Arizona Unit 19B Closed!

[EliAGrimmett]

Today the G&F Commission voted 3 to 2 in favor of closing 19B for the 2011 hunting season (for antelope).

It looks like anyone who applied for 19B first choice will get their second choice if their name is pulled out of the hat. If they have no second choice, or if both choices are for 19B, they will just receive a bonus point.

Did anyone here apply for 19B this year?

 

[Big Fin]

Whew, glad I didn't.

 

[schmalts]

What was the reason they closed it?

 

[EliAGrimmett]

The Chino Grande ranch, previously open to public hunting, decided to lock it's gates this year. It contained what was 35% of the open antelope habitat and a higher pronghorn density then the rest of the open country.

Why did the Chino Grande close it's gates? I think it has to do with nuclear power and world domination...or maybe it was solar power...I don't recall which.

 

[Oak]

Kinda knew that was coming, right? Didn't they barely save access to Chino Grande last year?

 

[EliAGrimmett]

Correct. And the year before they closed it during the season.

 

[Khunter]

cripes, I thought just maybe the AZ draw results would post ahead of the Nm apps deadline. Not looking very likely.

glad I did not apply for 19B, sucks for those who did.

 

[billy-bob8]

What do you think of the rumor that a outfitter sewed up access to the property and the commisson decided to eliminate the hunt due to lack of public access? Last year the Campbell Ranch was tied up, and I would bet that the same crew has locked up the cv ranch as well. I think that the Deep Well ranch wasnt affected as Rancher Robert Birth has granted access all along, but last year went to walk in only because people were driving off road and disrespecting his land, (who of us wouldnt do the same) the commisson rightly felt that craming all the hunters into such a small area wouldnt work, and I applaud there decision. My sons had tags in 19b in 2009, and 2010, and thank God they drew when they did. 1 son collected his goat on the chambell ranch in 2009, and the other on the Deep Well in 2010. It is a pity that the hunts they experienced will now be eliminated due to lack of access because of outfitters controling the access. P.S. I dont begruge a man making an honest living, but with the limited amount of tags available( less then 700 state wide),, and the limited access to public owned wildlife there need to be a better way. please reply I would love to here all sides

 

[sturge]

Campbell was available last year, for$1k. I scouted it twice with my buddy and because there were no bucks worth the price, he declined. The buck he decided on was on the CV but a missed shot opening day blew that one. He ended up shooting his buck on Bob Burris' Deep Well. Unless an outfitter went in there after the season and injected a bunch of bucks with hormones or steroids, it would be impossible to justify paying out the kind of money it would take to get them to lock out everybody. Especially when the outfitter has no clue how many client he MIGHT have. I can honestly say I think I saw 90% of the bucks on the CV, and few justified hiring an outfitter to locate. Hell, even a NR who has never set foot in Az could have found most of them with a pair of $50 binos.

 

[sturge]

Let me say this too though. None of the necessary permits etc. have even been applied for. So, maybe the owners are not being completely truthful in regards to the solar project.

 

[Big Fin]

With the new bill that just passed the MT House and Senate, our fish and game commission could not close a season like happened in 19B, without first completing the study of the economic and social impacts of a season closure.

Whatever that data provides, they must give the same weight to economic and social concerns as they give to biological concerns. That bill is still pending the Governor's signature, so we keep our fingers crossed.

Glad AZ does not have such a stupid law, or your commission would be screwed trying to balance the many competing issues they face with rapid urbanization, cyclical droughts, etc.

 

[sturge]

Exactly. Although the same has been attempted here, daily decisions on the management of our resources here are still left to the experts instead of emotional driven groups and politicians, and thank god for that.

 

[EliAGrimmett]

As far as I know, the outfitter controlling access to the Campbell Ranch is not involved with anything on the CV.

 

[billy-bob8]

does anybody know what the Yavapi ranch was planning to do this year in reguards to access? In our scouting last year we were able to access the ranch off of williamson valley rd. this took us to what we belived to be the west end of the chino grande/cv ranch which was open last year. Then with 1 week left until the rifle season the road we were using for access was fenced and locked. does anyone know anything about this? The whole area around the chino grande/cv ranch is so poorly marked when it comes to which ranch is which. even with a g.p.s. the best you could tell was that you were either on private or National forest land. Az has some great antelope, but the effort to find a public huntable antelope in the majority of the units is deminishing rapidly. the ranchers are leasing to outfitters,and with the way the economy is who can blame them. then it takes many years to draw a tag, and us working guys just want a public land "On Your Own Addventure" with out having to pay for the privlage I know there are no easy answers,but there is a compromise out there somewhere.

 

[billy-bob8]

Sturge is right, It wouldnt take an outfitter to locate the bucks he saw on the chino grande ranch. the hard part is getting access to the ranch, and that is where the outfitter comes into play.

 

[powdajohn]

T...Why did the Chino Grande close it's gates? I think it has to do with nuclear power and world domination...or maybe it was solar power...I don't recall which.

Hope we never get to hear that some of the animals are getting extinct.