The bill will allow a private organization (501C.3) to receive big game tags with no limit on the number of tags and the tags can be auctioned or raffled off at any price. This bill is intended to bypass the current system of auctioning off governor's tags and the Partnership in Wildlife (PIW) tags.

This bill will give more tags to the wealthy and fewer tags will be available for the average hunter. In my opinion, wildlife belongs to everyone, not the rich or special interest groups.

Who is responsible for proposing such a selfish, toxic, ruinous bill? This bill is being touted by former Wildlife Commissioner Bill Bradley. He is the president of Nevada Wildlife Foundation, a 501C.3 corporation. Of course, former Wildlife Commissioner Tommy Ford is the secretary and of course, former Wildlife Commissioner John Moran is the treasurer. These are the same individuals that Larry Johnson was so supportive of when they were Wildlife commissioners.

According to my Legislature connections, this bill is currently dead in the Assembly. However, this group is prepared to attach this bill to a wildlife Senate bill, S.B. 411. This bill pertains to demerit points, which involves more law enforcement. I believe they want to attach A.B. 437 to the Senate bill which is still active.

These former commissioners just can't give it up. Can it get any lower than this for Bradley, Ford and Moran? Many of us in Nevada believe they were not good Wildlife commissioners and now they want to take tags from average Nevada hunters and auction them off at any price to rich people. Does anyone catch on that NDOW stands to gain big-time from all of this? Do we all see clearly the rosy relationship between NDOW and private interest groups such as NBU? By the way, Bradley, Moran and Ford have been closely associated with and supporters of NBU for many years. Great bunch of guys, huh?

There are many questions to be answered such as:  Are the Larry Johnson clones, NBU and the Coalition part of this just so they could get some tags to auction? If so, be honest, Larry, for a change and come out of the closet. If these groups are not part of this disgraceful bill, why are they not opposing it like the average Nevada hunter would? NBU and the Coalition claim to represent thousands of sportsmen. It appears they only represent the people who can give them tags which would be sold to the rich, not the average hunter. Prove me wrong.

Meanwhile, this slippery concealed charade over A. B. 437 and S. B. 411 continues between NDOW and the three former Wildlife commissioners to the exclusion of the average Nevada hunter.

Bud Sonnentag