May Newsletter

April 27, 2020 / SAQF
Overview
SAQF Trailer

Please continue to stay safe and sane during this crazy period with the COVID 19 virus.  This is a great time to show compassion and understanding particularly for those dealing with medical or financial issues.  Get on the phone or computer to connect with and support friends.  Get outdoors while practicing appropriate social distancing. This is good for your mental health and will help keep your dogs and you in shape.  If you have the means, consider providing assistance to help those folks in difficult situations. 
We have set a schedule for next season but it is TBD.  We will keep you advised as we get guidance and make a risk assessment to continue our events.  As many of our members are in a higher risk category we will be particularly mindful of risk associated with any event that brings folks together.  There is a reasonable possibility of cancelling all group activities.
The amount and and particularly the spacing of our rainfall this winter bodes well for better desert quail numbers for the upcoming season.   We are starting to see new chicks.
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Habitat:
tracks

From February through March, Borderlands Restoration staff hosted SAQF members at the border project site for volunteer activities in addition to regular work from the staff. Staff and volunteers met at the Montezuma Peak parking lot and dropped down to the project site, typically working for 3-5 hours on each date. Volunteer dates were: February 9, February 10, March 9 and March 16. Two additional volunteer dates, April 4 and April 8 were cancelled due to COVID-19.  A total of 380 erosion control structures across nine of the main drainages within border 2 were completed.  The structures we built two years ago had soil fill in behind them required an added layer of rock this year.  There is still a lot of remaining work that will take years to complete.  We plan to adding seeding to the project next season.Buenos Aires NWR:The refuge was established to reintroduce Masked Bobwhite Quail to the wild.  These birds are the only endangered quail in North America.  Report from Rebecca Chester on Masked Bobwhite work.  The refuge is receiving captured wild northern bobwhites to use as foster dads from coworkers at refuges in TX and OK. These foster dads will be neutered to prevent cross breeding.  We are still tracking Masked Bobwhites that over-wintered and releasing females with new radios that hopefully will allow us to observe nesting during the summer. We have several quail techs starting over the spring/summer to help with releases and tracking through the rest of the year. The Americorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) crew did 470 acres of habitat work for quail before they were recalled due to Covid-19.  Wild males have been heard calling.  For the second year in a row, an SAQF member helped us locate an unknown covey with his bird dog. Thanks goes out to SAQF and your support!
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Getting Folks Outdoors:
Mearns Quail Hunting S.E. Arizona

We plan to add a second field day to our Family Day next year.  Sunday will be for adults only and be tied to a classroom program run by AZ G&F with our field portion culminating the program.  Saturday will still be for youth and adults with a wide variety of stations.  We have submitted a grant request to Justin Corbet Memorial Shooting Sports Foundation to support our Family Day next year and expect to work additional grants as we go forward.

Dog Photo Contest
“Mouse”

S.A.Q.F. will be holding a Dog Photo Contest starting May 1st. and will be conducted on The Chapter’s Facebook Page which you can get to by looking to the right hand side bar on this page.The details will be released in a separate email.Stay Tuned !

Chapter Meetings:
Antelope in The S.R.V.

Please send your inputs for desired speakers next season.
Volunteer Needs:Karen Klima from AZ G&F is looking for someone to write a 700 word story on bird hunting with dogs for the G&F Wildlife Views Magazine.  The article is not due until early summer and you would get some help with editing.  This would be a great way to get some press for your best friend.
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AZ Sportsman for Wildlife Conservation (AZSFWC):
Sponsors

SAQF is part of AZSFWC.  You can sign up for their enews at http://azsfwc.org.  This allows us to better coordinate with other wildlife groups and better communicate with AZ G&F leadership.  We are part of over 10,000 AZ sportsman represented by this organization.
Please consider purchasing a AZSFWC license plate to support wildlife when you renew your current AZ plate through Service Arizona.  The fee for this license supports the conservation grants provided by AZSFWC.  Our Family Day has received AZSFWC grant support the last two years.
AZSFWC is raffling a new Ford Raptor truck to help pay overhead in place of raffles and auctions at their summit.  Info on the raffle and tickets are available at http://azsfwc.org.
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Chapter Website and Facebook:  
Visit the Chapter’s Facebook and Instagram Sites

If you see an error or have a recommendation for improvement, please let us know.  We are always looking for pictures, stories or articles to add.  We are working to add instagram to our social media offerings.  If you see something that would be worthwhile to cross post, please send it to Dave Brown (browndave27@gmail.com) or Kerry Newberry (newberry.kerry@gmail.com).We have been very active on Facebook via posting a lot of great content,You can also share an article to our Facebook Page.

Future dates:
  • May 2020 Chapter Officer Election Cycle
  • 1 Jul 2020 New Board in Place
  • 7/8 Aug 2020 Western Region Meeting Missoula, MT
  • 16 Oct 2020 Desert Quail Opens
  • 19 Nov 2020 Chapter Meeting Sahuarita
  • 4 Dec 2020 Mearns Opens
  • 6 Dec 2020 QuailFest Sonoita
  • 10 Dec 2020 Chapter Meeting Sonoita
  • 21 Jan 2021 Chapter Meeting Sonoita
  • 30 Jan 2021 SAQF Banquet
  • 7 Feb 2021 Quail Closes
  • 18 Feb 2021 Chapter Meeting Sahuarita
  • 27/28 Feb 2021 Family Day Empire Ranch