Contact Rory Aikens 602-789-3214 - Public Information Officer

PHOENIX – Fire up your computer: You can now apply online for Arizona's 2007 elk and antelope hunts. Don't forget the deadline to submit applications online or by paper is Tuesday, Feb. 13.

"We've been getting lots of calls from hunters wanting to know when they can apply online. Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief: We're there," says Arizona Game and Fish Department Information Branch Chief Bob Miles. "We've made substantial improvements to the system, it's been exhaustively tested, and we're confident it will produce a high level of customer satisfaction."

Keep in mind this is the first year for an earlier application deadline for antelope and elk. The idea of having the rescheduled draw is to let hunters know early enough whether they have been drawn for these two popular big game animals, prior to their applying for fall deer, turkey, javelina, bear and buffalo hunts during the traditional application process in early summer.

You can get a copy of the 2007 Arizona Pronghorn Antelope and Elk Hunt Draw Information booklet either online at azgfd.gov/draw or at license dealers throughout the state. Please note that hunt-tag and license fees have increased for 2007. You can find the new fee information in the draw publication for antelope and elk (pages 4 and 5), in the 2006-2007 Arizona Hunting and Trapping Regulations – new 2007 fees table (pages 9 and 10) and online.

The deadline to submit an application for the antelope and elk hunts is 7 p.m. (MST) on the second Tuesday of February, which is Feb. 13. Postmarks don't count.

The grace period for the draw will end at 5 p.m. on Jan. 19. During the grace period, if a paper hunt-permit tag application that is manually submitted contains an error, then the department will make three attempts within a 24-hour period to notify the applicant by telephone (if a phone number is provided). This allows for an application to be corrected, rather than being rejected from the draw; it also provides incentive for early application submissions.