online, you must have a working printer handy and print your license out at the time of purchase. The department does not mail out licenses that are purchased online. Licenses are also available for purchase from Arizona Game and Fish offices and from more than 300 license dealers statewide. The online application service allows payment with a credit card (VISA and Mastercard only). The cost of the hunt permit-tag won’t be charged unless and until you are drawn. The online service works with the following browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari (If you use Safari, it is recommended that you upgrade to the latest version of the OS and Safari browser; a few problems have been reported with older Safari versions). This application service currently does not work with mobile devices such as iPad, iPhone or other Smartphones. For those not using the online service, paper applications can still be mailed to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn: Drawing Section, PO Box 74020, Phoenix, AZ 85087-1052, or they can be hand-delivered to any of the seven Game and Fish offices located in Pinetop, Flagstaff, Kingman, Yuma, Tucson, Mesa and Phoenix. Mailed applications must be received by the department by the deadline; postmarks don’t count. Copies of the 2012 Pronghorn Antelope and Elk Hunt Draw Information Booklet are now available at all Game and Fish offices and will soon be at all hunting license dealers throughout the state. The booklet is also available online at www.azgfd.gov/draw.

Online application service now available for 2012 elk and pronghorn antelope hunts Jan. 6, 2012 The Arizona Game and Fish Department has announced that the online application service for Arizona’s 2012 elk and pronghorn antelope hunt draw is now available. Hunters who haven’t yet submitted an application now have the option of applying online by visiting www.azgfd.gov/draw and selecting the link to the online service. The application deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 by 7 p.m. (MST). Online applicants are advised to apply early and not wait until the last minute, in case any technical issues arise on deadline day. Those applying online will have to pay the non-refundable $7.50 application fee (which is charged as part of the tag fee whether applying online or with a paper application). Also, a 2012 hunting license is required of all applicants to apply in the draw. If you haven’t already purchased your license, you can do so through the draw application process. Please keep in mind that if you are purchasing your license online, you must have a working printer handy and print your license out at the time of purchase. The department does not mail out licenses that are purchased online. Licenses are also available for purchase from Arizona Game and Fish offices and from more than 300 license dealers statewide. The online application service allows payment with a credit card (VISA and Mastercard only). The cost of the hunt permit-tag won’t be charged unless and until you are drawn. The online service works with the following browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari (If you use Safari, it is recommended that you upgrade to the latest version of the OS and Safari browser; a few problems have been reported with older Safari versions). This application service currently does not work with mobile devices such as iPad, iPhone or other Smartphones. For those not using the online service, paper applications can still be mailed to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn: Drawing Section, PO Box 74020, Phoenix, AZ 85087-1052, or they can be hand-delivered to any of the seven Game and Fish offices located in Pinetop, Flagstaff, Kingman, Yuma, Tucson, Mesa and Phoenix. Mailed applications must be received by the department by the deadline; postmarks don’t count. Copies of the 2012 Pronghorn Antelope and Elk Hunt Draw Information Booklet are now available at all Game and Fish offices and will soon be at all hunting license dealers throughout the state. The booklet is also available online at www.azgfd.gov/draw.

We had planned to be there but... I put a kink in my back on the 9th hole Thurs. and it got so bad that I quit after 14 holes. By Fri, despite lots of pills, I couldn't stand upright. It didn't start to feel better until Mon., but it's still tender.

I tried to make the same points in the other thread -- to no avail. It will all come down to what a WM deems as "intentionally."

Sorry, I haven't replied earlier. I've been snow-under all weekend. Anyway, thanks to all of you. I appreciate it.

Aaahhh, the old argument by gibberish, better known as baffle them with bull$h!t. Don't you know by now that only works on "a dumb, uneducated cowboy?" I can't believe you actually wrote all that drivel, especially the parts about "vitals" and such? Were you sober, or did you perhaps relegate the task to your 12-yr. old neighbor? Even a "freethinker with only half a brain" would read it and conclude you couldn't be serious. Perhaps in your case, the "half a brain" is an exaggeration? Anyway, I'll just assume you meant it all as humor for the masses and not waste my time on a serious reply to your drivel. In the meantime, I bet folks here would love to have your recipes for cooking "vitals." Have a nice day.

