Need instruction on hunting, fishing, trapping?

When the Arizona Game and Fish Department came up with the idea of retention and recruitment of hunters, they also began HAHWG (the Hunting and Angling Heritage Working Group), made up of outdoors organizations and individuals in Arizona who are more than willing to give their all to introduce youngsters and adults to the outdoors and all it has to offer. This includes an outdoor skills network conducting handson events to teach the basics about hunting, fishing, trapping, safety, wildlife and anything else outdoors. You name it, HAHWG does it with events planned throughout the year to introduce youngsters in particular to everything outdoors to assist them in gaining interest, instruction and confidence in every area of the outdoors. If you are at all interested in all the learning available, check out what is available beginning in October:

• Oct. 6-9 will see a variety of outdoor camps including a Kaibab youth deer hunter’s base camp with information and assistance, biology and habits, activities, food and a campfire at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Unit 12A, SR 22 and FR429 hosted by Buckskin Chapter of the Arizona Deer Association. For information, visit Rich Leightner, releightner@ thebigpond.com. Call (928) 645-9669.

• The Prescott youth deer hunting camp, also Oct. 6-9, will be filled with deer hunting information and mentored assistance biology, habitat, glassing, stalking techniques and game care tips will all be covered. Coffee, hot cocoa, morning snacks, lunch and dinner provided. Campfire, games and raffles for the kids. Bring the whole family to the Prescott Area, Units 17B, 19A, 19B, 20A hosted by the Prescott Chapter of the Mule Deer Foundation. Call Kevin Hall at (928) 7136877 or kevin@prescotchaptermdf.org.

• Another deer camp that same weekend is the Unit 21 Blood Basin youth deer hunt camp offering deer hunting tips, assistance, biology and habits, food, hospitality, drawings, gifts, family welcome at Bloody Basin Road, Unit 21/20B, hosted by the Mule Deer Foundation. Contact Terry Herndon, therndon@muledeer.org, or call (623) 6965579.

• The Unit 22/23 Punkin Center deer hunt camp, also hosted by the Mule Deer Foundation the same weekend, is located at Roosevelt Lake area with deer hunting tips, field assistance, biology and habits, food, hospitality, drawings, gifts, family welcome. Contact Terry Herndon for this one as well.

• The Arizona Deer Association along with the Arizona Game and Fish Department will conduct their Unit 23 youth deer and cow elk camp Oct. 6-9 at Colcord Campground with hospitality/support hunt camp for youth elk and deer tag holders, offering education, base camp and some mentoring. Register with Davie Bruns, www.azdeer.org, or call (602) 228-1719 or info@ azdeer.org.

• Youth elk hunter’s camp is Oct. 6-9 at Happy Jack Lodge, Unit 6A hosted by Arizona Elk Society includes free dinner, tips on finding elk, meat care, safety, prizes and more. Support for game locating, retrieval, some mentoring, hot drinks, food and more offered throughout the weekend. No registration required. Email www.arizonaelksociety.org or call (602) 492-5319.

• The White Mountain youth elk hunter’s camp will be held Oct. 6-9 by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, White Mountain Chapter at the White Mountains Sheep Corral in the Greens Peak area of Unit 1 with youth hunters and their families enjoying fun, educational camp, meals, campfire, prizes and activities. To register, visit www. whitemountainrmef.org.

• Last but not least for Oct. 14-16 will be the Yuma youth small game hunting camp at Unit 41 out of Dateland, Ariz., hosted by the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club, Southwest Arizona Habitat Partnership Committee and Arizona Game and Fish Region IV personnel, open to youth hunters age 17 and under, parent or guardian must accompany all youth hunters. To register, contact smallgamecamp@gmail.com. Call the Game and Fish Region IV office at 342-0091 or visit 9140 E. 28th St. Volunteers and hunt mentors are needed. There will be goodie bags for the first 50 registered hunters. Check it out at facebook.com/smallgamecamp.

There are more elk, deer and javelina camps for learning opportunities happening in November and December.

Maybe you’d be interested in assisting youngsters in their learning to be good outdoors sportsmen and women willing and eager to have the knowledge to be safe and ethical, and through all the learning, enjoy everything they do. If you are one of that group of hard working outdoorsmen or women, contact Doug Burt at DBurt@azgfd. gov or call (623) 236-7487 or (602) 531-7578.

