Payson Wildlife Fair set for May 8

Green Valley Park in Payson, Ariz., will undergo an amazing transformation on Saturday, May 8, when its sprawling grassy expanses turn into a carnival full of wildlife and fun outdoor activities. The 16th annual Payson Wildlife Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day. Admission to the public is free.

“This is a great way for the family to spend a Saturday,” says Natalie Robb, Arizona Game and Fish Department wildlife manager in the Payson Sector. “Parents and kids can fish, play games and get a close-up look at lots of amazing animals, including all sorts of raptors. The wildlife featured is magnificent.”

In addition to birds of prey, other live animals on display will include rattlesnakes, Gila monsters and prairie dogs. Fair visitors can also test their skills at one of the casting booths, pellet gun and archery ranges, and they can visit booths from a variety of conservation groups, including the Arizona Pointing Dog Club, Phoenix Herpetological Society, Payson Flycasters, and Arizona Falconers Association, to name a few.

Green Valley Lake will receive more than double its normal stocking of trout in preparation for this event. The park typically receives about 300 pounds of trout per stocking. For this event, 800 pounds of fish will be released into the lake prior to the fair. No fishing license is required for fair attendees, and equipment and bait can be borrowed from the free fishing booth at the fair.

The Payson Wildlife Fair is a cooperative effort between the Arizona Game and Fish Department, USDA Forest Service, Mogollon Sporting Association, and Payson Parks and Recreation Department.

Green Valley Park is located at 1000 W. Country Club Drive, Payson (take State Route 87 to Main Street and go about one mile west).

NRA Open Range Day scheduled for May 8, 2010

FAIRFAX, VA – The Disabled Shooting Services of the National Rifle Association is proud to announce the second annual Open Range Day at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 8, 2010. Open Range Day is an all inclusive event where certified trainers and instructors introduce a wide variety of shooting sports to people with physical disabilities.

“We had a huge response from first-time shooters last year,” said Disabled Shooting Services Manager Vanessa Ross. “Registration for 2010 is already twice the size of last year’s class, and we can’t wait to get things started.”

Open Range Day begins with a safety clinic led by NRA Certified Instructors. Participants then have the opportunity to learn the proper way to shoot shotguns, rifles, pistols, and air guns. “The important thing is for everyone to explore their personal potential on the range and simply have fun,” explained Ross.

The event is made possible through the generous donation of time and materials. In addition to the numerous volunteers who will be on hand to guide the shooters, companies like Ruger, White Flyer, and Davidson’s have graciously donated materials.

“We wouldn’t be able to hold such an event without our corporate sponsors,” said Ross. “Ruger, Savage, and Davidson’s are donating the use of their firearms, White Flyer Targets and Birchwood Casey are donating targets, while Kowa Optimed, Pyramyd Air, Lapua and Remington are donating spotting scopes and ammunition.”

For more on Open Range Day, contact Vanessa Ross at (703) 267-1495 or e-mailing disabled_shooting@nrahq.org. To learn about NRA’s disabled shooting programs, visit http://www.nrahq.org/disabled.asp.

Looks like a great program - thanks especially to the NRA and all of the sponsors! ~DesertRat

~30~

Calling all photographers: Enter the wildlife calendar photo contest

Spring is in the air, wildflowers are blooming, and Arizona wildlife is ready for its closeup. So pull out your camera gear and lace up your hiking boots — it’s time to start taking pictures for our annual wildlife photo contest.

Winners earn a coveted spot in the 2011 Arizona Wildlife Calendar, plus courtesy copies of the calendar and cash prizes. All pictures must be of Arizona wildlife and must be taken in Arizona. We’re looking for images of birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and mammals; no insects (including butterflies), please!

To make the contest super-easy to enter, we’ve gone completely digital. No need to make prints, and we don’t accept slides. We’re looking for high-quality photographs, so we encourage people to use a digital camera that is 6 megapixels or larger. Get familiar with your owner’s manual to set your camera at the highest level of quality possible (on some cameras, this setting is called “super fine”).

Mark your calendar and start shooting. The deadline for submissions to this year’s wildlife photo contest is July 9 at 5 p.m. MST. There is no fee to enter. For complete contest rules and an entry form, visit www.azgfd.gov/photocontest.