Hmm, I'm not sure they're one and the same. This seems to be a bit of a contradiction, no? “Take,” as defined by law, includes pursuing, shooting, hunting and killing wildlife. You are unlawfully using a vehicle to take wildlife if you intentionally drive around until you see the animal you wish to harvest and then make an attempt to take. “Road hunting” is illegal; so is pursuing wildlife with a vehicle, chasing or heading off moving wildlife with a vehicle, and driving offroad to get closer to wildlife. You do not have to shoot from the vehicle to be in violation. Also, I'm guessing that each wildlife manager MIGHT interpret the law differently, given individual scenarios.

Depends on who is doing the talking. The conspiracy theory folks will say the wolves are hybrids. The people within the program will say this: "The animals that are present in the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area (BRWRA) are not true wolves, and are hybrids." Response: "According to scientists, there are three pure lineages of the Mexican gray wolf: McBride, Ghost Ranch, and Aragon. Geneticists have verified (certified) that all three lineages consist of pure-bred Mexican wolves. Regarding the free-ranging population, there have been two incidents of Mexican wolf-dog hybrid litters conceived in the wild (one in New Mexico, one on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation). Both litters were humanely euthanized after genetic testing verified they were Mexican wolf-dog crosses. Both cases involved a female Mexican wolf breeding with a male dog. Aside from the two hybrid litters that have been discovered, there is no evidence to date to suggest hybridization with dogs or other canids is occurring in the free-ranging Mexican wolf population. Genetic testing and analysis of all captured animals will continue to be an important component of the Mexican wolf reintroduction program. We will continue to investigate genetic data and determine if introgression of either domestic dog or coyote genes has occurred within the Mexican wolf population."

I usually don't get involved in to many dicussions on who is right or wrong but I still have another half a pot of coffee to drink so I'll chime in. How do you know they were definitely illegal ROAD HUNTERS as you say? I never read where Kevin said they were shooting from the road or using their truck as a rest. Correct me if I'm not seeing the whole picture here. So, I'm driving down a two track road and if I spot a buck I am to say to my partner we can not get out and shoot because we spotted it while driving to another spot? TJ From the AZ Hunting Regs: (A.R.S. 17-301 B, R12-4-319) Pages 104 and 121 No person may take wildlife from a motor vehicle (including watercraft and aircraft), except as permitted by Commission Order, and under the provisions of the Challenged Hunter Access Mobility Permit Commission Rule (R12-4-217). “Take,” as defined by law, includes pursuing, shooting, hunting and killing wildlife. You are unlawfully using a vehicle to take wildlife if you intentionally drive around until you see the animal you wish to harvest and then make an attempt to take. “Road hunting” is illegal; so is pursuing wildlife with a vehicle, chasing or heading off moving wildlife with a vehicle, and driving offroad to get closer to wildlife. You do not have to shoot from the vehicle to be in violation. Shoot Across Road (A.R.S. 17-301 Page 104 B. No person may knowingly discharge any firearm or shoot any other device including bow and arrow upon, from, across, or into a maintained road or railway. It is advisable not to shoot from or across any road. Again, this is one of the most common violations during the dove season.

Yup, plenty of folks have agendas. Some even have an agenda to make every issue into a conspiracy. Heck, we all know Bush ordered the destruction of the Twin Towers and the mafia assasinated JFK, right? As for MY agenda, it's to report the facts as best I can from as MANY sources as I can. That's what I've done for going on 40 years now. In the case of lead poisoning in avian critters, I believe the dozens upon dozens of "sources" long ago proved the facts, and no amount of rhetoric or hyperbole will disprove them. If someone has a bullet in his brain and no other cause of death is found, could a coroner say without a doubt that person died from a bullet to the head? Guess everyone might decide for themselves if that would be factual or maybe just an "agenda", eh? Oh wait, there are some folks who still don't believe smoking causes cancer. Beam me up, Scotty......

