Fort Huachuca, Arizona -- In order to maintain a wildlife balance in the state, the Arizona Game and Fish Department issues a limited number of tags each year so those who enjoy the sport have the opportunity to legally harvest game in areas potentially threatened by species overcrowding.
Hunting is one of many sports available on Fort Huachuca to eligible personnel in areas where it can be done safely, and installation leaders strive to ensure all hunters on post are fully aware of post hunting and safety requirements before they venture out. For convenience to hunters, post natural resource managers have also streamlined the registration process to make it simpler for sports enthusiasts to participate on the installation.
Effective Jan. 1, 2016, all on-post hunters are required to complete a range safety briefing class prior to venturing out. This is a 1.5-hour session to ensure fuller knowledge of safety requirements before hunters hit the trail according to personnel from the Environmental and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) who are responsible for the hunting program on post.
The next class takes place at 8 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 at Fort Huachuca's Cochise Theater. Representatives from ENRD, the Directorate of Emergency Services, Range Control and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD), will explain on-post and state hunting requirements. There is no charge to attend.
Another class will take place at 8 a.m. Dec. 12 at Cochise Theater, one day after the deer hunting season begins.
"This will give out-of-town hunters a chance to attend before they head out," said Mark McCabe, ENRD hunting program manager.
A future class is tentatively scheduled for 8 a.m. March 5 at Cochise Theater. Hunters are only required to attend one range safety briefing class each year. Classes taken now prior to the Jan. 1, 2016 requirement will be valid for the entire year.
Hunts scheduled after the March class include spring turkey (tag required), black bear (tag required), small game, predators, and all fall hunts including deer and bear (tag required).
A big part of the class is to familiarize hunters with the unique requirements of participation in the sport on a military installation. This includes the potential of finding unexploded ordnance (UXO) and what to do; off-limits hunting areas and respecting buffer zones in a military training environment; and the potential of encountering dangerous wildlife such as venomous snakes, insects and hunting the species itself, according to McCabe.
"All of the important changes outlined in our big [hunting] document will be highlighted as well," McCabe added.
"Post officials have closed a big chunk of our range. Hunting is permanently off limits in training areas T1, T2 and T3 [a total of 6,091 acres]. It was a command decision because of [UXO] found there," said Betty Phillips, ENRD wildlife biologist, during a telephone interview. The change represents about nine percent of the hunting land on post. "It's important information for hunters to be aware of, and we need to get the word out to as many people as possible. It's no longer a hunting area and won't be open again in the future."
Because of repairs needed due to flood damage in Garden Canyon, for an indefinite period, hunting there is currently restricted to foot traffic only, Phillips added.
In addition to the range safety briefing class, all hunters need to return a hunter registration form to the hunting program manager prior to hunting, which is something new for this year, according to McCabe who added that the process has been streamlined.
"In the past, people had to show up at 4 a.m. and line up outside the Sportsman's Center on the day they wanted to go hunting,' McCabe said. "Hunters would show their documentation to someone who would record them, register them and sign them out. Now, people can self-load the form, fill it out and turn it in ahead of time. On the day they want to hunt, they just call it in, and we load the information. It's a lot easier, and we've gotten a lot of positive feedback from our prominent hunters here," McCabe stated.
"Initially, people may be a little annoyed, but when they experience it, they are pleased with it. It's been a really positive change," he added.
Forms are available at the Sportsman's Center or by calling 520.678.8112.
While ENRD administers the hunter's program on post, hunters should be aware that the Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Directorate sells the hunting permit through the Sportsman's Center and should factor their operating hours into the process of planning the hunt. Current hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
According to McCabe, the requirements to get a post hunting permit include a hunter's education card. This does not have to be issued by the state of Arizona, but can be a hunter's education card obtained from another state, something important to know by members of Fort Huachuca's transient military population.
Hunters also need evidence of eligibility (ID cards) in order to be able to hunt on Fort Huachuca. Authorized hunters include Active Duty, National Guard and Reservists, 100-percent service-disabled veterans, retirees, current full-time Fort Huachuca civil service and non-appropriated fund employees, their spouses and legal dependents 10 or older. Hunters also need a Fort Huachuca Hunting Permit, a current hunting license issued by the AGFD and, after Jan. 1, a Range Safety Certification Card.
For a complete copy of Fort Huachuca hunting requirements, call 520.678.8112.
To view the "2015-16 Arizona Hunting Regulations," go to the AGFD website, www.azgfd.gov.
For specific questions about the hunting program and all wildlife issues on Fort Huachuca, call 520.678.8112.
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