HIIT Springs Fence Project: Mission Accomplished

After several weekends of hard work, challenging weather and plenty of teamwork, the Arizona Elk Society’s HIIT Springs fence project was officially completed on August 2nd.

So, why build this fence? HIIT Springs is an important water source for wildlife, and protecting the spring is essential to maintaining this valuable habitat. The new fence is designed to keep both wild and domestic animals from accessing and damaging the spring itself, helping preserve the water source and surrounding habitat for the wildlife that depend on it. This project is another example of how AES volunteers are working to protect and improve critical wildlife habitat across Arizona.

Our final weekend began Friday, July 31, with a small crew arriving at camp and quickly getting everything set up before heading to the project site. The focus for the weekend was installing the final 20-foot single rails, bringing the fence to its planned height of seven feet. With several new volunteers joining the crew, we spent some time getting everyone familiar with the fence design and construction process. Once everyone found their rhythm, the crew made great progress and completed two sides of the top rails before calling it a day.

Back at camp, volunteers enjoyed a hot dinner before gathering around the campfire for some well-earned conversation and camaraderie.

Saturday brought additional volunteers and a larger work crew. After breakfast, everyone headed to the project site early and divided into teams. The temperatures climbed into the 90s, and recent monsoon rains brought out plenty of mosquitoes, but neither was enough to slow down the crew. Volunteers worked through the heat and insects, making significant progress throughout the morning.

After lunch and a short break, everyone returned to the job site for the afternoon work session. By Saturday evening, the crew had used the last of the single-rail pipe. Knowing additional material was available at the ranger station in Williams, the team made a plan to pick it up Sunday morning. Despite the heat and challenging conditions, volunteers had pushed the project to the finish line.

Sunday morning, a small crew headed to Williams to pick up the remaining pipe while the rest of the volunteers cleaned up and tore down camp. Once the material arrived, the crew headed back to the project site for one final push. By approximately 1 p.m., the last rail was in place and the HIIT Springs fence project was officially complete.

This project presented its share of challenges, including extreme heat, thick mosquitoes, equipment issues and material shortages. But every obstacle was met with determination and teamwork. Most importantly, our volunteers never stopped working toward the goal.

The completed fence represents much more than posts and rails. It is the result of countless hours of volunteer labor and a commitment to improving Arizona’s wildlife habitat. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who came out, worked hard, and helped make this project a success.

Thank you to all of our HIIT Springs volunteers. Your time, effort and dedication made a lasting difference for Arizona’s wildlife!

Elk Clinic: Passing Knowledge From One Hunter to the Next

On August 1, Arizona Elk Society hosted one of the most comprehensive elk hunting clinics in the West—and once again, hunters came ready to learn.

Hosted by the legendary Dan Adler, owner of Diamond Outfitters and Zero Outfitter Fees, the Elk Clinic has become a valued tradition for Arizona Elk Society and an important opportunity for hunters of all experience levels. Whether someone is preparing for their first elk hunt or has years of experience in the field, there is always something new to learn.

Dan has a unique ability to take years of experience and knowledge and explain it in a way that makes sense. His teaching style is approachable, practical and easy to understand, which is one of the many reasons this clinic continues to draw such a great turnout.

The day covered just about every aspect of an elk hunt, including early- and late-season rifle and archery tactics, elk calling, meat care, skinning and taxidermy preparation, scoring an elk, tree stands and blinds, trail cameras and tracking wounded game for recovery. Attendees also received valuable information from Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Managers and learned about ATV rules and regulations from the U.S. Forest Service and AZGFD. There was even time devoted to optics, including information on what to look for when buying and using them.

While the information packed into the clinic is extensive, the goal is simple: help hunters become more knowledgeable, more prepared, and more successful in the field.

A successful event like this doesn't happen without a great team behind the scenes. Our volunteers were outstanding from start to finish, helping with setup, assisting throughout the clinic, and staying until everything was cleaned up and put away. We are incredibly grateful for the time and energy they gave to make the day a success.

Most importantly, the Elk Clinic isn't a fundraiser for Arizona Elk Society. We host it because we believe in hunting, conservation and passing knowledge from one generation of hunters to the next. Sharing these skills helps keep people in the field, builds confidence and helps ensure that the hunting tradition continues for years to come.

Thank you to Dan Adler, our volunteers and everyone who attended this year's Elk Clinic. We are proud to continue this Arizona Elk Society tradition and look forward to seeing everyone back next year!

PVCI Bootcamp: A Weekend of Learning, Hunting and Good Food

August 7–9 brought another successful PVCI Bootcamp, a weekend made possible through the partnership between Arizona Elk Society and Phoenix Varmint Callers Inc. (PVCI).