I've got a busy weekend, so I won't have time to further your education to the extent necessary. Besides, we've been there and done this before. One of my replies to you from a long time back: In reality, lead poisoning is quite widespread in terrestial birds (that's the non-waterfowl kind for the unscientific types) and has been well documented in more than 60 species, including both American eagle species, all raptors and yes, ravens, too. Many of these terrestial species are susceptable in two ways -- either by ingesting the lead fragments while feeding on game carcasses or entrails or by picking up lead shot when they do their normal pecking for small stones or gravel to aid digestion. Pheasants, quail, chukars and wild turkeys have all suffered from lead poisoning as a result of the latter. The difference between the documentation between such birds and the highly controlled condor is the ability to KNOW when the poisoning or deaths occur. Obviously, the condors are closely monitored, which includes radios, etc. Eagles, raptors or other terrestial birds are happenstance discoveries, however. Thus, the magnitude of lead poisoning losses for individual terrestial species is difficult to quantify. As for knowing how the condors are ingesting lead from bullets and not trash, it's pretty simple. Those who know what they're doing can match lead types exactly by the particular isotopes in specific leads, including those used in shot and bullets. -TONY So just a few quick facts: Lead poisoning and the deaths caused by it in ALL avian critters, including waterfowl, has been well documented for decades -- and long before the condor project came into being. Perhaps you recently heard that lead shot is no longer legal to hunt waterfowl (banned in 1991) because thousands have died from lead poisoning over the years?? Last I heard, they don't eat paint and garbage from dumpsters. It's pretty simple for researchers to perform a necropsy (that's an autopsy on a non-human) to determine the cause of death. In the majority of cases, lead particles from bullets or lead shot usually indicate the reason. And with a living bird, a simple blood test easily reveals a case of lead poisoning, which sometimes can be treated.. The reason we hear more about the condors is because of the status as an endanegred critter and the near 24/7 monitoring of them. Not only do the researchers have the ability to know when a condor has been affected by using the GPS collars as an indication of its non-activity or death, but they regulary trap EVERY bird at least once and often twice a year for testing. Now, if you really want to know more, you can google "lead poisoning in birds," and you will get literally hundreds of links to the research that has been done -- and findings -- by the USF&WS, about every other DNR & G&FD in most states, independent conservation groups and universities over the years. A few of the facts you might find on the various pages: "Seventeen years after nontoxic shot requirements were established for hunting waterfowl, attention has shifted to lead poisoning in other species. These include upland game birds, scavengers (such as vultures, hawks and eagles) and other waterbirds that are exposed to lead through the ingestion of spent lead shot, bullet fragments and fishing sinkers." ***** "Research on lead poisoning has been focused on bird species, with at least two studies indicating that the ban on the use of lead shot for hunting waterfowl in North America has been successful in reducing lead exposure in waterfowl. The authors found that upland game, like doves and quail, and scavenging birds, such as vultures and eagles, continue to be exposed to lead shot, putting some populations (condors in particular) at risk of lead poisoning." ***** From the Wisconsin DNR: "In Wisconsin, lead poisoning is a significant mortality factor for the Trumpeter Swan, an endangered species in the state. Of 110 Trumpeter Swan carcasses submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) for post-mortem examination between 1991 and 2004, 34 deaths (~31%) were attributed to lead poisoning." "Of 559 Bald Eagle carcasses submitted to the WDNR between 1994 and 2003, 68 (~12%) of those deaths were attributed to lead poisoning." A WDNR study published in 2004 found that some American Woodcock in Wisconsin are accumulating unusually high levels of lead in their wing bones. The exact source of the lead is not known at this time, but a dietary source for the lead is likely, and the study could not rule out lead shot in soils as the ultimate source of the lead. In 1992, at least 200-300 Canada Geese died as a result of acute lead poisoning from ingesting lead shot on a former trap and skeet shooting range near Lake Geneva in Walworth County, Wisconsin. The US Environmental Protection Agency reportedly spent ~ $1.88 M on a Superfund cleanup of the site, removing ~28,000 tons of lead-contaminated soils. The most recent large-scale lead poisoning event in Wisconsin occurred when ~200 Canada Geese were collected in 1999 and again in 2000 from a location in Outagamie Co. "Birds Affected by Lead Contamination All bird species are at risk from different types of lead poisoning, but certain types of birds have been found to suffer more from the most prominent sources of lead. Waterfowl: Loons, swans, geese and ducks not only may suffer from lead poisoning if they are shot with lead ammunition, but lost or discarded fishing tackle can be inadvertently consumed and lead to poisoning. Birds of Prey: Eagles, vultures and condors are at the greatest risk of lead poisoning, most commonly from ingesting lead-based ammunition from carrion and carcasses left behind by irresponsible hunters. Game Birds: Game birds hunted with lead-based ammunition can suffer from lead poisoning if they are wounded but not killed, and doves and quail may accidentally consume discarded lead shotgun pellets as grit for their digestive system." **** From Michigan DNR: Lead poisoning has been recognized as a mortality factor in waterfowl since the late 1800's. Lead poisoning cases today are either the result of ingestion of spent lead shot or fishing sinkers and jig heads during normal feeding activities. When the lead reaches the acidic environment of the gizzard (ducks, geese and swans) or the ventriculus (loons), it is worn down, dissolved, and absorbed into body tissues. Once the lead reaches toxic levels in the tissues, muscle paralysis and associated complications result in death. Distribution Ducks, geese, swans and loons are the animals most commonly affected by lead ingestion, however, upland game birds including mourning doves, wild turkeys, pheasants, and quail are occasionally affected. Lead poisoning has also been noted in small mammals (raccoon) and raptors, presumably from the ingestion of lead contaminated prey. In ducks, geese and swans, lead poisoning is most commonly seen during migration in the late fall and early spring. In heavily contaminated areas, cases may be seen at any time of year. Transmission and Development When lead is ingested, the pellets, sinkers, or jig heads lie in the gizzard or ventriculus and begin to erode. The lead enters the circulatory system and mimics the movement of calcium. It becomes stored within the bones and is excreted via the bile into the feces. **** Once you read all of the FACTUAL information available, take two aspirins and call me in the morning. Oh, and watch out for that boogeyman behind that bush. He could be from some gubbermint agency.

