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Elk hunt permits slightly lower; hunter pool being created
By ARIZONA GAME AND FISH
04/10/2003
PHOENIX - Biologists are recommending that the Arizona Game and Fish Commission set elk hunt-permit levels slightly lower than last year, but this year there is also a new wrinkle -- creating a "hunter pool."
The hunter pool will be used to quickly remove elk that are negatively impacting private property or habitat in specific areas," Game Branch Chief Tice Supplee said.
In other words, those in the pool would be on-call hunters to trim elk numbers in specific areas should it become necessary. Hunter pools are also being recommended for javelina, buffalo and black bear.
"Continued drought or other factors could result in elk impacting habitat. In that case, we could use hunters as kind of a management 'surgical instrument' when necessary to help the habitat's health, while providing additional hunt opportunities for people at the same time," Supplee said.
The "hunter pool" concept was proposed by the department's Elk Harvest Management Team. The team, which was a group of veteran biologists familiar with managing elk, was asked to "think outside the box" and come up with a new set of elk management tools: even a new toolbox if necessary.
Big Game Supervisor Brian Wakeling said that accomplishing some of the team's strategies -- such as the hunter pool -- required the rather lengthy public process of changing commission rules to accomplish. Others, such as the "limited opportunity hunts" were implemented more readily.
"The limited opportunity hunts appear to be working well for trimming elk populations in areas designated by department elk biologists as 'Limited Population Management Zones.' I think the hunter pool will give us an even more precise tool to use when conditions warrant," Wakeling said.
The Limited Population Management Zones are areas where: It has been determined that elk will be managed at very low densities and where population increases will not be encouraged. The presence of elk is undesirable because management of other wildlife species is a higher priority. Elk populations within limited population management zones are managed for minimum levels of conflict with other public or private resources.
"The management objective in these zones is to reduce or eliminate conflicts with other public, private or wildlife resources by maintaining low population densities, or eliminating populations, as deemed appropriate," Wakeling said.
There are 1,254 permits recommended for the new elk population management seasons. When specific hunts are established, those who applied will be placed in the hunter pool and will be called by the department to see if they wish to participate. Those who are selected from the hunter pool will not lose their bonus points.
Elk permits for the general seasons are recommended for a total of 12,475, a reduction of 1,730 from last year. These reductions are largely in hunt units 1, 4A and 27.
Archery permits are recommended for 6,608 permits, an increase of 980 from last year. Muzzleloader permits are recommended at 1,068, an increase of 145 from last year. Junior permits will be 1,075, 15 fewer permits than last year but still 5-percent of the total allocation, as directed by the commission.
Supplee said that the elk hunt recommendation package was coordinated with the land management agencies, the local habitat partnership committees, and the Forage Resource Study Group.
"The general season permit reductions are largely in management units 1, 4A and 27. Population objectives have been met in these units and the projected hunter harvest, even with the permit reductions, should result in stable to slightly-declining elk populations," Supplee said.
A reduction of 1,110 permits to a recommendation of 825 decreased the limited opportunity hunt permits for general elk seasons. The limited opportunity archery seasons are recommended for 55 permits, a reduction of 50 permits, and the limited opportunity muzzleloader season in 3B North is not being recommended (minus 50 permits).
The elk population management seasons recommended in the commission order will replace the deleted limited opportunity elk seasons. Biologists are recommending 1,254 restricted nonpermit-tags as the maximum for elk.
By ARIZONA GAME AND FISH
04/10/2003
PHOENIX - Biologists are recommending that the Arizona Game and Fish Commission set elk hunt-permit levels slightly lower than last year, but this year there is also a new wrinkle -- creating a "hunter pool."
The hunter pool will be used to quickly remove elk that are negatively impacting private property or habitat in specific areas," Game Branch Chief Tice Supplee said.
In other words, those in the pool would be on-call hunters to trim elk numbers in specific areas should it become necessary. Hunter pools are also being recommended for javelina, buffalo and black bear.
"Continued drought or other factors could result in elk impacting habitat. In that case, we could use hunters as kind of a management 'surgical instrument' when necessary to help the habitat's health, while providing additional hunt opportunities for people at the same time," Supplee said.
The "hunter pool" concept was proposed by the department's Elk Harvest Management Team. The team, which was a group of veteran biologists familiar with managing elk, was asked to "think outside the box" and come up with a new set of elk management tools: even a new toolbox if necessary.
Big Game Supervisor Brian Wakeling said that accomplishing some of the team's strategies -- such as the hunter pool -- required the rather lengthy public process of changing commission rules to accomplish. Others, such as the "limited opportunity hunts" were implemented more readily.
"The limited opportunity hunts appear to be working well for trimming elk populations in areas designated by department elk biologists as 'Limited Population Management Zones.' I think the hunter pool will give us an even more precise tool to use when conditions warrant," Wakeling said.
The Limited Population Management Zones are areas where: It has been determined that elk will be managed at very low densities and where population increases will not be encouraged. The presence of elk is undesirable because management of other wildlife species is a higher priority. Elk populations within limited population management zones are managed for minimum levels of conflict with other public or private resources.
"The management objective in these zones is to reduce or eliminate conflicts with other public, private or wildlife resources by maintaining low population densities, or eliminating populations, as deemed appropriate," Wakeling said.
There are 1,254 permits recommended for the new elk population management seasons. When specific hunts are established, those who applied will be placed in the hunter pool and will be called by the department to see if they wish to participate. Those who are selected from the hunter pool will not lose their bonus points.
Elk permits for the general seasons are recommended for a total of 12,475, a reduction of 1,730 from last year. These reductions are largely in hunt units 1, 4A and 27.
Archery permits are recommended for 6,608 permits, an increase of 980 from last year. Muzzleloader permits are recommended at 1,068, an increase of 145 from last year. Junior permits will be 1,075, 15 fewer permits than last year but still 5-percent of the total allocation, as directed by the commission.
Supplee said that the elk hunt recommendation package was coordinated with the land management agencies, the local habitat partnership committees, and the Forage Resource Study Group.
"The general season permit reductions are largely in management units 1, 4A and 27. Population objectives have been met in these units and the projected hunter harvest, even with the permit reductions, should result in stable to slightly-declining elk populations," Supplee said.
A reduction of 1,110 permits to a recommendation of 825 decreased the limited opportunity hunt permits for general elk seasons. The limited opportunity archery seasons are recommended for 55 permits, a reduction of 50 permits, and the limited opportunity muzzleloader season in 3B North is not being recommended (minus 50 permits).
The elk population management seasons recommended in the commission order will replace the deleted limited opportunity elk seasons. Biologists are recommending 1,254 restricted nonpermit-tags as the maximum for elk.
