AES & NWTF Partnership Mentored Youth Turkey Camp
Jr. Turkey Camp 2025 was nothing short of an adventure! It all started smoothly on Thursday at noon when the trailers rolled in and camp setup began. For those who haven’t been to Turkey Camp before, this is a truly primitive site — and we come prepared with enough gear and food to feed and seat 120 people for the entire weekend. No small feat!
Our volunteers absolutely rocked it. Setup is always a challenge since it happens during the week and in the middle of the day, but this year we had at least a dozen hard-working 
volunteers show up — and they made it happen. In just about two hours, we were mostly set up. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing (nothing new there), and the camp was coming together beautifully.
Then came Friday afternoon… and things took a turn.
We knew a storm was coming, but you never really know how intense it’ll be until you’re in it. What started as a light rain and sleet during lunch quickly turned into heavy snow — and by nightfall, we had a whopping 8 inches of wet, heavy snow blanketing camp. One of our canopies collapsed under the weight, and with mud everywhere, things got a bit chaotic. Still, our spirits stayed high.
What made it all worth it? Seeing the kids come back into camp proudly carrying their turkeys. That joy — the excitement on their faces — is why we do this. Their pride and sense of accomplishment reminded all of us that even with the weather challenges, this camp was still a huge success.
We made the call to pack up a bit early on Saturday evening due to the mess and Easter morning approaching, but even with the early departure, the memories made were priceless.
I want to give a huge thank you to every single volunteer who helped make this camp possible — especially our incredible lead cooks, Pete and Serge. These two are truly the heart of camp, and we’re so grateful they choose to donate their time and talent to the Arizona Elk Society.
Until next time — stay warm, stay wild, and we’ll see you at the next adventure!
If so you'll want to sign up for our youth hunt camp. The hunt number was 3067.
Below is the link to register for the learn to hunt camp
On Friday, April 11 the White Mountain Chapter of the Arizona Elk Society, along with members of the Apache-Sitegreaves National Forest, congregated at the Blue Ridge 2 jobsite just outside of Show Low, AZ. We had held a previous weekend working there last fall to get the ground ready to build a catchment system, and this was the day for the build. We had a great crew of volunteers that showed up ready to work and get their hands dirty. The catchment systems are built using galvanized steel studs to construct a frame. On a catchment of this size, we build them in 12’ x 12’ sections and then bolt the sections together. Most of the catchments we build are in increments of 12’, either 24’ x 36’ or 24’ x 24’ overall size. The framework goes together fairly easily, and then runners are installed to give stability to the frame. The studs come pre-fabricated with holes to run these through. After the complete frames are built and attached to each other, we attach PBR paneling to the top.
With the number of volunteers that we had, and after checking to make sure everything was working correctly, we were finished by Friday evening with this build. We also did a little bit of fence work around the catchment itself. We can now call this a completed project. We would like to thank the AZGFD and the Apache-Sitegreaves National Forest for working with us on this project and helping us to get it completed. And again, we would like to thank our volunteers, because without them we would not be able to accomplish what we do in our busy summer seasons!
If you may be interested in helping out on projects this summer season, please contact russj@arizonaelksociety.org. We have 6 weekends scheduled right now from May-October with the possibility of adding a couple more mid-summer.
Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy, in partnership with Arizona Game and Fish Department and Wetland Restoration Training LLC, is asking for volunteers to help enhance and restore several ponds on the White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area near Springerville in eastern Arizona. We will be improving six ponds across the Wildlife Area by installing a lining in the bottoms, which will increase the water availability and permanence to benefit native species such as Chiricahua leopard frogs, elk, and pronghorn.
The requested labor includes removing rocks from the dry pond bottoms, placing and securing liners, and reseeding banks afterwards. Volunteers will be needed June 2-21,2025, 
but most assistance will be needed during Thursday-Saturday of each week (June 5-7, June 12-14, and June 19-21). Tools such as shovels, rakes, and work gloves will be provided, but feel free to bring your own if you have them.
On-site camping is available for free at Grasslands Wildlife Area (bring your own camping gear) for volunteers assisting with the project. Camping will be primitive, with a portable toilet available for use, but no showers or other facilities. For those who prefer lodging, please check hotels in nearby Springerville.