Yes, a lot.

TJ Unless something unexpected crops up, El and I will be there.

Just to keep the facts straight: It should be noted that McCain is NOT or ever has been employed by the AZ G&F Department. Interviews with both he and the fired game dept. employee, Thorry Smith, revealed that McCain and another female volunteer, Janay Brun, had intentionally baited several snare sites with scat from a female in heat that they had obtained from a zoo because they thought it would be neat to catch a jaguar. They were both members of the Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project -- an independent group that voluntraily monitored jaguar activity. It wasn't until after the fact, that the fired G&F guy found out about it. Unfortunately, he lied about what he knew when first interviewed by dept. officials. He later told them the truth, and that's why he was terminated. The interviews with Smith are long but interesting. You can read it here: Thorry Smith Interview Transcripts - Posted April 16, 2010 [PDF 5.5mb] There are also two other interview transcripts on the Jaguar Page. AGFD Mar 19, 2010 press release: PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Department today dismissed one of its employees as a result of the department’s ongoing internal administrative investigation into the events surrounding last year’s capture of the jaguar known as Macho B. Dismissed was Thornton W. Smith, 40, a wildlife technician for 12 years with the department and one of the field biologists involved in the placement and monitoring of traps used in a black bear and mountain lion research project that resulted in the initial capture of Macho B. The department dismissed Smith based on the employee’s own interview statements made during the course of the internal investigation. The statements related to Smith’s conduct that occurred several weeks after the capture, recapture and euthanizing of Macho B. Smith’s statements and further investigation confirmed that he did not comply with verbal and written directions issued by supervisors and that he admitted to knowingly misleading federal investigators regarding facts surrounding the original capture of Macho B. The department’s official letter that documents the grounds for dismissal was delivered to Smith earlier today. Smith admitted that he failed to comply with verbal and written direction from supervisors not to communicate with anyone (other than investigators) regarding the original capture of the jaguar due to the fact that a federal law enforcement investigation had begun. In his statements to department investigators, Smith stated that he talked about the capture with Emil McCain, a biologist with the Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project, even though Smith had previously been instructed not to communicate with anyone regarding the subject of the ongoing investigation. According to Smith, McCain had assisted Smith in selecting bear and mountain lion trap site locations for the research project. Smith alleged that McCain disclosed to him after the capture had occurred that McCain had placed jaguar scat at two camera sites in the vicinity of where Macho B was captured. Smith also alleged that during his discussions with McCain, the two of them concocted a false story about the capture for federal investigators, and that McCain later allegedly went to the area where Macho B was captured and removed all traces of jaguar scat so that the capture scene matched the story. Smith also admitted to Game and Fish investigators that he had knowingly misled federal investigators from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when he told them the story he and McCain had allegedly made up denying that jaguar scat had been placed in the vicinity of the Macho B capture site. Yet in his interview with department investigators, Smith alleged that McCain “went in and removed whatever scat he left, whatever it was. You know, I don’t know what got eaten. Because by the time we actually caught, you know, the jaguar, the scat by the camera had been kicked over and knocked. I don’t know what was left. He went in and cleaned it up, made it look like our story.” When asked by department investigators if he had knowingly misled the federal investigators, Smith said, “Yah. Yah. We (McCain and Smith) came up with a story, and I just, it’s been eating on me and I just couldn’t live with it.” Upon further questioning by department investigators, Smith went on to allege, “We made a different story to protect the department, to protect Emil, to protect my association with Emil, about, you know, not leaving jaguar scat, but (tape recording inaudible). There was no scat at all placed anywhere. The one scat I did find he pointed out was an old one, which it was, but you know, I can’t live with that. You know, I did it.” The Department has concluded that the employee’s conduct is cause for dismissal as allowed by Arizona Revised Statutes 41-770 and includes violations of the standards of conduct for state employees found in Arizona Administrative Code R2-5-501. Smith has been restricted from working on field activities since July 16, 2009, and the department placed him on paid administrative leave on March 8 pending a determination on what final administrative action would be taken. On March 15, the department issued Smith an official notice of charges of misconduct letter. Today, Smith submitted to the department his intent to resign his position. The department refused to accept Smith’s resignation as allowed by Arizona Administrative Code R2-5-901 and issued a letter of dismissal to him. Department officials added that the Game and Fish internal investigation cannot be considered completed until the department has an opportunity to review whatever findings may come out of an ongoing federal investigation being conducted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. However, department officials noted that as the one year anniversary of the initiation of the federal investigation approaches, the department had reached a point in its own investigation where it could no longer delay taking appropriate action. The department has determined that no agency personnel directed any person to capture a jaguar, and that the department’s actions related to the capture were lawful. Arizona Daily Star, April 2, 2009 I baited jaguar trap, research worker says By Tony Davis and Tim Steller A trap the state says inadvertently snared the last known wild jaguar in the United States actually was baited with female jaguar scat, a member of the Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project says. Janay Brun told the Star that on Feb. 4 she put the scat at the site of the trap that two weeks later snared the male jaguar, known as Macho B. He was released but recaptured 12 days later, on March 2, because he