Fall draw results due July 29

Despite significant changes made to the application process this year, including elimination of the online application option, Arizona's fall 2005 big game draw is proceeding on schedule.

Results of the draw will be available no later than July 29, 2005 and will be posted to the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Web site (click on the Big Game Draw link). Results will also be available by calling (602) 942-3000. To access draw results, an individual must provide a department identification number or Social Security number and the month and day of birth.

"We're pleased the process went as smoothly as it did," says Richard Rico, assistant director for special services. "We knew that dealing with a manual-only application option would present certain logistical challenges, and we prepared for that. We're right on schedule."

Many people applied early this year to take advantage of the review and correction period offered by the department. Although department offices were crowded on the June 14 deadline day, traffic flow was manageable, and extra staffing helped keep things moving along.

Individuals who applied for a hunting or combination hunting and fishing license at the time of application for the draw will be issued their license no later than August 5, 2005.

Any hunt permit-tags not issued during the fall 2005 draw will be available through the first-come leftover permit system. Applications for any leftover permits will be accepted by U.S. mail only beginning August 8, 2005.

It is anticipated that refund warrants will be mailed to unsuccessful applicants beginning August 12.

Proposed conservation bonus point is shelved

After months of often-tumultuous public input, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission voted to discontinue the rule making process to create a conservation bonus point during its June 25 meeting in Payson, Ariz.

The idea was to provide a bonus point to those who volunteer for wildlife-related projects. As conceived, an individual would have had to complete 48 hours of volunteer activity on a project or projects authorized by the department as being eligible for a conservation bonus point.

Various commissioners agreed that the general idea had merit: rewarding volunteers. The problem was getting consensus from the various publics on the details. Some of the groups, which initially voiced support for the general concept, ended up opposing the proposed commission rule.

One of the many stumbling blocks was a stipulation the department is required to make that would have allowed all individuals, regardless of membership, to participate in any department sanctioned conservation project.

Groups were concerned that there would be so much demand from the general hunting public that their group's own members would no longer be able to fully participate in their group's own conservation projects.

Captured black bear returns to the wild

PHOENIX - A black bear that was captured following a chase through Tucson earlier this month has been released by the Arizona Game and Fish Department into a remote area north of Phoenix.

"Every day, we have to make difficult decisions about how best to manage the wildlife in our state," says Mike Senn, the department's assistant director for field operations. "This particular bear seems to have wandered down into Tucson from the Santa Catalina Mountains for unknown reasons. We had no reason to believe the bear was habituated to urban areas or interested in the many unnatural food sources our cities provide. It seemed to be a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. After weighing the facts, we decided to give him another chance to live the life of a normal bear in a wild area."

Click here for the complete story.

Views magazine tests your skills

Do you consider yourself an avian expert? Can you identify birds on the spot? If so, Arizona Wildlife Views invites you to test your knowledge by taking the "Fantastic Feathers" quiz in the July/August issue of the magazine.

In addition to learning about feathers, readers can enjoy articles about nighttime fishing; the history of Aldo Leopold and the Arizona Game and Fish Commission; urban wildlife conflict and how the department is educating the public; mountain biking to fishing locations; Rim hatcheries; the new commission chair's views on the year ahead; fishing with your best buddy; and much more.

Arizona Wildlife Views is the official magazine of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Published six times a year, each issue has 40 full-color pages with articles on Arizona's watchable wildlife, outdoor tips, places to go, fishing and hunting forecasts and much more. Spend only $8.50 for six big issues.

To order a subscription, call 1-800-777-0015 and place your credit card order. Or, download an order form here.

Summer nights are brimming with fishing opportunities

Summer nights are just brimming with fun fishing opportunities at a lake or river near you.

"Not only are central Arizona reservoirs brimming with water for the first time in years, they are also brimming with opportunity, especially for those who are willing to try something a little different," says Randy Babb of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. 

Babb suggests that instead of calling it a day when the sun sets, anglers can increase their enjoyment and acquire the makings of some truly wonderful meals by pursuing fish at night.

"When the sun goes down, many fish species move into shallow water to hunt and become much more accessible to anglers on shore or in boats," Babb says.

Walleye, largemouth and smallmouth bass, all patrol shallow waters and shorelines in search of a meal when darkness falls. Probably the most noted of these nighttime predators is the channel catfish. These fish get big, are good fighters, are really tasty and are largely neglected by anglers. In Saguaro Lake for instance, these fish average about 3 to 5 pounds.

