AZ “pioneer” season for sheep

[canyonhunter47]

AZ is proposing to add a special season for pioneer license holders (25+ years resident, 70+ years age) to get dedicated one-horn sheep tags. “One horn” meaning half or more of one side broken off. (Page 9)

I don’t like this or the precedent it sets, but I imagine it will probably go through

 

[PathFinder]

It's one more way to get people out of the points pools. Sheep hunting is a race to see who outlives everyone else in their point pool anyways.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

 

[BigE]

I'm curious about the demographics on this. How many AZ pioneers are there? How many are active hunters? How many sheep out here are "one horns"?

 

[TrackerG]

I love the idea. It gives a person who may never draw a sheep tag an opportunity to go hunt and old warrior of a ram! What’s the bad precedent it sets?

 

[canyonhunter47]

I love the idea. It gives a person who may never draw a sheep tag an opportunity to go hunt and old warrior of a ram! What’s the bad precedent it sets?

I’m not 70 or even close and the numbers are that I probably will never draw a sheep tag either despite putting in every year.

Also, the same people asking for this are also complaining that it’s been 20 years since they had a deer or elk tag and want “one last chance” before they can’t hunt anymore and want dedicated late rifle deer and early rifle elk tags too

 

[TrackerG]

I guess I’m not really understanding what your frustration is? If you drew a regular sheep tag that took 25+ years to draw then would you shoot a 1 horned ram? No? Then these 1 horned rams are dying of old age or predation. Wouldn’t you rather someone have a chance at them?

As far as the elk or deer tags I think that’s a stretch for sure….

 

[ElDiablito]

Sounds like an outfitter welfare program.

 

[Weldor]

Don't think it's a good idea. Everyone has special interest groups. We don't need anymore. How about Buffalo, or pronghorn ? Looks like a revenue generator to me.

 

[canyonhunter47]

I guess I’m not really understanding what your frustration is? If you drew a regular sheep tag that took 25+ years to draw then would you shoot a 1 horned ram? No? Then these 1 horned rams are dying of old age or predation. Wouldn’t you rather someone have a chance at them?

As far as the elk or deer tags I think that’s a stretch for sure….

I have no issue with 1 horned ram tags but I do with reserving them for a special interest group. Especially one that has had decades of much better overall big game opportunity than we’re likely to ever see again

 

[Steve O]

I don’t see the harm. But I’m closer to 70 than I am 40….but also not a resident and ineligible for any Desert sheep tags there.

I’d apply for that tag anywhere I was eligible just to go on one more sheep hunt.

 

[Weldor]

I'm runnin up on 70 and I don't see a sheep take in my future, but maybe. LOL. But I'll keep puttin in for sure.

 

[canyonhunter47]

I’d apply for that tag anywhere I was eligible just to go on one more sheep hunt.

Exactly why it should be open to all applicants, like every other sheep hunt code

 

[cbeard64]

I don’t have strong feelings about it. It’s obviously for revenue generation.

Not sure why they didn’t just create the tag and leave it at that. I’ve never been a big fan of wildlife depts making value judgments on who is more deserving with youth and other special interest tags, especially for the Big 3 species (sheep, moose, mountain goat).

 

[OMB]

I have no issue with 1 horned ram tags but I do with reserving them for a special interest group. Especially one that has had decades of much better overall big game opportunity than we’re likely to ever see again

Bingo. I really don't care to see any age related special interest tags, youth or elder, but it's especially frustrating to see it with a generation that had the ability to get in on the ground floor of points schemes and tons of opportunity to do great hunts. I'm fine with issuing one-horn ram tags, just not for a special interest group.

Not going to be surprised when proposals like this bubble-up elsewhere, and hopefully they're all soundly rejected.

 

[TrackerG]

ok, think about this for a minute though. You’re 70 years old and have been putting in for sheep for 20 years now. You have a lifelong dream of accomplishing a sheep hunt. You look in the mirror and realize that you probably only have 2-3 years of putting in left in you before there is no way you’re getting your bag of bones up the mountain.

Wouldn’t you be pretty proud that your state has set aside a very limited number of tags for a sub par trophy so you can have that opportunity once? Maybe your whole family comes along on the hunt?

And at a younger age, if you don’t draw a sheep tag by the time you’re 70 you know there is still SOMETHING to look forward to?

 

[BBob]

As said before, no one is killing those rams on the regular tags so what's the issue with giving the older folks a chance before they get to old to do it? The only Pioneer license holders I know have already killed rams from the regular draw so I'd think they are ineligible.

It’s obviously for revenue generation.

How much revenue do you think they'll raise with this? I doubt there's enough Pioneer license holders out there and enough tags to make much of a difference at all.

 

[TrackerG]

As said before, no one is killing those rams on the regular tags so what's the issue with giving the older folks a chance before they get to old to do it? The only Pioneer license holders I know have already killed rams from the regular draw so I'd think they are ineligible.


How much revenue do you think they'll raise with this? I doubt there's enough Pioneer license holders out there and enough tags to make much of a difference at all.

I can’t imagine the revenue being significant at all. It frustrates me when everyone is focused on the revenue generated from a G&F department. Not what that revenue is being used for. Or the opportunity the g&f department is trying to open doors to. The resource they are attempting to find a utilization for.

 

[Tmcgarrigle]

I’m not 70 or even close and the numbers are that I probably will never draw a sheep tag either despite putting in every year.

Also, the same people asking for this are also complaining that it’s been 20 years since they had a deer or elk tag and want “one last chance” before they can’t hunt anymore and want dedicated late rifle deer and early rifle elk tags too

And they complain yet if they knew how the draw worked and submitted an pp correctly, they would probably draw. Also, it doesn't mean 1 horned rams live in areas where 70 year olds can get to. I'd be more pissed if they were doing it for any ram

 

[TVW]

I can’t imagine the revenue being significant at all. It frustrates me when everyone is focused on the revenue generated from a G&F department. Not what that revenue is being used for. Or the opportunity the g&f department is trying to open doors to. The resource they are attempting to find a utilization for.

Yep, sometimes it feels like a lot of people think they should just do their job for free or the budgets they operate on come from fairy dust and angel farts.

I'd love for some of the "revenue haters" to take a deep dive into the budgets and salaries in some Game and Fish departments and tell us exactly why they don't want them to make money. Do they think that Biologists and Game Wardens are getting rich doing their job?

 

[S.Clancy]

ok, think about this for a minute though. You’re 70 years old and have been putting in for sheep for 20 years now. You have a lifelong dream of accomplishing a sheep hunt. You look in the mirror and realize that you probably only have 2-3 years of putting in left in you before there is no way you’re getting your bag of bones up the mountain.

Wouldn’t you be pretty proud that your state has set aside a very limited number of tags for a sub par trophy so you can have that opportunity once? Maybe your whole family comes along on the hunt?

And at a younger age, if you don’t draw a sheep tag by the time you’re 70 you know there is still SOMETHING to look forward to?

Life isn't fair, get used to it.

This is nothing more than a (old) group of whiners that want "one more sheep tag". Same reason MT squares their bonus pts and has all the NR tags for people born in May that left. No thank you, draw like everyone else