AZ Lion Hunting Updates – Night Hunting and Shotguns Shooting Shot Approved.
Finally – night hunting for lions is here and is referred to in the G&F Regulations as “Daylong Hours”. I believe this will make calling them more productive and we should see more photos from successful hunts posted here. After studying the Dec 2, 2011 amended AZGF regulations and conducting a phone interview with AZ G&F officer & biologist Ron Day, here’s a summary of what I’ve learned about the rule changes:
A Pair of Cougars Just After Dark
Shotguns Shooting Shot: It’s now legal in AZ to use a shotgun shooting shot (slugs are still okay too) to kill a mountain lion. I called the AZ G&F and asked if there were any restrictions on shot size and was told no. The intent behind the law revision was to allow the predator callers who call lions while armed only with a shotgun to legally take the lion. Mr. Day said that most predator hunters were going to be hunting with shells that would be appropriate for killing coyotes (T-shot & larger) and that those same loads should be sufficient for killing lions.
Centerfire Rifles After Dark: It’s legal to use a rifle for hunting lions after dark. Don’t confuse the AZ nighttime coyote regulations with the new lion regulations – the AZ G&F doesn’t restrict the weapon for lion hunting, they actually added one (shotguns shooting shot). The safety concerns with shooting a rifle across an antelope flat in the dark were greatly reduced in the hilly/mountainous terrain most lion hunts would be conducted in, so centerfire rifles were kept as a legal after-hours method of take.
Hunting After Dark / Artificial Light: Mountain lion regulation note 27 provides for using battery powered lights. Your light can be handheld or mounted on your gun (or a combo of both). It CANNOT be affixed to or plugged into a motor vehicle in any way.
Hunting After Dark / Locations: Night hunting for lions was designed to give relief to bighorn populations, thus the units/areas where hunting lions at night is allowed are limited. At this time the areas are: Units 6A South, 13B, 15B (west of Temple Bar Rd) 15C, 15D, 16A South, 18B South, 22 (south of Hwy 87 and FR 143 and west of Hwy 188), 31, 32, 37B (north of the Gila River), 40A, 42 (south of the Buckeye-Aguila Rd and west of 335th Ave), and 44A (east of Cunningham Wash). Click this link for more details: Amended/Updated AZGF Regs
Hunting After Dark / Seasons: Hunting in the units/locations listed in the Daylong section is year round – July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2011. Lots of opportunities here – especially during the hot Arizona summer.
Arizona Mountain Lions Travelling Together
Hunting After Dark / Multiple Bag Limits: This rule is exactly the same night/day. If you are fortunate enough to have already bagged a lion and want to keep hunting in one of the multiple bag units, it is your responsibility to make sure the unit hasn’t closed and reverted back to one-per-calendar-year. Refer to the AZGF regs for details.
VERY IMPORTANT! The Game & Fish asked we recognize that nighttime hunting is designed to help meet certain predation objectives. Taking bobcats and fox during the nighttime hours is always prohibited and the department will seek hunting privilege revocation for folks caught taking them after legal shooting hours. Mr. Day said calling bobcat and fox in the daylight is sufficiently easy to accomplish and they should be given a break in the dark.
As always, if you need a Wildlife Tech Mighty Atom E-caller with cougar sounds on it to chase these big cats, just visit us online or call us toll-free at 1-877-734-1010 and we’ll help you out.
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I think this covers it – please post if you have any questions and I’ll answer it or track it down.
All the best,
Mark Healy – Wildlife Callers
mark@wildlifecallers.com
