Protect Arizona's Wildlife Management: Take Action Now!

A coalition of extreme anti-hunting groups have petitioned the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to ban the use of dogs in hunting numerous species, threatening Arizona's proven, science-based wildlife management practices. This is part of a larger, coordinated effort to chip away at managed hunting and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.

We need your voice!

1. Attend the Public Meeting: Join us on FRI April 11, 2025 at 8am, at the Arizona Game and Fish Department in Phoenix or at a regional office. Speak up to oppose this dangerous petition and support science-driven wildlife management.
2. Submit Your Blue Card: To address the Commission, arrive by 8:00 a.m. to complete a Speaker Card. THIS ISSUE IS AGENDA #3
3. Share This Alert: Help spread the word by sharing this page with your friends, family, and fellow hunters.

Arizona's wildlife and science-based wildlife management depend on your action. Together, we can ensure that decisions about our natural resources remain grounded in science, not emotion.

Get this on your calendar here

Mark Your Calendar, Stand for Science, Save AZ Wildlife!

Background:

• A coalition of extreme anti-hunting advocates (Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter, Mountain Lion Foundation, WildEarth Guardians, Lobos of the Southwest, and Wildlife for All) petitioned the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to ban the use of dogs to hunt mountain lions, bobcats, black bears, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, otters, beavers, coatis, ringtails, squirrels, and rabbits.
• These extreme advocacy groups have used similar tactics in other western states, beginning with efforts at the commission level that lay the groundwork for a public ballot initiative like we saw this year in Colorado.

Messaging Points:

• Arizona’s successful wildlife management record is based on making decisions based on science and data. While the petitions are littered with citations, their core points are based entirely on unfounded conjecture.
• The petition contains only emotional appeals and anecdotes, largely from outside Arizona, rather than any actual data about impacts on wildlife populations.
• A robust body of law exists to enforce the Endangered Species Act; therefore, it is inappropriate for the Game and Fish Commission to determine what is or is not a “take” of an endangered species outside the established framework for doing so.
• The petitioners claim to not be seeking to ban the use of dogs in bird hunting, but their arguments regarding unleashed dogs, use of GPS collars and smartphones, and proximity to endangered species habitat all apply equally to bird hunters using dogs. The logical outcome of granting their petition is the end of the use of bird dogs by hunters in Arizona.
• The petitioners claim to only be seeking to limit lion and bear hunting through the use of dogs, but the logic they put forth applies to all hunting of lions and bears, revealing what this really is - a continuation of the radical agenda to chip away the use of managed, regulated hunting as a tool of science-based wildlife management.
• READ THESE EDUCATION BLOGS: LIONS - HOUND HUNTING - FAIR CHASE

What you can do:

• Reinforce your support for the Arizona Game and Fish Commission’s approach to science-based wildlife management as part of managing wildlife in accordance with the North American model.
• Ask the AZGFC to deny the petitions
• A public meeting of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission will be held on April 11, 2025, at the Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 W Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086. Members of the public attending in person wanting to speak on a specific agenda item may submit Speaker Cards (Blue Cards) if they wish to speak to the Commission. Members of the public may only address the Commission by attending in person or from any regional office.

Locations to give testimony below: Friday, April 11th, 2025; meeting starts at 8am (doors open at 745 a.m.)

Get this on your calendar here

This issue is agenda item #3. Those persons wishing to speak on the matter should complete a speaker’s card and present it to the host.

Main Office – Phoenix

Arizona Game and Fish Department

5000 W. Carefree Highway

Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000

Region I – Pinetop

2878 E. White Mountain Blvd.

Pinetop, AZ 85935

Region II – Flagstaff

3500 S. Lake Mary Road

Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Region III – Kingman

5325 N. Stockton Hill Rd.

Kingman, AZ 86409

Region IV – Yuma

9140 E. 28th St.

Yuma, AZ 85365

Region V – Tucson

555 N. Greasewood Rd.

Tucson, AZ 85745

Region VI – Mesa

7200 E. University

Mesa, AZ 85207