What did you draw?

Arizona Outdoorsman / AZOD

What Did You Draw?

Team AZOD

It is the question on the lips of every hunter in Arizona today. The Arizona Game and Fish Department released the results of the fall draw today and hearts are either breaking or racing, there is no in between for any hunter that applied in early June.

I could not count the number of times in the past week that I have been asked, "when are the results going to be posted?" I've also been told how being able to process Internet applications for a mere $5 was going to be an end all to drawing the elusive "Bull Elk tag.”

Well, to answer the first question, draw results were posted this morning, July 16, and I hope this is the year for your dream hunt. This year I chose not to rely on the draw but to make what other hunters would call their back up plan my main hunts for the year. Archery Deer on the Rim, Mountain lion near the Big Sandy and Fall Bear in southern Arizona just sounded like a good trio to me.

As far as the Internet Draw applications, I've talk to a few people in Arizona Game and Fish Department that are involved in the draw and I have yet to see a down side to it. To start with, some people have came to the conclusion that the number of application received have or will increase drastically due to the mere $5 fee but the numbers show differently. AZGFD received just over 231,000 total applications in 2001 (which was prior to Internet applications) this number increased to almost 238,000 in 2002 (first year of Internet draw) and again increased to just over 250,000 thousand in 2003, fairly consistent. In years past there have been on average 4 percent of all applications rejected due to mistakes made by the applicants, Internet 0 percent rejected because the program will not let you continue to the next step until you complete the first one correctly. Manual applications have to be sent to an independent firm for data entry that cost about 28 cents per application. This process has an error rate of about 2 percent, Internet applications have a 0 percent error rate because once again, the program will not let you continue to the next step until you complete the first one correctly. By not allowing mistakes to happen rejected applications went from over 9,300 to about 4,000 in one year, "not bad ... " On The Internet applications all you have to pay for up front is the processing fee of $5 per tag unlike the manual application where you have to include all fees (most times its more than $100 per person). Game and Fish Department will gladly reimburse in about 60 days time. The down side to this is first off you will be without your money and second, it cost AZGFD about 50 cents to write and mail each check. Doesn't sound like that much money until you consider that 254,214 applications were processed this year and only 66,412 tags were issued leaving, 187,802 unsuccessful applications. At 50 cents per check it would cost AZGFD $93,901 for nothing more then stamps, labor and paper. Add that together with the 28 cent per application for data entry $71,180 and all there is to say is, I wish all government offices could manage money in this way,

GOOD JOB GUYS!!!