3rd Quar ter 2023
HUNTS FOR HEROES Learning to Flyfish 5-6 I Can! 9-12
YOUTH Wapiti Weekend 14-16
WATER FOR WILDLEFE Butcherknife Report 7-8
Image courtesy of Mike Pellegatti, Wild Visions.
PRESIDENTS’ MESSAGE Winter is upon us, and I am headed north to help my friend Mark on his early December bull elk hunt. This time of year is challenging with elk changing patterns and behaviors from the exciting fall season of bugling bulls and cows with calves in open meadows. A snowstorm can change everything from elk moving out of an area to roads becoming impassable. Wish my friend luck! AES has been in the field with youth and Hunts for Heroes camps. An article this month features our Heroes Rising Outdoors fly fishing class. I really am thrilled that AES is branching out to offer our veterans a diversity of outdoor experiences. We are looking for volunteers and I do hope you are registered to get the e-newsletter and notices of volunteer opportunities. There are so many ways to give back, from helping here in Peoria at our building, to participating in a project, camp, or banquet. I am looking foward to our volunteer appreciation lunch this December. I can never thank all of you enough for your dedication and commitment to Arizona wildlife. My favorite outdoors observer, “BB”, speaks up about OHVs. His observations from the field are worth the read. OHV use skyrocketed during COVID expanding an already very-populated recreation use on our public lands. The big problem is that a vast number of this recreational group do not participate in any wildliferelated recreation (hunting, fishing, viewing) and are oblivious to the impact the vehicles have on the land and on the poor souls escaping to the outdoors for some solitude. Years ago, there was conversation about national rules and standardized signage similar to the waterways for boaters. It never happened, a missed opportunity as I see it. The lack of any consistent rules for OHV use across the jurisdictions makes enforcement or even encouraging good
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behavior really difficult. The best solutions for hunters have been the creation of no vehicle “quiet areas” and stronger rules on public lands. Right now every forest skid trail is a potential OHV racecourse. OHV use is the biggest cause of our mountain meadows degrading. AES has installed OHV barriers at our meadow restoration projects with amazing positive results. Talking about transportation, there is an exciting plan to address wildlife connectivity by building new crossings over Interstates 40 and 17. The proposed crossings would be located on I-17 south of Kachina Village, on I-17 north of the Willard Springs exit and on I-40 west of Parks. There have been a number of habitat projects to thin the trees and restore meadows on both sides of the planned crossing near Parks that AES has helped complete. The I-17 crossing locations are where elk will cross in high numbers, especially after snow. These crossings should not only make it easier for elk and other wildlife to cross the highway, but more importantly reduce collisions with vehicles. The Coconino and Kaibab Forests are the lead agencies and information can be found at this web site https://www. fs.usda.gov/project/?project=64375&exp=overview The holidays are upon us—consider the AES store for gift items this season. A nice way to show your support for wildlife and share that love with others.
Yours in Conservation, Tice Supplee, AES Board President
OFFICERS President - Tice Supplee Vice President - Steve Schaefer Treasurer - Christopher K. Lutzel Secretary - Greg Godbehere Executive Director - Steve Clark
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Wayne Bouton Randy Burton Joe Di Vito Ron Huddleston Glen Jones Richard Moraca Jim Norton PAST PRESIDENT
OUR MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Arizona Elk Society is to benefit elk and other wildlife by generating resources for habitat conservation and restoration, and to preserve our hunting heritage for present and future generations. The Arizona Elk Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) wildlife organization.
