Big changes to AZ Regs (OTC & other changes)

[canyonhunter47]

AZ’s proposed recommendations were just posted. Just skimming the recommendations, a few takeaways:

• The threshold model by unit for OTC is all but officially official. Almost all the units are (re)opened with the threshold cutoff.
• The threshold count starts with August and runs to January (rather than January to December). That means January in a particular unit could easily get cut short or not even happen. If you’re planning for a January hunt in the future, be prepared to shift units
• Muley’s and Coues have separate thresholds (where both occur)
• Units 7 & 9 are getting lumped together (archery and rifle deer)
• Draw tags got a haircut, moreso with Muleys but Coues as well. The management guidelines that were recently put out call for slightly better objectives for buck:doe ratios and success rates and that could part of it but I believe the overall herd health is the much larger factor (drought, predators, etc)
• Sadly, further cuts to Kaibab. I haven’t been up there in a while but I guess the precip hasn’t been enough to recover the bad burn area

 

[eddielasvegas]

Thanks for posting.


Eddie

 

[BBob]

I assume this means there will be a mandatory reporting requirement to go with it as we do for the lions and bears.

Edit: I now recall when the commission directed the dept to pursue the threshold model this included mandatory reporting as shown in the screenshots posted below.

 

[canyonhunter47]

I assume this means there will be a mandatory reporting requirement to go with it as we do for the lions and bears.

The overall guidelines just refer to “the appropriate Commission Rules and technology infrastructure are in place to allow for and manage a harvest limit approach.” In the past (can’t find the presentation at the moment) they’ve said it was the mandatory reporting system

 

[greaseywater]

For the technology part, the move to electronic tags starting in June is probably part of the strategy. The app will require users to complete the harvest questionaire in the field prior to getting their validation code to tag the animal. That data will be automatically uploaded to AZGFD immediately, or as soon as the device has service.

Tag modernization webcast from Nov 2021

gw

 

[greaseywater]

Here is the webcast on Archery Deer guidelines and mandatory reporting. It is buried on the website, and not listed on the department youtube channel.

AZGFD

www.azgfd.com

gw

 

[Steve O]

Those are some big changes. Hopefully they will help.

 

[bohntr]

I’m also being told that a 10% NR take to the threshold will be in place as well??? Anyone else hear or read that?

 

[BBob]

I never heard or saw a NR 10% cap mentioned in all of this. Let’s see what shakes out.

 

[bohntr]

I never heard or saw a NR 10% mentioned in all of this.

This came from a friend who was at the meeting. I’m just wondering g if they’re going to slide that in when the finalize in a few weeks

 

[bowuntr]

I can work with this... Ed F

 

[BBob]

I’m also being told that a 10% NR take to the threshold will be in place as well??? Anyone else hear or read that?

A screenshot above suggests no restrictions to NR participation. A Jay Scott and Brian Rimsa podcast before the commission directive happened also suggested that (no NR restrictions).

 

[bohntr]

A screenshot above suggests no restrictions to NR participation. A Jay Scott and Brian Rimsa podcast before the commission directive happened also suggested that (no NR restrictions).

I just spoke to Brian and was told the 10% NR quota to the threshold will be applied? We’ll see when the Regs come out I guess.

 

[canyonhunter47]

A screenshot above suggests no restrictions to NR participation. A Jay Scott and Brian Rimsa podcast before the commission directive happened also suggested that (no NR restrictions).

NR’s currently buy 10.5% of the tags and harvest ~13% of the OTC deer (according to AZGFD estimates), maybe that’s where that came from. Harvest restrictions (rather than tag allocation restrictions) for NRs would be unprecedented

 

[BBob]

I read through all of the deer recommendations multiple times in the Proposed Hunt Guidelines and unless I somehow missed it there's nothing there for an OTC NR cap. If they do it it'll be a last minute add on.

 

[bohntr]

NR’s currently buy 10.5% of the tags and harvest ~13% of the OTC deer (according to AZGFD estimates), maybe that’s where that came from. Harvest restrictions (rather than tag allocation restrictions) for NRs would be unprecedented

But overdue

 

[canyonhunter47]

But overdue

How would that even work? NR’s get told to clear out until resident harvest catches up?

It would be easier to just limit tags on the sales end, I.e. a general archery nonresident tag up for draw that residents can just buy OTC

 

[bohntr]

How would that even work? NR’s get told to clear out until resident harvest catches up?

It would be easier to just limit tags on the sales end, I.e. a general archery nonresident tag up for draw that residents can just buy OTC

Easy. They’ve implemented mandatory reporting within 48 hours of take. If the threshold is, say 100 deer, and 10 deer are taken by NR’s in that unit, that unit would close for NR’s but remain open for residents.

 

[Blackcow]

At the Commision meeting in December, when Threshold/ reporting was being discussed, the Commision told the department to analyze how to implement a 10% cap on NR permits. Not take. I would guess that since it’s not in the recommendations yet it’s because maybe they’re waiting to implement the e-tags? It would be easy to add up the threshold total for all otc tags and come up with 10%, but keeping track would be impossible right now I would think. You can get tags at so many places. I would think only selling NR tags online, or at regional offices would be the only way. Idk. But I bet it’s coming.

 

[BBob]

At the Commission meeting in December, when Threshold/ reporting was being discussed, the Commission told the department to analyze how to implement a 10% cap on NR permits. Not take. I would guess that since it’s not in the recommendations yet it’s because maybe they’re waiting to implement the e-tags? It would be easy to add up the threshold total for all otc tags and come up with 10%, but keeping track would be impossible right now I would think. You can get tags at so many places. I would think only selling NR tags online, or at regional offices would be the only way. Idk. But I bet it’s coming.

That makes more sense and I feel more fair. I'm not so sure that even as a Res I'd be for booting out the NR's that spent the time to come to hunt or make them pack and move to another unit if a NR specific threshold hits. The next question is if they'll enable a unit by unit cap to alleviate some of the harder NR hit units like 27. I do know residents there and elsewhere that would like that to happen. Some units like 8 and 27 seem to have a much larger than 10% NR presence.