Desert Rat

Interview With Doug at Cameraland

Desert Rat — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:22:44 +0000

Doug Paymer of Camera Land has become a great friend of the Desert Rat Blog. Doug is well-known through his participation on a bunch of hunting message boards across the internet, including our own AHT Forums. If you are interested in purchasing cameras or optics, please contact Doug. I guarantee his knowledge will impress you. They are also a dealer for Vortex. Thanks Doug, for taking the time to answer some questions! ~DesertRat

1) You are one of the few companies that really seems to utilize the power of the internet, especially when it comes to participation on message boards, forums, etc. How did that strategy come about for Camera Land? We are a family owned and operated business, here since 1957, and Dad has taught us that we must make the difference in how we present ourselves and providing the best customer service we can. Everyone carries the same goods so we must be the difference that separates us from everyone else (BTW, Dad still comes in twice a week and will be 80 in August). The forums/message boards a community made up of the people that use the goods that we handle. It makes good sense to get involved and provide what assistance we can.

2) How much of your sales volume is internet versus local? I would say about 1/3rd

3) You’ve become very well known around the ‘net, especially on the hunting sites. Are you a hunter yourself? I am a fisherman. Every July I spend a week fishing in Alaska, I try to go down to Central America in the Spring and being on the South Shore of L.I. in NY, from Spring thru Fall, whenever I can find the time, we Deep Sea out to Hudson Canyon (about 80 miles off shore) for Big Game Sport Fish. My wife has informed me that if I add anything else to my “away from the family time” I will have all the time I can use as I will have no family :>) I do manage to go to the range with buddies when time permits

4) What are some of the most common questions from hunters when it comes to optics? How about cameras? I do not know if you’d have enough space to post this “interview” to completely answer this question. There is no such thing as a “common question” when it comes to the needs/wants of people. We get lots of “How would you compare this to that” questions and “What power is suggested for…”, “What camera is best for…..”, Eye Relief questions, ED vs Standard glass, Best way to Digiscope, etc.

5) You’ve been in the business a long time – what are some of the advances or trends that have surprised you, in the past few years? On the camera side it was the coming of age of Digital and the basic extinction of film. Wow, is all I can say. Cameras that for under $200.00 can go under water, be dropped from 5′ and take super high quality images. On the Sports Optics side it is the improvements in sub $1000.00 and sub $500.00 options from the Asian mfg’s. The $1500.00 Alpha Euro glass of 10 years ago can now be had from Minox, Pentax, Vortex, Promaster, etc for less than $750.00. it’s amazing

6) If you could offer one piece of advice to hunters considering new optics, what would it be? Bragging rights mean nothing. Have an open mind to what is now available. Seeing what is best for you is the best way to choose, not what hype says would be best.

7) What are some common mistakes to avoid, when buying a new camera? Over buying. A 6MP camera will make a perfect 8×10. Most folks never make more than a 4×6 print. Everyone is different, however, I have found that for 80% of consumers a camera that is simple to operate, can produce great family, vacation, children and game shots is all that is needed. Key word……simple. Most people are picture takers, not photographers and have no interest in Photography per say. They just want a good shot.

Thank you for your continued support.
If there is anything else that I can assist you with please let me know.
Doug
212-753-5128

Please visit our website @ www.cameralandny.com

2010 Banquet & Major Event Schedule

Desert Rat — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:19:02 +0000

2010 Banquet & Major Event Schedule

March 27-28 Arizona Game and Fish Department Outdoor Expo

April 10-11 Arizona Bowhunter’s Association’s 2nd leg (Rumble in the Rocks) of the 2010 Triple Crown. Click on the link above for more information or contact Stony Amerine at 623-204-8659 or at amerines7@aol.com.

May 1-2 Arizona Bowhunter’s Association’s 3rd leg (Pinal Mountain Gathering) of the 2010 Triple Crown. Click on the link above for more information or contact Stoney Amerine at 623-204-8659 or at amerines7@aol.com.

May 8 Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society Annual Steak Fry at Cave Creek Park (37019 N. Lave Ln. 85331, Cave Creek). For more information call 480-854-8950.

