Reprinted from the Elko Daily Free Press, Elko, Nevada, Friday, April 19, 1996, Barbwire column:

Jerry Smith of the Nevada Department of Wildlife this week asked hunters to consider participating in his agency's new extortion scheme (aka Partnership in Wildlife, second chance drawing, pig in a poke, etc.) to provide a "long-term source of revenue for future management of Nevada's game animals and fish." We strongly disagree with Smith and recommend hunters boycott the phony deal and demand that their legislators outlaw the scam. Not only should hunters reject the plan on a matter of principle—extortionists are never satisfied, they keep demanding more and more from their victims — but also because NDOW already has a long-term source of funding - license fees from sportsmen. And the current funding source has the added benefit of a built-in incentive for good game management — the best game management policies will produce the most game animals, which in turn will provide the most license fees.

A separate funding source will allow NDOW to hide its failures while it continues to build an unresponsive bureaucracy.