Honestly, i didn’t have time to pull up the Arizona law on using dogs to track wounded game. What do you think? I think anything that helps us recover wounded game is a good thing. Go visit my friend over at Moose Droppings to see what he thinks about the issue:

Full post here: Tracking dogs legal?

A snippet:

While I know the use of hounds to hunt deer can be a divisive topic with hunters often pitting traditions and local culture against more popular hunting methods. That is certainly not a topic I want to dive into at this point but I see no reason a person would be upset or disturbed by the use of a tracking dog on a lead to track down a shot deer.

I haven’t been following knife rights very well; I suppose I should. Interesting this law slipped in between the kerfuffles of the CCW law and SB1070 ~DesertRat

Arizona Governor Signs Nation’s First Knife Preemption Law!

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has signed into law the nation’s first Knife Preemption Law, sponsored by Knife Rights. It will take effect 90 days after the legislature adjourns (expected any day now) and not only prevents political subdivisions from enacting new ordinances and rules, but voids all existing restrictive knife ordinances. In combination with Arizona’s recently enacted constitutional concealed carry law, knife owners in Arizona will enjoy the most accommodating knife laws in the country.

More at www.KnifeRights.org

Celebrate Wildlife Day at the Grand Canyon on May 1

On Saturday, May 1, Grand Canyon National Park will host its third Celebrate Wildlife Day. The event, which began in 2008, is an opportunity for visitors to learn about the unique wildlife that inhabits Arizona and the Grand Canyon area, as well as the work of the wildlife biologists who study them.

This year’s event will kick off on the evening of Friday, April 30, with a special program on “The Canyon’s Lions” presented by park wildlife biologist Brandon Holton at 7:30 p.m.

On Saturday, May 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Shrine of the Ages building will be converted to an exhibit hall with posters and interactive exhibits and educational demonstrations, and live animals from the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center. Throughout the day on Saturday there will be indoor programs, including talks on animal adaptations, owls, reptiles and amphibians, and outdoor programs, including telemetry and scat/track workshops and even an opportunity to dissect owl pellets. The day’s activities will conclude with a special program about “Condor Recovery at the Grand Canyon,” presented by Chris Parish of The Peregrine Fund at 8 p.m.

All programs and activities will take place at the Shrine of the Ages. Visitors who wish to attend Celebrate Wildlife Day may walk along the rim from hotels in Grand Canyon Village (about 1.5 miles to the Shrine), take the Blue Route/Village Route shuttle, or park in Lot A.

Celebrate Wildlife Day is made possible through a partnership between the National Park Service, the Grand Canyon Association, Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Grand Canyon Unified School District, Leave No Trace Center of Outdoor Ethics, Xanterra Parks and Resorts, Grand Canyon Railway, and Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts.

For a copy of the event schedule or to learn more about Celebrate Wildlife Day, please visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/wildlife-day.htm or call Park Ranger Lori Rome at 928-638-7783.

BLM publishes final land use plans for Agua Fria National Monument and Bradshaw-Harquahala planning areas

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced the release of the final land use plans for certain public lands administered by the agency northwest of Phoenix. The Record of Decision - a document that provides final approval of agency proposals – was released on April 22 and can be found on the BLM Arizona website at www.blm.gov/az.

The Record of Decision approves the BLM’s proposals to manage public lands within the Agua Fria National Monument and the Bradshaw-Harquahala planning areas, as described in the Resource Management Plans (RMP).

According to information on the BLM’s website, the release of these approved plans concludes a seven-year planning process. Many citizens, communities and organizations participated in developing comprehensive guidance for the management of 70,900 acres of public land within the Agua Fria National Monument and 896,100 acres of public land administered by the BLM in the Bradshaw-Harquahala planning area.

The BLM’s Hassayampa Field Office administers these lands located in Maricopa and Yavapai counties. Management issues addressed in the process include protection of national monument values, recreation, wilderness, wild burros, minerals, rangelands, fish and wildlife, land tenure, utility corridors, special area designations, and public access.

The BLM’s website states that the RMP replaces numerous outdated federal management plans that had governed the area’s public lands and resources and represents an analysis and integration of recent issues, concerns, and comments provided by the public and other government agencies throughout the planning process.