If you are interested in volunteering, please visit this link. Please contact Becca at bcozad@arcprotects.org with any questions.
Project season is wrapped up and we're already planning for next summer. Stay tuned for updates about upcoming volunteer opportunities. To get on the list early click below to email Russ.
We are ramping up our Sawyer Program. Out first project is March 15-16th. If your certification is expired that's okay! Or if you are interested to see our sawyers in action come on out,help and see if this is for you! Click the form below or email Lindsay at lindsayl@arizonaelksociety.org
We have a few dates on the books so far. If you have questions regarding projects please email Russ at russj@arizonaelksociety.org. 
If you can volunteer please fill out the form below.
May 16-18 Leonard Canyon, Unit 5A
August 1-3 Apache Maid, Unit 6A
Wapiti Weekend will be here before you know it! Do you want to guarantee your kids a spot? Then sign up to volunteer early and we'll make sure to get them registered early!Weplanonopening registration to the public the first week of April. So sign up to volunteer today! We're so thankful to have booked Memorial Day Weekend, bring your family for everyone to enjoy time together and celebrate the beginning of summer.
Heroes Rising Outdoors in partnership with EmpoweRanch held our last session of our spring VORTEX program. We started our day with a potluck BBQ as we always do on our lastsession. After our potluck session, we did our usual check-in for the week. We then gave each veteran their certificate of completion for the VORTEX.
On Tuesday, April 8 the Heroes Rising Outdoors held its first flyfishing class of the spring session. This session was taught by Jim L. and was an introduction to flyfishing. He taught us the different parts of a fly rod and why each part plays a crucial role in flyfishing. Also, he taught about the different weights of rods, lines, etc. showing us the difference between the weights. He went into the safety equipment that you needed to flyfish safely. The last point he went over was how to read a river and touched a little bit on reading the hatch and observing what is around you before you even get a line wet. Overall, our first class went really well, and as an added bonus this spring class has the highest enrollment of any of the previous flyfishing classes we have had to date. This is going to be a great set of classes and trip!
On Tuesday, April 15 the Heroes Rising Outdoors held its 2nd flyfishing class of the spring session. This session was taught by Earlene S. and was about the different types of knots that are needed for flyfishing. We also went over different flies and which flies were good to use at Christopher Creek where we will be fishing in a couple of weeks.
After watching a short humorous video on catch and release, all 9 of our participants were taught the different knots. The Clinch Knot, Surgeons Knot, and Perfection Knot. Each one 
serves a different function in the flyfishing world, and after demonstrations and watching short videos, the participants got to get hands-on experience tying them. Each veteran was able to tie all the knots successfully. One of our instructors Brian T. also passed around different types of flies for the veterans to look at and get an idea of the size/pattern/color difference of each. We ended our class session with a couple of videos of the different types of casts we will learn next week at Pioneer Park.
On Tuesday, April 22, the Heroes Rising Outdoors flyfishing class invaded Pioneer Park to practice some casting. As each person arrived, they were given a rod/reel/net and a few other supplies they would need for flyfishing. We taught each veteran how to assemble the poles and how to pull the line through properly. Once everyone was ready, we took them to the grass, where we had laid out hula hoops as targets for them to practice casting to. We taught them the pick-up and lay down cast. Each person got some good one-on-one instruction from our knowledgeable instructors, answering any questions that they had and showing them techniques for casting better. Each participant did really well and caught on quickly.
After casting on the grass for a little while, we moved to the water and let them practice casting on the pond. The water tension makes the casting just a bit easier. When each person felt comfortable with the pick-up and lay down cast, we then taught them the roll cast. This is the cast they will be using most of the time at the creek in a couple of weeks because of low hanging branches, etc. By the end of the day, each person who had tried the roll cast had gotten efficient at it. This is a great group of veterans to work with, and next week will be our last class with another casting session at the park. Afterwards, a few of us sat and chatted for a little while before heading home. It is a true pleasure and honor getting to know each person in this class.
May 23-25 Wapiti Weekend
June 7-8 White Mountain Chapter Banquet
July 11-12 Northern Arizona Peaks Chapter Banquet
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