showed signs of poor health. He was euthanized that afternoon. Brun, 37, said she spoke to the Star because she thinks she helped cause the death of Macho B. "That jaguar meant a lot to me, and the fact that I mindlessly participated in this — it's a regret I'll have for the rest of my life." She said she put the scat out in the presence of a state Game and Fish employee and Emil McCain, a biologist for the project. Brun alleges that McCain told her to place the scat at the site. In two interviews with the Star this week, McCain vehemently denied her allegations. On Tuesday, he said Brun was fired from the project within the last month and was "completely unreliable in the past and untrustworthy." On Wednesday, he said the project ran out of money to pay her and that he was waiting to meet with Brun to tell her that. The Star is not naming the Game and Fish employee Brun says was present when the scat was placed because it has not been able to reach the person. The state Attorney General's Office has taken over an investigation of the circumstances of the jaguar's capture from Arizona Game and Fish. The game department, which announced the investigation Tuesday night, would not elaborate. Project workers have used female jaguar scat to attract jaguars, McCain and others said this week. In 2004, the project began placing scat at locations of motion-sensing cameras where they were attempting to photograph jaguars, two former volunteers said. Jaguars and other cats use scents as a way to communicate, and female jaguar feces may attract male jaguars. The borderlands jaguar project obtained female jaguar scat from the Phoenix Zoo in November and December of last year and from the Reid Park Zoo on Feb. 18 of this year, officials of both zoos told the Star this week. They said they understood the scat would be used to attract jaguars to cameras, not snares. On Dec. 10 of last year, in an e-mail exchange forwarded by Brun, McCain sent her an e-mail saying he "just got a package of female … jag scat. Am thinking about placing it under a certain tree. You concur?" "Si," Brun replied in an e-mail nearly an hour later. Brun, of Arivaca, is out of state taking care of a family matter. But she said by phone and e-mail that she is speaking up because of the guilt she feels over the death of Macho B, whom she had been studying since she accidentally saw him in 1999. "I felt guilty as all heck that I never questioned Emil enough, that I didn't go back and set the snares off or do something to get them out of there," said Brun, who has been a paid, part-time field technician for the jaguar detection project. McCain denied having told Brun to place jaguar scat at the snare site and said he didn't know that she had done it. "I'm extremely shocked that she would have said that or put scat in that snare," McCain said. "That snare was obviously for mountain lion and bear purposes, not for jaguar research." More........ Preparing for capture E-mails obtained through public-records requests to Arizona Game and Fish and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service make clear that in the two weeks before Macho B was captured, McCain and others were preparing to capture a jaguar, even though subsequently officials emphasized the capture was inadvertent. On Feb. 3, the Game and Fish employee and McCain received e-mails from veterinarians Roberto Aguilar and Sharon Deem suggesting what dosages of which drugs to use to sedate a jaguar. McCain followed up on Feb. 5 with an e-mail to Deem and the unnamed Game and Fish employee clarifying that the employee "is not trying to catch a jaguar, but he is working on a mountain lion and black bear study in an area where he may inadvertently encounter a jaguar." On Feb. 13, McCain wrote an e-mail to Blake Henke of North Star Science and Technology, who provided the radio collar that five days later was placed on Macho B. "I wanted to thank you for getting the donated jaguar collar back to me so quickly," McCain wrote. "I also wanted you to know that we have again started trapping, and that there is fresh jaguar sign in the area." On Feb. 16, McCain wrote to the Game and Fish employee and Henke: "At this point I think that for the week long trapping periods in the area where we may capture a jag, I think we should leave that collar (turned) on. Especailly (sic) given the remmoteness (sic) of the area, the lack of internet or phone access and the once in a lifetime change (sic) to collar a AZ jag, I think it is prudent to be 100% sure the collar is on." Naive about traps As Brun described the scent-baiting event, it occurred on a cold evening, after she, McCain and the Arizona Game and Fish employee had spent most of the day hiking in rugged hills northwest of Nogales, Ariz. The trio checked sites where the borderlands project had set camera traps to photograph passing jaguars and where Game and Fish had set snares for the mountain lion and bear project, Brun said. "Emil said to me, 'Janay, put the scat over there,' " Brun recalled, referring to the area of the snare trap. "I was very naive about what the traps were. We'd used the scat before at the (camera) traps for two months in Macho B's territory last year and no jaguars had showed up. I didn't think he would be back in the area." Photos of the jaguar taken on Jan. 21 had shown Macho B about 12 miles north of the eventual trap site, Brun and McCain said. A photo taken earlier that month had shown Macho B south of and much closer to the trap site. On Feb. 21, three days after Macho B's capture, she said she went to the capture site and saw what she later described as a tree with jaguar claw and tooth marks running up and down it. "They told the story of how he tried to climb the tree to pull the cable off his paw, only to be pulled down to the ground by the same cable," Brun wrote in an e-mail to the Star, describing the braided, metal cable that is used to snare an animal by a limb. "I found pieces of his claws, including a tip, embedded in the bark. The 'padding' on the cable was electrical tape. This is done to ensure that the cable does not slice through the animal's skin, bone, ligaments and joints as it fights to get free. The loop of the cable remained taut against his paw, cutting off circulation." In his interview on Tuesday, McCain said Brun had "done a very dirty trick here to make this information public without talking about it first." "This particular individual has been completely unreliable in the past and untrustworthy," McCain said. Brun has worked as a volunteer and paid employee for the borderlands project since 2001. But McCain said the project fired Brun sometime in the past month. Brun said she had no knowledge of having been fired. She provided the Star an e-mail exchange between McCain and her from March 19 and 20 in which he had asked her to go with him