In addition to being posted at www.blm.gov/az, hard copies of the documents are on file at BLM Phoenix locations, and at public libraries in Phoenix (Central/McDowell), Prescott, Black Canyon City, Anthem-North Valley, Buckeye, Mayer, Peoria, Yarnell, and Wickenburg. The public may also request these documents by contacting the BLM Hassayampa Field Office at 21605 N. 7th Ave,, Phoenix, AZ 85027; by e-mailing AZ_AFNM_BRADSHAW@blm.gov; or by calling (623) 580-5500.

No CWD detected in Arizona deer and elk testing

The Arizona Game and Fish Department reports no detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in any of the 1,624 testable samples from hunter-harvested or road-killed deer and elk during Arizona’s 2009-2010 hunting season.

The department has tested approximately 14,500 deer and elk samples since beginning its surveillance program in 1998. None have tested positive for the disease. Although CWD has not yet been found in Arizona, it is present in three neighboring states: Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.

“With the extra surveillance in areas of concern, we are glad to report that there was no detection of CWD in our samples,” said Anne Justice-Allen, DVM, wildlife health specialist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “Although the overall number of samples decreased this season, we actually increased the number of samples in the areas bordering Utah and New Mexico.”

Each year, hunters who are successful in the Game Management Units bordering Utah and New Mexico, particularly Units 1,12B, 27, and 28, are encouraged to submit heads for sampling because these units are closest to CWD-positive areas. Arizona deer and elk from these areas have the greatest potential to have contact with an infected animal from these neighboring states.

While it is only mandatory to bring animals harvested from Units 12A East and 12A West to the Kaibab check station, hunters may also bring animals harvested from other units to the check station for CWD sampling during the regular hours of operation.

“Arizona’s hunters, meat processors, and taxidermists continue to play a crucial role in our surveillance program,” said Clint Luedtke, Game and Fish wildlife biologist with the CWD program. “We cannot thank them enough for assisting the department in this effort.”

CWD is a neurodegenerative wildlife disease that is fatal to cervids, which include deer, elk, and moose. Symptoms include loss of body weight or emaciation, excessive salivation, increased drinking and urination, stumbling, trembling, and behavioral changes such as listlessness, lowering of the head, and walking in circles or repetitive patterns.

No evidence has been found to indicate that CWD will cause disease in humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.

CWD was first identified in captive deer in Colorado in 1967 and has since spread to both captive and wild cervids in 17 states and two Canadian provinces. It is a naturally occurring prion disease belonging to a group of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Other TSEs are Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in domestic cattle and Scrapie in sheep and goats.

The department has had rules in place since 2002, which designate cervids as restricted wildlife and ban the importation of cervids in order to protect against the introduction of CWD to free-ranging or captive wildlife in the state (for details see R12-4-406 and R-4-430).

The Arizona Game and Fish Department will continue to work in close coordination with other state and federal agencies to monitor for CWD.

For more information on CWD, visit these Web site resources:

* Arizona Game and Fish Department’s CWD program at www.azgfd.gov/cwd
* Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance at www.cwd-info.org
* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/cwd

Fundraising efforts seek to keep Alamo Lake State Park open until the summer of 2011

Anglers, OHV enthusiasts and outdoor recreationists interested in trying to keep Alamo Lake State Park from closing on June 3 can take part in a joint fundraising effort.

A cooperative effort is underway to close the funding gap to keep operations of the park running through June 30, 2011.

The Town of Wickenburg is working with La Paz County, Alamo Lake users, and the public to raise donations. Most notable is a large town barbeque fundraising event with a “super raffle” of high-end prizes on May 15 at the Wickenburg Community Center. The campaign is billed ‘Save the Alamo.’

Located between Wickenburg, Lake Havasu and Kingman, Alamo Lake is one of Arizona’s premier bass hotspots. Closure of the park could reduce boat-launching access, camping accommodations, and other facilities. Reduced access could have an impact in other areas around the lake, increasing traffic and, litter, and causing detrimental impacts on surrounding habitats in the wildlife area.

