Big Game Hunting

Ten tips when applying for elk or antelope permits

2009-02-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

If you have visions of elk steaks on the grill or sending those trophy horns of a 70-class pronghorn to the taxidermist, don’t forget the most important step – applying for a hunt permit-tag before the deadline.
The final deadline to submit paper-only applications for a 2009 hunt permit-tag for pronghorn antelope and elk hunts through the draw process is Tuesday, Feb. 10 by 7 p.m. (MST). Applications must be received by mail or hand delivered to a department office before the deadline; postmarks don’t count. Remember, there is NO online application process for the draw.
To help hunters navigate the application process, the Arizona Game and Fish Department offers these tips:
Buy your 2009 hunting license before applying. If you need your license before the draw is completed (April 24), buying your license now will eliminate the wait and long lines at department offices. (Note: This is a great year for a combo hunt and fish license - the fishing should be fantastic this year.)
Use the new editable PDF application. By using a computer to fill out the application, many errors are eliminated, including legibility issues. Just fill it out, print it out, sign it, include your payment, and deliver it to the department. Remember, there is no online application process for the draw.
Consult the 2008 Hunt Arizona booklet. Research draw odds, hunt success, tag allotment and more with this valuable resource available online in PDF, or purchase a hard copy for only $6 at any department office.
Pay by check, money order or cashier’s check. The department doesn’t accept cash or credit/debit card payments with the hunt permit-tag application. (Note: You may pre-purchase a license at the front counter with cash or credit/debit card.)
Include the correct payment amount. Be certain to double-check your math when making out your payment. There is a worksheet on the second page of the application. Also, make certain you don’t transpose any numbers when writing out your check, money order or cashier’s check (it’s more common than you may think).
Use a separate application for each species. If you are applying for both elk and antelope, you must use two separate applications, envelopes and payments.
Use the “Hunt No.” in the first through fifth choice fields. This is the four-digit number in the far left column under each Commission Order. Don’t use Game Management Unit numbers (which are typically alphanumeric).
Consider what type of hunter you are. When looking over the Hunt Arizona information, keep in mind what type of hunt you are after. Do you just want elk meat, or are you dead set on harvesting a trophy? Do you have flexibility in your travel time, or is it limited? All these play a key role in your odds of being drawn. It could take time to draw that rutting bull tag compared to a late-season muzzleloader cow hunt.
Include your social security number – it’s a federal law. Even if you use a department-assigned identification number, you are still required to include your social security number. If you only use one number, it must be your social security number.
Only use one choice when applying for a bonus point. If you are just applying for a bonus point, use the first Hunt No. listed under each Commission Order in the first choice field and include the $7.50 application fee (leave the second through fifth choices blank).

Unicorn Deer found in Italy

2008-06-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

ROME - A deer with a single horn in the center of its head — much like the fabled, mythical unicorn — has been spotted in a nature preserve in Italy, park officials said Wednesday.

"This is fantasy becoming reality," Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, told The Associated Press. "The unicorn has always been a mythological animal."

The 1-year-old Roe Deer — nicknamed "Unicorn" — was born in captivity in the research center's park in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Florence, Tozzi said.

He is believed to have been born with a genetic flaw; his twin has two horns.

Calling it the first time he has seen such a case, Tozzi said such anomalies among deer may have inspired the myth of the unicorn.

The unicorn, a horse-like creature with magical healing powers, has appeared in legends and stories throughout history, from ancient and medieval texts to the adventures of Harry Potter.

"This shows that even in past times, there could have been animals with this anomaly," he said by telephone. "It's not like they dreamed it up."

Single-horned deer are rare but not unheard of — but even more unusual is the central positioning of the horn, experts said.

"Generally, the horn is on one side (of the head) rather than being at the center. This looks like a complex case," said Fulvio Fraticelli, scientific director of Rome's zoo. He said the position of the horn could also be the result of a trauma early in the animal's life.

Other mammals are believed to contribute to the myth of the unicorn, including the narwhal, a whale with a long, spiraling tusk.

Proposal to extend deer hunting

2008-02-11T08:21:00.000-08:00

Animals blamed for destroyed Ohio crops.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
(Columbus) - State leaders are moving toward expanded hunting to thin Ohio's burgeoning deer herd, which has been blamed for increasing crop damage. In the next hunting season, the Ohio Division of Wildlife wants to offer a special permit to allow gun hunters to bag extra does in counties thick with deer. Division Wildlife Management Administrator Dave Risley says the goal is to stop growth in the deer population, and the key to doing that is controlling the number of females. The proposal introduced Wednesday night needs approval from the eight-member Ohio Wildlife Council. There were an estimated 675,000 deer in Ohio last summer. A farm group has called for a herd of 250,000, though Risley claims that's not realistic. (Copyright 2008 the Associated Press, all rights reserved.)