PARADISE FOR SPORTSMEN

THE WHITE MOUNTAINS: PARADISE FOR SPORTSMEN An excerpt from the new Arizona Highways book Outdoors in Arizona A Guide to Fishing and Hunting

Arizona Highways announces the publication of Outdoors in Arizona: A Guide to Fishing and Hunting. This 192-page book by veteran outdoor writer Bob Hirsch takes the guesswork out of finding Arizona's best fishing holes and most promising hunting grounds.

The new guidebook divides the state into ten regions and covers each one in detail. The text is augmented by twelve maps and more than 150 full-color photographs. As a bonus, the book includes a dozen paintings and numerous sketches by wildlife artist Larry Toschik.

Outdoors in Arizona: A Guide to Fishing and Hunting is available for $12.95 (softcover, postpaid), and can be ordered from Arizona Highways, 2039 West Lewis Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009. To order by telephone, call (602) 258-1000.

The text passages and illustrations on these ten pages are excerpted from the chapter on the White Mountains.

You can feel the serenity of the White Mountains in the spring, when snowbanks linger along the road from Pinetop to Big Lake, and you're the only angler to enjoy the chill wind that blows off the high peaks. Springtime freshets, hustling to an appointment with mother stream, crisscross the landscape, hiding drinks in secret places for the summer flowers that will follow.

Summer is the busy time, as desert dwellers trek to these highlands to trade saguaro cacti for spruce trees and to cut the temperature in half. Even so, serenity is just off the main highway, two minutes' drive down some side road, where you can spend a week alone. It rains nearly every day in July and August; short, sharp, chilly showers that wash the landscape clean, banish the dust from unpaved roads, and provide a perfect excuse for an afternoon nap.

There may be patches of snow still gleaming on Mount Baldy or Mount Ord in July-both reach elevations of more than 11,000 feet. And even at 9000 feet, early morning temperatures sometimes turn dew to frost. It's difficult for Phoenix residents to remember this when packing clothes for a weekend visit and it's 110 degrees outside. The White Mountains do warm up during the day, of course, some-times to the eighties. If you spend a few hours on the water fishing for trout, you'll probably get a sunburn along with your limit of rainbows.

Autumn is serene in the White Mountains, too. School starts, and the summer vacation crowds migrate back to desert communities. By late September, aspen trees at the highest elevations begin their

Outdoors in Arizona

Ranging the broken country, brushland, and edges of forest in the White Mountains, the mule deer (ABOVE LEFT) is similar to the elk but smaller. Prime males may weigh upward of 400 pounds. A Splendid denizen of rough mountain areas is the bighorn sheep. The ram's horns are heavy and curving. A white rump patch is characteristic. TONY MANDILE Magic change from soft green to yellow and gold. And, as October advances, the color spills down the mountainsides like celestial honey. There are other performers in the great color show, but none more spectacular than the aspens when they arch over dusty logging roads and turn them into golden tunnels. a few days and relishing the clean, sweet, sunny days and the chilly nights that are ideal for sleeping. Crisp Novem-ber mornings are almost impossible to describe, even to another hunter. But the aroma of coffee perking and bacon frying, as you fumble into a heavy coat, is one of life's genuine pleasures.

FISHING IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS

Fishing livens up in the fall. Trout feed almost frantically, sensing the need to store energy for the long winter ahead. The time from mid-October to the end of November, when ice locks up high lakes and snow closes roads, is often the best of all for dedicated trout fans. Rainbows, brookies, browns, and cutthroats, fattened by the feasts of summer, are in the mood to do battle, and many a complacent angler stands shaken after a broadshouldered trout has left him with a broken leader and the glimpse of a huge dorsal fin.

On the high peaks and meadows, the serenity of winter comes early and stays late. Snowplows clear the main roads, keeping villages like Greer and Alpine and the ski slopes at Sunrise accessible. But the country south of State Route 260 and west of U.S. Route 666 generally is one big snowdrift. Only the tracks of an occasional snowmobile or cross-country skier break the cold white surface from late November to late April.

