Posted: August, 2008
What's New?
Arizona Game & Fish Dept (AGFD) has replaced the Small Game Questionnaire with the Small Game and Predator-Furbearer Questionnaire. The questionnaire was modified to begin gathering data on a unit level instead of at a statewide level. The 2006 season was the first stand alone year for the new format. Game & Fish warns the data from this new survey cannot be compared directly to the historic data. Despite record numbers of licenses sold, the return rates for the new survey are at record low levels which make the data vulnerable to error. If you receive a small game questionnaire, please respond.
Harvest based on this new survey is at the highest levels in Mearns’ quail history, 79,449 for 2006 and 81,304 for 2007.
Duane Shroufe, the second longest tenured state wildlife director in the US retired after nearly 20 years at the helm. Region IV Supervisor Larry Voyles became the director in January 2008. Assistant Director Steve Ferrell left in June 2008 to become director for Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department. We’ve had a run on who’s in charge of quail since Arizona Quail Alliance started: Ron Engle-Wilson, Mike Rabe, Mark Zornes, Kevin Barnes and now Ron Day. We don’t think that bodes well for quail who take a back seat to big game when it comes to wildlife management.
Commissioner Michael Golightly’s seat was taken by nominee, Norman Freeman. This appointment requires confirmation by the Arizona Senate.
AGFD is already advertising a banner Mearns quail year and the summer rains have not arrived yet!
Posted: April 2004
Bag Limit Lowered for 2004 Season
Hunters support a lower limit and the Commissioners returned Mearns’ quail to an 8-bird daily limit. For two years Arizona Quail Alliance surveyed Mearns’ quail hunters. These surveys showed the hunters were concerned about the quality of the hunt and sustainable harvests (Game & Fish marketed Mearns’ quail as a substitute for low populations of desert quail, substantially increasing the number of hunters & harvest 1999-2002).
Our surveys of the general hunting
public showed that hunters supported a lower limit
on Mearns’ quail. Game & Fish wanted confirmation of our surveys and this year we asked AZG&F
to send out their own survey (we funded it as well). This one
reached an even larger audience of hunters, over 10%
of the Mearns quail hunters responded (harvest data
from the Small Game Survey averages 1% of Mearns hunters!)
As our surveys had shown the hunters support a lower
limit to ensure sustainable harvests.
Posted: April, 2004
Read the results of the 2003-2004 Quail Hunter Survey conducted by Arizona Game and Fish and sponsored by the Arizona Quail Alliance.
Posted: February, 2004
In early January 2004 Arizona Quail Alliance (AzQA)had an opportunity to see the successful results of actively managed quail populations on two large ranches in New Mexico. AzQA founder Tad Pfister, arranged for a tour of two of Ted Turner's ranches. Accompanying Tad on this trip were AZ Game & Fish Commissioner Hays Gilstrap, AZ Game & Fish Small Game Supervisor Mike Rabe, retired Game & Fish and AzQA member Kelly Neal, and AzQA member Steve Hopkins.
The two ranches were the Armendaris Ranch and the Ladder Ranch near Truth or Consequences in southern New Mexico. Southern New Mexico continues to be one of the worst drought areas in the U.S.. The ranches had received less than two inches of rain in 2003 yet has flourishing desert quail populations. Retired Arizona Game & Fish biologist, Tom Waddell, is manager of the Armendaris Ranch and hosted the two day tour. Waddell stated that when Turner purchased the property ten years ago biologists could only identify three coveys of quail. The first day of this tour however the group witnessed what can be achieved by good quail management. They saw so many desert quail that Pfister said it reminded him of 50 years ago as a teenage hunter in Skull Valley outside of Prescott, Arizona.
Through Ted Turner's commitment to the environment and restoration of desert quail and Tom Waddell's management skills there are over 10,000 birds on the ranches. These birds have feeders and waterers designed specifically for quail. The containers exclude large animals. While hunting is allowed at the ranches it is limited and there is no predator control, coyotes are not killed.
Posted:
August 28th, 2001:
Our first
Mearns Quail Symposium was a great success with nearly
100 people in attendance. The plentiful representation
of the US Forest Service, Arizona Game & Fish,
members of the Game & Fish commission, Tucson
Audubon Society, ranchers, hunters and birders demonstrated
interest and support in our movement.
An overview of our exciting conference will follow
soon.