May 15 Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation Annual Sportsmen’s Heritage Banquet with special Guest Governor Sarah Palin at the JW Marriott at Desert Ridge.

May 22-23 Southeastern Arizona Sportsman’s Club’s “3-D Shoot” at Blackjack Campgrounds on the AZ/NM border. For more information contact Gila Outdoor (3660 W. Main St. Thatcher, AZ 85552) at 928-348-0710.

June 5 Arizona Deer Association Fundraising Banquet. Chaparral Suites Resorts, 5001 N. Scottsdale Rd at 4:00 PM. For more information call 480-854-8950.

July 10 Arizona Chapter Safari Club International Annual Banquet at Ventana Canyon, details TBA. For more information call 520-490-8367.

July 15 Arizona Game and Fish Department Big Game Super Raffle Drawing

July 23-25 Arizona Bowhunter’s Association’s 4th leg (Bowhunter Happening) of the 2010 Triple Crown at Sunrise Park Resort. Click on the linkabove for more information or contact Stoney Amerine at 623-204-8659 or at amerines7@aol.com.

July 23-25 Arizona Trapper’s Association Annual Convention, Gila County Fairgrounds. For more information call 928-674-3355

July 30 National Wild Turkey Federation (Huachuca Golds Chapter) The Knight’s of Columbus Hall, 156 W. Kayetan Dr., Sierra Vista 85635. For more information call 520-378-0478

October 30 Arizona Antelope Foundation’s “Arizona Conservation Awards Banquet” El Zaribah Shrine, 552 N. 40th St. Phoenix. More information is forthcoming

September TBA Anglers United Annual Fundraiser Banquet, Grace Inn, 10831 S. 51st St. Phoenix 85044
December 10 Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club Annual Dinner Banquet. For more information call 928-344-9323.

2010 Conservation Projects and Mentored Hunt Calendar

Arizona Antelope Foundation
April 10 work project Hope 3 Canyon Clear Creek Ranch. For more information please email info@azantelope.org.

Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society
April 10 High Tank #3 in Unit 45B, KOFA

April 24 Powell’s Monument in Unit 12B, Paria Plateau
*For more information on ADBSS events call 480-854-8950

Arizona Elk Society
April 16-18 AES-NWTF Youth Turkey Camp Unit 23

June 11-13 Annual Burro Creek/26 Bar Adopt-a-Ranch Project, Big Lake area

June 18-20 Wapiti Weekend, Springerville, AZ

July 17 (Tentative) Buck Springs Work Project

July 31 AES Elk Clinic, FOP Lodge 19th Ave. between Cactus and Thunderbird

October 7-10, Junior Elk Camp, Unit 6A, Happy Jack Lodge

Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club
April 2, Youth Fishing Derby, for more information call 928-580-7752

October 1-2, Coyote/Quail Hunt, for more information call 928-783-8110

2010 Conservation Board & Membership Meetings
Arizona Deer Assoc Board Meeting, March 16 and April 20 @ 6:30 PM, University of Phoenix Campus, 4635 E. Elwood (3-story building), Room # 7, Phoenix. Call 480-854-8950 for more information.

Yuma Valley Rod & Gun Club Board Meeting, March 24 and April 21.

Yuma Valley Rod & Gun Club Membership Meeting, April 7 @ 6:00 PM, American Legion Post 19, 2575 S. Virginia Drive, Yuma

Southern Arizona Wildlife Callers Board Meeting, March 16 and April 13, FOP Lodge 3445 North Dodge, Tucson

Southern Arizona Wildlife Callers General Club meeting March 11 and April 8, FOP Lodge 3445 North Dodge, Tucson

Chandler Rod & Gun Club Board Meeting, March 17 and April 21 @ 6:30 PM, Bass Pro Shop

Chandler Rod & Gun Club General Club Meeting, March 10 and April 14 @ 6:30PM, Chandler Community Center

Desert Christian Archers Member Meeting, March 16 and April 20 @ 7:00 PM, Calvary Community Church, Room 204, 12612 N. Black Canyon Highway, Phoenix

Arizona Flycasters General Meeting, March 11 and April 8 @ 7:00 PM, Sunnyslope Community Center, Phoenix

Arizona Flycaster Board Meeting, March 18 and April 15 @ 7:00 PM, Sunnyslope Community Center, Phoenix.

