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.

For eight years, HUNTER'S ALERT and other concerned sportsmen in southern Nevada have told NDOW that our sheep are being decimated by mountain lions. Of course, NDOW does not have to listen or account to anyone so nothing has been done about this problem. And it appears by Mr. Tanner's report, nothing is going to be done either.

Mr. Tanner presented a "Mountain Lion Control Analysis Database" report at this meeting. It listed fourteen statewide sheep areas and only two of them had negative findings. First, the Virgin/Gold Butte area. Mr. Tanner stated that the reason the sheep are on the decline there was because of the Arvada Game Ranch. This game ranch has been out of business there for years and the only wild game left in the area are pigs. This was a feeble excuse for the loss of sheep in this area. The next area with declining sheep populations was the Desert Range. The reason for this decline? Why of course, the drought. When no other feeble excuse is available, use the old standard drought excuse. Translated, NDOW is saying we don't have a lion problem and therefore we don't have to do anything about it.

The sportsmen are supposed to be gullible enough to believe this.

When sportsmen questioned why other areas were not listed in the report. Mr. Tanner stated that there were no problems in other sheep areas. It has gotten so bad that in 1987 there were more rams harvested (112) than the total allotted this year which is 98 tags. We have more areas to hunt sheep in than we have ever had, we have more water projects for sheep than we have ever had, and yet fewer tags allotted. But we still don't have a problem with lions. As one sportsman commented after the meeting. "It's quite apparent when it comes to telling the truth, NDOW makes O.J. Simpson look like a choirboy "