Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 86
The wild population of Mexican wolves saw another year of growth in 2024, according to the results of the annual census. The 2024 population survey revealed a minimum of 286 Mexican wolves distributed across Arizona and New Mexico. This increase marks the ninth consecutive year of population growth, the longest continuous streak since recovery efforts began. The 2024 minimum count represents an 11% increase from the minimum of 257 wolves counted in 2023. Survey results show the population is... Full story
Falcons are known for their incredible speed and agility, and usually feed on smaller birds, which they dive at and capture in mid-air. Commonly observed falcons in Arizona include the peregrine falcon, prairie falcon and American kestrel. The merlin and crested caracara are also in the falcon family. • Accipiters, such as Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks, have short rounded wings and long tails and are common forest-dwellers. They are expert at chasing small birds through trees and catching t... Full story
Joint announcement from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish The wild population of Mexican wolves saw another year of growth in 2023, according to the results of the annual survey. The 2023 population census revealed a minimum of 257 Mexican wolves distributed across Arizona and New Mexico. This increase marks the eighth consecutive year of population growth, the longest continuous streak since recovery efforts began. Six... Full story
Poaching Poachers are thieves who steal Arizona’s most precious natural resource – wildlife! Poaching interferes with the ability to effectively manage wildlife and wildlife habitat. It negatively impacts the ability to enjoy the outdoors, and reduces opportunities to hunt and fish in Arizona. Cellular phone calls to the OGT hotline have proven to be extremely beneficial. An officer’s chances of apprehending the violator while he is still in the woods are greatly enhanced when the offense is re... Full story
Winter moisture improves overall brood survival for desert quail. Arizona hunters know that timely rainfall is the key to giving quail populations a much-needed boost. After a winter of above-average precipitation, which generated a springtime carpet of green vegetation that's necessary for desert quail reproduction, hunters might want to carry a few extra shotgun shells when the season opens Friday, Oct. 13. A Great Year! "This should be a great year to chase Gambel's quail," said Dr. Larisa... Full story
Talk about a huge win for fish and wildlife conservation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed that the Apache trout - Arizona's state fish - be removed from the federal list of Endangered and Threatened Species. PHOENIX - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) announcement proposing that Apache trout be removed from the federal list of Endangered and Threatened Species is a huge win for fish and wildlife conservation. If delisted, it would be the first native trout species... Full story
Recreational Fishing and Boating Community Opposes Vessel Speed Restrictions In The Gulf of Mexico, Calls for Collaboration in Conserving Rice's Whales The leading organizations representing recreational fishing and boating in the United States have urged the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to reject a petition to establish a year-round 10-knot (11 mph) vessel speed limit and other vessel-related measures in the Rice's whale "core" habitat area in the Gulf of Mexico. The... Full story
PHOENIX — The Bureau of Land Management is announcing the beginning of a 30-day public scoping period to inform the environmental analysis of the proposed Vulcan Solar Project, which would produce up to 1,050 megawatts of utility-scale renewable energy from solar photovoltaic modules on 7,374 acres of public land in western Maricopa County. A Notice of Intent will post in the Federal Register tomorrow, announcing the BLM's intent to amend the Lower Sonoran Field Office Resource Management P... Full story
The wild population of Mexican wolves in the United States saw its fifth consecutive year of growth in 2020. According to the recent count, the U.S. population of Mexican wolves has increased by 14% since last year, raising the total number of wolves in the wild to a minimum of 186 animals. From November 2020 through January 2021, the Interagency Field Team (IFT) conducted ground counts in Arizona and New Mexico that concluded with aerial counts of Mexican wolves in January and February.... Full story
Hunters asked to continue voluntary lead-reduction efforts this fall. Arizona hunters have proven their long-held commitment to wildlife conservation by voluntarily working to reduce the amount of lead exposure to endangered California condors, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is encouraging all hunters to join the effort this fall. Hunters drawn for hunts in Game Management Units 12 and 13 (north Kaibab National Forest and Arizona Strip) are eligible to participate in the depart... Full story
OLYMPIA – Anglers on the Snake River will be able to fish for spring Chinook salmon when fishing begins to reopen in Washington on May 5, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced. Two sections of the river – the area surrounding Little Goose Dam and the area around Clarkston -- will be open on alternating days, giving area anglers four possible days each week for spring Chinook fishing. "This is always a popular fishery, so we're excited that we can offer an opp... Full story
A record number of bald eagle breeding areas couldn't guarantee another shattered record of eagle nestlings, which dipped to 71 during the 2019 breeding season from 87 hatched in 2018. During the Arizona Game and Fish Department annual bald eagle survey this summer, raptor biologists counted a minimum of 74 occupied breeding areas statewide, which was up from the 69 counted last year. Despite that, the number of eggs laid this year dipped slightly to 97 from the 102 counted last year.... Full story