Arizona Predator Callers, March 11 and April 8 @ 7:00 PM, Mesa FOP Lodge, 1452 E. Main

Phoenix Varmint Callers, April 6 and May 4 @ 7:00PM, FOP Lodge #2, 12851 N. 19th Ave. Phoenix

Desert Fly Casters Board Meeting, March 17 and April 21 @ 7:00 PM, El Penasco Mexican Kitchen, 19 E. Broadway Road, Tempe

Desert Fly Casters Club Meeting, March 10 and April 14 @ 7:00 PM, American Legion Post #2, 2125 S. Industrial Path, Tempe.

Arizona Antelope Foundation Board Meeting, April 12 @ 6:30 PM, El Zaribah Shrine, 552 N. 40th Street, Phoenix

Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society Board Meeting, March 10 @ 7:00 PM, El Zaribah Shrine, 552 N. 40th Street, Phoenix

Arizona Elk Society Board Meeting- TBD
Southwest Walleye Anglers, General Meeting, March 16 and 18, for more information call 480-861-7898

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Ben Pearson’s Predator

Desert Rat — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:27:26 +0000

I own two Ben Pearson bows now and love them. I wish they’d get more of a presence here in Arizona. ~DesertRat

Ben Pearson’s Predator

The world’s top predators attack with deadly stealth and speed. Few escape these silent hunters and all fear their presence. The same can be said for Ben Pearson’s Predator. New for 2010, the Predator not only features Ben Pearson’s innovation, quality and performance, but it’s affordable as well.

Tired of bows getting more and more out of your price range? Ben Pearson hears you loud and clear and has created the 2010 Predator in response. It comes with the smooth-as-butter Z-7 single cam and can be outfitted with a Copper John Battle Axe 3 Pin sight, drop-away arrow rest, peep sight, Sims S-coil stabilizer, wrist sling and Bohning quiver.

Available as a bow only or in a complete hunting package, the Predator is the best way to reach the top of the food chain.

The Predator Package Includes:

Copper John Battle Axe 3 pin all-aluminium sight
Bohning Archery Lynx 4-arrow, quick detaching quiver
Fully-machined, aluminium drop-a-way rest
Sims S-Coil stabilizer & silencers
Peep sight & bow sling

Specs:

I.B.O. speed 303-294 fps
Axle-to-Axle 30 inches
Brace Height 7 1/4 inches
String Length 83 11/16 inches
Cables (2) 31 5/8 inches
Draw Weights 40, 50, 60, & 70 lb. (75% Let Off)
Draw Lengths 26 1/2 – 30 1/2 inches (half-inch increments)
Weight 3.3 lbs

Available Colors:

Mossy Oak Obsession

For more info, check out http://www.benpearson.com.

Game and Fish places employee on administrative leave

Desert Rat — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:25:53 +0000

Well, this doesn’t sound good… ~DesertRat

Game and Fish places employee on administrative leave

March 9, 2010

PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Department yesterday formally placed one of its employees on administrative leave with pay as a result of an interim finding in the department’s ongoing internal administrative investigation into the events surrounding last year’s capture of the jaguar known as Macho B.

The department took this action based on statements made by the employee during the course of the internal investigation, bringing about a need to consider taking administrative action to resolve concerns raised by the statements.

Under state personnel rules, placing an employee on paid administrative leave relieves the employee of duties, pending a determination on what final administrative action may be taken.

Department officials said the employee’s statements were related to the employee’s actions taken several weeks after the capture, recapture and euthanization of Macho B. The department continues to maintain that it did not direct any department employee to capture a jaguar, and that the department’s actions related to the capture were lawful.

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 a concurrent federal investigation being conducted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Information about events related to Macho B can be found at www.azgfd.gov/MachoB.

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M2D Snow Camo is Here

Desert Rat — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:56:39 +0000

This just in from Sparky over at M2D Camo ~DesertRat

“I just received the new M2D CAMO Snow pattern. I have very limited supplies, like only 55 sets.

