NDOW Full of S - - -moke and Mirrors For the past decade, NDOW has given us many reasons (BS) why our game numbers have declined. (Never predators!) Of course, they expect we should believe what they preach.

Following are a few beauties from out of the past and their latest tap-dance.

In the past, deer numbers have declined because of drought, bad winters, fires and pinion-juniper woodlands. (Again, never predators!) While our deer numbers were declining, elk numbers were on the increase.

At a Clark County Wildlife Advisory Board meeting, it was mentioned that during drought years, it must only rain where the elk are. The reply by Mike Wickersham, NDOW Region Three regional manager was that elk don't sweat like deer.

Contrary to NDOW's beliefs, our desert sheep are declining. It has become so bad that in 1987 there were almost as many rams harvested (112) as tags to be allotted in the coming year. (114) Greg Tanner, chief of NDOW's Game Management Bureau stated at a Wildlife Commission meeting that there were only two areas where sheep were

declining. The excuse was the overused drought excuse in the Desert Range and the defunct Arvada Game Ranch in the Virgin/Gold Butte Area. Apparently the Desert Range was the only one that had a drought. As for blaming the Arvada Game Ranch, no one has been able to figure that one out.

This year's oxymoron is a real beauty. The Nevada Division of Wildlife's publication, Recommendations for Hunting Season Dates, January 2000, states the following about our deer herds: "Significant herd growth has not occurred. This is due to two reasons. Adult deer mortality that occurred during the winter of 1992-93 was underestimated...The second is the number of successive years of fawn recruitment above 42 fawns/100 does that is needed for significant population growth." As usual, NDOW never mentioned anything about predators.

This next statement from their publication shows how desperate they are for excuses.

"Over the past four years, the Division

has likely been overestimating the size of Nevada's mule deer population." Why did

they ask for a 69% increase in doe tags last year and a substantial increase in deer tags for this year? If you have been overestimating the size of the herd, how can you continually, year after year, ask for an increase in tag numbers? Does any of this make any sense? I guess it does if you are an agency that has been mismanaged for years and you are desperate for money.

Ed. Note: NDOW still doesn't get it. You can have a good ratio of fawns but when the coyotes overhaul (kill and eat) them, you don't have as many deer becoming adults. It is quite apparent that NDOW wants more coyotes and fewer deer.