Presented to the Clark County Wildlife Advisory Board, January 7, 1998

Let's look at the Nevada Deer Hunt Plan Task Force. Their purpose is to examine alternate harvest strategies, hoping to facilitate increases in hunter recruitment and opportunity while preserving the quality features of the Nevada deer hunting system. I agree that we need more hunters. That makes us stronger. And obviously, hunters would like more tags available. Let's examine the harvest management issues. The first is Unit Simplification. Does this increase our deer numbers? Absolutely not! The next would be unlimited archery tags. Does this increase our deer number? Again, no! The third is a resident youth hunt which I personally agree with. However, this does not increase the number of people who can hunt deer. The other three issues are anterless hunts, season opening dates and lengths, and a twenty three day plus season option. None of these harvest management issues helps restore Nevada deer herds.

In 1988, we had 57,000 deer hunters in our state. Last year, 21,000. We need to get these 35,000 lost deer hunters back into the system. When we were going to school, there was a four letter word that nobody was allowed to say and it was referred to as the "f' word. During the O.J. Simpson trial, we all realized that there was another word we couldn't say, the "n" word. Well it seems as though for the past ten years the Nevada Division of Wildlife has established a "p" word. That's right, we're not allowed to talk about predators. They are non-existent in the State of Nevada as far as NDOW is concerned.

I believe that everyone in attendance will agree that a natural resource like deer should be managed

for what's best for the natural resource. What is best for the natural resource is sometimes not best for the Nevada Division of Wildlife. Because of years of mismanagement, we have lost 70% of our deer and the $4 million in revenue that goes with it. This revenue had to be made up some way and under Willie Molini's philosophy it was not to bring back our deer numbers but to figure out more ways to extract money from the hunters. The Wildlife Heritage and the Second Chance Draw are just a few of his pipe dreams.

Tonight we're here to consider another way to extract money from the hunters. A simple way would be to give unlimited archery tags. This would give NDOW more money with fewer deer being harvested. This is merely going, to drive a wedge between hunters. Why should 2300 archers receive a tag every year while 31,000 rifle hunters hunt every two or three years? I understand both sides, but rifle hunters are disgusted with the current system and go to other states to hunt. This is a loss of hunter recruitment. It is NDOW's way of "Divide and Conquer". This plan should be entitled "Another Piece of Fleece" by Willie Molini.

What we are attempting to do here with this unlimited archery is to manage people instead of managing wildlife. In summary, the Nevada Deer Hunt Plan Task Force is like the Titanic. NDOW is asking you to rearrange the deck chairs while the boat is sinking. Meanwhile they're still selling more tickets for the boat ride. Until they get back to some serious predator control and bring deer numbers back, this boat is destined to sink.

By Cecil Fredi, President, HUNTER'S ALERT