THE GOOD: SENATE BILL 127 • THE BAD: GOVERNOR MILLER • THE UGLY: POLITICS

Senate Bill 127 was requested by HUNTER'S ALERT for a bill draft almost a year before the 1997 legislative session was to begin. One of the most important parts of this bill was that all county advisory boards to manage wildlife would submit nominations to the governor of qualified people for appointment to the Wildlife Commission. The governor would then be required to select from these lists. Knowledgeable p...
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HEROES

Assemblyman David Humke
Senator Jack Regan
Senator Ann O'Connell

ZEROS

GovernorBob Miller
Willie Moloni

Mahlon Brown chose not to seek another term as a wildlife commissioner. That was really good news for the sportsmen and the game in our state!! 1 am sure that he had his reasons for not seeking reappointment and I am sure that those reasons would be different from those of HUNTER'S ALERT.

From the Las Vegas Sun, April 14, 1997: "The dwindling desert bighorn sheep populations in Clark County could also be attributed to man-made water collection sites that are drawing the animals away from local ranges."

Ed. note: This is a direct slap in the face to all those fine people who have worked for years putting in water projects for the sheep.

Wouldn't it be nice if every time you wanted money, all you had to do was ask? Nevada Division of Wildlife thought they were going to be able to achieve this with Assembly Bill 47 which they sponsored.

If there were a three strike law for a commissioner not representing sportsmen, Commissioner Tiberti would surely be OUT. Commissioner Tiberti's latest blunder came during the November, 1996 Clark County Advisory Board meeting.

Being a wildlife commissioner is one of the most sought-after appointments a governor can make. Now if the governor happens to be Bob Miller, a large political contribution will enhance your chances of being appointed. HUNTER'S ALERT told you in our very first newsletter (April 1992) that John Giovenco through the Hilton Corporation donated $50,000.00 to Governor Miller's election campaign. Shortly thereafter, John Giovenco's wife, Kathy was appointed to the Wildlife Commission.

Ted Nugent and Kevin Kelley
Rod Smith Sportsmen of Eureka County

Most of you may recognize Ted Nugent as a rock star. However, he is a avid rifle and bow hunter. He has put his money where his mouth is in forming The United Sportsmen of America. He made phone calls to our legislators for the passage of SB127. The Nevada representative for The United Sportsmen of America is Kevin Kelley. Kevin spent hours e-mailing our legislators in support of SB 127.

Rod Smith is a member of the Clark County Wildl...
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On numerous occasions, the Nevada Division of Wildlife (NDOW) has been less than truthful with the sportsmen in our state. This was the case yet again at the September Wildlife Commission meeting in Henderson. At this meeting, Greg Tanner, chief of NDOW's Game Management Bureau, gave a report on the findings regarding predation on bighorn sheep in southern Nevada.

• ASSEMBLYMAN JOHN LEE
• ASSEMBLYWOMAN GENIE OHRENSCHALL
• ASSEMBLYMAN HARRY MORTENSON
• ASSEMBLYMAN TOM COLLINS
• ASSEMBLYMAN ROY NEIGHBORS
• ASSEMBLYWOMAN GENE SEGERBLOM
• ASSEMBLYWOMAN MARCIA de BRAGA

There are times when a politician goes against party lines, goes against the speaker and the governor to vote for what they believe in. In doing so, they take a beating from their party but they do what the general public wants them to do. This is what a good elected official is all about.

The position of ambassador to Mexico is vacant. Governor Miller would love to have his buddy, Bill Clinton appoint him to this position. But first, Governor Miller must be confirmed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This presents a serious dilemma for the sportsmen of our state. Do we tell the truth to the Committee about Governor Miller'? Or shall we be facetious?

Deer hunting in Nevada is an immensely popular activity, with, in a normal year, 50,000 - 75,000 people applying for deer tags. Of course, it goes without saying that you need deer, in quantity, to fill even a portion of the demand.

There is no doubt among dedicated mule deer hunters that the Jicarilla Apache Reservation in New Mexico has made a comeback in recent years. There was a time in the 1970's when the once famous deer hunting on this reservation faded badly. Then in 1980, the Jicarilla Apache Tribe assumed management authority for their own fish and wildlife program. To their credit, they started a rigorous predator control program (emphasis added) and also put a clamp on poachers. As a result, by 1990 they wer...
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SUPPORTING SENATORS OF SB127

• KATHY AUGUSTINE (R) LAWRENCE JACOBSEN (R)
• MARK JAMES (R)
• MIKE MCGINNESS (R)
• ANN O'CONNELL (R)
• BILL O'DONNELL (R)
• JON PORTER (R)
• BILL RAGGIO (R)
• JACK REGAN (D)
• DEAN RHOADS (R)

After having spent considerable time in the woods watching wildlife, I am convinced that the only time four-legged predators such as coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions take the sick and infirm is after they have already eaten all the healthy animals! Maybe that sounds like a strong statement to some; I hope it does. Death by predation is not a pretty picture. Seldom do predators kill their prey before they start devouring it.

In our lead story, we said that politics is ugly. And the 1997 legislative session was no exception. Let's review the reasons a senator, assemblyman or woman votes on a particular bill. They can vote for a bill because they believe in it or their constituents want it. They can and will vote against a bill even though they believe in it. This type of elected official is more concerned about his or her own agenda than those of the people they are supposed to represent.