to Sonora for 10 days in April to set up to 20 cameras, presumably to photograph wildlife. Brun was described as "an excellent tracker, putting in countless hours in the field each month," in the book "Ambushed on the Jaguar Trail," an account written by Jack Childs and his wife, Anna. He is co-founder and project coordinator for the Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project. He and Anna, also a co-founder of the group, have been photographing jaguars in Southern Arizona since first catching Macho B on camera in 1996. Jack Childs, of Amado, said he knew nothing of Brun's allegations until being told of them by a reporter. He declined to comment on them. In their book, the Childs also thanked biologist McCain, and said, "His bulldog tenacity, tracking ability and vast knowledge of the wild critters of the region elevate the status of the project far beyond our expectations." Brun was also described as "reliable, totally honest and very trustworthy" by a federal biologist for whom she had worked as an unpaid intern at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in 2001. Brun spent a year working for the refuge, surveying, releasing and tracking endangered masked bobwhite birds — "she was my right-hand person," recalled Mary Hunnicutt, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist. For years, many jaguar researchers and other wildlife biologists had wanted to capture a jaguar to learn more about its movements and other behavior, particularly because of concerns that a planned fence along the U.S.-Mexican border would disrupt its movements. McCain was among the leading advocates of capture. Some environmental groups such as the Sky Island Alliance and Center for Biological Diversity have questioned or opposed capture on the grounds that its risks to the rare animal outweighed the benefits. But from the moment that Game and Fish officials announced the Macho B capture, they have stuck to their account that the capture was accidental. They have said repeatedly that that trap and others in the area were set to trap black bears and mountain lions to study their movement patterns and migration corridors. "While we didn't set out to collar a jaguar as part of the mountain lion and bear research project, we took advantage of an important opportunity," said Terry Johnson, endangered species coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department on Feb. 19, the day the state announced the capture. The Borderlands research project began using female jaguar scat obtained from the Reid Park Zoo in 2004, said two former volunteers for the group, Shiloh Walkosak and Sergio Avila. Arizona is at the northern edge of the range of jaguars. In a paper published in the Journal of Mammalogy last year, Childs and McCain said the project "provides valuable new information" on the distribution, travel patterns, longevity and activity of jaguars in the borderlands. Walkosak, a former Reid Park zookeeper and volunteer with the jaguar project, said she supplied McCain and the project with female jaguar scat that she collected when the zoo's jaguars were in their fertile periods. "Using the scat was an ongoing part of the project up till when I left the zoo" in late 2006, she said. "We would give him (McCain) maybe the equivalent of one bowel movement for a large cat. He would use that for a very long period of time. He was literally putting a small smear on a rock in front of the camera." Walkosak and Avila, who now researches jaguars for the Sky Island Alliance, said the project got more photos of jaguars when they began using female jaguar scat. He and other project workers "used jaguar scat in 2004," Avila said. "That same year, as a result of this, we obtained four photographs of jaguars." Said Walkosak: "Afterwards we consistently got photographs whenever that (scat) scent was used." Reid Park Zoo administrator Susan Basford confirmed Walkosak's account, and Phoenix Zoo president Bert Castro acknowledged the zoo provided scat for photo sites last year. Earlier this year, the zoo agreed to resume supplying jaguar scat to McCain and the project for use in attracting jaguars to the cameras, Basford said. McCain requested the scat to place at camera sites, not snares, she said. From AGFD: May 20, 2010 An individual involved in the Macho B incident last year pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Friday, May 14 for unlawfully taking a jaguar, an endangered species, in violation of the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Emil McCain, 31, of Patagonia, was sentenced by U. S. Magistrate Judge Bernardo P. Velasco to five years of supervised probation with the condition that he is not permitted to be employed or any way involved in any large cat or large carnivore project or study in the United States during his probationary term. McCain was also fined $1,000 for the Class A misdemeanor conviction. Court documents provide the following facts describing McCain’s connection to the conduct for which he pleaded guilty: On February 4, 2009, at or near Ruby, in the District of Arizona, Emil McCain placed jaguar scat or directed a female person to place jaguar scat at three (3) snare sites in an attempt to capture and trap an endangered species, to wit, a jaguar (Panthera onca). McCain knew that there had been recent evidence of a jaguar in the area of the snares. The snares had been set solely for the purpose of capturing and placing tracking collars on mountain lions and bears; there was no authorization to intentionally capture a jaguar. A jaguar known as Macho B was caught at one of those snare sites on February 18, 2009. Some media reports and other accounts about McCain’s guilty plea have incorrectly identified McCain as an Arizona Game and Fish Department employee or state official. As the Department has previously stated, McCain has never been an employee of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and by February 2009, when Macho B was initially captured, McCain was acting independently, and was neither a contractor, subcontractor, nor a formal volunteer to the Department. McCain’s admission of guilt conclusively establishes his true involvement in this matter and supports the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s long-standing assertion that there was no authorization from the Department for the intentional capture of a jaguar. Until the Department obtains access to the federal investigative file, the Department’s own internal investigation continues to be open and ongoing. Web Links: Read the U.S. District Court documents: USA vs. McCain [PDF 452kb] Read the Associated Press story: Southern Arizona man pleads guilty in jaguar’s death View the Arizona Republic story: Trapper pleads guilty to capturing jaguar Learn more by reading the AGFD Response to Office of Inspector General Report

