HA Newsletter 01

After years of putting up with abuses and indifferences by the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) and Board of Wildlife Commissioners, Hunter's Alert, along with sportsmen and sports­man's groups from around the state, decided they had enough and had bills drafted in Carson City to force legislative changes on NDOW.

HUNTER'S ALERT would like to thank all of you for becoming mem­bers. Your support will make hunt­ing and fishing better in our state. We apologize for not getting our newsletter out sooner but we have been fighting for your hunting and fishing rights in the meantime.

It is apparent from the hundreds of comments and replies we have received that there is a need for an organization such as HUNTER'S ALERT. Because the need has been demonstrated, we feel confident to proceed with developing a board of directors and a set of bylaws. We urge your support and your active participation in this process in order to obtain our goal of improving hunting and fishing opportunities in the state of Nevada.

BIGHORN SHEEP MASSACRE A MYSTERY

On a chilly November day last year, hunter Jack Anderson climbed the rocky terrain of a peak near Carp, a Union Pacific railroad stop in Meadow Valley Wash at the foot of the Mormon Mountains, 65 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

What could be crazier than giving one's complete trust to a governmental entity?

I can't believe I used to do just that. I actually believed that is I was a good sportsman, a law abiding sportsman, a hunter and fisherman who abided by all the written laws and followed the ethical guidelines

HUNTER'S ALERT has no love for Governor Bob Miller, alias "BASKETBALL BOB." It started when Governor Miller was "hand­ed" the governorship. There were some appointments due on the Wildlife Commission and some of the largest outdoor groups in the state met with him to insure quali­fied sportsmen received these posi­tions. He could have cared less about the sportsman. He was more concerned about getting elected gov­ernor. Look who he appointed,

The 1992 resident hunting and license tag fees compiled by Nevada Department of Wildlife indicate that Nevada hunters are paying double the average of all Western states and Canadian provinces.

The results below of the HUNTER'S ALERT survey indicate that we have some serious problems with our state game management. Obviously, under the present leadership, governor, wildlife commissioners, and director of the Department of Wildlife, the situation will not improve. A copy of this newsletter will be sent to all state legislators with the goal of accomplishing future changes.

From July, 1989 to June, 1991, Nevada Department of Wildlife con-)ducted a survey of sage grouse pro­duction and mortality. Fourteen hundred eggs were placed in two hundred simulated sage grouse nests with seven eggs per nest. This was during the 15 day period when sage hens lay their eggs.

In the past few years, HUNTER'S ALERT has had many occasions to see our Nevada Department of Wildlife Director Will Molini appear at fiscal and leg­islative meetings. It always puzzled us why he was sitting with (and being supported by) anti-hunting groups like the Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy, and Wildlife Federation. We couldn't understand this since it is the hunters and fish­ermen in this state who produce 97% of his Department's funding. During these meetings he complete­ly ignored the wants and concerns of the sportsmen of our state and much praise was continually heaped on him by the anti-hunting groups.

"Use it or loose it" could well be the rallying cry today as sportsmen and outdoorsmen struggle to main­tain a time honored recreation and traditional way of life. Today, more than ever the shrinking open areas where hunting and fishing were once the primary activities, are being divided among a host of users and priorities.