Rich Williams You may send a message for any officers, board members or committee chairs to stevec@arizonaelksociety.org
Visit us online at
www.arizonaelksociety.org www.facebook.com/arizonaelksociety @arizonaelksociety
COVER PHOTO: ELK BUGLING In September and early October, the sounds of elk bugling can be heard reverberating throughout elk country as the rut or breeding season begins. Bull elk bugle for various reasons. They could be walking around trying to locate a cow; they could be keeping a harem of cows rounded up by running around the cows and bugling; or they could be keeping other bulls away from his harem by announcing his presence. Satellite bulls are usually younger bulls who harass the herd bull in hopes of getting one of his cows away from him. Another dominant bull may bugle at the herd bull as a challenge in hopes of taking his herd away through intimidation or a fight. Bugles come in a variety of sounds. Bugles can be short as in 2-3 seconds or long as in 8-12 seconds or anything in between. They also may be punctuated at the end by what is called a chuckle. One, two, three, or four chuckles may be added at the end of a bugle. As the rut progresses, a bull that has controlled a harem for the entire time may have bugled so much that his voice becomes hoarse and gravely. One thing is certain, hearing the sound of an elk bugle is music to the ears. (Cover image and text courtesy of Mike Pellegatti, Wild Visions) Arizona Elk Society 3
I N
T H I S
5-6
6
Learning to Fly Fish by Russ Johnson
Event Calendar
I S S U E 7-8
Butcherknife Report by Russ Johnson
9-12
13 Youth, Veterans, and Wildlife Need You
14 -16
18-20
I Can! by Steve Harness
Wapiti Weekend
by Lindsay Layton
“BB” on OHVs by John Koleszar
22
Dickenson Flat by Russ Johnson
To learn about volunteer opportunites with Arizona Elk Society, visit our website at www.arizonaelksociety.org 4 Tracker 3rd Quarter 2023
LEARNING TO FLY FISH by Russ Johnson
Heroes Rising Outdoors fly fishing classes were held on Tuesdays throughout the month of September from September 5–26. In the first class, we watched a video of a similar fly fishing program in Canada, where Canadian Army vets were interviewed and spoke about how the trip had helped them in many ways. Attendees were then introduced to the basics of fly fishing. For the second class, we watched videos of how to tie the three most commonly used knots, and we practiced tying the knots themselves. During the third class, we learned about the different types of casting including roll cast, and pick up and lay down methods. We then went out to a nearby pond at Pioneer Park to practice casting. The fourth class was a review of the previous three weeks. On October 27-29, we were able to take our veterans up to the R Bar C Boy Scout Camp north of Payson to fish in the waters of Christopher Creek. The guys definitely showcased the skills that they had learned during our four weeks of classes they attended. We had a very successful weekend on the river, catching and releasing approximately 30 fish between the veterans and everyone at camp. Three veterans who went through our fly fishing classes
back in September attended the weekend trip. Each person was able to catch multiple fish. When we were not fishing, we were eating great food prepared by our camp cooks, relaxing in the cabin, or sitting out by the campfire on the crisp nights. One of our instructor’s wives had made a quilt that we were able to give away to a veteran via a drawing. Getting to know these guys has been a true pleasure, and friendships have been formed that will last for many years. The fellowship was great, the food was amazing, and the fishing was very relaxing. In cooperation with the Arizona Fly Fishers, this was a very successful program this year, and we can’t wait for future classes. We will be putting on another class in April with a trip in May. If you are a veteran and interested in attending these classes and trip please contact me at russj@arizonaelksociety.org. Also if you are interested in volunteering as a cook for the trip please let me know.
HEROES
RISING
UTDOORS Arizona Elk Society 5
EVENT CALENDAR January 17, 24, 31, Feb 7, 14, 21, 28, March 6— Heroes Rising Outdoors VORTEX Program February 3—Wild in the City February 6, 13, 20, 27—HRO Bass Fishing Classes March 1-3—HRO Bass Fishing Trip April 6—AES Mesa Banquet April 9, 16, 23, 30—HRO Fly Fishing Classes April 18-21—Youth Turkey Camp Photo by George Andrejko, Arizona Game & Fish Department
Visit arizonaelksociety.org for more information. 6 Tracker 3rd Quarter 2023
BUTCHERKNIFE REPORT by Russ Johnson On Saturday, June 17 we kicked off the Butcherknife Tank project. Surveying the land, we figured out the best place to set up the catchment system. Then we continued with measuring and marking/staking the perimeter of the excavation hole to be dug for the tanks to sit in as well as marking out the boundaries of the apron. This project was planned to be a 48’x48’ apron, but we realized the best size for the area would be 24’x96’, which would give us the same amount of surface area, as well as better utilizing the lay of the land. Using laser levels and a backhoe, we dug out the hole throughout the day. We had to move a couple of dead trees from previous fires, but largely left the surrounding area untouched. We returned to the area on June 23-25 and again on July 7-9 to start building the catchment system.
a big task for one weekend—even braving the swarming gnats, 30 degree night time temps, and windy conditions on some days with blowing dust. Just some of the duties on this job included running a backhoe/loader tractor, running an auger, shoveling dirt, running strings, and mixing concrete. Friendships were formed or strengthened and hunting stories abounded in camp, all while eating some great food. We in total had just over 138 hours of time donated this weekend between all of our volunteers. AES, Arizona Game & Fish Department, Habitat Partnership Committee, Arizona Elk Society Northern Peaks Chapter, Northern Arizona Mule Deer Foundation, Arizona Antelope Foundation and others had volunteers that came out to lend a hand on this portion of the project as well as help fund the project.
