spectr17
04-11-2003, 12:07 PM
Wildlife Field Reports
AGFD
3/24/03
Game and Fish Department biologists trapped 18 turkeys (14 toms and four hens) in Unit 3B and placed radio telemetry back packs on the birds to track them and map roosting sites. The data collected will be provided to the U.S. Forest Service to use while developing timber harvest and thinning projects.
Beaver dams near the headwaters of the Verde River are greatly enlarged and are backing up large pools several acres in size. These dams are flooding large areas of mature riparian trees, primarily cottonwood and willow.
Ten half-day creel surveys at Tempe Town Lake resulted in interviews with 223 anglers. These anglers spent a total of 443.58 hours fishing (97 percent from shore) and had an average trip length of 2.65 hours. Angler success rates dropped slightly to 43 percent from the January rate of 53 percent but the fishing satisfaction remained nearly steady at 6.39 on a scale of 1 to 10. Of the 195 trout caught, 32 percent were released, less than the January rate of 43 percent, indicating that more trout were kept this month (68 percent).
Limited opportunity elk hunts in Units 3AW/4BN, 3AE, and 3BN in the Pinetop Region have been successful and met wildlife management goals. The main landowner in 3AE reports that the population has decreased from 60 elk down to 20-30 animals.
The Annual Bald Eagle Workshop in Flagstaff last month drew 104 people. One family came all the way from El Centro, Calif. to attend the workshop. This workshop is extremely popular and many folks return year after year.
Two pairs of California condors are showing possible mating activity and have settled in nest caves on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Condor pairs 119 and 122 seem to be back in the cave they were in last year. Condor 123 and 127 also nested last year, and appear to have chosen a site west of the Dana Butte area (last year's location). It takes 57 days of incubation: hope for wild chicks in Arizona. The first wild egg of the year was laid in California by a pair of birds located in the Sespe Condor Sanctuary.
Department wildlife officers conducted a javelina decoy operation in Unit 18B during the recent javelina season. Five vehicles passed by the operation; two were confirmed non-hunters and three committed violations.
Game and Fish personnel joined forces with employees from the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and volunteers from the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club to reconstruct a road on the refuge. The road is necessary to begin developing water and feeding plots for recovering the Sonoran pronghorn. Approximately 600 yards of landing mat were positioned to ensure access of construction and maintenance equipment. That means the group set by hand about 64 tons of steel.
The Operation Game Thief Program conducted a unit watch in conjunction with the Sportsman's Gun Club in Unit 21 near Bloody Basin during the opening weekend of the firearms javelina hunt. The weather was great but the hunt success appeared to be low.
Wildlife officers cited four individuals for littering. The four shooters are accused of leaving empty shotgun shell hulls (about a case each), clay bird cases, beer cans, two televisions and other litter in the field. Purchase receipts found in the litter led officers to a Wal-Mart Store where they viewed an in-store video showing the individuals purchasing the shotgun shells and clay target throwers.
A controlled burn of about 50 acres of dead cattails in Mittry Lake was conducted Feb. 20-21 to benefit endangered Yuma clapper rails by removing dense vegetative mats that had accumulated over the years. The area was chosen because of declines in clapper rails detected during surveys in recent years. If the response by clapper rails meets expectations, other areas will be burned on a rotational basis. This project was the culmination of three years of planning and coordination between the Game and Fish Department, Bureau of Land Management, the Lower Colorado River Interagency Fire Team, Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The University of Arizona is also involved.
A Mexican gray wolf (No. M639) was found dead March 9 in the vicinity of Cerro Montoso approximately six miles east of Vernon (between Springerville and Show Low). The cause of death is under investigation. Wolf F644 - the mate of the dead wolf - was observed by wolf project personnel on March 10. She appeared in good condition, but it is unknown if she had successfully bred with her mate.
The interagency field team on the wolf project conducted a winter predation study this month that consisted of flying on a daily basis to identify wolf-killed ungulates from the air and patterns related to those kills. This pilot study is to assess the feasibility of incorporating these methods into future winter studies.