I am selling as a set only to the first come first serve. Pants are Med, Large, or XL Jackets are Large, XL , and XXL Hats are one size fits all

You get a
6 pocket pant
Lightweight Jacket
and Ball Cap

Price is $80.00 for the whole set, and shipping. Shipping should be $12.00 for one outfit.

For those of you that waited on buying fleece, you know this will not last long. We may never make this again, so if you really want a good snow pattern, you better get it now.

Thanks

–
Sparky

www.m2dcamo.com Camo Products”

Upcoming Sportsmen’s Events

Desert Rat — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:14:30 +0000

Upcoming Sportsmen’s Events

Angler’s United
www.anglersunited.org
-March 27 “Just for Kids Fishing Day” at Kiwanis Park in Tempe from 7:00am to 10:00pm for more information call 480-350-5650

Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society
www.adbss.org
-March 27 Opal Sohler Catchment in Unit 13B, Grand Wash Cliffs. Contact 480-854-8950 or assnmgmt1@cox.net

Arizona Elk Society
www.arizonaelksociety.org
- March 20, Annual Banquet at Mesa Centennial Hall, for more information contact Steve Clark at 602-885-0835 or at stevec@arizonaelksociety.org.

“This year the Arizona Elk Society is proud to be auctioning three of the Special Commissioners Big Game Tags. These include the Commissioners Elk Tag, Commissioners Buffalo Tag and the Commissioners Antelope Tag. The Season for these tags run from Aug. 15th, 2010 to Aug. 14th, 2011. For information on open hunting areas please see the AZGFD website. Buying one of these tags is a great opportunity to help out Arizona’s Wildlife Management and possibly harvest a great animal.

Along with the Commissioner Tags, there are some great Big Game Hunts, Trips and other great auction items rolling in. If you are interested in donating to the AES, looking for information on the Commissioner Tags or needing information about the Banquet and other events please vist out website at www.arizonaelksociety.org. Banquet tickets are available online.”

National Wild Turkey Federation, AZ Chapters
www.nwtf.org/in_your_state/lists.php?STATE=AZ
-(Valley Longbeards) March 20, “Heritage Banquet”, Phoenix Mountain Preserve, 1431 E. Dunlap, Phoenix, 85068. For more information call 602-881-6815.

-(Southern Arizona Chapter) March 13, “Heritage Banquet”, Hotel Tucson City Center, 475 N. Granada Ave., Tucson, 85701. For more information call 520-579-3777.

Safari Club International, Phoenix Chapter
www.phxsci.org
-March 26-27, Annual Fundraiser, Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center (7700 E. McCormick Pkwy. 85258). For more information call 480-496-0701

Yuma Valley Rod & Gun Club
www.yvrgc.com
- March 30 to April 4, $16,000 CashRaffle, Yuma County Fair
-1st Place ($10,000)
-2nd Place ($3,000)
-3rd Place ($2,000)
-4th Place ($1,000)

$20 per ticket- Available Now! For more information call Paul Williams at 928-343-9099 or Ebert Fike at 928-783-5273

-March 26 to 28, “Predator Challenge”, Adair Park (located 16 miles NE on Highway 95, with entry 3/4 miles east of the McPhaul bridge). $40 entry fee. For more information call Ken at 541-305-0917.

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Real Time Flow Data For Arizona Rivers

Desert Rat — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:58:24 +0000

Wow – what a useful site this is! Real time flow data for Arizona streams and rivers. Thanks to Rory Aikens over at AZGFD for posting the link on Facebook.

Arizona River Data

Game Population Surveys in Arizona

Desert Rat — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:29:11 +0000

I found this description of how they (AZGFD) do game population estimates over on my friend Amanda’s great message board at CouesWhitetail.com. This was graciously posted by Jim Hinkle from AZGFD and I found it very informative! ~DesertRat

Jim Hinkle, Big Game Management Supervisor for AGFD asked me to post this since he has seen questions in this forum about how surveys are done. Thanks Jim for taking the time to write this up!!

If you guys have more questions after you read this, I am sure he would be glad to try and answer them.