Sent this to the AZ Replusive today: Hopefully any new hire will bring along a GOOD defensive coordinator; the ASU defense was more responsible for the team's failures than anything else. The WSU game was the perfect example. When a QB with absolutely no experience entered the game, defensive coach Craig Bray should have brought the house the first few plays, regardless of the result. Instead, he had his defense sit back, only to be picked apart. Given the state of the defensive backfield, that was a sure recipe for a loss. The minimal blitzes for the rest of the game sealed ASU's fate. If Bray uses the same defensive schemes against Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl, Kellen Moore will have a career day.

Tucson: After further review, the Arizona Game and Fish Department said the reported rare sighting of an ocelot was another breed of cat called a serval. A serval is a popular African cat in the pet trade, the fish and game department said. The Department uses a three-tiered classification system to rank reported sightings from the public based on the level of physical evidence available, the department said. The presence of physical evidence such as scat, hair, tracks and/or photos and video can lead to a Class I designation of "verifiable" or "highly probable." A second-tier classification is one that lacks physical evidence, but is considered "probable" or "possible" because the sighting was made by an experienced or reliable observer that usually has wildlife or field experience. The third tier classification is one that does not have sufficient physical evidence or sufficient details, or is otherwise of questionable reliability and would be considered "highly unlikely" or "rejected" as evidence for occurrence. Friday's report of an ocelot was classified as "highly probable" based on the photos and the paw prints taken at the location of the sighting. The officer responding was unable to locate the animal or retrieve additional physical evidence such as hair or scat. Game and Fish shared the photographs with department biologists and other ocelot experts for an independent analysis. The effort helped definitively determine if it was an ocelot, hybrid or other large cat, as well as compare it to photos from previous sightings to determine if it is the same or a different animal from those sightings. "Upon closer examination, some key identification markers make a stronger case for this being a serval, or serval hybrid rather than an ocelot," said Eric Gardner, Nongame Branch Chief. "Although the pictures are blurry, two show that the animal has long ears, long legs, and appears to display only solid spots instead of the combination of solid spots and haloed rosettes seen on an ocelot." "This is a textbook example of why the Department attempts to makes such a clear distinction between a report of any rare wildlife sighting versus one with properly examined physical evidence. Positive identification by species experts or genetic analysis is required before any report is entered into our Heritage Data Management System as confirmed. It appears that this one may go down as ‘close but no cigar'" Gardner said. There have been only two sightings of an ocelot in Arizona this year.