Mike Christensen of Pass It On — Outdoor Mentoring delivered the message in an article that mentoring is the key, that outdoor mentoring provides the new hunter with a person who fills the void left when there is a single parent in the household who is unable to be a mentor to the youngster. They need someone, an outdoor mentor, who will give them the opportunity to find their place in our hunting community. “It takes you! Consider becoming an outdoor mentor! There are thousands of children all across the county who would jump at the chance to have you take them hunting and fishing.” Give him a call at (316) 2908883 and he’ll help you get started. Be the one who helps a new hunter find his way in the great outdoors!

Hunt happenings

• Apply online for spring 2017 hunts: Applications are now being accepted for spring turkey, javelina, bison and bear. To apply online, visit https://draw.azgfd.gov and scroll down to “Apply for a Draw.” The deadline is Oct. 11, postmarks do not count. Paper applications can be mailed to: AZGFdepartment, Attn: Drawing Section, P.O. Box 74020, Phoenix, AZ 85087-1052 or dropped off at any regional office statewide. Spring hunt booklets are available at any department office or at dealers. For more information, call (602) 942-3000.

• Elk hunting opportunities still available — no luck in the draw? Then pick up an over the counter nonpermit tag: Game and Fish is offering over the counter nonpermit tags ($135 resident, $650 non-resident) to hunt elk in limited population management zones, which are areas where the department does not want resident elk herds, such as the North Kaibab (Units 12A and 12B). The elk nonpermit tags are not valid in all units statewide, however, the nonpermit tag may be used for either the general or archery-only elk hunts.

Units 12A and 12B are open through Dec. 31 while the nonpermit tag hunts in Units 13A and 13B are open from Nov. 4 through Dec. 31. All three hunts are for any elk.

There are several advantages to this unique, but limited, hunting opportunity: It’s a great way to hunt with family and friends, which isn’t always possible given the odds of being drawn for hunt permit tags. It’s also an opportunity to spend time in some sort of the most spectacular back country that Arizona has to offer, particularly in those units north of the Colorado River.

Best to thoroughly review the nonpermit tag portion, including the associated notes, of the 2016 pronghorn antelope and elk hunt draw information booklet.

• Reminder to hunters to save that tracking collar: The Arizona Game and Fish Department is encouraging hunters who harvest a big game animal affixed with a GPS or VHF tracking collar to return that collar undamaged to any department office statewide. While harvesting a collared animal is legal, Game and Fish asks hunters to refrain from cutting, damaging or otherwise destroying any portion of the collar. A collar can easily be removed from a harvested animal’s neck by loosening two nuts on the black “drop-off” box on one side of the collar. A crescent wrench, socket wrench or multi-use tool can be used to loosen only those two nuts.

The department relies on valuable data that collars provide in making science-based decisions that determine the most effective wildlife management practices. The technology is not inexpensive. A collar can range in cost up to several thousands of dollars. When factoring in additional costs of human resources, equipment and capture, the department is making a substantial investment in each collared animal. A portion of the funding comes from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) program, a stalwart national funding source for state conservation and recreational opportunities. It’s also helpful for hunters to report the date and location of their harvest when returning an undamaged collar to any department office. For more information, call (602) 942-3000.

• General quail season is open now through Feb. 12: It’s a good time to get in on the quail/coyote hunt this Tuesday through Thursday put on by the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club at Unit 41 near Whitewing Ranch. It’s open to club members as well as anyone who would like to pay dues to become a member — call Becky Pope at 502-0120. To sign-up, call Paul Hester at 446-6521.

• Youth quail and small game camp Oct. 14-16: Open to youngsters, ages 17 and under, accompanied by their parent(s) or responsible adult. A hunting license is required for youths 10 years or older. No hunt license required for youth 9 years and younger as long as accompanying parent or guardian is licensed. There will be goodie bags for the first 50 registered hunters who sign-up with SmallGameCamp@gmail.com or at the Game and Fish Region IV office, 9140 E. 28th St., or call 3420091. The camp is at hunt Unit 41 north of the Dateland exit. The camp will be a fun outdoor experience for all ages interested in hunting and the outdoor sports with Oct. 15 being the main day for activities and hunting.