Returning to the job site on the weekend of June 23-25, myself along with 12 other volunteers worked to set 4 tanks in the excavated pit. These tanks have to be set on top of ¾” mats, completely level, and brought in by heavy equipment. We also worked through the evening on Friday, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning to auger out 33 holes and set the poles in concrete. This will serve as the base for the main frame, which consists of 2x2 metal square tubing that will sit on top of the poles we set this weekend. The team worked really hard as this was
On July 7-9 we went to Butcherknife to start our 3rd phase of this project. Our goal was to build the apron. We had almost 20 volunteers working hard from Friday through Sunday. Progress was slow at times, but overall we accomplished a lot. Some things that we were able to do were placing and welding 2x2 metal square tubing to our poles with the proper drainage slope, tearing the barbed wire down of the entire 400-yard perimeter fence, installing the drinker and running 3” pipe from the tanks to the drinker, assembling most of the apron framing, and starting
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to tear down the pre-existing older style tank. We had some great food and great comraderie, as well as having a camp visitor in a prairie rattlesnake seeking shade under our water and Gatorade cooler. On July 21-23 AES was back in action at Butcherknife Tank. The monsoon had started up north, but the weather held off just enough to finish our weekend. We were a smaller crew this weekend but accomplished a lot. We were able to finish installing all the galvanized studs on top of our 2x2 steel framing, as well as put on all but the last run of our metal siding we used as the top of the catchment apron. We also tack welded each stud to the frame, and installed the gutter at the end. We designed a brace system for the bottom of the gutter to keep it from sagging. We also drilled 130 holes for our perimeter fence and set/concrete probably close to half of them. We had a professional photographer/videographer with us all weekend capturing the action. Be sure to look for our upcoming video, complete with interviews. We even had another visitor to camp, but not as deadly as the last one. The project finally started looking like a water catchment system. August 4-6 we were back at work again. We reinforced some of the apron subframe work, and assessed some other work that has to be done on the apron. We were
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able to hang the 12’ entry gate for water haulers to deliver water. We cemented and set more posts. At this point we have 2/3 of the perimeter fence posts set and waiting for runners to be welded on. We were able to weld the runners on the south side, about 100 yards of fencing. We were also able to cut 100 of the stays for the fencing to length, and finish all but one piece of the PBR panel on the apron. We had another visitor to our job site, and once again I had to relocate another prairie rattler to a new home. After two rainouts and a month away from Butcherknife Tank, we were able to reconvene there. We now have a fully functioning water catchment system at this project site! We accomplished putting our last piece of tin on the top of the apron, starting to put skirting around the apron, fully plumbing from the gutters back to the tanks, sealing any seams with silicone, backfilling dirt around the tanks and over our 3” pipe, and completing the perimeter fence except for a few stays to be welded in place (at least the fence will keep the cattle out now). The only thing left to do at this site is build the elk enclosure fence and place some more skirting on. It even rained a bit to let us know that our apron works and catches water.
I CAN! by Steven Harness, U.S. Army (Ret.)