Although trout are not the only fish found in the White Mountains, they are certainly the most popular. Most anglers feel lake fishing is easier and more pro-ductive, so let's take a look at the region's trout lakes.

Big Lake

Fall months are also prime hunting time, and if you're lucky, you can combine turkey with trout, deer with ducks, or bear with brook trout.

Ice fishing is still a minor sport in Arizona, but a sprinkling of die-hard trout chasers is often in attendance on sunny winter days at Luna Lake or Tunnel Lake at Greer. Snowmobilers do well at Big and Crescent. "In town" lakes like Rainbow and Show Low, where access is no problem, usually do not have safe ice.

Big Lake is the undisputed queen of Arizona trout waters. More trout are caught here than at any other single lake in the state. While the lake's 500 acres are not big by most standards, the water is extremely rich, and fishermen take about 400,000 rainbow and brook trout each year. There's never a guarantee in fishing, but Big Lake comes close.

Although most campgrounds are closed, many people choose the fall for camping, claiming a patch of timber on the edge of a meadow for their very own - at least for Yet even the deepest snow eventually melts, and another spectacular White Mountain year begins. and other Arizona Highways products can be ordered through the attached order form or by writing Arizona Highways, 2039 West Lewis Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85009. Telephone orders: (602) 258-1000.

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS BOOK ARIZONA LANDMARKS A Celebration of Arizona's Natural Beauty

In the best tradition of Arizona Highways, we proudly offer this classic book to show off the grandeur of Arizona's natural and man-made landmarks.

A 160-page book and a big 10 by 13 inches in size, Arizona Landmarks displays more than 180 full-color photographs of the state's deserts, mountains, canyons, and plateaus. Arizona-born James E. Cook, a popular Arizona Highways contributor, has written an informative and entertaining text seasoned with history, anecdotes, and tall tales. Arizona Landmarks is an excellent choice for your home or office and a great gift certain to be welcomed by family and friends. Only $35.00, hardcover (includes postage and handling).

Arizona Landmarks Outdoors in Arizona

In the non-expert category, bait is the most popular way to put a trout on the stringer. Live worms, salmon eggs (especially the "fireball" variety), whole-kernel corn, and cheese attract lots of fish. Shore fishermen use bait almost exclusively, and many boaters anchor and do their fishing the same way.

There are periods in late afternoon during the summer months when fly fishermen can work dry flies, but wet patterns are the usual choice, with sink tips or sinking lines needed to get the flies deep. Any well-dressed fly in sizes six to fourteen will catch Big Lake trout. Wooly worms in sizes two to four work well in late summer and early fall.

Spoons and lures get a lot of play here as well, with the long collections of spinners called Ford Fenders, Cowbells, or Lake Trolls being popular. These have no hooks of their own but are trolled as attractors. A hook full of worms trailed two feet behind the spinner rig is widely used, but a small spinning lure like the Z-Ray or Mepps also works, as do wet flies. Spoons and plugs can be cast or trolled.

Big Lake facilities are excellent. The concessionaire gives good advice on where and how to catch fish, and offers rental boats, ice, gas, and propane at a surprisingly well-equipped store. Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest has a paved boat-launch ramp and adjacent parking, and there's a first class fish-cleaning station not far from the store. Taken as a whole-fishing, facilities, and campground-the Big Lake area can serve as a model for administering recreational complexes.

The lake is about forty miles southeast of Pinetop via State Routes 260 and 273. The last fifteen miles are graded gravel, suitable for any sort of vehicle. Deep snow keeps State Route 273 closed from late November to late April, although those dates may vary a couple of weeks either way, depending on the ferocity of the winter.

Lee Valley Lake

Lee Valley Lake is one of the most beautiful spots in the White Mountains, tucked away in a quiet corner of the forest at the foot of 11,590-foot Mount Baldy. The thirty-five-acre lake contains only brook trout, and fishing is best in April, May, and early June, with another peak in late October. Flies and lures will work, but brookies are very fond of worms.

Access is via State Route 273, about halfway between Sunrise and Crescent lakes. There are restrooms, a parking lot, and a paved launch ramp.

