In addition, predator management did not exist in NDOW Administrator Crawforth s first two years on the job. It was only in the last six months that Administrator Crawforth has agreed to provide funding for predator management and only after pressure from many sportsmen and sportsmen s groups compelled you to do something before we lost our game populations. This should have originated from you and your Commission if you were doing your job setting policies for the Division of Wildlife.
The mountain lion policy you speak of is nothing more than a feel-good policy. You stated that mountain lion sales increased 61%. But you fail to report the facts on this fallacious policy. This massive increase that you brag about did not result in more lions being harvested. The policy was implemented in 1997-98 and 210 lions were killed. However, the year before that, 143 lions were taken, a year after it was implemented, 140
lions were taken. And during the 1999-00 season, only 126 lions were taken which is the lowest harvest since 1991-92. Get your facts straight, Commissioner Bradley. It is how many lions arc being harvested, not how mountain lion tag sales have increased.
You stated that guides wanted mountain lion quotas reduced. Of course, mountain lion guides do not want more lions harvested. The guides want an abundance of lions so they can sell TROPHY lion hunts to their clients. This is self-serving for a select few hunters so they can make big dollars at the expense of our deer herds. Commissioner Bradley, are you willing to sacrifice thousands of deer, thousands of deer hunters and millions of dollars to appease a few mountain lion hunters? If so, you are a disgrace not only to the natural resource but hunters as well, who you are supposed to represent on the Wildlife Commission.
As for the year-round mountain lion season in Clark County that you bragged about, the total harvest in Areas 25, 26 and 27 for the 1999-00 season was a grand total of zero. Once again, we have a feel-good policy with no results. I, along with HUNTER S ALERT testified at the May 4, 1996 Wildlife Commission meeting that this mountain lion management program was not going to result in more lions being harvested. Time has proven us to be right. Of course, Wildlife commissioner like yourself have never listened to sportsmen or sportsmen s organizations and that is why we are in this predicament today.
One point in your letter was factual. That being, that $200,000 was approved in December 1999 for predator management. As you stated, this was as a result of input from the public and a change in direction regarding predator management. It only took you five years to listen to the sportsmen and realize that we have had a serious predator problem. It only took Administrator Crawforth twenty eight years to realize the same thing. Therefore, both of you were part of the problem.
Recently, you said the Commission mandated that prior to any big game transplants, a predator analysis must be completed. Well, how many lost years does it take you to learn? We have lost entire transplant herds years ago because of proven predators, yet nothing has been done. Years ago when you gave our bighorn sheep to Texas, they did predator control prior to the transplant. You didn t learn from them how to do predator control before a transplant.
Commissioner Bradley, you failed to tell the entire story of the proposed Sheep Range transplant. You, Commissioner Tiberti, Tanner and Crawforth wanted these sheep to be transplanted knowing fully well that lions had wiped out the sheep in that area. In addition, a subsequent transplant of sheep had also been wiped out. