Arizona's Spring Hunting Regulations Online

From Arizona Game And Fish Department

PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department has released the 2011 spring hunting and drawing information for turkey, javelina, buffalo and bear. Electronic copies of the application form and regulation booklet are available online at www.azgfd.gov/draw.

Many of the spring hunts have a limited number of tags and are issued through a draw/lottery process. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, Oct. 12 by 7 p.m. (MST). Postmarks do not count, and there is no online application process.

Mailed applications should be addressed to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn.: Drawing Section, PO Box 74020, Phoenix, AZ 85087-1052. Applications may also be hand-delivered to any of the seven Game and Fish offices. For a listing of Game and Fish offices, visit www.azgfd.gov/offices.

Printed copies of the spring regulation booklet and applications are estimated to be at license dealers and Game and Fish offices by mid-September.

While there might seem like plenty of time to get your application submitted, with the start of early fall hunts for deer and antelope, and small game season just around the corner, now is the time to apply for the spring hunts before you get too busy.

There is also a benefit to applying early. If your application has a mistake and is received by 5 p.m. on Sept. 23, Game and Fish will attempt to call you three times in a 24-hour period and give you the opportunity to correct the mistake. After that date, mistakes can cause your application to be rejected.

Applicants are reminded a 2011 license is required to enter the spring draw. Licenses may be purchased at any Game and Fish office, license dealer, or through the draw/application process. Online sales of 2011 licenses will not be available on the Game and Fish website until an undetermined time in September.

Some of the spring hunts are not limited and a non-permit tag may be purchased over-the-counter at any Game and Fish office or license dealer in the state. Non-permit tag hunts are area specific and include archery-only spring turkey, juniors-only shotgun spring turkey, archery-only spring javelina, general spring bear, and archery-only spring bear. A full listing of all the spring hunts are available in the 2011 Arizona Spring Turkey, Javelina, Buffalo and Bear Hunt Draw Information booklet, available at www.azgfd.gov/draw.

New to hunting?
Game and Fish is continuing to partner with sportsmen’s organizations to host hunting camps for youth hunters, first-time hunters, and families interested in learning about traditional outdoor activities. These camps offer experienced instruction on topics such as hunting, camping, wildlife biology/ecology, care of game once harvested, and other life skills. If you would like to try turkey or javelina hunting, here are the camps that offer mentored assistance and how to get a hunting tag for the area of that camp.

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Javelina hunting camps

• Wickenburg/Congress area, Jan. 21-23, 2011, youth hunt: Tags are issued by application, apply for hunt number 5039. The Unit 20C camp offers food, activities, hunt guidance and is hosted by Youth Outdoors Unlimited.
• Payson/Roosevelt Lake area, Jan. 21-23, 2011, youth hunt: Apply for hunt number 5040. The Unit 22/23 camp offers food, activities, hunt guidance and is hosted by Arizona Deer Association.
• Tucson/Sasabe area, Feb. 11-13, 2011, women’s hunt: Apply for hunt number 5075, 5076 or 5077. The Unit 36A/B/C hunts are limited to hunting with a handgun, archery or muzzleloader. The camp offers food, activities, hunt guidance and is hosted by Coueswhitetail.com and Outdoor Experience for All.
• Prescott area, Feb. 18-20, 2011, general hunt for new hunters all ages: Apply for hunt number 5004, 5007 or 5008. The Unit 17A/B, 19B and 20A camp offers food, activities, hunt guidance and is hosted by the Arizona Bowhunters Association and Outdoor Experience for All.

Turkey hunting camps

• Flagstaff area, April 15-17, 2011, youth hunt: Tags may be purchased at any Game and Fish office or license dealer. The Unit 6B/8 camp offers food, activities, hunt guidance and is hosted by the Arizona state chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.
• Mogollon Rim area, April 15-17, 2001, youth hunt: Tags for hunting in Units 3C or 23 are limited and issued by application, apply for hunt number 4051 or 4053. Tags for hunting in Units 4A/4B may be purchased at any Game and Fish office or license dealer. The Unit 3C/23/4A/4B camp offers food, activities, hunt guidance and is hosted by the Arizona state chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.
• Eager/Alpine/Clifton area, April 15-17, youth hunt: Tags may be purchased at any Game and Fish office or license dealer. The Unit 1/27 camp offers food, activities, hunt guidance and is hosted by the Arizona state chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

For more contact information, to register for these camp, and for a listing of other beginners hunting camps, visit www.azgfd.gov/getoutside.

Young hunters 10-13 are reminded that hunter education is mandatory to hunt big game, which includes turkey and javelina. The minimum age to hunt big game is ten. The Arizona Game and Fish Department offers a variety of traditional classroom courses as well as an online self-paced course to accommodate the busy schedules of today’s public. A hands-on field day is required regardless of the course type to become certified. Anyone successfully completing one of Arizona’s hunter education courses will receive a permanent bonus point towards applying for future big game hunts. To learn more about Arizona’s hunter education program, visit www.azgfd.gov/education and select “hunter education."

Note: The Arizona Game and Fish Department does not receive any of the state’s general funds to operate. Wildlife conservation and management of the state’s game animals, which also benefits many non-game species, is made possible through a user-pay, user-benefit system. Funding from the direct sale of hunting and fishing licenses, big game tags, and matching funds from the Pittman-Robertson Act, a federal excise tax that sportsmen pay on guns, ammunition and related equipment, remain the backbone of wildlife conservation in North America. To learn more, visit www.azgfd.gov/h_f/northamericanmodel.shtml.