ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT 2017-18 …

1 ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT2017-18 ARIZONA hunting regulations * Two other annual hunt draw information booklets are published for spring big game hunts and elk and pronghornantelope hunts covering season dates, open areas, permits and drawing/application booklet includes annual regulations for statewide hunting of deer, fall turkey, fall javelina, bighorn sheep, fall bison, fall bear, mountain lion, small game and other huntable wildlife.*Hunt permit application deadline is Tuesday, June 13, 2017 at 11:59 ARIZONA may purchase ARIZONA hunting licenses and apply for the draw report violators, call the DEPARTMENT s Operation Game Thief line: discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states or all GEICO companies.

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3 SAVE TODAYADVENTURE 74/17/ 2017 12:49:53 PMFrom the Director s DeskWelcome to the ARIZONA Game and Fish DEPARTMENT s hunting regulations for 2017 -18! Whether you hunt with a bow, a muzzle loader, a rifle or a shotgun, we are pleased to offer you so many hunting opportunities across our state. In this publication, you ll find many of the great ways to enjoy hunting in other states where private land ownership limits the places where hunting is allowed, ARIZONA is fortunate to have abundant public lands where hunting , camping and other uses are not only allowed but encouraged.

4 ARIZONA s private landowners also un-derstand the economic value of hunting , and the Game and Fish DEPARTMENT works with them to allow hunting on their land. Such agreements have opened up more than million acres of pri-vate property to hunting . Combine all this hunting territory with nearly perfect weather year-round, and you ll understand why ARIZONA is a hunter s hunters aren t just one-season wonders, they also take advantage of our year-round opportunities to hunt. Even if you miss getting a tag during the big-game draws in the spring and fall, our plentiful small game, migratory waterfowl and over-the-counter tag hunts provide the chance to get out into nature, spend time with close friends and maybe even bring some meat home to the family recent survey by outdoor research firm Responsive Manage-ment examined the reasons why people go hunting .

5 While it s likely no secret to the hunting community, the researchers were surprised at the number one reason people gave for and it wasn t to score a set of antlers for the rec-room wall. Most people say they hunt to provide good food for their about that. More Americans are starting to question the quality of the foods they eat, and rather than filling the freezer with store-bought meats laced with antibiotics, growth hormones, genetic modifications and other unnatural additives, health-conscious Americans are embracing the idea of eating locally harvested organic meat.

6 hunting means much more than just bringing home the harvest. Ingrained in a hunter s psyche is an inherent love of all wildlife, which is why we refer to hunters as the First Conservationists. Through their purchases of licenses and tags, and through extra taxes they pay on sporting equipment, ARIZONA hunters have con-tributed to the conservation and protection of all wildlife across the state. They ve paid for reintroductions of species near extinc-tion, habitat improvements, wildlife surveys, water catchments and numerous other projects and services that give our state a wide array of healthy hunters find fulfillment and fun by joining hunting groups or habitat partnership organizations.

7 Volunteering their time, mem-bers of hunting and wildlife organizations work side by side with AZGFD, providing the boots-on-the-ground labor needed to com-plete these important projectsIf picking up these regulations is your first step toward becoming a hunter, I want to offer and some friendly ad-vice. The ARIZONA Game and Fish DEPARTMENT is here to help you get involved in hunting , or fishing, or pretty much anything associ-ated with the Great Outdoors. Enroll in a Hunter Education course to learn firearm safety, hunting regulations and more about the concept of Fair Chase.

8 And don t forget to sign up for a free membership in the ARIZONA Game and Fish Portal, your online gateway to all things wild. Once you have a Portal account ( ), you ll be able to access all our special maps, species information, hunting and fishing info, and all the latest news from the ARIZONA Game and Fish DEPARTMENT . Finally, becoming a hunter means joining a time-honored tradition, and getting in touch with nature in more ways than you thought possible. We hope you ll peruse every page of these regulations and make this the year you become a sportsman, a a D.

9 Voyles, Director12017-18 ARIZONA hunting Dan Adler 520-730-8147 Veteran Owned, Veteran Operated!Experience Matters!Elk, Antelope, Coues Deer ALL UNITS!Trust Matters!Local Knowledge Matters!92 140 Coues218 Strip & Kaibab ExpertsOver 300 References AvailableMelissa Bachman - Kaibab 64/17/ 2017 12:50:35 PM2 ARIZONA Game and Fish DEPARTMENT GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT MISSIONTo conserve ARIZONA s diverse wildlife resources and manage for safe, compatible outdoor recreation opportunities for current and future GAME AND FISH COMMISSIONE dward Pat Madden, Chair FlagstaffJames R.

10 Ammons YumaJames S. Zieler St. Johns Eric S. Sparks Tucson Kurt R. Davis PhoenixARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT5000 W. Carefree HighwayPhoenix, ARIZONA 85086602-942-3000 D. Voyles, DirectorTy E. Gray, Deputy DirectorREGIONAL OFFICES REGION I2878 E. White Mountain Blvd., Pinetop 85935928-367-4281 REGION II 3500 S. Lake Mary Road, Flagstaff 86005 928-774-5045 REGION III 5325 N. Stockton Hill Road, Kingman 86409928-692-7700 REGION IV 9140 E. 28th Street, Yuma 85365 928-342-0091 REGION V 555 N. Greasewood Road, Tucson 85745 520-628-5376 REGION VI 7200 E.