OPEN LETTER FROM
ARIZONA SPORTSMAN FOR WILDLIFE

In our effort to improve things that we see as very problematic for sportsmen and wildlife, we made a significant error in not providing information to the Sportsmen community on HB 2072 before introducing it at the Legislature. We apologize for our mistake. Below is an explanation of HB 2072 and the issues we were attempting to address. We ask that you have an open mind as you review the issues we see as being critically important to protecting our hunting and fishing heritage for future generations.

For the record, AZSFW is not a chapter nor an affiliate of Utah SFW. Having said that, we do believe they have had very positive impacts on improving wildlife habitat and increasing tags for hunters.

What We See as the Big Problems Facing Sportsmen

Problem #1. Loss of Wildlife: Our wildlife herds have been slowly declining or have at best remained status quo over the past 16 years despite significant increases in the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s (AZGFD) annual budget and the efforts of the species conservation organizations to improve their habitat by spending millions over this same period. The tables below shows game and fish budget increases and the number of permits issued and harvests for 1994-2010. We think you will agree that “Rebuilding our wildlife herds is Priority #1”.

On average, except for elk, we are losing about 2,000 permits per year and have been doing so over the past sixteen years. We can’t explain why the AZGFD is issuing more elk tags while harvests are declining nor can we explain the continuing reduction in harvests (other than herd size) despite the wide use of game cameras, long range rifles, wide spread use of ATVs and other technical improvements in binoculars, range finders and bow hunting equipment.