There isn't much hunting going on this month, and it's a bit warm to go out shooting (unless you pay for an indoor range), but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be training. This is a great time for dry-fire practice, mental conditioning, close-quarters combat training, indoor-range time, classes, and research on legal matters. This is also a good time to check your concealed-carry permit to see if it needs to be renewed soon. Dry-Fire Practice Dry-fire practice is simply practicing with an... Full story
This article was written in June of 2016. The annual hunting season, long declared to be barbaric by the social media watchdogs, was officially cancelled today by the Arizona Species Specialists, a group of environmentally sensitive and morally conscious individuals who report to the chair of the Prohibited Actions On Public Lands Committee. While the demise of the hunting practice has long been predicted, today's announcement came as a mild surprise to those who hoped that the recreational... Full story
After an absence of more than 70 years, the endangered Gila topminnow has reappeared in the Santa Cruz River in northwest Tucson, fish surveys conducted in November confirm. Scientists were hopeful native fish would return to the river near Tucson after the river's water quality significantly improved following upgrades to wastewater-treatment facilities releasing effluent (highly treated wastewater) into the river at Agua Nueva and Tres Rios treatment plants in 2013. The native Arizona... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has submitted its official comments on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) draft Mexican wolf recovery plan which, when finalized, will outline a science-based strategy for continuing the successful reintroduction of Mexican wolves in its historic range. The FWS developed the draft recovery plan to replace the outdated 1982 plan. The updated plan was done in collaboration with state wildlife agencies in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado;... Full story
Arizona's bald eagle population continues to soar as the number of breeding areas expanded statewide and a record 82 young hatched during the 2017 breeding season, according to an annual Arizona Game and Fish Department survey. While the number of hatchlings rose from the previous high of 79 in 2016, the number of young that actually fledged dipped slightly to 63 birds that made the important milestone of their first flight. In Arizona, at least 95 eggs were laid, which was slightly less than... Full story
Publishers Note - We are hearing from our readers that many times these attempts to include species on the endangered list are driven by other than just concerns for the species. We welcome your comments. OLYMPIA – State wildlife managers are seeking public input on their recommendation to list the yellow-billed cuckoo as an endangered species in Washington. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) reviews the status of rare and declining species in the state. The public can c... Full story
A frog species in Arizona and southern Nevada does not need federal protection under the Endangered Species Act, thanks to the multi-partner conservation efforts of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other federal and state agencies that make up the Relict Leopard Frog Conservation Team. The Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that relict leopard frog populations are stable or increasing. The Service was petitioned in 2002 by the Center for Biological... Full story
Alexandria, VA – December 13, 2016 – Several regional and national recreational fishing organizations submitted official comments to NOAA Fisheries opposing listing Pacific bluefin tuna as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The letter was in response to a petition filed earlier this year to ban all fishing, including recreational fishing, for Pacific bluefin tuna in U.S. waters. In the letter, the American Sportfishing Association (ASA - http://www.asafishing.org ), the Coa... Full story
Arizona's bald eagles continue to impress biologists with their upward growth trends and year-after-year breeding records. Key productivity records that were broken in 2016 include number of: breeding areas, occupied breeding areas, eggs laid, active breeding areas, successful breeding attempts and young hatched. All of these measures are important indicators of the species' health. The most notable: a record minimum of 93 bald eagle eggs were laid by a record 65 pairs of adult eagles with 78...
Contact Koleszar at elkhabitat@gmail.com to share your thoughts on this subject. For the past 20 years now, the conservation groups have been screaming about the land grabs and Endangered Species Act use by Envirolitigants that have curtailed activities in many areas of Arizona. The frivolous lawsuits and inundation of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service with new endangered species listings have effectively made groups like the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of... Full story
A professional committee of fisheries scientists has determined that three species of chub found throughout the lower Colorado River basin - roundtail chub, headwater chub, and Gila chub - will now be recognized as one species, referred to as roundtail chub. The decision last week by the American Fisheries Society and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Joint Committee on the Names of Fishes resolves a long-term disparity among scientists, as these chub populations are... Full story
As the sweltering heat oppresses most of us in the Valley of the Sun, news items have come across my desk that bear repeating. I will not champion any particular item, but merely report (sometimes tongue in cheek) the news as it has come down. Gift Triggers Edible, Fiscal Thoughts A gift was presented to me at the Shake Rattle & Troll radio show last Sunday. The gift was a canned tin of - horsemeat! Despite the feelings of many in the United States, horse meat is a delicacy in many countries. Ob... Full story
Arizona's Trout Challenge Program was developed to encourage anglers to learn more about fishing opportunities in the state. Arizona Game and Fish Department manages many waters statewide to provide anglers the opportunity to catch several different species of trout, including two found only in the Southwest, Gila Trout (Oncorhynchus gilae) and Apache Trout (Oncorhynchus apache). There are two ways for anglers to complete the Challenge - 1. Catch all five species of wild trout in Arizona. These...