This partnership is a great example of organizations coming together to give new youth and adult hunters an opportunity to learn, gain experience and spend time in the outdoors. PVCI provides the lessons, mentors and hunting experiences throughout the weekend, while Arizona Elk Society helps make the camp run smoothly by providing the kitchen crew, purchasing and preparing the food, and bringing the outdoor kitchen and enough seating for everyone.

And when it comes to camp food, our volunteers certainly delivered! Meals were plentiful, hot and served throughout the weekend. There really isn't much better than spending a weekend outdoors learning and hunting and then coming back to a hot meal with good people.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and a little rain cut the weekend short. Despite the weather, the weekend was a success and provided participants with valuable instruction, hands-on experiences and plenty of time in the field.

A weekend like this takes a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes, and we are especially grateful to the Arizona Elk Society and PVCI volunteers who stepped up to make it happen. From setting up camp and preparing meals to keeping everything running throughout the weekend, their hard work made a difference.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and energy to support PVCI Bootcamp. We are proud of this partnership and look forward to continuing to work together to provide hunters with opportunities to learn, experience the outdoors and build lasting memories.    

Making a Difference at Moqui

On Saturday, August 22, Arizona Elk Society volunteers came together at the Moqui Invasive Weed Pulling Project to tackle a growing threat to wildlife habitat: diffuse knapweed.

Located at the top of the East Clear Creek watershed, the Moqui area is important habitat for bighorn sheep and many other Arizona wildlife species. Invasive weeds like diffuse knapweed compete with native grasses and wildflowers that wildlife depend on, particularly ewes raising their lambs. Removing these weeds before they have a chance to spread and produce seed helps protect the surrounding National Forest and the habitat downstream.

Our volunteers wasted no time getting to work. The group spread out across two areas—along a gravel road and throughout the open space of Moqui Draw—pulling and digging knapweed by hand. Some plants came out easily, while others required a little more work to get the roots out.

We started the morning thinking 50 contractor bags would be plenty. We quickly learned that our volunteers had other plans! Before the day was over, every one of those bags was filled, and one dedicated volunteer even made a trip home to grab additional bags so we could keep going.

While we didn't remove every knapweed plant in the area, the impact made in just one day was significant. Twenty-five people working together removed a tremendous amount of invasive vegetation and helped reduce the amount of seed that can spread throughout this important watershed.

Most importantly, this project was a reminder of what can happen when people are willing to roll up their sleeves and put in the work for wildlife. We are incredibly grateful to every volunteer who spent their Saturday making a difference.

Thank you for showing up, working hard, and helping the Arizona Elk Society conserve habitat for bighorn sheep and all Arizona wildlife. Your time and effort truly matter.

This is conservation in action—and it happens because of volunteers.

AES Connects with Families at Scheels Hunt Fest

On Saturday, August 29, Arizona Elk Society had the opportunity to join Scheels for their annual Hunt Fest from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Scheels has been a tremendoussupporter of AES, and we were excited to be invited to share our mission with shoppers alongside many other outdoor vendors and organizations.

Because Scheels is such a family-friendly destination, we wanted to create something that would get kids—and their parents—involved. Our three tables offered something for everyone: hands-on survival bracelet making, an assortment of antlers, pelts and hooves for kids to touch and explore, and information about AES, including five free raffle giveaways and a chance to win a 22-quart Canyon Cooler.

Scheels placed us in a fantastic location right at the top of the stairs near the toy section, and the response was incredible. More than 100 survival bracelets were made throughout the day, and over 250 people signed up for our free raffle. Even better, we had the opportunity to meet countless families and introduce them to Arizona Elk Society. Many people told us they had never heard of AES and were excited to learn about the work we do for wildlife, habitat, youth and our outdoor heritage.

One of the highlights was watching parents jump right in alongside their kids to make survival bracelets. What started as a kids' activity quickly became a family activity, with plenty of adults saying, “I want to make one too!” It was a wonderful reminder that getting people outdoors often starts with creating fun, hands-on experiences that bring families together.

We also had the chance to share information about Wild in the City, our upcoming youth outdoor skills event, and introduce families to even more opportunities to get their kids outside and connected to the outdoors.

A huge thank-you goes to our volunteers Nick C., Steve B. and Gil M. for helping us keep all three tables running throughout the day. Kendra and Lindsay spentmuch of the day making survival bracelets with kids and adults, and it truly took a team effort to keep up with the crowd.

We are incredibly grateful to Scheels for their continued support of the Arizona Elk Society and for giving us the opportunity to connect with the community. HuntFest was a huge success for Scheels and Arizona Elk Society—and it doesn't get much better than spending a Saturday introducing families to the outdoors and sharing what AES is all about!