Amanda

Game Surveys and Management

I’m told there is great interest by members of this web site regarding how Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) conducts game surveys and how that information is used to prescribe harvest and permit numbers. While it would take a book length dissertation to cover the full theory, practice, and statistical considerations of assessing wild populations, I will attempt to cover the basics within this post.

The bottom line for those of you whose personalities, professions or avocations lead you to seek absolutes; be prepared – absolutes are rare in game management! We cannot count all our wildlife nor can we absolutely know how many animals our hunters are taking. Everything we do relies upon estimates. I know that doesn’t make some of you feel very warm and fuzzy, but it is the truth. We do the very best we can given the tools at our disposal and the financial and human resources we have to use them, but we will never possess the precision that many of our critics would like.

Herd Counts (not really)!
The most important rule of surveying game populations is:

YOU CAN’T COUNT THEM ALL!

This is why we call them surveys, not counts.

No matter how many helicopters or observers you have, you will never be able to count all the deer, elk, etc. in the state. Why? Because the state is just too big and many of the habitats are difficult to observe in (think mixed conifer forest or ponderosa pine with a juniper-oak understory). Also the critters don’t enjoy being counted so they do things to frustrate game surveyors like hiding or leaving the country before they can be seen.

So if you can’t count them all, what do you do? You count a portion or subset of them and measure a population parameter other than total number. The population parameters that we and other states have found most useful for the antlered and horned mammals are male to female and young to female ratios. It works like this. Give a couple of wildlife managers a helicopter, a pilot and enough Jet A fuel to fly around for a few hours. The WMs map out a survey route ahead of time that uses either a series of line or block transects to cover a portion of the various habitat types in their unit. They go fly around counting and classifying (is it a male, female or young-of-the-year?) everything they see and generally have a great time when they’re not puking. They come back to earth with filled out survey sheets of their observations. Those observations are then totaled into an annual survey for the unit.

How and When
Throughout my 25-year career I have surveyed every big game species, except buffalo, by every method possible. I have conducted hundreds of hours and thousands of miles of foot, horseback, vehicle, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter surveys. My mule tracks are all over the Blue Range Primitive Area. Without a doubt, helicopters are the most effective method for observing the most animals in the shortest amount of time. Period. Fixed-wing aircraft work almost as well for pronghorn (flat open country) at a third of the cost of helicopter time, which is why we do our pronghorn surveys with airplanes. Foot, vehicle and horseback surveys which we still employ in certain circumstances simply require too much man-power time to be our primary survey technique.

We do surveys for herd animals during their breeding season, so that we have the best chance of observing mixed-sex groups. When one of the main goals of your survey is to measure the male to female ratio, you want the boys to be with girls and not off hiding out in bachelor groups playing cards and smoking cigars. For deer this means we survey in very late December and January. Elk during late August and early September. Pronghorn during late July and August. You get the picture. The other benefit of surveying during the rut is that young of the year are still small enough to be easily distinguished, but they are also old enough to be running with the herds and past the point of the greatest mortality. Most mortality in fawns, calves or lambs occurs within the first few weeks of life. Once they are several months old, their chances of surviving to adulthood is much greater. Surveying young of the year at several months old gives us a better idea of what will survive and recruit to adulthood vs. what was born.

Comparing Apples to Apples
So now you have your survey numbers, but not total population count, so what do you do with the numbers? To explain, let’s use an example. Assume you have a herd of pet deer on a farm. Within your herd you have 10 bucks, 50 does and 25 fawns. You neighbor also has a deer herd. His herd has 12 bucks, 70 does and 25 fawns. Which herd is in better shape? Tough to tell from the raw numbers, so we convert the numbers into standard ratios based on the number of does. Bucks divided by does multiplied by 100 equals the number of bucks per 100 does. Fawns divided by does multiplied by 100 equal fawns per 100 does. Trust me on the math. Converting our two deer herds into standard ratios yields:

20 bucks: 100 does: 50 fawns for farm #1 and,

17 bucks: 100 does: 36 fawns for farm #2.

Biologically speaking, farm #1 has a healthier deer herd, even though farm #2 has more total deer. Why is farm #1 better? Keep reading.

