Apparently using the mathematical system invented by Louis Farrakhan(you know, 1 +1 =19, or 400,000 = 200,000), the Nevada Division of Wildlife announced a sharp increase in deer tags this year, an additional 7,000 tags, up 34 percent from last year.

That's good news for hunters, since increasing numbers of tags means the deer population has proportionally increased as well. At least, that's what you would logically assume.

I assumed as much. So it came as quite a shock to discover that Nevada's total deer population had not increased - it actually declined by 3 percent since last year. In fact, in parts of Nevada, the deer population is clearly in a tailspin, in spite of the "feel good" press releases sent out by NDOW.

The conventional wisdom has been that weather and range conditions are the most critical factors in deer herd behavior. If you have good quantities of moisture coupled with lots of deer food, you have ideal conditions for rapid expansion of deer populations. And vice-versa. Drought and plants that lack nutritional succulence result in deer in poor physical condition with low fawn survival. Additionally, extremely harsh winter conditions such as prolonged deep accumulations of snow accompanied by sub-zero temperatures can result in large "die-offs." The winter of 1992 is a good example.

However, range conditions have been very good to excellent for the past four years, and the winter temperatures (since '92) have been normal or even on the mild side. The conditions are almost textbook perfect examples of rapid deer herd growth. Lots of healthy plants make for healthy deer; deer in good condition have large healthy fawns; mild winters kill few deer, allowing for rapid expansion. The deer herd should be exploding.

So what's going on? The one forbidden word, exorcised by the wildlife management community in the 196()'s as untouchable, comes clearly to the front -"predators." Predators were placed on a pedestal in the late '60s and early '70s and "predator control" became an

anachronistic term. All "educated" people condemned it as unnecessary, even counter productive. Didn't predators weed out the weak, the diseased, and actually help keep the natural world healthy? Weren't they part of the food chain? Didn't they create the balance of nature? The Leopold report in 1964 and the Cain Report in 1972, both government sponsored, said as much and the universities teaching our future wildlife managers responded in kind. The graduates from 1965 on were almost preconditioned to condemn even mentioning predation as a serious factor in large ungulate (such as deer and antelope) populations. Today, the graduates from the late '60s arc running the show here in Nevada. The "P" word remains forbidden. The deer of western Nevada, especially those herds that live in both California and Nevada, called "interstate" deer herds, have declined significantly. The deer of eastern Nevada by way of contrast, have expanded. What's the difference? Range conditions? No. Bad winters? No. Then, what? Well, California has an extremely high mountain lion population, due to outlawing the hunting of them. Could this be a significant factor? You bet. In a four-year study conducted by the California Department of Fish and Game, 50 percent of the deer mortalities it recorded were from mountain lions. A similar study in California, conducted from 1978-1985, reached almost identical results. Not only that, but another eye opening fact came to light. The rule of thumb used by wildlife biologists, when responding about how many deer mountain lions actually kill, has been, "about one a week on average." What did California discover? Quote: "By closely following individual lions, researchers documented an average interval of 1.8 days between kills." Lions there kill at least three deer a week, a dramatic jump compared to the conventional wisdom. When you multiply that by the 5,100 estimated adult lions in California, you can easily see why their herds have experienced sharp declines. The 5,100 number, by the way, includes no lions under the age of two, due to the high mortality they experience. The total population, if you included juveniles, in California is probably between 10,000 and 15,000 animals.

In eastern Nevada, lion populations arc held in check by hunters. Several

professional guides operate there. Federal Animal Damage Control (ADC) personnel also kill several dozen lions each year which have killed livestock. Combined, this harvest removes enough lions to control the population. This has allowed the deer herd there to take advantage of the ideal range conditions and the herd is expanding steadily.

In western Nevada, lions are also hunted, but any animals removed are quickly replaced by lions migrating from lion-saturated California. Deer herds that once blocked entire highways during migrations have dwindled to almost insignificance. By failing to keep lions and deer in a balanced proportion, the total populations of lions and deer suffer. Lion numbers keep deer from expanding, or even maintaining current levels, which will ultimately result in declines in lion populations as well. For all you people that think it's "inhumane" to hunt lions, remember that lion populations decline through starvation, a slow, lingering death that makes "sport" hunting look like mercy killing.

Lions have also had a dramatic impact on bighorn sheep in Nevada. NDOW has an extensive (and expensive) program of reintroducing bighorn sheep into historic habitat currently vacant. In one such release, in the Pancake Range in Nye County, the sheep were released in an area that had no mountain lions. NDOW, in an annual report in 1990, stated the following: "In 1984, 26 sheep were released in the Pancake Range. Unlike other central Nevada releases, the Pancake Range population doesn't appear to be subjected to lion depredation. The growth rate of this population has been most impressive. In 1987, 49 sheep were observed; in 1989, 89 sheep were observed." In the annual report of 1996, NDOW reported for the same area (still lion free) the following: "During the most recent survey, conducted in September of 1995, a total of 208 sheep were classified. Lamb production and /or survival was excellent. This population continues to expand in both numbers and distribution and is considered a huge success. Each successive survey finds a new record count."

The Wassuk Range near Hawthorne has been the location of repeated releases in an effort to establish and expand the bighorn sheep population there. The 1990 report stated "Three formal helicopter surveys of the Wassuk Range were conducted during the past year. No bighorn were seen during these surveys. Similar results were encountered by a contract biologist spending seven working days conducting a ground survey in the area. Mountain lions inhabit the area and lion kills have been documented repeatedly. This data suggests that bighorn remain in the Wassuks, but that the population is scattered and low density. Lion predation is probably keeping the bighorn population from expanding".

The Wassuk example has been repeated in many locations in Nevada, including Lone Mountain near Tonopah, Morey Peak in Nye County, the Sheep Range in Clark County, and closer to home, the Big Canyon Ranch area at Pyramid Lake.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent on these releases; it's a crime

that sportsmen's dollars have been used to, in effect, provide difficult to obtain and expensive transplanted sheep as feed for local mountain lions. Prior to release, an extensive hunt and removal by lethal means of all lions should be conducted (as is done in other states) with follow-up hunts each year, until the bighorn populations are thoroughly established.

Nevada had, until the early 1970's, three full-time lion hunters who constantly roamed the state, year round, and helped keep the population in check. NDOW should establish a similar program, or contract such services out.

A single bighorn sheep tag has sold for over $100,000. Millions of dollars are spent by hunters (especially in rural Nevada) in good years in pursuit of game.

The money is available. The rationale exists. Why not try it? In the long run, the deer, the bighorn sheep, the hunters, the ranchers --and yes, even the lions --would benefit by it.

Reprinted from The Sparks Tribune, June 12, 1996 Ira Hansen