{"id":11067,"date":"2023-09-27T16:55:54","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T23:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/?p=11067"},"modified":"2023-09-27T17:01:23","modified_gmt":"2023-09-28T00:01:23","slug":"small-game-hunting-a-great-way-to-get-outdoors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2023\/09\/27\/small-game-hunting-a-great-way-to-get-outdoors\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s that time of year to get out for small game \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEWS RELEASE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sept. 27, 2023 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHOENIX \u2014 This is the time of year that Arizona\u2019s small game and waterfowl hunters have been waiting for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the start of tree squirrel and band-tailed pigeon seasons Friday, Sept. 29, hunters can pursue dusky grouse through Nov. 5 and chukar until Feb. 11, 2024. The season for cottontail rabbit runs through June 30, 2024, and the start of the season for Gambel\u2019s and scaled quail is just around the corner (Oct. 13).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information, hunters should check out the Arizona Game and Fish Department\u2019s (AZGFD) small game forecast at www.azgfd.com\/hunting\/hunt-draw-and-licenses\/species-hunt-information\/small-game-forecast\/<\/strong><\/a>. Also visit www.azgfd.com\/species-category\/game\/<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, waterfowl hunters will be pleased to know that AZGFD recently completed a simplification of the \u201c2023-2024 Arizona Waterfowl and Snipe Regulations.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to hunter requests, the department not only combined the previous \u201cMountain\u201d and \u201cDesert\u201d zones into one statewide zone, but shifted the entire state to a later start date for the 107-day season that runs from Oct. 23 through Jan. 31, 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHunters up north in the previous Mountain zone could hunt a few weeks earlier, but they would see their season end in mid-January \u2014 just when waterfowl were arriving and staying later, and the good hunting would really get going,\u201d said Dr. Larisa Harding, AZGFD\u2019s small game program manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAccording to federal regulations, we have to maintain general waterfowl season dates that are consistent with California\u2019s Colorado River season in our southern areas (formerly the Desert zone), and that dictates the dates in the current state regulations. It made more sense to shift the whole state to a later start date statewide, so hunters could pursue birds across the state when they were here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe federal regulations allow us to have a 107-day season for general waterfowl, but it can\u2019t extend beyond Jan. 31, so we count back every year to a start date in October. The end date will remain Jan. 31, but the start date will change year to year. That\u2019s why the season opens on a Thursday this year and not on a Friday like a lot of hunts do. We get a lot of calls asking if there\u2019s a misprint in the regulations. It\u2019s not a misprint.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harding added: \u201c For scaup, the federal regulations allow for an 86-day season because those birds are managed more conservatively, so that\u2019s why their season starts later (Nov. 7) and still ends Jan. 31, 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All waterfowl hunters 18 and older must possess a valid Arizona hunting license and state migratory bird stamp, as well as a federal migratory bird stamp. All waterfowl hunters 16 and older must also possess a federal migratory bird stamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need a license? Visit www.azgfd.gov\/license\/<\/strong><\/a>. Keep in mind that a combination hunt and fish license is only $20 more (for state residents) than the price of an individual hunting or fishing license. As a reminder, a youth combination hunt and fish license (ages 10 to 17) is only $5 and includes the privileges associated with the state migratory bird stamp.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201c2023-2024 Arizona Waterfowl and Snipe Regulations\u201d are posted at www.azgfd.gov\/Hunting\/Regulations\/<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOTE:<\/strong> The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has expanded hunting opportunities on national wildlife refuges. These opportunities are authorized and provided on USFWS-managed lands in accordance with federal, state and tribal (where applicable) regulations and seasons. For questions on hunting opportunities, consult current refuge hunt regulations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Several small game seasons are already underway, with more set to open in the weeks ahead. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":7150,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main-site"],"yoast_head":"\nIt's that time of year to get out for small game \u00a0 - Arizona Game & Fish Department<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2023\/09\/27\/small-game-hunting-a-great-way-to-get-outdoors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"It's that time of year to get out for small game \u00a0 - Arizona Game & Fish Department\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Several small game seasons are already underway, with more set to open in the weeks ahead.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2023\/09\/27\/small-game-hunting-a-great-way-to-get-outdoors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arizona Game & Fish Department\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-27T23:55:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-28T00:01:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/24163934\/Kaibab-squirrel_360-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"dhajek\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"dhajek\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2023\/09\/27\/small-game-hunting-a-great-way-to-get-outdoors\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2023\/09\/27\/small-game-hunting-a-great-way-to-get-outdoors\/\",\"name\":\"It's that time of year to get out for small game \u00a0 - 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