I shot an elk. Well, duh, it’s the Arizona Elk Society (AES)— lots of folks shoot elk. Let me rephrase that. Thanks to the AES’ Heroes Rising Outdoors (HRO) program, I shot an elk. This was a special experience that significantly improved my outlook on life. Heroes Rising Outdoors’ mission is to provide outdoor opportunities to Arizona veterans who have been left with a disability from serving in our nation’s military. I am a disabled veteran, injured while a peacekeeper in Bosnia with the 10th Mountain Division. The short story of my injury—I fell into a bomb crater. That fall left me with spinal cord injuries in my neck which has deteriorated over time. Today, my right shoulder is paralyzed while my right hip is partially paralyzed. I have limited movement of my neck (along with many other related issues). Overall, the functioning of my limbs has been significantly impacted. Injuries of this nature brought some “I can’t” into my life. I can’t walk normally, let alone run. I can’t stand for
an extended period. “I can’t” seemed to become a focus of any discussion. I can’t do this, that, etc. Not a fun time when you used to be an “I can” person. Back in early 2022, I read about the AES’ Heroes Rising Outdoors outreach program for disabled veterans. It sounded like a place where the word “I can” was used so I submitted my application along with the various documents needed. Separately, I also obtained a Challenged Hunter Access/Mobility Permit (CHAMP) from Arizona Game & Fish. I then waited. It was not too long before I was contacted by Tom Wagner, lead coordinator for HRO. Tom is the critical interface between the program and the veteran. He went over my documents with me and vetted me into the program. He was also upfront that although my situation might be a bit of a challenge, he was willing to do his best to find the right situation for me. Tom contacted me later in 2022 to let me know that a Unit 6A CHAMP Any (bull or cow) tag had been donated to Arizona Elk Society 9
Heroes Rising Outdoors. We talked about what that hunt might entail. Unit 6A includes the west side of Mormon Lake southeast of Flagstaff. This CHAMP tag was one of only ten (10) that Arizona Game and Fish had allocated for the area. My appreciation to the anonymous person who donated their coveted elk tag was sky high—I felt like I had just won the lottery! Heroes Rising Outdoors partners with RAK Hunting to lead more challenging hunts in 6A, which would be the case for my hunt. RAK Hunt is run by Raymond Byrne and his wife Kimberlie. Ray is a veteran of both the U.S. Marine Corps and the Arizona Army National Guard. Ray supervises all their hunts, while Kim prepares all the meals. They have a beautiful two-story lodge set up for veterans, all ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. The first floor consists of a dining/lounge area, with two adjoining two bedrooms (2 beds/room) and a very large bathroom. The floor above was designed as a multi-functioning TV/game room. Hospitality at its finest! Ray contacted me before the hunt. We went over everything I needed to bring with me. I had hunted prior to being injured, but never for elk. I told him I planned to use my bipod-equipped 7.62 mm Ruger GSR rifle with Vortex 2x-7x Scout rifle scope, shooting Federal Power-Shock 180 gr. ammunition. With my paralyzed right shoulder, I work the action of a bolt-action rifle with my left arm while my right hand remains on the small of the rifle stock. The left arm does most of the work, my right index finger pulls the trigger. The carbine length, light-weight Ruger GSR matches me well,
Raymond and Kimberlie Byrne 10 Tracker 3rd Quarter 2023
allowing me to fire offhand safely and comfortably. When Ray asked how much ammo I was bringing, I told him 100 rounds. The line went silent for a second. He replied, “That better be enough!” The day before the opening day of my hunt, my longtime friend Steve Hall drove us both to RAK Hunting’s lodge. Steve was to assist me should I encounter any problems, which turned out to be a godsend throughout my adventure! To begin with, it was too far for me to drive alone from my home to RAK Hunting. RAK’s lodge is located off a forest service dirt road which we had a “fun” time finding as we attempted to follow the vehicle’s GPS instructions. We ended up having to ask for directions. But we made it. Ray and Kim got us settled into the lodge. First up was a safety briefing for the lodge and for our time out hunting (RAK Hunting uses an ATV for CHAMP hunts), after which we got settled in for the evening. Part of the evening was spent setting up my rifle and bipod for a proper firing position in RAK’s SxS vehicle. Most of the roads we would be driving were more primitive 2-tracks, not forest service roads usually traveled by most people. It was October—the air was brisk, and the SxS’s engine roared as we moved through the darkness. As the whisp of exhaust fumes hit my nostrils and my skin tingled from the cold air, I was transported back to my tank training at Fort Irwin many long years before. It was as if the forested countryside had been turned into a vast empty desert far away. Then one sizeable bump riding in the SxS brought me back to hunting elk.
