Habitat Project Update by Russ Johnson
Russ was able to get one weekend in at the Leonard Canyon Project but with the weather being up and down we were not able to complete that project as hoped.
On Friday, October 4, Arizona Elk Society started a new project in Unit 5A at Leonard Canyon. We are building a continuous rail fence to protect a stand of aspens from elk that have been grazing on the young shoots when they sprout up. We arrived at camp around 11:30 or so and immediately begin setting up. Within a couple of hours, we had camp set up and we were ready to head down to the project site. The road to the project site is about 1.5 miles and is rough with some washouts. We had rented a Bobcat so that we could drill all of the post holes, and it was a rough drive down that road, but we made it. As we got to the site, some of the guys began marking the hole locations with spray paint. Our goal was to get all of the holes drilled and the 8 corner posts set by the end of the night so that we could run string the next morning on those posts. Overnight they should be able to set up enough to do that. We got hard at work with some of the crew mixing concrete and getting the corner posts set while I was running the Bobcat digging holes out. With the slope, this was some of the sketchiest work I 
have ever done in a machine. In total we had 60 holes that we needed to dig. By the end of the night, we had accomplished what we wanted to get done, although we finished with the last light of day. We retired back to camp for the night, grilled up some burgers, and sat around the campfire for a little bit.
Saturday morning, we woke up to a hearty breakfast before heading down to the project site. We started at the bottom of the hill, as we had staged the concrete in 2 different places. A pile at the bottom of the hill and a pile at the top of the hill. We started working our way up the slope with several different teams. We had a team mixing concrete, a team running the concrete to the holes via wheelbarrow, and then a team that was leveling the posts as the concrete was poured. We got through the bags quickly on the bottom side, and had to relocate the mixer to the top of the hill. Even with having to do that, we had gotten all but 19 posts concreted and set in place by lunch time. When we got back to camp, we found that it had been overrun with a swarm of bees. They were all over our kitchen canopy, in our garbage cans, flying everywhere. Nonetheless, we cooked some lunch and then tried to bag up the garbage so they wouldn’t get in it. After lunch, we headed back down to finish up. It was much easier for the guys that were pushing the wheelbarrow going down the slope, and we quickly finished the rest of the holes. As we got back to camp, we were greeted with trash strewn all over camp. Something had visited while we were at work. We think it was birds but was not sure? So we picked up all the trash and re-bagged it. Since it was so early, we decided to pack up camp for the weekend and head home. We would like to thank the volunteers that came out and worked. It has been a long summer, but we are on the closing stretch. We think that we should be able to get the project finished up in 2 weekends when we return.
Sadly, This ended up not happening due to weather
Project season is wrapping up and we're already planning for next summer. Stay tuned for updates about and volunteer opportunities. To get on the list early click below to email Russ.
Many of you are aware of this program but I want to explain some more about it. People who are drawn for tags but are unable to use them are able to donate them to AES. We then have a list of disabled veterans who we assign/ give the tag to. We also go a step further. AES makes sure the veteran has everything they need in order to be successful on the hunt including a hunting mentor. With this being said we need your help! We had quite a few tags donated last minute and we need mentors. We could also use camp helpers who cook and stay around camp to help out. Here are the details
Tuesday, October 1 the Heroes Rising Outdoors and AZ Elk Society held our first fall bass class session. Paul M was our instructor for the day and he taught us the different types of rod and reel combinations that you can use and how to tie several different knots. Then we gave the veterans a time of learning how to tie the knots hands on in class. They were also taught how to spool line onto a reel. We will have 3 more sessions in a classroom setting before hitting the lake in late October.
On Tuesday, October 8 the Heroes Rising Outdoors and the AZ Elk Society held its 2nd fall bass class session. Steve G. was our instructor for the day, and he taught the veterans the difference between power fishing and finesse fishing. He showed different types of crankbaits and explained each one. We also watched some videos of how to rig up the different jigs, then Steve taught us how to rig them. He explained different types of weights, hooks, and what application to use each one. Colors of bait was one of the main topics he hit on, and explained when to use different colors. There was lots of information in this class, and so far the 2 classes have been great instructing. Next week we will learn about the behaviors of 
bass.
On Tuesday, October 15 we held our 3rd bass class. Paul M. was our instructor for this class and he did an excellent job explaining the habits of bass and bass behavior. He taught the veterans the difference between structure and cover, the best place to find bass depending on the time of the year, about how bass like to stay where they are comfortable. He went through each season and what they might be biting and how to fish for them, talked about wind, water temperature, and more. This was a very informative class and the veterans learned a ton about how to fish bass.
On Tuesday, October 22 the Heroes Rising Outdoors held its last bass class of the fall session. Greg P. was our instructor, and he taught the veterans how to handle a bass after the bite. He went through each technique and rig and how to hook set, how to use the rig, and where to keep your rod in position while fighting the fish. He also talked about safety gear that you will need out on the water. In these four classes lots of information was thrown out to the veterans, and now they get to test their skills on the water this weekend at the lake.
Friday, October 25th our veterans headed out to Bartlett Lake for our fall HRO Bass fishing trip. We set up camp, threw some lines in the water from shore, and even a couple went out on a boat for a couple of hours. It was hot out, but the fish were biting, and several bass got caught on Friday evening. We had a friendly roadrunner visiting our camp most of the day begging for food. We made some homemade chili for supper, then settled down for the night around a campfire. Little did we know we would have a family of 3 skunks that would visit us every night and they were not afraid of campfires, people, or really anything. It was a task just keeping them out of camp during the evening.