Nelson Reservoir

Nelson Reservoir is popular with the "bait from shore" crowd. It's right beside paved U. S. Route 666, south of Springer-ville, so access is no problem. Its sixty acres give up brook and brown trout early and late in the year. Rainbows are most prevalent during the summer months. A boat launch, restroom, and a couple of picnic areas are available. Though most fish are pan-size, a few monsters come from Nelson every year, and the knowl-edge they're there adds spice to any visit.

(Editor's note-Author Hirsch deals in detail with seventeen other White Moun-tain lakes, then turns to the streams of the area:)

White Mountain Streams

You can jump across most White Mountain trout streams, so you won't find the huge calendar-picture rivers some other Western states offer. Most streams wind through dense forests, however, and if you hike a few hundred yards, they offer gorgeous solitude to go with the wild trout. Stretches near campgrounds and resorts are stocked weekly during the busy summer months. The more remote streams have small, wild trout.

East and West Forks of the Black River meet just below Buffalo Crossing, approximately ten miles south of Big Lake, on Forest Road 24. The East Fork offers mostly "put-and-take" trout fishing (the hatchery trucks put them in, anglers take them out) as the stream flows beside the road from Buffalo Crossing to Diamond Rock. The West Fork, from Thompson Ranch to the campground just above PS Ranch, is small, brushy, and hard to fish. Brown trout appear upstream to the Indian reservation boundary, and stocked rainbows are near the campground.

Black River is a good place to get away from the crowd, with about eleven miles of stream to Wildcat Bridge and then another four to the reservation border. It is mostly for hikers who are interested in pausing to take small rainbows and an occasional brown trout.

Campbell Blue, Grant, and KP creeks are very small streams that flow into the Blue River south of Alpine and east of U. S. Route 666. They raise wild rainbow trout that seldom are larger than six or seven inches. The area is mostly for backpackers and wilderness lovers.

Outdoors in Arizona

Silver Creek, about ten miles north of Show Low, represents only about a mile of public water, just below the Silver Springs Hatchery. Rainbows are stocked in the spring, but it's normally too warm during the summer months.

East Fork, Little Colorado River is a very small stream, flowing six miles from Coulter Reservoir to Greer, where it meets the West Fork of the Little Colorado. It sports brook trout and some rainbows.

West Fork, Little Colorado River is another tiny stream. This one begins on the slopes of Mount Baldy, runs under the bridge on State Route 273 at Sheep Crossing, then plunges into wild country on its way to Greer. There are rainbows at the crossing, brookies upstream, and some browns downstream. Enjoy West Fork's beauty, but don't expect a big catch.

Little Colorado River has a bit more water after the various forks join at Greer but is still small. It's stocked weekly during the summer at several locations in the Greer area, mostly with rainbows in the eight to nine-inch class. There are also some brown trout, especially in the stretch from South Fork junction downstream toward Eagar.

HUNTING IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS

Hunters love the White Mountains for their diversity. The pine-spruce-fir forests harbor deer, elk, turkey, bear, and lion, plus a rich mixture of small game. As the land slopes off to the north into lower elevations, junipers appear and then rolling grassland, home of antelope herds.

Below the Mogollon Rim, south of Alpine and Hannagan Meadow, is the rugged country of the Blue River, a wild jumble of peaks and canyons, of mixed juniper and pine, and chaparral thickets that resist all entrance. U. S. Route 666 curves its way through the landscape. Few side roads penetrate the wilderness beyond the highway.

Game management Units 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, and 27 make up the White Mountain area. They serve to delineate the hunting units established by the Arizona Game and Fish Department for people control. Nearly all big-game hunting is by permit, and a hunter must generally choose one of these units or a combination of several and confine hunting to them.

Game animals don't recognize these arbitrary boundaries, and there's a good deal of seasonal migration. The antelope in Unit 1, for example, may move back and forth from there to 2C or 2B. Deer and elk may do the same, complicating things a bit by also drifting on and off the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

There may be some of this movement at almost any time of year, but generally the deer, elk, and turkey stay in the high country during the summer and fall, drift off into lower elevations for the winter, then gradually follow the snow line back up the mountains in the spring.