What’s in a Ratio?
So what do the ratios mean? The young to female ratio is representative of a population’s ability to maintain numbers or grow and is influenced by a variety of factors such as nutrition and predation. Generally speaking, for mule deer it takes about 40 fawns per 100 does measured in mid-winter to replace natural mortality. Herds with less than 40:100 are declining and herds with greater are growing. This fawn to doe measurement is an indicator of herd trajectory based largely on environmental factors (precipitation, forage quality/quantity, predation, disease, etc.). Hunt management has little to no effect on young to female ratios, especially for those species where only males are harvested.

Conversely, male to female ratios are a reflection of what our hunt management has done to the herd. A deer herd in an un-hunted state would have buck to doe ratios of near 100 bucks per 100 does. Our harvests maintain these ratios at considerably lower levels. The keys to buck: doe ratios are 1) maintain enough bucks to ensure all of the does are bred (biological) 2) manage buck numbers to balance hunter opportunity with hunting experience (social).

Research studies suggest that ratios as low as 5-10 bucks per 100 does are adequate to ensure that all does are bred. Low male to female ratios are not, nor likely have ever been a biological limitation in Arizona’s elk, deer, antelope or sheep herds. Socially, the effects of male to female ratios on hunting experience can be quite different. A deer herd managed for high buck: doe ratios, say 40 bucks per 100 does, would result in a superior hunting experience (high hunter success, high number of bucks observed, high number of older age class bucks) at a cost of limited hunter opportunity (only a few hunters are able to go). Our alternative management units like the AZ Strip and the North Kaibab are managed this way. Conversely, a deer herd managed for lower buck: doe ratios, say 10-20 bucks per 100 does, would result in near maximum hunter opportunity with the cost of a diminished hunter experience (lower hunter success, lower number of bucks observed, lower number of older age class bucks), which is how our standard management units are managed under the current Commission approved guidelines for hunting seasons. If you have never seen our hunt guidelines, they are posted on our website (see link below).

http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/hunt_guidelines.shtml

The guidelines are the “recipe” for how we manage the hunted species in Arizona. The guidelines web page also does a good job of explaining how the guidelines are developed and approved. If you are dissatisfied with specific or general hunting experiences in Arizona, getting involved in the hunt guideline development process is the best way to influence positive change.

A Simple Hunt Recommendation
Armed with your new-found knowledge, let’s see if you can follow a simple deer hunt recommendation. Your unit has a current buck to doe ratio of 20:100 and a fawn to doe ratio of 40:100. Your target buck to doe ratio is 10-20:100. You are right at the top of the target buck to doe ratio range. With 40 fawns per 100 does you are replacing natural mortality, but not growing. Given that information, would you increase, decrease or leave harvest (permits) the same as last year? You got it…no change. If your buck to doe ratio was higher than 20:100, you could increase tags, especially if you had a fawn to doe ratio of higher than 40:100. Obviously if the buck to doe ratio was lower than 10:100 you would decrease tags. At the most basic level, it’s all about keeping the ratio within the target range.

But Really, How many are there?
Refer back to the rule, you can’t count them all. But you can count them in ways that lead to an estimate of how many there are. The method we are now implementing on most aerial surveys involves the use of a simultaneous double-count recording technique to estimate the observation rate of the surveyors (e.g. a 65% percent observation rate means that of every 100 animals that are within visual distance of the aircraft, only 65 are actually seen). Secondly, by GPS mapping our survey flight and animal observations, we can establish a number of animals observed per unit area and then expand it out to the area of the management unit. Combining the observation rate and density expansion works like this:

We fly 100 linear miles of helicopter deer surveys and record every deer observed within 1/8 mile of the flight path (220 yards on either side of the ship). The exact distance from the flight path to the animal is easily verified using the helicopter’s GPS unit. So the total flight area is 100 miles long x ¼ mile wide = 25 square miles. Say we see 112 deer on this flight but using the simultaneous double-count method to determine our observation rate, it is determined that we only see 75% of the deer that are actually there (remember the rule!). So 112 deer observed divided by a .75 observation rate equals 150 deer estimated to be within the survey area. We then divide the 150 deer estimate by the 25 square miles surveyed and determine an average of 6 deer per square mile of habitat surveyed. If the deer are equally distributed within our unit, and our unit is 1000 square miles in area, we multiply 6 deer per square mile by 1000 total square miles and end up with a population estimate of 6000 deer. Simple, right? Not really. This is an over-simplified example but gives you an idea of what can be done. The simultaneous double count stuff is really quite complicated. Just so you know I’m not making this up, do a Google search for “simultaneous double count” and you will find several scientific publications documenting the use of this technique.

