It is only appropriate to reflect upon the cause of the mule deer passing.  Was its demise brought on by natural or man-made causes?  Did the doctors ignore the growth of the disease or promote and foster it knowing that death would be imminent.  We certainly should not stop asking these questions.

From this untimely death there is in all likelihood no return.  This iconic animal will be missed by everyone for generations to come who will not have a chance to meet the once great Nevada mule deer herd, just a straggler once and a while.  Unfortunately, its neighbor the big horn sheep seems to be suffering from a similar disease.  Will it endure the same agonizing death as the mule deer ? Will the doctors intervene while there is still hope or will its fate follow the mule deer who passed before it ? These questions must be answered quickly because next year may be too late.

 In our grief we must not simplify this long and tragic story.  Is it possible the death of our great icon was actually premeditated murder ? Was it engineered by a select few, who with our trusted authority, took our mule deer through a long and protracted demise that gave the appearance of being unavoidable to the unsuspecting.  Did our mule deer have enemies that never revealed themselves as the disease progressed from minuscule to mortal ? How many of these enemies reside in Nevada ?

Is it possible the Nevada mule deer had enemies as far away as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in Washington DC ?  Did the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies ignore the true diagnosis and try to heal the mule deer situation with voodoo medicine.  Did the true diagnosis by these thousands of doctors belonging to The Wildlife Society not fit their agendas for the future of Nevada's Wildlife Action Plan and the Wildlands Project which is all part of the Biodiversty Initiative emanating from the cozy relationship between USF&WS and The Nature Conservancy.  These are all intriguing questions that must be answered.  The reality is that the challenge of managing wildlife has become enormously political.  It shouldn't be, but it seems many have injected themselves into the mule deer treatment process who have no business being there.

I have heard environmental extremists and anti-gun advocates proclaim the North American Wildlife Model is a fraud.  The NAWM is the most successful wildlife management program ever devised by man.  It is the envy of the world.  No individual or nation can claim the success we have achieved in North America by restoring our wildlife to thriving populations by the sweat, toil and money of our hunters and fishermen for the deep love of their sport.  I would submit the average American is quite happy with the wildlife recovery accomplished across this country over the past century, if you tune out the incessant caterwauling of the environmentalist crowd.
  Today as we meet in this room, wildlife management agencies like NDOW across this country face easy decisions only made difficult by their temptations to listen to groups of extremists who have a different vision for the future of our hunting heritage and our mule deer.  A vision that will lead to the destruction of the wildlife resources we spent the last 100 years rebuilding.  A vision that totally disregards the literal billions spent to accomplish the greatest recovery of wildlife resources in the history of mankind.

The decisions all of you make now and in the future will determine the success of our once great mule deer herd and bighorn sheep.  Your job is not about being politically correct or embracing the priorities of special interest groups.  You don't have to listen to those voices from afar.  Stand up like men should for their state and tell Washington DC how you're going to protect Nevada's hunting heritage and bring back our mule deer, the property of Nevada and the stalwart of NDOW revenue.  To see this agency and its policy makers leaning to biodiversity sends a clear signal to all that NDOW sees more lucrative funding through sources other than mule deer and the hunter sporting class which supported them for 100 years.  Shame on you, Nevada Department of Wildlife. You have the face of a harlot and this nation is watching you.

      Read on the record to the Nevada Department of Wildlife and Wildlife Commissioners on Feb 8th-9th 2008 commission meeting.

      Bud Sonnentag
      Po Box 72
      Gabbs,  NV  89409