The early departure allowed us to get back up on the mountain before darkness gave way to full dawn. The mountain west of Mormon Lake is steep but not jagged. Miles of roads thread their way through the pine forest. We could barely see 10 yards in some places while elsewhere it opened into meadows of perhaps a thousand yards or more. What beautiful country! With the coming sunrise, we upped our awareness in preparation for my hunt. As we were driving along slowly about an hour after first light, an elk rushed out of then right back into the brush no more than 20 yards away! A shot was not possible in that short of time, but we had seen our first elk of the day! As the day wore on that was to be the only elk we saw. Driving around did have other high points though. There were a lot of deer, including several trophy-class bucks. Luke said it seemed they mostly saw really big deer when it wasn’t deer season (go figure). We also encountered a flock of over 20 turkeys. This was very entertaining since I had never seen a turkey in the wild before! Luke added that what he said about seeing big bucks applied to turkeys as well. The afternoon wore on and the sun edged lower towards the horizon. As we were driving back to the lodge, a herd of elk were crossing a meadow, headed to cross the empty road directly in front of us. There were three large cows and two yearlings in the herd. The elk were going to have to jump a four-foot-high barbed wire fence. All but one did so with ease. One of the yearlings did a full back flip when its rear legs brushed the top of the fence. The lead cow slowed down and stopped to look back. She stood broadside, off the road by maybe 10 yards. Luke told me I could take the shot if I wanted to. I got into position to fire and settled my scope’s crosshairs on the cow’s shoulder. Then a thought occurred to me. I put the rifle down and told Luke I didn’t want to shoot a cow if it
had a calf. He assured me they normally tried to avoid that situation. Before I could make a final decision, the elk made the decision for me as they hurried into the trees. Not to worry—I still had two more days to hunt. The next morning was a repeat of the first day. Early on we spied a group of about 4-5 elk. They were closer than the ones the morning before, but up a very steep slope. They moved out of sight before I could get in position to shoot. Those would be the only elk we saw that morning. After lunch we drove out to a new location. As we crawled along a rock-strewn 2-track road we spotted a bull elk grazing about 150 yards away. Luke cut the engine on the SxS and we glided to a stop. I had a hard time seeing through the brush as Luke pointed toward the animal. Once I finally had the bull pinpointed, I raised my rifle to take aim. One problem—I could only see brown! I thought my rifle scope had broken. I lowered the rifle to look at it. I had the power turned up too high and had been looking at the bark of a tree. I turned the scope’s power ring all the way down and took aim again—at the same tree! No matter how I positioned myself, the tree was in the way of the shot. Anthony and Luke discussed my plight. If Luke restarted the vehicle, the elk would spook. Luke then got out of the vehicle and moved 10 yards to the left. Well, darn—there I was, the only guy in the SxS that didn’t have a clear view of the elk! I hopped (more or less) out of the vehicle. I asked Anthony to bring my rifle to me as I pulled myself along the side of the SxS. Taking just a few steps toward Luke I found myself with a clear view of the elk. Anthony handed me my rifle and I took aim—unfortunately at the rear end of a bull elk. This is where years of watching wildlife shows on TV paid off. I knew if I panned to the opposite end, I’d be looking at the front of the bull. Not so fast, soldier. At the front end
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was—you guessed it—another tree! Since the elk was walking slowly as it grazed, I figured it would soon appear on the opposite side of the tree. Sure enough, there were antlers! Which of course was at the precise moment my disability had me start to lower the rifle. I was able to alter my offhand shooting position as the bull continued grazing. A clear shot finally presented itself. With my regained stability I held my breath and squeezed the trigger. The short barreled GSR barked and went into recoil. Both Luke and Anthony screamed “You got him!” Luke and Steve raced off to the elk. I was left standing there in shock! Anthony helped me back to the SxS and then drove us up to the elk. The bull indeed had dropped right where it had been shot. The elk I had seen through my scope was just majestic—a large creature that dwarfed a deer! As I stood there gazing at my bull, many different emotions flowed over me. Many different cultures around the world have ceremonies paying respect after taking large game animals. I experienced my own reverence at that moment. I must say my friend Steve went bug-eyed crazy over the taking of my bull. While I was very happy and satisfied with how everything transpired, he was like a five-yearold seeing Santa! Steve had used his laser rangefinder to determine my shot had been precisely 128 yards. Both Luke and Anthony were very happy with my “Guide’s Dream Shot,” meaning there hadn’t been a wounded animal. 128 yards—not too bad for somebody in my condition shooting offhand! I take greater satisfaction in the shot than I do tagging the elk, despite both being intertwined. I see the accurate shot placement as a “I can” moment. I can do this, in fact I did it! I had been told by many folks I wouldn’t be able to hunt elk in my condition. The joy of experiencing that “I can” moment when paralyzed means so much more than I can accurately convey. It was, and is, a top of the world event for me! Luke and Anthony field dressed the animal and then loaded it up using the SxS’ winch (I said it was big!) Then it was back to the lodge where pictures were taken. Anthony found my bullet as they skinned out my bull. It had gone 12 Tracker 3rd Quarter 2023
through both shoulders and was found just under the far hide. The tale doesn’t end there. We had a sing-along that night when several of the neighbors came by and brought their musical instruments. Ray assured me this wasn’t usual. It sure was fun! The next day Ray’s father drove me and my elk to the meat processor. A trip to the taxidermist would come next. This has been more than a great experience, more than a bucket list item for me --- it’s been an “I can do it” moment! I have gone on to hunt buffalo and am looking forward to other hunts in the future. I am going to put the elk head in my entryway so the first thing people see as they enter my house is a monument to “I can!” I want to thank everyone involved who made this possibility happen --- RAK Hunting (Ray and Kimberlie Byrne, Luke and Anthony), my good friend Steve Hall, HRO coordinator Tom Wagner, and most importantly Arizona Elk Society and Heroes Rising Outdoors for the camaraderie, fun, challenge, and most of all, bringing “I can” back into my life. One last thing, did I tell you—“I SHOT AN ELK!”
