Deadline to apply for Arizona’s Spring Hunts is Oct. 9
Arizona Game and Fish Department 10.07.12
The Arizona Game and Fish Department reminds hunters that Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012, is the deadline to apply for Arizona’s spring 2013 hunt permit-tags issued through the drawing process for turkey, javelina, buffalo and bear. Applications must be received by the department no later than 7 p.m. Arizona time (MST).
Applications can be submitted through the online service athttps://phx.az.gov/app/huntdraw/home.xhtml, or paper applications can be hand delivered to department offices. A list of office addresses is at www.azgfd.gov/offices.
Applicants who typically mail in a paper application but have not yet done so are advised at this point to either use the online service or hand deliver their application. Postmarks don’t count.
Online application payments can be charged to VISA or MasterCard. Other credit cards such as American Express and Discovery Card are not accepted. The cost of the hunt permit-tag will not be charged to the credit card unless the applicant is drawn. However, online applicants will be charged a non-refundable application fee of $7.50. If using a paper application, the non-refundable application fee of $7.50 will also be charged as part of the tag fee.
The online service works with most browsers, including Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari. Safari users should upgrade to the latest version of the OS and Safari browser because some problems have been reported with older versions of Safari. The online application service does not work with iPad, iPhone, Smartphones, or other mobile devices.
Online applicants are advised to apply early and not wait until the last minute, in case any technical issues arise on deadline day.
If you plan to hand deliver a paper application, keep in mind that department offices are closed on Monday, Oct. 8, in observance of the Columbus Day holiday. Hand-delivered applications will be accepted at department office locations on Tuesday, Oct. 9 until 7 p.m. (MST), but the business offices (front counters) will close at 5 p.m.
A 2013 hunting license is required to apply in the draw. Licenses may be purchased online at www.azgfd.gov/eservices/licenses.shtml, or at any Game and Fish office, license dealer, or through the draw application process. People purchasing their license online must have a working printer handy to print the license out at the time of purchase. The department does not mail out licenses that are purchased online.
Some of the spring hunts are not limited to tags issued through the draw process. For those hunts, a nonpermit-tag may be purchased over-the-counter at Game and Fish offices or at license dealers. Nonpermit-tag hunts are area specific and include some archery-only spring turkey, juniors-only shotgun spring turkey, archery-only spring javelina, general javelina, general spring bear, and archery-only spring bear hunts.
One significant change for 2013 is that the statewide bag limit for javelina has been raised to two javelina per calendar year, with no more than one taken per open area as defined in each hunt number. The bag limit may be filled in any combination of permit-tags (draw tag or first-come leftover draw tag as long as they have differing hunt numbers) or nonpermit-tags (over-the-counter tag). No more than one permit-tag shall be issued per hunter through the initial draw (this means each applicant can submit only one application for javelina through the draw). Hunters can refer to Commission Order 6 (spring javelina) on pages 15-19 of the hunt draw information booklet.
Juniors should note that due to a rule change that takes effect Jan. 1, 2013, individuals after that date will be eligible to participate in a “Juniors-Only” designated hunt up to their 18th birthday (the rule currently limits the eligibility of an individual to participate up to and throughout the calendar year of their 17th birthday). When the rule takes effect, a youth hunter whose 18th birthday occurs during a “Juniors-Only” designated hunt (for which the hunter has a valid permit or tag), may continue to participate for the duration of that “Juniors-Only” designated hunt. Those between the ages of 10 and 13 must have satisfactorily completed a hunter education course that is approved by the Director as per ARS 17-335(C). This change is not reflected in the printed 2013 Spring Turkey, Javelina, Buffalo and Bear Hunt Draw Information booklet, but it has been included in the amended booklet posted online atwww.azgfd.gov/eservices/draw.shtml.
A full listing of all the spring hunts is available in the 2013 Arizona Spring Turkey, Javelina, Buffalo and Bear Hunt Draw Information booklet available at department offices, hunting license dealers, and online.
