Why are the hunting and fishing laws and regulations so complex?
The regulations are available at Arizona Game and Fish offices or authorized hunting/fishing license dealers, or they can be downloaded.
In some cases, hunting matters are under federal jurisdiction (for example, species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, such as waterfowl), with details available in the Code of Federal Regulations, etc.Īrizona Hunting and Trapping Regulations are published frequently and contain information such as hunt season dates, methods of take, hunt units, limits, tag application deadlines and draw details, restrictions, recommendations, and more. Most Arizona Game and Fish laws and rules concerning hunting (and fishing) are contained in the Arizona Revised Statutes (Title 17) and in Arizona Administrative Rules (Title 12). Where can you find the rules governing hunting in Arizona? It is the responsibility of the hunter to help make the regulations, understand and follow the regulations, as well as help enforce them. But the system must be managed this way in order for managers to be agile enough to respond to the suite of factors affecting wildlife on an annual basis. These 29 orders create a complex, dynamic set of regulations for hunters to follow. Each order is reviewed and potentially revised every year or two by the Commission, based on science-based recommendations from wildlife managers. The Arizona Game and Fish Commission issues 29 orders for different species. The laws, rules and orders provide guidance to hunters about when, where, and how they can take wildlife, and how much of each species can be taken. In addition to laws, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission enacts rules and orders to implement those laws. There are state and federal laws encoded by state and federal legislation. Laws, rules and regulations concerning hunting are complex and varied. Combined with hunting and fishing license sales, this funding continues to provide the majority of financial support for wildlife management and conservation today. These acts were a unique partnership between sportsmen-conservationists, state and federal agencies, and private industry, to provide wildlife conservation funding to states through a federal excise tax on certain hunting and fishing equipment. But these individuals and groups were also leading advocates for creating dedicated federal funding to the states through passage of the Wildlife Restoration Act (Pitman-Robertson Act of 1937) and Sport Fish Restoration Act (Dingell-Johnson Act of 1950 and Wallop-Breaux Amendment of 1984). The majority of this funding comes from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses in each state. Sportsmen/conservationists realized that funding sources were needed to help support wildlife conservation and management. Day in and day out, it is the dollars generated by hunters and anglers that pay for the wildlife almost everyone loves. While the majority of Americans treasure their wildlife heritage, few actually contribute to on-the-ground conservation. Where does funding for wildlife conservation/management come from? This system provides the agility for wildlife managers to respond to changes in the environment, demands of the public, fluctuating wildlife population levels, the effects of natural events (such as fire, flood, disease and drought), and other factors.
The laws, rules and regulations governing hunting form a framework for a system that is designed to provide surpluses of certain species of wildlife for hunting and fishing, revenue from which funds the conservation of all wildlife, including species that aren’t hunted. As part of that demand, sportsmen/conservationists advocated ethics and self policing by any and all who partake of America’s wild bounty. During the last century, sportsmen-conservationists demanded that their government put in place agencies, institutions, laws and regulations to conserve wildlife on behalf of the citizens. Wildlife management and hunting policies have evolved over time, based largely on the “public trust doctrine,” which regards wildlife as held in the public trust and managed by scientifically based regulations. Upon what concepts are hunting policies and laws based? Evolution of hunting laws and wildlife conservation/management Members of the public often express an interest in Arizona’s hunting laws and how they were developed, how violations of wildlife laws are enforced, the tradition of outdoor ethics, and how the Arizona Game and Fish Commission system came into being and what role it plays today.