Bowhunter Alert
The Arizona Game and Fish Department has language in the fall guideline package that would allow more muzzleloader hunts and general rifle hunts in front of the archery elk hunts. As you are probably aware the unit 9 elk hunt will have muzzleloaders in the field before Bowhunters this year. It’s the first time in the entire country that an elk season has been started with a more of advanced weapon than a bow.
There is absolutely no biological reason for this change. It is purely a social issue because there are few who think Bowhunters kill the larger animals before muzzleloader and general rifle hunters can get to them?
Of course the Arizona Bowhunter Association opposed the unit 9 muzzleloader first hunt once we found out about it for two main reasons.
1st. There was absolutely no public input.
2nd. There is no data to show Bowhunters are harvesting larger bulls than the other weapon types. It is purely speculation
Most Bowhunters would tell you that the muzzleloader have it made because the muzzleloader hunt is typically in the middle of the rut. They already have the highest success rate with fewer hunting days out of all weapon types. The stats would seem to back it up that they are finding big bulls quickly and harvesting them.
Biologist would confirm that most the time the archery elk hunt starts before the rut actually gets going good. For that reason there are Bowhunters that are saying it would be a good thing to have it start after the muzzleloader because we would be in the middle of the rut for Bowhunters.
Yet another problem for the muzzleloader/early bull hunt going early is that there’s going to be hundreds of Bowhunters scouting for their upcoming hunt on the opening weekend of the muzzleloader/early elk hunt.
The truth is there is no data, nobody knows what the outcome will be for the different weapon types. Opinions are all over the board for all weapons types of whether this would be a good or bad.
It is for this reason the Arizona Bowhunter Association is asking the department and the commissioners to do two things.
Survey the people that have been applying for the early rifle elk tag and asked what they want. Most have been waiting 15 to 20 years to get their hunt, the least we can do is ask their opinion. It could be that they may not want a pre-rut hunt?
Do not make any more changes for now and let’s get survey data from the people who hunt unit nine and find out what their impression of the hunt is both for the muzzleloader and the Bowhunters. After all there is a possibility that both groups could be upset. Ruining the hunt that they’ve been waiting years for! Just because we decided to act on our gut feelings??
Please don’t rush into more changes until we find out what the hunters really want? There is absolutely no vantage to rush into this. It has been working fine for years. Time is on our side to get this right.
Public input is over in just a few days. Contact the department and the commissioners at the following links and tell them that we want data. Do not make any more changes until we know what the effects are. Until we know what the hunting public wants.
Commissioner Robert Mansell RMansell@azgfd.gov <mailto:RMansell@azgfd.gov>
Commissioner Kurt R. Davis KDavis@azgfd.gov <mailto:kdavis@azgfd.gov>
Commissioner Edward ‘Pat’ Madden PMadden@azgfd.gov <mailto:pmadden@azgfd.gov>
Commissioner James R. Ammons JAmmons@azgfd.gov <mailto:jammons@azgfd.gov>
Commissioner James S. Zieler JZieler@azgfd.gov <mailto:jzieler@azgfd.gov>
Arizona Game and Fish Department AzGameBranch@azgfd.gov <mailto:AzGameBranch@azgfd.gov>
Randy Phillips
ABA liaison to the Arizona Game and Fish Department