Food for thought

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

The following article is older and was on AZCentral from 2011 but what is says to me is just what, as a new hunter, I see out in the field. It says there is little regard for quality of hunting or management of herds. Just revenue. Just like the government they are simply fighting to stay big if not get bigger. Why not downsize to accomodate better quality and less quantity? I hate to not be hunting but I hate even more when every area I try to go to is populated with hunters during my shorter hunt time and un populated by overhunted herds.

 

 

 

Applications for big-game hunting permits have fallen 22 percent since 2006, despite state efforts to expand and improve hunting opportunities.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department still gets far more applications than it can approve each year, so the number of people hunting hasn't necessarily decreased. But officials have been trying to counter the downward trend in applications, which they attribute mainly to the economic downturn. They say the decrease is troubling because hunters contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to Arizona's economy annually, according to U.S. census information.

Arizona Game and Fish spokesman Doug Burt said many states, including Arizona, are studying hunter recruitment and retention in response to a nationwide decline in the percentage of people who hunt.

"The national trend is the percentage of hunters has not kept pace with the growing population," Burt said.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department began shortening the number of days each deer hunter is permitted to hunt in order to schedule more hunts and accommodate as many people as possible. In 2006, Game and Fish issued 40,433 deer permits. In 2010, it issued 48,148.

Last year, it started offering free, two-day apprentice licenses to people who aren't sure they want to commit to a yearly license. The department also gave grants to hunting organizations to fund 28 introductory camps to recruit new hunting enthusiasts.

Application numbers have rebounded slightly in the past year but are still down compared with 2006.

Hunters say the problem is more about money than interest.

"The majority of people that I talk to, it's just sheer economics," said David Hoyle, president of the Chandler Rod and Gun Club. "They just don't have the money to do it, or they just don't have the time because they're working so hard."

In addition to a general $32.25 annual hunting license, hunters also must pay for permits for each type of big-game animal they want to hunt.

"Big game" includes deer, antelope, elk, turkey, javelina, bighorn sheep, buffalo, bear and pheasant. This year, 259,646 people applied to hunt those animals, down from 331,816 in 2006.

One of the most common permits, for resident deer hunters, costs $42.25. But permits for rare hunts can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars: A bighorn-sheep tag costs $272.50 for residents. On top of those costs, hunters must pay for equipment and gas to drive to assigned areas.

Game and Fish requires applicants to pay up front and wait for a refund if they are not among those chosen to get a permit that year.

The department also allows hunters to buy a bonus-point credit for $7.50, which improves their likelihood of getting a permit in the future. The number of applicants forgoing big-game permits and buying credits instead has skyrocketed since 2006.

Hoyle said hunters who opt out of applying for big-game permits can still hunt small game, which doesn't require an additional permit.

Even the total number of annual licenses issued by the department - for hunting and fishing - declined 6 percent between 2006 and 2009. More-recent figures aren't available.

Factors besides cost also could be affecting permit applications.

In 2007, the state's online-application system crashed, and the department hasn't been able to get it operational. Burt discredits that theory because the crash didn't affect most of the applications in 2007, the year numbers started to decline.

Hoyle said the application numbers might rebound if the department got the system back online, because out-of-state hunters would be more likely to apply for rare hunts such as adult male buffalo, which can cost up to $5,542 for non-residents.

With the online system, those people could supply their credit-card numbers, and the department would charge their accounts only if they were approved.

Now, they have to pay up front by check or money order.

Whatever the cause in declining applications, Burt said hunting is important to Arizona's economy, and his department is working to increase interest and opportunity.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/azelections/articles/2011/08/06/20110806arizona-hunting-applications-down.html#ixzz2KnDmBlMF

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

The other issue with this plan is why do we care if applications keep pace with population growth? Population of the herds is all that should matter and if applications outnumber oportunity who cares about people poulation vs applications?