WILDLIFE NEWS - Oct. 2, 2019

[Outdoor Writer]

WILDLIFE NEWS       Oct. 2, 2019  Arizona Game and Fish Department       Don’t delay: Apply now for 2020 spring hunts  The Arizona Game and Fish Department encourages hunters to submit their 2020 spring hunt applications early and avoid the stress of waiting until the last minute. The deadline to apply for spring turkey, javelina, bison and bear hunts is 11:59 p.m. (Arizona time) Tuesday, Oct. 8. Read more.   AZGFD moves to downlist endangered Gila topminnow to threatened Due to the ongoing on-the-ground conservation efforts of the Arizona Game and Fish Department and its partners, data shows the endangered Gila topminnow has battled extinction and is prevalent enough to be downlisted to threatened. Read more.   Deadline to apply for Heritage Fund grants Oct. 31 AZGFD is accepting applications for $380,000 in Heritage Fund grants until 5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 31. Read more.   Arizona celebrates National Hunting and Fishing Day Arizona joined other states across the country last Saturday in celebrating National Hunting and Fishing Day, recognizing the role that Arizona’s hunting and angling community has played in contributing to wildlife conservation and serving as an economic driver for our state. Thanks to the request from Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation in conjunction with the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey issued a proclamation recognizing Saturday, Sept. 28, as Hunting and Fishing Day in Arizona. Read more.   Information needed in Flagstaff-area water catchment contamination The Arizona Game and Fish Department is seeking information that officers hope will lead to those responsible for contaminating a water catchment with diesel fuel or gasoline northeast of Flagstaff.  Read more.   Input sought from elk hunters to help guide management of state’s herds The Arizona Game and Fish Department is asking all elk hunters to submit data from their upcoming hunts to assist the department in managing the state’s herds.  Read more.   AZGFD seeks input on proposed pricing adjustments for BASF  The public is encouraged to provide its input on proposed pricing adjustments for the Ben Avery Shooting Facility. A web form has been posted on the department’s website at www.azgfd.gov/basfsurvey. All public input will be accepted through Oct. 15.    Read more.   Video makes hunt recommendations process easier to understand   For those hunters who might find the hunt recommendations process a bit daunting, help has arrived in the form of a short, easy-to-understand video produced by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Read more.   Hunters asked to report any harvest anomalies  Nature isn’t perfect. If a hunter spends enough time in the field, there’s a chance he or she, at some point, might harvest an animal that appears to be sick or deformed, or looks suspect during the field-dressing process. While oddities are few and far between, and rarely present any cause for concern — especially when it comes to turning that harvest into delicious table fare — hunters are being encouraged to let a wildlife health specialist at the Arizona Game and Fish Department take a look. Read more.   Bull elk poached northwest of Heber AZGFD officers are investigating the poaching of a bull elk that was killed in late August north of Heber in Game Management Unit 4B. The elk was located west of Forest Road 153 near Point and Javelina water catchments.  The poacher left the meat to waste. Read more.   Elk workshop at Sipe White Mountain Wildlife Area on Saturday, Oct. 5 The Arizona Game and Fish Department is again partnering with the Arizona Elk Society White Mountain Chapter (AES) to offer an elk natural history and viewing workshop Saturday, Oct. 5, at Sipe White Mountain Wildlife Area near Eagar. Workshop presentations will begin at 11 a.m. and are followed by an early dinner served by AES. Maps will be provided to nearby areas with likely elk viewing opportunities. Read more.   Bald eagle breeding areas expand, number of nestlings dips in 2019 A record number of bald eagle breeding areas couldn’t guarantee another shattered record of eagle nestlings, which dipped to 71 during the 2019 breeding season from 87 hatched in 2018. Read more.   Gearing up for a hunt? Don’t forget the non-lead ammo Hunters drawn for hunts in Game Management Units 12 and 13 (north Kaibab National Forest and Arizona Strip) are eligible to participate in the Arizona Game and Fish Department's non-lead ammunition program and are encouraged to pick up their free ammunition early, while supplies last. Read more.   AZGFD Commission meeting highlights Some highlights from the Arizona Game and Fish Commission meeting Sept. 20 in Greer include: The Commission gave the Arizona Game and Fish Department approval to begin working with the Mexican government to improve the genetic variability of Sonoran pronghorn by exporting up to six of the endangered animals over the next two years to support range-wide recovery goals.  Approval of a cooperative agreement that will allow the department to partner with New Mexico State University on an elk demographic research project. The Commission voted to amend Commission Order 40: Fish, establishing bag and possession limits within Festival Fields Pond and Graham County Fairgrounds Pond. Note: The Commission also voted to authorize the department to finalize negotiations, execute and amend as necessary Intergovernmental Agreements and any future sub-agreements between the department and Graham County to expand the Community Fishing Program, and to designate  Fairgrounds Pond as a Community Fishing Water.