Because of involvement in civic responsibilities for most of my adult life, 1 had very little time for one of my favorite pastimes, hunting. However, when time permitted, I enjoyed hunting in Nevada for over 30 years and have many fond memories of these trips.
I feel strongly that hunters must be able to have controlled hunting while not endangering any species. Overkill and overprotection are both practices which are detrimental to all species. A good example of overprotection is the wild horse and burro. Because they are wild, their numbers need to be stabilized as are deer, antelope and other wild animals. With total protection, their numbers increase to the point that they damage their range and diminish their food sup­ply. By not overkilling or overprotecting, there will always be a healthy herd of wild horses and burros.

While I no longer hunt deer in Nevada, I have recently hunted deer in Texas, and Elk in Colorado. I am an avid bird hunter, again finding that success seems to be better in other states. I hope that game numbers can be restored in Nevada so the state would benefit from increased license and tag money and Nevada would once again be a premier Western hunting destination.
With all the anti-hunting, anti-gun sen­timent, it has never been more important for all the hunters to unite. It is amazing that hunters haven't banded together to form a powerful organization like the National Rifle Association. There are many well meaning hunters who belong
to organizations to enhance duck, sheep, or elk numbers but do nothing to ensure they will always be able to continue to hunt these species. The need to organize to protect hunters rights and to improve Nevada's hunting are priorities which must be addressed immediately for the future of the sport.

Written by Ron Lurie, former Las Vegas Mayor