Arizona’s Wildlife and Communities Need Support! This year has been full of meaningful work, made possible by people like you! Moving beyond game, AES takes a holistic and service-based approach to conservation, benefiting elk and other wildlife now and for the future. From providing boots-on-the-ground habitat restoration work to delivering educational programming to our future wildlife stewards, you make possible the vital work it takes to educate, protect, and conserve. When you support AES, you make a difference for Arizona’s wildlife, habitat, youth, and veterans. Your donations stay in Arizona! No funds are passed on to national organizations because, with your help, we can provide transformational programming that directly benefits Arizona wildlife and communities. With your support, AES helped restore Arizona’s elk population from 0 to nearly 50,000 strong since their reintroduction to Arizona in 1913. Together, we can continue these efforts!
Your support of AES is used to address our four focus areas:
Habitat Restoration Projects
•
Youth Programs
•
Water for Wildlife
•
Heroes Rising Outdoors
You can continue to make possible the many efforts AES steadfastly undertakes to benefit Arizona’s wildlife and communities. As 2023 ends, we are excitedly planning more educational programming, volunteer events, and habitat restoration projects for 2024. With your generous support, we can make an enormous difference. In the face of increased population, growth, drought, and habitat degradation, we must join together to conserve wildlife and preserve our ethical hunting heritage.
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You can support all AES programs with an end-of-year donation in the amount of $25, $50, $100, or more! In addition to a one-time gift, please consider participating in our recurring monthly giving program. This enables supporters like you to give consistently to advance AES initiatives. We also offer lifetime memberships and planned giving opportunities to support the longevity of our work. Arizona Elk Society 13
WAPITI WEEKEND by Lindsay Layton
This was my first Wapiti Weekend and boy was it special! It was held July 28-30 at Camp Raymond which is a few miles south of Parks, Arizona. The volunteers and I arrived Thursday afternoon to set up and get everything going for the kid’s arrival on Friday. The amenities at Camp Raymond are perfect for what we were doing and more! There are three ranges where we had archery, .22 rifles and shotguns for the kids who were old enough. The small lake on site was perfect for kayaking/canoeing. We had an area large enough for gold panning and metal detecting and an inside area to showcase our wildlife identification class. The kids were also able to dissect owl pellets, make survival bracelets, take a nature walk, use flint and steel, learn how to tie flies and cast, and if there was still time do arts and crafts.
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We left time in the afternoon during the hottest part of the day when we opened up the pool for the kids to cool off which was a big hit. After dinner Saturday evening we had a muzzleloader demonstration and anyone old enough could experience shooting one which was a treat for everyone including the parents. The food was amazing! We had a great kitchen crew helping, Benny who owns Let’s Celebrate Catering, served delicious meals that were loved by kids and adults which is not an easy feat! The weekend of course had its snags. Arizona Raptor Center was driving up Saturday to be our lunch time event until there was an accident on I-17 shutting down the freeway for hours. The birds could not withstand sitting in the traffic and heat for that long. I was worried at first about entertaining this large group of kids for an hour when my 16-year-old son who was volunteering came up to me and said mom I got this, I’ll set up “capture the flag” for the kids to play. It was perfect! The kids got to run around and interact with one another and had a great time playing.
