I here are 18 western states which make up the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. In 1994 the average cost for residents to hunt deer in their respective states or provinces was $24.25. In Nevada it was $45.50, almost double. Next year, your hunting license will increase by $3.00. There are many other hunting and fishing license increases in A.B.212. These increases were needed to keep Nevada Division of Wildlife afloat because of years of mismanagement, not the Mother Nature excuses that Nevada Division of Wildlife has been using for the past decade. These increases will do nothing to implement new hunting and fishing programs in our state.

The Assembly had to vote twice to get this bill passed. This should be a wake-up call to Nevada Division of Wildlife. "The well is about dry. You'd better clean up your act." HUNTER'S ALERT is willing, as hunters have always been, to support increases in hunting and fishing license fees if they are also necessary to better hunting and fishing in the state, but only after hunters and fishermen are given more input into the process.

Editor's Note:

Nevada Division of Wildlife will probably request a tag fee increase in the next legislative session. In the following session, they will probably ask for another license fee increase. Because the legislature meets only every other year, using this method, they will be able to say that they haven't gotten an increase in four years. I guess that the public isn't supposed to figure that out.