The March 2019 issue of the PRT listed the results of Arizona Game and Fish’s recent game survey in Unit 35 B. The data established the number of hunting permits for the coming seasons: 1315 tags for whitetail deer and 450 tags for javelina. According to Fish and Game’s website, seasons for whitetail begin in August (for archery hunters) and extend until December 31st. Most permits are issued for hunts between October and December 31st. Javelina hunts have both fall and spring seasons.
The May 2019 issue featured a story about locked gates across private lands limiting access to Forest Service lands in Unit 35 B. The account mentioned gates left open but did not fully explain why ranchers and other owners have blocked access over their private property.
As a former ranch owner and hunter, I see two main causes. The first is the property and watershed damage by negligent and irresponsible hunters, and as well as other users. These include cut fences, open gates, bullet holes through water troughs, camping on top of troughs and windmills, cut pipelines, shot-up windmills and wells, dirty campsites, vandalized corrals, and new roads.
Only a small minority of hunters are responsible for this damage, but the Forest Service and Game and Fish could do more to enforce the regulations and issue citations to the offenders. Also, the number of permits should also be based on the amount of hunter traffic the watershed can support without damage and not just the number of animals available for harvest. How about lowering the permits to one thousand? That could help open locked gates.
The second is that hunting practices have changed drastically with the advent of All-Terrain Vehicles. Used to be that hunters were students of game habits and habitats. They pursued the quarry by foot, on horseback, or by sitting quietly and glassing the landscape.
Nowadays, many hunters drive the back country roads in hopes of getting a shot on a fleeing animal. ATV use is legal, but the drivers are required to stay on designated roads. This includes the Border Patrol.
The watershed’s function is largely maintained by intact soil and grasses, assets which have intrinsic value for all. A new ATV track will soon be followed by another and another until a new gulley opens up. Today’s hunter, recreationist, and game ranger should be glad of a 1.5 mile hike over the splendid grasslands, or a 10-mile ride from Canelo Pass to Harshaw Road on the Arizona Trail.
Solitude and wildness are disappearing natural resources that must be preserved.