This desert oasis is not just a destination for anglers, OHV enthusiasts and outdoor recreationists. The east portion of lake is an Arizona Game and Fish wildlife area. The area is a mix between wetland, riparian and aquatic habitats created by the confluence of two major drainages – the Big Sandy and Santa Maria rivers. These unique habitats offer a rich and diverse wildlife viewing area.

Unfortunately, given the dynamic situation of the Arizona State Parks (budget, closures, and operations), what it takes to keep Alamo Lake State Park open could be subject to change.

For other updates on the status of Alamo Lake State Park, visit:

* Arizona State Park’s website at www.pr.state.az.us
* Town of Wickenburg’s website at www.ci.wickenburg.az.us

To learn more about the Arizona Game and Fish Department wildlife areas, fishing opportunities and more, visit www.azgfd.gov.

Catch monster pike to help Ashurst Lake

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is asking anglers to catch the monster northern pike at Ashurst Lake near Flagstaff to help this popular trout lake overlooking the San Francisco Peaks.

“Northern pike are in the spawning mode. This is the best time to catch these voracious fish to help the survival of stocked rainbow trout at Ashurst – so please catch and keep all the pike you can here, there is no pike limit,” said Chuck Benedict, a fisheries biologist in the Flagstaff region.

Biologists sampled Ashurst Lake last week and brought in 32 pike – with the vast majority of them tipping the scales at over 10 pounds. Only one trout was sampled.

“We estimate that of the 40,000 trout we stocked in Ashurst last year, possibly 30,000 of them were gobbled up by pike. You might even catch a new state record,” Benedict said.

The state’s record northern pike weighing 32 pounds, 5.6 ounces, was caught in Ashurst by Ronald Needs of Flagstaff on Nov. 5, 2004.

Benedict suggests using any lure that resemble a rainbow trout to catch northerns at Ashurst. “Try anything big and rainbow colored – even a painted broom stick with hooks will probably work,” he joked.

Many pike anglers use swim baits or large jointed surface lures, such as AC Plugs. In-line spinners such as Mepps, Rooster Tails and Blue Fox can also work. Be sure to use steel leaders – monster pike have needle-sharp teeth.

Ashurst is a 229-acre fishery tucked amongst the pinion-juniper woodlands and high grasslands of Anderson Mesa. This is a relatively shallow lake with an average depth of 12 feet.

To get to Ashurst, take Highway 3 (Lake Mary Road) and then turn east on FR 82 east and you will reach Ashurst in four miles.

While searching for folks tht might be interested in my new blog, The Dry-Rubbed Rat, I met up with Ray who not only makes and markets rubs, but also a very innovative pack. This will be one of the most interesting products I have seen for awhile, and I want to thank Ray up front, for the opportunity to have a closer look.

In the meantime, visit the Ribz website, and have a look around!

Leftover elk and pronghorn permit-tags available beginning Monday

Believe it or not, there are 394 permit-tags remaining from the elk and antelope drawing.

But don’t go rushing down to your local Arizona Game and Fish Department office.

Applications are accepted by mail only after 8 a.m. Monday, April 26. These remaining tags will be issued through a first-come, first-served process. Applications received prior to this time and date will be returned.

Hunters can find a list of the remaining hunts at www.azgfd.gov/draw. Don’t worry when you see many of the hunts listed as Hopi tribe hunts—all these hunts are available to everyone, tribal members and non-tribal members.

Applications may filled out using the PDF form, printed, signed, check enclosed and submitted by U.S. mail to Arizona Game and Fish Department, Draw Section, P.O. Box 74020, Phoenix, AZ 85087-1052. Applicants must have a valid 2010 hunting license or apply for one through the application.

There are some great hunts remaining, including early archery-only bull elk and antelope hunts, a number of cow elk hunts, and plenty of limited opportunity hunts. These tags will go fast. Any permits remaining after 8 a.m. on May 3 can be purchased in person at any department office.

For those who qualify, there are military hunts available at Camp Navajo. For more
information, contact Camp Navajo at (928) 773-3306 or visit www.campnavajo.com.

Be sure to refer to the 2010 Pronghorn Antelope and Elk hunt draw information booklet for details on filling out an application, hunt areas, and more, available at www.azgfd.gov/draw.