AGFD
3/24/03
Game and Fish Department biologists trapped 18 turkeys (14 toms and four hens) in Unit 3B and placed radio telemetry back packs on the birds to track them and map roosting sites. The data collected will be provided to the U.S. Forest Service to use while developing timber harvest and thinning projects.
Beaver dams near the headwaters of the Verde River are greatly enlarged and are backing up large pools several acres in size. These dams are flooding large areas of mature riparian trees, primarily cottonwood and willow.
Ten half-day creel surveys at Tempe Town Lake resulted in interviews with 223 anglers. These anglers spent a total of 443.58 hours fishing (97 percent from shore) and had an average trip length of 2.65 hours. Angler success rates dropped slightly to 43 percent from the January rate of 53 percent but the fishing satisfaction remained nearly steady at 6.39 on a scale of 1 to 10. Of the 195 trout caught, 32 percent were released, less than the January rate of 43 percent, indicating that more trout were kept this month (68 percent).
Limited opportunity elk hunts in Units 3AW/4BN, 3AE, and 3BN in the Pinetop Region have been successful and met wildlife management goals. The main landowner in 3AE reports that the population has decreased from 60 elk down to 20-30 animals.
The Annual Bald Eagle Workshop in Flagstaff last month drew 104 people. One family came all the way from El Centro, Calif. to attend the workshop. This workshop is extremely popular and many folks return year after year.
Two pairs of California condors are showing possible mating activity and have settled in nest caves on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Condor pairs 119 and 122 seem to be back in the cave they were in last year. Condor 123 and 127 also nested last year, and appear to have chosen a site west of the Dana Butte area (last year's location). It takes 57 days of incubation: hope for wild chicks in Arizona. The first wild egg of the year was laid in California by a pair of birds located in the Sespe Condor Sanctuary.
Department wildlife officers conducted a javelina decoy operation in Unit 18B during the recent javelina season. Five vehicles passed by the operation; two were confirmed non-hunters and three committed violations.
Game and Fish personnel joined forces with employees from the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and volunteers from the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club to reconstruct a road on the refuge. The road is necessary to begin developing water and feeding plots for recovering the Sonoran pronghorn. Approximately 600 yards of landing mat were positioned to ensure access of construction and maintenance equipment. That means the group set by hand about 64 tons of steel.
The Operation Game Thief Program conducted a unit watch in conjunction with the Sportsman's Gun Club in Unit 21 near Bloody Basin during the opening weekend of the firearms javelina hunt. The weather was great but the hunt success appeared to be low.
Wildlife officers cited four individuals for littering. The four shooters are accused of leaving empty shotgun shell hulls (about a case each), clay bird cases, beer cans, two televisions and other litter in the field. Purchase receipts found in the litter led officers to a Wal-Mart Store where they viewed an in-store video showing the individuals purchasing the shotgun shells and clay target throwers.
A controlled burn of about 50 acres of dead cattails in Mittry Lake was conducted Feb. 20-21 to benefit endangered Yuma clapper rails by removing dense vegetative mats that had accumulated over the years. The area was chosen because of declines in clapper rails detected during surveys in recent years. If the response by clapper rails meets expectations, other areas will be burned on a rotational basis. This project was the culmination of three years of planning and coordination between the Game and Fish Department, Bureau of Land Management, the Lower Colorado River Interagency Fire Team, Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The University of Arizona is also involved.
A Mexican gray wolf (No. M639) was found dead March 9 in the vicinity of Cerro Montoso approximately six miles east of Vernon (between Springerville and Show Low). The cause of death is under investigation. Wolf F644 - the mate of the dead wolf - was observed by wolf project personnel on March 10. She appeared in good condition, but it is unknown if she had successfully bred with her mate.
The interagency field team on the wolf project conducted a winter predation study this month that consisted of flying on a daily basis to identify wolf-killed ungulates from the air and patterns related to those kills. This pilot study is to assess the feasibility of incorporating these methods into future winter studies.