That’s all I’m going cover for now. Post back with questions and I’ll do my best to answer. At some time in the future I’ll do other pieces on the hunter questionnaire program, use of long-term data sets and population modeling to further refine population estimates and assist in hunt recommendations.

Good Hunting,
Jim

If you’d like to ask a question or join in the conversation, you can view the thread HERE.

Get ready for family fun at the free Game and Fish Outdoor Expo

Desert Rat — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:25:21 +0000

Get ready for family fun at the free Game and Fish Outdoor Expo

You and your family will want to mark your calendars now and make plans to attend one of Arizona’s largest outdoor expos.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department Outdoor Expo will be held Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28 at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility, located off Carefree Highway just west of I-17 in Phoenix.

There will be activities galore for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages:

See live wildlife demonstrations (hawks, owls, snakes, more)
Take your kids to the huge catch-and-release fishing tank
Test your skill at archery
Try target shooting with different firearms on the range
Hike a nature trail/field course
See off-highway vehicle and boating exhibits
View exciting demonstrations by the cowboy mounted shooters, cowboy action shooters and more
Attend informative workshops on fishing, hunting, wildlife conservation
Visit with exhibitors—sportsmen’s organizations, conservation groups, shooting clubs, government agencies, and commercial vendors of outdoor products and services
This is a great event to experience or learn more about the amazing outdoor recreational opportunities in Arizona. Outdoor recreation is an ideal way to spend quality time with family and friends.

Admission to the Expo and parking are free, but bring a little cash for snacks and drinks at the food court or to purchase ammunition (nominal fee) if you want try out firearms on the range.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is operated on a “user pay, user benefit” business model. The Outdoor Expo promotes wildlife-related and other outdoor activities to current and future customers who support the department’s mission and funding through their engagement in those activities. The department receives no Arizona tax dollars, and no tax dollars are used in conducting the Expo.

For more information about the Expo, visit www.azgfd.gov/expo.

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Unit 37B – North 96 Hills Water Development Project – Volunteers Needed

Desert Rat — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:20:58 +0000

Unit 37B – North 96 Hills Water Development Project – Volunteers Needed

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is requesting your assistance to help build a wildlife water catchment on the weekend of March 12-14th. We will be constructing a new water development in the 96 Hills in Game Management Unit 37B for wildlife, and we would greatly appreciate your help. We will be camping out close to the project site on Friday and Saturday nights (March 12th and 13th). Assistance would be greatly appreciated on Friday and/or Saturday if possible, even if you can only help for a day. Dinner will be provided on Saturday night for those who would like to relax around the campfire after a hard days work. Children are welcome.

What to bring: Hat, sunscreen, gloves, water and food (except for Saturday night) and a cordless drill if possible.

Directions:

From Tucson – Take Oracle Rd (Hwy 77) north to Oracle Jct. Go Left (west) on Hwy 79 toward Florence. Turn Right (east) at MP 119 on the 96 Ranch Rd. Drive east approximately 2.7 miles then turn left (north) and go approximately 2.2 miles until the road spits again. Take the right (east) fork and follow the signs from here.

From Phoenix – Take Highway 60 east to Florence Junction. Go south on Highway 79 and go through the town of Florence like you are heading toward Tucson. Turn left (east) at MP 119 on the 96 Ranch Rd. Drive east approximately 2.7 miles then turn left (north) and go approximately 2.2 miles until the road spits again. Take the right (east) fork and follow the signs from here.

Contact: If you are interested in helping out, please contact Ben Brochu at (520) 229-3222 or bbrochu@azgfd.gov for more information. Please RSVP if possible so I know how many people to cook for – Thanks.

Desert Rat

Interview With Doug at Cameraland

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