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I couldn’t have had this weekend without my dedicated volunteers and the groups they belong to. I’d like to say a special thank you to 3G Archery, Flyfishers AZ, and our Gold Panning Group. I’d also like to give a special shout out to Keith Heimes who helps me at every youth event with the .22 rifles and pellet guns. I don’t know what I would do without him! I have four kids of my own and they came to Wapiti Weekend and brought friends to either volunteer or participate. All of them want to come back next summer! So many wonderful memories we made. Save the date for next year. I already have it on the books for June 14th-16th.
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“BB” ON OHV’S by John Koleszar I was enjoying an elk hunt this September when I received the text that Big Bull (BB) wanted to meet up. Of course, we had to meet at his location in that other country. So, I took a midday break and headed down to the boundary fence to meet up with my antlered friend. The wind had been howling for over 48 hours and hearing any bugles was difficult at best. As I traveled over to the White Mountain Apache Reservation boundary, I passed numerous camps and the usual OHV riders raising their prerequisite dust clouds. Along the way I also noted that a few bands of horses were grazing contentedly in open meadows. I sadly thought about how much life had changed from when I first arrived in Arizona. Times change and I had to as well, but I didn’t have to like it. BB was laying under a big Juniper tree chewing his cud when I pulled up. Of course, I stayed on my side of the
fence and BB stayed on his. The distance was only 30 yards but with the wind really blowing I had to shout so he could hear me. “Well BB, I’m here, what’s so all fired important?” With that my antlered buddy slowly rose up and sauntered over. I could smell him as soon as he turned towards me with the wind. I will never be able to figure out what cow elk see or smell that makes him so attractive to them. He was covered in cakedon mud, dried on that stiff hair coat of urine and mud mixed together. How romantic! BB shook his whole body and turned for a full side view. He had grown a magnificent 6 X 6 rack with a drop tine on his left side. “I’m looking pretty good don’t ya think old man?” Shaking my head I just laughed. “Well BB, if smelling like a bad barnyard after a rainstorm is cool then you are on the top 10 list of all time.” Amazingly, my old friend seemed to think it was a compliment. “Yeah, I’m kind of a big deal out here.” I tried to choke down any snide comments and let him get into his message for the meeting. “I’ve been living here for almost a year now and I kinda think you should hear what I have to say and write it down for all the readers.” Instead of having a pen and paper, I decided to just film him, hold my nose and then transcribe later. “Go ahead BB, I‘m all ears. What wisdom do you have to pass on?” BB nodded his massive head and began his typical sermon. “I understand that you hunting guys only get drawn about once every 7–10 years right?” I nodded for him
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to proceed. “Every year that you put in for the draw, you have to buy a license right?” Again I nodded. “So figure 10 years between draws and having to buy a license each year at say $35 per year, then that’s $350 right?” I finally spoke up “Are you going somewhere with this ”BB”? I know too well how much it costs to put in for the draw every year.” BB brayed at me, “Quiet old man,
I’m on a roll. When you do get drawn the tag costs around $125 right?” I agreed and waited. “So, each time you do get drawn that tag really costs you about $450, and you only get drawn say once every 10 years unless your name is Justin Winter. Then you get two weeks of absolute fun chasing some bulls all around the forest.” I finally spoke up, “Thanks BB, but it is really a small price to pay for the privilege of hunting during the rut and enjoying the best time of the year. What’s your point?”