Of the ten species of big-game animals found in Arizona, only the buffalo is not found in the White Mountains. Recent plants of Rocky Mountain bighorns have been made to supplement sheep from New Mexico that have drifted into the area, and the Blue Primitive Area seems to be a natural for them. With good natural reproduction and additional plants from other Western states, limited permit hunts will probably continue.

Elk Hunting

The White Mountain elk herd is at or near the optimum carrying capacity of the range, so each year's hunt is designed to keep the population numbers within certain limits. The elk herds are in good shape statewide, and more than 2000 animals have been harvested during each of the recent years.

There are conventional firearm, muzzleloader, and archery hunts in White Mountain units, and seasons stretch from mid-September to mid-December. The archery season is first, with permit holders hunting in an area that combines 1, 2C, 3A, 3B, and 4A and 4B. The archers are afield during the rut, when bulls are rounding up harems of cows, and the woods echo with the high, shrill challenge of the males, making them a bit easier to locate. In spite of the range and accuracy limitations of their weapons, the bow hunters have a ten to twelve percent success rate.

The same units have a late-September to early-October hunt for mature bulls (four points or better); about 200 permits are authorized and firearms are legal. Slightly less than one of three hunters succeeds in this season.

Unit 27 usually has an early hunt, but it is for muzzleloaders only, and the success rate is generally somewhere between those of the archers and the modern rifle hunters.

The late elk season is scheduled for ten days in late November and early December when herds may be moving into lower winter range in Unit 27, where about 400 permits are drawn. The higher units, 1, 2C, and 3B, have approximately 800 permits for a ten-day hunt in mid-December. The elk are most often in the lower juniper and mixed juniper-pine areas by that time. Hunters here can expect success figures in the twenty-five to thirty percent range.

(Editor's note—The chapter's section on hunting also discusses deer, antelope, turkey, bear, lion, javelina, and bighorn sheep, and concludes with small game:)

Small-Game Hunting

Abert squirrels are found in ponderosa pine stands all across the Rim country, and they are a popular game animal during the October season. Red squirrels, somewhat smaller, are found at higher elevations, but most of the effort is expended for Aberts. Look for open, park-like stands of ponderosa.

Hunt blue grouse in the higher elevations, above 8500 feet. This chicken-size bird (about two pounds) lives in high country meadows and roosts in nearby trees. Overgrown logging roads are a good bet as well. The feathers are dusky blue and the tail has a band of light-tipped feathers. Mount Baldy, Escudilla Mountain, and the Hannagan Meadow area are good places to hunt. The season runs from early September to mid-November, with a three-bird daily limit.

Acorns are a favorite food of bandtail pigeons in the fall, so look for these birds in oak trees, especially those around water holes or small lakes. They also relish piñon nuts, berries and, if they can find them, grain crops. Bandtails are federally managed, since they migrate and occasionally fly south before the October season begins. Check the areas just under the Rim and along the Blue River in Unit 27, and anywhere along the band of oaks that marks where the high country begins to slope toward the juniper-grassland.

There are some fairly good mourning dove flights in the White Mountains. Any-where you can find stubble fields, you'll find doves during the September season. The farming belt along Silver Creek, in the Snowflake-Taylor area, is a good place to begin. But don't expect huge flights like those in the Phoenix and Tucson areas.

The lakes and ponds of the White Mountains raise some ducks, mostly mallards and teal, and there's even a couple of small resident flocks of Canada geese. Waterfowl hunting is best when the October opening coincides with the early migration of pintail ducks. Many of the so-called lakes shown on White Mountain maps are really shallow, weedy areas that can hold good numbers of ducks. The area south and west of Springerville has a good many of these duck factories. There's some jump shooting along the Little Colorado, downstream from Springerville. Lyman Lake, which seldom freezes, holds some ducks and geese throughout the season.

Most of the high country ponds freeze late in November, and except for some isolated areas with open water, that ends the shooting season.