APC
Membership Info
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When the starlit serenity of a quiet night in wild country is shattered by a frantic, plaintive squalling, you're probably hearing the final protests of a rabbit locked in the talons of an owl or clamped firmly in the jaws of a hungry coyote. Hear those sounds during the day, and it may be the real thing, or you may be hearing a convincing fake produced by a member of the ARIZONA PREDATOR CALLERS. Interest in predator calling developed in the 1950s and snowballed in the '60s. Under the umbrella of the Arizona Varmint Callers Association, which sponsored interstate calling contests, many affiliated groups were formed, among them ARIZONA PREDATOR CALLERS. Founded in the mid-60s as the Mesa Varmint Callers (MVC), the club thrived and grew from a small affinity group into an institution among Arizona conservation organizations. The club changed its name to the ARIZONA PREDATOR CALLERS (APC) in 1995.
Predator calling, ironically, is not a group sport--it's usually practiced solo or by two-to-three person teams--and might seem an unlikely source of the social cement that has bonded the club for more than three decades. But despite their peculiar hobby, club members have always thought of themselves as hunters and conservationists, and realized that they're more effective at both by being organized and communicating, cross-training, educating the public and presenting a unified voice in wildlife management and regulatory affairs.
Friendly competition enhances enjoyment of most sports, hunting not least among them. Members of the ARIZONA PREDATOR CALLERS compete with other clubs in annual events and among themselves for the "Caller of the Year" award, based on points awarded for having called various species of predators, and for the categorical rank of "Master Caller", awarded to any member who calls all five of Arizona's common predators: fox, coyote, bobcat, bear and mountain lion. This feat was achieved by a club member only once in the past decade.
In the 1960s, the club started a big-game trophy scoring and awards program known as the Arizona Big Ten Award, acknowledging hunters' annual and lifetime successes in hunting all of Arizona's big-game species. Adopted by the Arizona Wildlife Federation, the program spawned the first state-specific big-game trophy scoring and awards program and the first state record book, Arizona Wildlife Trophies.
Along with teaching its members the ways and techniques of calling predators, APC has been a leader in public education about a variety of species, hunting techniques and management issues. Refining its presentations in a series of increasingly large-scale and diverse seminars during the 1980s, the club educated thousands of hunters with programs on deer, turkey, elk, bear, mountain lion and javelina, typically pairing an Arizona Game & Fish Department biologist with an expert hunter to teach ethical and effective hunting techniques, coupled with a grounding in species' behavior and management considerations. The AG&F Game Branch Chief, Tice Supplee, often a speaker at these seminars, has commended them as "a very positive program".
The early Mesa Varmint Callers was one of the many spark plugs supporting the AG&F Department's hunter education program. MVC ran one of the largest and most successful hunter safety (then called "Firearms Safety") training programs in the state, in close cooperation with the Mesa Public Schools.
APC assisted the AG&F Department's Information and Education Division, which was under-equipped with suitable projectors for the slide shows that frequently are part of the departments presentations. APC solved part of the problem by donating a powerful projector, since used to educate hundreds of hunters and wildlife aficionados.
When some members complained that the Mesa Public Library had too little in the way of hunting-related material available, especially for use by youngsters, a club book drive produced stacks of books for young hunters to enjoy and learn from.
Members are continually working on a variety of activities, such as accomplishing habitat improvement projects with the Forest Service, producing an illustrated monthly newsletter, helping the Arizona Trappers Association with political issues or their annual fur auction and the club's many other peripheral involvement’s. The club's participation in a broad variety of conservation activities has not gone unrecognized. Granted the Arizona Wildlife Federation's "Prescott Award" for excellence in 1986, the club went on to achieve the prestigious "Chairman's Award" from the National Wildlife Federation, acknowledging the group's conservation contributions. Affiliations with the Arizona Wildlife Federation, the Wildlife Legislative Fund of America and various ad hoc state organizations have made APC a significant player in Arizona's wildlife affairs.
Founded and operated outside the mainstream of general interest rod and gun clubs or special interest "single species" groups, ARIZONA PREDATOR CALLERS has nonetheless focused on a wide range of hunting and wildlife management issues and has made a substantive contribution to public awareness of wildlife management concerns. APC has helped to make better conservationists of its members, in every context of the word.
If you would like further information about ARIZONA PREDATOR CALLERS or if you would like to join the club, write to: ARIZONA PREDATOR CALLERS, P.O. Box 1172, Mesa, AZ 85211-1172.
Written by John K. Calkins, Outdoor Writer & Past President of Mesa Varmint Callers
Reprinted from the January 1997 issue of Arizona Wildlife Views