peace killing, inebriated screeching forest destruction. Who thought that fee up? It sure as hell doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that hunters pay heavily— and the OHV yahoos get off with barely a pittance.” I looked at my old friend and drew a deep breath, “BB, I happen to sit on an OHV advisory committee in Phoenix and I gotta tell you, they have political pull, lots of glitz and glamour, high priced attorneys and a hell of a lot of money to back them up. Yeah, I agree with you, but changing that price is almost like peeing into the wind. They really do not want more law enforcement; they do not want to pay a reasonable fee each year and they sure as hell don’t want hunters bitching about their noise levels.” BB sighed and looked behind me and lo and behold here came a small caravan of OHV riders raising the prerequisite clouds of dust. I could hear their music, with all their flashing lights and even though I was only 50 yards off the road, they blew right past me, never seeing BB and I chatting. BB spoke again. “Let me guess, that qualifies as fun right?” I shook my head and said, “Well BB, one man’s pleasure is another man’s pain in the butt. Some folks just like to ride along in the pleasant weather without many other folks to bother them.” BB had a look about him where I knew he was either gonna scream or come out with something profound. “Well old man, you hunter guys get two weeks maybe every 7–10 years. As I understand it, the public lands are for ALL to enjoy right?” I agreed. “Then explain this to me. What do you do when THEIR enjoyment of public lands DESTROYS your two weeks every 10 years? That’s a bunch of crap and you know it. They chase elk all over the place, moving momma elk and calves away from water and then just when you hunter guys are out there here they
“Well, sitting on this here country I noticed a couple of things. For one, there are no quads anywhere on the Tribal lands. On a still day I can walk anywhere and never hear that stupid sound of some idiots racing down a road raising a huge cloud of dust. The peace and tranquility is amazing. I don’t hear stupid music playing loud enough to shatter eardrums from every rig passing by. Then of course, we do not have nearly as many horses as you have on that side of the fence. I’m kinda thinking that sometimes horses here just disappear in the night. And finally, where the hell are your brains?” I responded as any normal person would, “Well BB, I followed you right up to the brains part. What the hell do you mean?” BB suddenly shrieked at me, “Hey dummy, I just did the math for you. You hunter guys pay up to $450 for a two week pass at fun times once every 10 years. These OHV yahoos pay $25 for a whole year of dust raising, Arizona Elk Society 19
come down the road, blasting music and noise all over the place. Your enjoyment just went down the toilet.” Sadly, I had no comeback to BB on that one. He was right. So many hunters complain about OHV travelers who disrupt hunts and could care less about it. From blue-haired old folks who can’t walk anywhere to young kids that are driving vehicles without much regard for safety, the National Forests have been inundated with more and more OHV’s every year. The advisory committee that I sit on had a presentation by Micah White from the Arizona Game and Fish Department. At the presentation, he gave us some staggering numbers. OHV sales have increased by 82% over the past 3 years. COVID seemed to drive people out of their homes and into the forest. Like the neighbor who has loud parties at night and keeps everyone else awake, the forest has no rules on peace and quiet. They have no rules about ethically understanding that hunters get such a limited time to hunt and that it requires stealth and quiet. The future looks more and more bleak for the hunting community and we only have ourselves to blame. Silence or simply bitching in camp does not change the problem, nor does it offer solutions. BB shook his head and sadly smiled at me. “Well old man, we have had shining times in the past. I feel pretty darn comfortable on this side of the fence now. I can only hope that you rile up hunters so that some changes can be made. If not, your future hunting in National Forests is really limited.” With that, he lifted his nose to the air and smelled something. “Gotta go bud, I think a cow is just coming into heat, and I gotta make sure little BB’s are here in the future. See you when the snow flies old man. Be safe out there!” With that BB went to his romantic adventures while I was left to contemplate his harsh evaluations. No matter how hard I worked through it, his evaluation of one person’s enjoyment destroying another persons’ enjoyment kept ringing in my ears. Is there a more balanced solution? Is there opportunity for middle ground? What say the readers? Is BB wrong?
20 Tracker 3rd Quarter 2023
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MB $1,000.00 Donated to “HEROES RISING OUTDOORS” Program Michelle Borrelli has Partnered up with Arizona Elk Society.... If you are passionate about assisting our Veterans, as I am, take a minute to visit this web site michelleborrellirealtor.com to learn how YOU can support our Veterans. This important program is specifically designed to benefit our Veterans, the Arizona Elk Society members base and their families. All you have to do is tell me” I want to assist a Veteran” or simply send a message. Together WE will make a difference! For each successful transaction greater than *$250,000, whether buying or selling, on residential or commercial, Michelle Borrelli will donate $1,000.00 of her personal proceeds to “Heroes Rising Outdoors” This program affords the opportunity for a veteran to experience nature through AZ Elk Society’s outdoor camps, taking part in Ecotherapy! Contact Michelle today 623.521.6096 Let’s give our Veterans the support they deserve! By the way... I am never too busy to assist good people in their new home journey and I appreciate your referrals.
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Arizona Elk Society 21
DICKENSON FLAT by Russ Johnson On Saturday, August 26 we returned to Dickenson Flat Tank to finish up a project we had started in May of this year along with Boy Scouts of America. We needed to extend a log worm fence to the south and to the north of the meadow. OHVs have been illegally racing in the wet meadow tearing it up. This was a one-day project, and along with 5 volunteers, we were able to complete the project despite a long break in the middle of the day to allow heavy monsoon rains to pass through the area. All total we probably installed another 150-200 yards of fence.
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Arizona Elk Society 23
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