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muley224

Here we go again, another call from AZGFD.

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On 9/15/2020 at 3:37 PM, muley224 said:

Got the surrendered tag call again. This time my first choice, unit 9. Since it is a couple weeks from now, rather than 2 days I'm Stoked ! Going for sure !  Glad I turned down the last one in 10. Some things happen for a reason ! Thanks to the person who surrendered it for giving the next in line some time. 

How was the hunt?

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When the Game warden stopped me opening morning to check my tag and told me that this year was the worst on record to have this tag, I was bummed. He actually told me that I should have surrendered it myself ! When I told him that my tag was a surrendered tag he said maybe that I got the tag that he TOLD his friend to surrender ! What a thing to say to a hunter. Thought is was uncalled for.  He told me that if I saw a decent buck to shoot it. We found a Buck on wed eve before the hunt that was probably around 75". Nice mass, hooks, but short on the prongs. There was also a Buck in with them that was less than 70". On opening morning there were 8 trucks surrounding this group. We left and went to another area. Around 10am we went back there and both Bucks were down within 100 yrds apart. That's where we saw the Warden. Before the hunt we talked to a guy who's wife had the tag. He had been scouting since June. Never found a good buck. I think he surrendered the tag as we never saw him again. We also talked to the hunter who shot the second buck opening morning and he also had been scouting since June and the one he took was the best he had seen all summer. The Game warden also told us that there was only 1 80" goat in the unit. Well, he was right. I hunted the whole 10 days after this Buck. We found him on day 3. For the rest of the hunt we saw him every morning and evening. He was with 24 does, {48 eyes} and two other smaller bucks, low 70's. With the weather at 85 degrees and only 3 water tanks with water, it was hard to get within range without getting busted. They were watering at night. We tried many long stalks but where they bedded at 10 am every day we could only get to within 1000 + yrds, very open country. I should have had a decoy, but I didn't. Closest i got 1 evening was around 400 yrds and ran out of light. I was shooting my 257 roberts with 117 gr so a shot at 4-500 would drop 4 ft or more, not my kind of shot. I know some guys have more powerful long range rifles that reach out there 500-1000+ yrds. I am glad I went. 1 and only goat tag. We spoke to the water truck driver from the ranch and he was making 4 runs a day to Tusayan hauling 4000 gallons a trip. He said it was a terrible year for goats.  So I didn't fill my tag, but hunted the 80" for 7 days. Had a blast. Could have shot several "Barely legal" Bucks but don't need to "kill" just to kill.  Thanks to my hunting pal George for sticking it out with me the whole hunt. George had a cow elk tag also in 9 a week after. We did however fill that tag. Thanks for the backstrap George ! Picture of the bull elk was on the Antelope hunt. Saw him twice. First time he almost ran into the side of the truck and the next morning he walked along the side of the truck about 10-20 yrds and never spooked !  We had Elvis on the radio so we named him "Elvis "I actually walked to 10 ft from him. Appreciate your interest in the hunt. Safe hunting to all those who have upcoming hunts !

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1 minute ago, trphyhntr said:

why did azgfd decide to ruin antelope hunting? 

My friend George { 72 years old and a lifetime prescotonian and hunter} DID NOT like his comments about the tag. The rancher driving the water truck told us that this game warden was not liked up there. Said he hit a 900 lb heffer and totaled his truck. Said speeding was the reason. 

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52 minutes ago, trphyhntr said:

why did azgfd decide to ruin antelope hunting? 

Is game and fish responsible for drought,  habitat fragmentation and landowner restrictions? We could debate at least half of that.

There are a number of factors hurting antelope populations but only a few are controllable by AZGFD. Regardless, the golden age of AZ antelope hunting is near sunset. But hey, opportunity has stayed pretty level.

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6 minutes ago, Flatlander said:

Is game and fish responsible for drought,  habitat fragmentation and landowner restrictions? We could debate at least half of that.

There are a number of factors hurting antelope populations but only a few are controllable by AZGFD. Regardless, the golden age of AZ antelope hunting is near sunset. But hey, opportunity has stayed pretty level.

are they in control of the allocation of tags and the money that goes to funding water projects, predator control, etc.

do you think azgfd is doing everything they can do there?

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They have loosened up on tag allocation for all species.  Trophy quality is way down, but hunter recruitment is up!

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15 minutes ago, trphyhntr said:

are they in control of the allocation of tags and the money that goes to funding water projects, predator control, etc.

do you think azgfd is doing everything they can do there?

What have you done about it?   Bitching on the web does nothing.  

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16 minutes ago, Northern Pintail said:

What have you done about it?   Bitching on the web does nothing.  

 

 lol what? do i have the power to lower tags, no i dont. Do you and several other thousand people  write me a check every year to take care of the antelope like you do azgfd? 

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Through the years i have noticed on the AZGFD website in the "where to hunt section" when there is a decline in a species in a certain unit, they will mention it. Hope next year in the "Antelope" paragraph that these goat declines in certain units are noted.

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3 hours ago, trphyhntr said:

are they in control of the allocation of tags and the money that goes to funding water projects, predator control, etc.

do you think azgfd is doing everything they can do there?

They can reduce tags. And eventually they will have to. All the habitat fund money gets allocated into projects, none of it goes to the department. Game and fish isn’t responsible for predator control, so if you want that done grab a foxpro and your .223.

I think they could reduce tags more. But I don’t think they are as worried about the $4500 in revenue as much as they are about the griping of people with 30+ bonus points whose wait for an antelope tag just doubled.

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