Arizona: Bating vs Attractants - 08/06/15
So I've been warned that you can't layout bait for hunting in Arizona but some forms of attractant are allowed. That confused the hell of of me. So what is Bating vs Attractants?
I asked some big box outdoor stores. I asked some smaller archery pro shops. I asked my friends and family members on the fire. I've hunters in the field. In all cases, I got different answers. So I thought I would ask the one person who would know for sure or at the very least be the person issuing me the citation if I got it wrong: Arizona Game and Fish Game Manager. I put a huge smile on my face when I posed the question to him and he said "its kind of gray area." In other words, he wasn't sure either. He broke it down this way:
No bating in Arizona but...
Ranchers can put down Salt Licks for cattle
No food like Deer Corn or Dear Cane
Nothing that can be fogged in the air, hung in a tree, or dragged on the ground with either deer or Elk urine in it
In his description above, he pointed out both baits and attractants. So what is allowed?
Scent elimination products that also contain an attractant (like acorn) but no urine.
Also estrus wafer's that you can hang on your hat
Any type of fogger as long as it doesn't contain Deer or Elk urine.
So even at the level of what is allowed, there is still confusion. Estrus wafers are made from urine. WTH?
The conclusion I've come to is this, I've been given a general outline of products that can be used in field. If I want to use a specific product, I should give the game manager in the unit I will be hunting a call first and ask. He or she will more than likely be the person I'm talking to in the field. Also, I would like to see disseminated education. G&F Game Managers talking to the big box stores and pro shops. More literature on the topic both in the hunting regs and as individual documents / pdf's.
Oh and to answer the question I've gotten a few times. Why am I using an attractant to begin with? I should rely on pure hunting skills and hard work. I don't mind the work of scouting; spot and stalk's; or studying patterns. All those things is what makes up a hunt. But we also have an unspoken (most times spoken) want to be successful. I want to squeak out every ounce of an advantage I can muster when hunting on public land with 300 - 800 other hunters in one unit. When I am faced with kinds of numbers, I use every tool available for me to become more successful while still being legal. Last years Cow Elk hunts in units 7E and 7W yielded very low harvest numbers. Now either the resident and non-resident hunters in those units don't know what they are doing (possible, doubtful, but possible) or these animals have just gotten a lot more skidish or they can read the regs. I don't know?
So to my Campfire family I pose to you this question, what other forms of attrant do you see as legal in AZ?
HaYen
PS: On this upcoming OTC Deer season I will also have to contend with a lot of recreational ATV'ers and campers. Hoping all that noise will get the animals moving.
I asked some big box outdoor stores. I asked some smaller archery pro shops. I asked my friends and family members on the fire. I've hunters in the field. In all cases, I got different answers. So I thought I would ask the one person who would know for sure or at the very least be the person issuing me the citation if I got it wrong: Arizona Game and Fish Game Manager. I put a huge smile on my face when I posed the question to him and he said "its kind of gray area." In other words, he wasn't sure either. He broke it down this way:
No bating in Arizona but...
Ranchers can put down Salt Licks for cattle
No food like Deer Corn or Dear Cane
Nothing that can be fogged in the air, hung in a tree, or dragged on the ground with either deer or Elk urine in it
In his description above, he pointed out both baits and attractants. So what is allowed?
Scent elimination products that also contain an attractant (like acorn) but no urine.
Also estrus wafer's that you can hang on your hat
Any type of fogger as long as it doesn't contain Deer or Elk urine.
So even at the level of what is allowed, there is still confusion. Estrus wafers are made from urine. WTH?
The conclusion I've come to is this, I've been given a general outline of products that can be used in field. If I want to use a specific product, I should give the game manager in the unit I will be hunting a call first and ask. He or she will more than likely be the person I'm talking to in the field. Also, I would like to see disseminated education. G&F Game Managers talking to the big box stores and pro shops. More literature on the topic both in the hunting regs and as individual documents / pdf's.
Oh and to answer the question I've gotten a few times. Why am I using an attractant to begin with? I should rely on pure hunting skills and hard work. I don't mind the work of scouting; spot and stalk's; or studying patterns. All those things is what makes up a hunt. But we also have an unspoken (most times spoken) want to be successful. I want to squeak out every ounce of an advantage I can muster when hunting on public land with 300 - 800 other hunters in one unit. When I am faced with kinds of numbers, I use every tool available for me to become more successful while still being legal. Last years Cow Elk hunts in units 7E and 7W yielded very low harvest numbers. Now either the resident and non-resident hunters in those units don't know what they are doing (possible, doubtful, but possible) or these animals have just gotten a lot more skidish or they can read the regs. I don't know?
So to my Campfire family I pose to you this question, what other forms of attrant do you see as legal in AZ?
HaYen
PS: On this upcoming OTC Deer season I will also have to contend with a lot of recreational ATV'ers and campers. Hoping all that noise will get the animals moving.