Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGF) conducted an aerial survey over the Sonoita, Elgin and Patagonia region in January to determine the game population of the area. The data collected is used to set the number of hunting permits for game animals.
This year’s survey was conducted in Game Management Unit 35B, which is bounded by Grand Ave. in Nogales on the west, the U.S. Mexico border on the south, the Lochiel-Canelo Pass, Elgin Rd. on the east and Hwy. 82 on the north.
The other three game management units in the Patagonia, Sonoita and Elgin areas are 34A, which runs west of Hwys. 83 and 82, and north from Nogales to Sahuarita Rd, encompassing the Santa Rita Mountains; 34B, bounded by I-10, Hwys. 82 and 83 and Hwy. 80; and 35A, bounded by the U.S. Mexican border, the Lochiel-Canelo Pass, Elgin Rd to Hwy. 82, and the San Pedro River.
“This year we flew 36 square miles in 35B in a helicopter, in about 6.6 hours,” Britt Oleson, Game Warden for Unit 35A and 35B, reported. “35B is about 340 square miles in size, so we surveyed about 10% of it.” They observed 329 white tailed deer and 192 javelina. They also observed a mountain lion, coatis, golden eagles and coyotes during the survey.
Most species are surveyed every other year. AZGF surveys “smaller or more conservatively managed populations” such as pronghorn antelope and Goulds turkeys annually, according to Oleson. Oleson gives out only five tags for antelope in her unit, four of which are archery tags. Hunters typically wait 20 – 30 years to get one of these tags. Hunters wait more than 20 years to get a turkey tag, as well. Only six tags are issued per year for turkeys.
Different species are surveyed at different times of the year. “We survey deer in the winter, when we can still tell the differences between adults and fawns born the previous July/August, and we survey pronghorn in late-summer because their fawns are born in May,” she said. White tail deer and javelina are surveyed from a helicopter, because they tend to be in steeper terrain. Pronghorn and mule deer are generally in open flat areas, so are surveyed using planes. “We survey Gould’s turkeys on foot every spring during their breeding season when the toms are gobbling and likely to respond to calls,” she said. “Fish are surveyed twice per year, usually, using non-lethal electrofishing methods.”
Quail, dove, mountain lion and bear population figures are established by collection of data from hunters.
AZGF does not count every animal but estimates the total population after surveying sample areas within the units. Most permit allocations are based on buck:doe and fawn:doe ratios, rather than population estimates. The number of permits offered is also calculated by what percentage of hunters had a successful hunt. “Not every hunter that gets a tag is successful, and success rates will vary from unit to unit based on populations, terrain, access, etc.,” she said. “Rifle hunts tend to have higher success rates than, say, archery hunts, so we are usually able to offer more archery tags than rifle tags.”
Oleson offers 1315 tags for whitetail in unit 35B, divided into archery, rifle, muzzleloader, and youth hunts. Overall success is around 30% for firearms and archery success rate is typically down in the single-digit percentage, according to Oleson. She offers 450 tags for javelina, as well.
Oleson pointed out the importance of hunting and fishing to the local economy. “By the time you add in my quail, dove, bear, and lion hunters, and the anglers visiting Parker Canyon Lake and Patagonia Lake, there are several thousand folks who come to this area for these activities each year,” she said. “They buy gas and stuff at the stores, rent hotel rooms and RV parks, and eat at our restaurants.”