Catfish are most active at night, and it takes no special tackle to chase them. A medium-action rod affixed with a reel spooled with 10-to-14 pound test line will do it.  Anglers should fish on the bottom off major outside points in lakes or at the top end of eddies and long slow runs in rivers. Steep or undercut banks are a plus in rivers.

"Since catfish of all sorts primarily use their whiskers and taste receptors in their skin to find food, anglers should think about what might smell good to a catfish when selecting their bait. Choices of bait are limited only by the angler's imagination. Some prefer to mix their own concoctions accurately referred to as stink bait," says Jim Warnecke of the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Fisheries Branch.

Aside from channel catfish, anglers can pursue the much larger and equally delicious flathead catfish. Big may not give a very accurate picture of these "aquatic dinosaurs." Warnecke relates that flatheads sampled in Roosevelt Lake averaged between 8-12 pounds with individuals commonly ranging up to 40 pounds or more.

The current state record for inland waters is 71 pounds, and the current Colorado River record is 74 pounds. Those are big fish by anyone's reckoning.

Top-end reservoirs like Roosevelt and Bartlett and rivers are prime waters to look for these big fish. Flatheads are top predators in aquatic systems, and live baits seem to work best. Because these fish get so large, what flathead anglers use for bait, most of us would be happy to catch and take home for the table. One-half pound panfish are popular flathead bait, as are 1-2 pound carp.

As can be imagined, anglers may want to step up a bit in regards to gear when pursuing a fish that reaches more than 70 pounds in weight and 4 feet in length. Serious flathead enthusiasts use saltwater equipment with 60-80 pound test line, although fighting a big fish using 20-30 pound line will test your endurance and the drag on your reel.

A reservoir or river near you is likely teeming with large catfish that very, very few people ever fish for. Want to have some fun? Want to avoid the heat?  Want a great meal? What are you waiting for? 

Fossil Creek is reborn through cooperative conservation effort

One chapter in Arizona history ended and another began on June 18 when Arizona Public Service Company discontinued operations at two historic hydroelectric power plants and allowed natural water flows to resume their journey down 14 miles of Fossil Creek.

The project is a model of cooperative conservation and involved many diverse interests working together to enhance one of Arizona's most unique riparian areas for present and future generations. The Arizona Game and Fish Department worked hand-in-hand with several other government agencies and conservation partners on a native fish restoration project in advance of the return of full water flows.

To give the fish a chance to recover, the Game and Fish Department has closed Fossil Creek to fishing until January 2007. The department believes the area could one day be a blue ribbon fishery for roundtail chub. Long-term management plans are being developed for wildlife management and human recreational management.

Click here for the complete story.

Endangered fish species rescued from Cave Creek Complex fire

PHOENIX -  While firefighters work hard to protect people and homes from the flames of the Cave Creek Complex fire, some smaller fire victims are safe today, thanks to the work of a team of eight biologists.

A crew of wildlife workers from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service collected and rescued about 200 federally endangered Gila topminnow from the fire's path.

"We realized they were in trouble and wanted to do something right away to ensure their safety," says Chris Cantrell, a biologist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

"Even though the fish live underwater and might survive the fire, they were in danger of suffocating if monsoon rains came during or just after the flames and washed large amounts of ash into the creek," says Glen Knowles, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist, "so under the supervision of the fire incident commander, a rescue plan was developed, approved, and carried out."

Click here for the complete story.

Fire brings historic research project near Roosevelt Lake to an early end

PHOENIX - The Three Fire near Roosevelt Lake scorched approximately 60 percent of an outdoor laboratory-the Three Bar Wildlife Area-that the Arizona Game and Fish Department has operated for more than three decades.

Click here for the complete story.

Department develops e-newsletter for hunters

The department will launch Hunting Highlights, a new online resource for hunters, in August. The e-newsletter will explore regional hunting opportunities and offer timely tips and information to hunters. Sign up to receive the first issue.

Volunteers clear the way for antelope

More than 40 volunteers recently got together to clear invasive piñon pine and juniper encroaching on antelope habitat in the Coconino National Forest near Kinnikinick Lake. The June 25 event was the sixth work project so far this year for the Arizona Antelope Foundation (AAF), whose members were joined by other volunteers in tackling the work.

"We've covered quite a bit of the state in our projects this year, from Cabeza Prieta and Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuges along the Mexican border, as far north as Anderson Mesa in the White Mountains," says Jim Unmacht, AAF president. "I encourage everyone to get out on one of these projects and make a difference for wildlife."

It was not all work and no play for volunteers, who enjoyed a top sirloin dinner with all the trimmings after a day in the field. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, visit the AAF Web site or the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Web site, or contact the department's volunteer coordinator.