Saturday, we woke up and the veterans were assigned to the boats they were going to be fishing with for the morning session. An unfortunate thing is that during the night, the skunks had gotten into all of our bread, some of our snacks, and also some crackers we had and scattered them throughout camp. We also on top of that had raccoons in camp as they had left their footprints all over everything. So we cleaned up before making a breakfast buffet of biscuits/gravy, sausage, bacon, hashbrowns, and eggs. After breakfast, the veterans headed out to the lake and the morning fishing session proved to be very good. Lots of bass were caught. For lunch, we grilled up some brats for everyone, after having to head down to the marina to get some more hotdog buns. It was another hot day, so lunch along with water/Gatorade were welcome. During the afternoon session, each veteran went out on a different boat than the morning session. Again, it proved to be a really good evening of catching lots of fish. Each person that went out and the boaters themselves really enjoyed themselves even with the 100-degree weather. Saturday evening, we had our traditional fish fry with hushpuppies, then retired to the campfire for great conversations.
Sunday morning, we woke up and had a good breakfast before packing up camp for the weekend and heading home. We would like to thank each person that donated their time to come out and help with cooking and bringing boats to take the fisherman out on. Without our gracious volunteers, we would not be able to put on these programs. These are weekends that our veterans will remember for a long time, from memories of catching the fish, friendships established, and experiencing the great outdoors.
On October 17 the Heroes Rising Outdoors and Arizona Elk Society, partnered along with EmpoweRanch, held our first fall session of VORTEX equine therapy at Wildcat Ranch. For the first session we had an introduction time and what each veteran could expect as well as couldn’t expect from the program. We gave a little background to the group about the Arizona Elk 
Society and the EmpoweRanch and how we got started along with what we do, and how our partnership has grown. Each person, including the volunteers in attendance, had a chance to introduce themselves to the group and tell a little bit about them, how they found the VORTEX program, how they were feeling for the day, and also, we threw in a fun question of what is your favorite restaurant. This was a great time for the veterans and volunteers to get to know a little bit about each other, our backgrounds, and have some great conversations. After we were done with the introductions, we headed back to the stables where the participants got a chance to meet each horse at the ranch and pet them. This was a great first week and we look forward to having 7 more weeks of working with the horses. Each participant will learn such things as how to read horse behavior, grooming techniques and methods, learning how to lead a horse with a rope, leading horses through an obstacle course, team building exercises leading a horse with only hand signals, round pen work, and more.
If you are interested in finding out more about our veterans programs, please contact me at russj@arizonaelksociety.org
If you would like to know more about EmpoweRanch contact Jessi at Jessiv@empoweranch.org
Arizona Elk Society hosted another successful Jr. Elk Camp from October 10th-13th at St. Joseph’s Youth Camp near Mormon Lake. This year’s warm weather made for a unique challenge, as the elk were more active at night, making daytime hunting difficult for the kids. The best opportunities were at dawn and dusk.
The camp kicked off Thursday evening with dinner and presentations. Mike from Miller’s Southwest Processing was a hit, as always, sharing valuable tips on caring for an elk after the hunt 
and handing out elk sticks to the group. Mike also runs a convenient drop off station at Clint’s Well for hunters in the area. Abby from the Arizona Game and Fish Department followed with an insightful talk on ethical hunting, reminding the kids not to hesitate to reach out to her or other wildlife officers if they ever have questions in the field. Lastly, Steve from Arizona Elk Society highlighted the organization’s great work and encouraged everyone to get involved. Afterward, the youth participants were excited to receive orange camo beanies and a choice of a headlamp or elk call—turning the mess hall into a lively place!
Early mornings were fueled by John N., our faithful volunteer, who had coffee ready by 4 AM every day. Hunters headed out with a cold breakfast and snacks in hand. Thanks to mentor Steve S., the first excitement came later that morning when Jake and his dad, Ryan, returned to camp with photos of their successful hunt. John N. also donated a special knife set for the first girl and boy to harvest an elk.
Saturday brought more action with a 6:30 AM call from a hunter’s dad—elk down! Wayne quickly stepped in to assist with retrieval, trekking three-quarters of a mile over rough terrain. Back at camp, Corinne M. and her kitchen team kept everyone well-fed, with her famous brisket gravy being a crowd favorite. Our grill masters, Gil and Mark, along with kitchen helpers Randy, Scott, Brenda, Janet, Bucky, and Jeremy, kept the meals rolling, whether it was hamburgers, hotdogs, or pancakes.
Our dedicated mentors deserve special thanks for mentoring the kids through the weekend. These men shared their knowledge and passion for hunting, ensuring a meaningful experience for the next generation. Even those new to mentoring were paired with experienced guides to learn alongside the families. A big shoutout goes to Bob, who captured the weekend’s moments on camera and created a fantastic YouTube video to share. Eric, one of our mentors, even stayed an extra day to help a family with three brothers, two of whom had tags. One was successful, but Eric’s dedication to helping all of them was admirable.
A huge thank you to all the volunteers who made this Jr. Elk Camp a memorable and successful event!
Our Scholarship Application is open. APPLY NOW! Arizona Elk Society gives 2 scholarships to high school seniors and 1 to a college student. Please pass this information to a student if your life. Click above for the application.
We do need more VOLUNTEERS to make this day unforgettable for the kids. Help us inspire these kids to put their devices down and enjoy the outdoors!
November 17 Wild in the City
December 14 Volunteer Lunch
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