And the recent report of an ocelot is hogwash. After the report, I did some research and found a photo of a serval from the rear. It looks exactly like one of the photos of the "ocelot." The back of the ears are the tipoff. The serval was likely someone's released or escaped pet. Here are the pics. Supposed ocelot: Serval from the rear:

Good on you, TJ, on both the ceer and the elk!

Lance, Condolences to you and your family from Ellen and me.

This one was mounted by Marc Plunkett in Camp Verde. I made the wooden base, which is on wheels.

I have the exact same message. Hopefully the system is just overloaded. Sometime like this, except formatted properly should appear immediately below your birth date, and the bonus points are below this: Species Hunt No. Season Dates Open Areas Permit No. Result Reject Description ANY BUFFALO 07023 Jan 01 - Jun 14, 2012 UNIT 12A, 12B, AND 13A (HOUSE ROCK WILDLIFE AREA HERD) NT DRN Not Drawn

This is the link to use: https://az.gov/app/huntdraw/lookup.xhtml?conversationPropagation=begin

Must be one great area. Versatile Trail Cam

Same stuff. It's due to more purchasing power and lower profit margins. Because of the huge amount of product it buys and sells, Walmart uses a stringent bid and contract arrangement with its suppliers. Plus, think about it -- "inferior" ammo would result in greater liability for both Walmart and the ammo maker. Neither would be too keen on opening themselves up to such.