Shooting sports

• Renegade Archers of Yuma: If you are interested in shooting the trail of 3D javelinas at the Foothills Archery Range, call Kevin at 7260953 or Jean at 247-4450 to let us know. Otherwise, there will be a trail of 3D’s to shoot the last Sunday of each month at the range at 8 a.m. All archers are welcome. The unmarked yardage shoots offer great practice for hunt seasons coming up soon and is also fun recreation for the whole family. Instructions are available free of charge for anyone wanting to learn to shoot with bow and arrow, upon request. Regular adult shoot fees are $3 ($5 couples) with youngsters of all ages always free. Give a call also for directions to the range or other archery information

All archers are welcome to make good use of the practice range at the Foothills Archery Range, located off Avenue 15E south of the south Frontage Road, east of Foothills Blvd. until regular shoots begin again.

It’s always appreciated while at the range, when people help us take care of what is there by discouraging vandalism. For safety at the range, when reaching for an arrow in or near bushes, keep your eyes (and hands) peeled when you’re reaching for something. There are rattlesnakes in the area. It’s also a good idea to bring gloves in case your reach involves cactus.

• Yuma Trap and Skeet Club: Open trap and skeet 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays and Sundays at the Adair Park range. Other matches will resume this fall. Call Bob Avila at 9100622 with questions. For information on the Young Guns shooters (ages 9-25 enrolled in school or college), shooting the SCTP program beginning at 12:30 p.m. this Saturday and 6 p.m. Oct. 17, call head coach H.

• Yuma Territorial Longrifles Club: Regular black powder matches at the Adair Park black powder range began in September with the Tuesday .22 matches resuming in November. I’ll report more on the shooting in the next column or call Roger Bickel at 726-7453 for additional information.

• Cholla Gun Club: It would be a good idea to check with the club to know for sure if Friday .22 rifle and pistol matches are continuing at the Adair Park metallic silhouette range. Matches are open to the public with instructions provided when necessary. Questions? Call president Rick Kelley at 502-0736.

• High Power Rifle and Pistol Club of Yuma: For current information on long range shooting matches at the Adair Park big bore range, call Joe Murek at 627-4556, Paul Lerma at 783-6766 or Gerald Brooker at 287-1704. In the meantime, I’ll do my best to have the new schedule in my next column.

• Yuma Matchmasters: Come shoot with the club at the Adair Park small bore range with regular shooting beginning at 7 a.m. to include the steel challenge on the first Saturday, multi-gun matches the first Sunday, IPSC combat matches the second Sunday and the SASS cowboy matches the fourth Sunday. Call Ken Wiles at 910-2157 or Joanne

• Southwest Bowhunters Archery Club: Archery at 8 am. Sundays at the Adair Park archery range with the practice range open all week. Call Keith Parsels (new contact) at 7821097 with questions.

• 4-H Shooting Sports: The 4-H office and board will coordinate with Ware Farm in Dome Valley at 4:50 p.m. Wednesday to dedicate the shooting range at the farm. If you have an interest in attending or for more information, call Stanley Gourley at 344-0740.

Fishing clubs

• Desert Bass Anglers — the fun way to fish: Mark your calendar on Saturday so you won’t miss the next tournament launching out of Fisher’s Landing.

• Desert Draw Series Club: A draw team/pro-am bass club with $15 membership and tournament entry of $25 per angler ($50 per boat) is a good chance for nonboaters to get out on the water with boaters for a day of fishing with a 100 percent payout. Membership is waived for members of the Yuma area High School Fishing Club. Call Manual Garcia at 210-0043 with questions or for results of their latest tournament. The next tournament will be Oct. 29.

• American Bass — Yuma division: The fall competition will begin with the Oct. 15 ABA tournament launching out of Fisher’s Landing with tournaments ongoing through the Yuma fish-off on May 13. Call Jeff Woods at (952) 824-0553 to

• Yuma’s High School bass fishing club: High school students, both boys and girls, who are interested in bass fishing are welcome to call Terry Hurt, school sponsor, at 580-6567 or

to get started with the club. • Yuma’s open fishing derbies at Fisher’s Landing/Martinez Lake: It’s fishing as usual at Colorado River waters at Martinez Lake with Jimmy Phipps back home and in charge again. Sign-up with $5 on Wednesdays by 8 a.m. each week at Fisher’s boat dock, weigh-in your biggest fish, any species, to take the pot.

Also sign-up anytime during the month with $10 entry to fish the Swede Ferguson Memorial bass derby. The winner with the biggest bass will be determined the last day of the month. Call Jimmy for details at 627-2207.

Contact Jean Wilson at jeanrenegade@ gmail.com or call 247-4450.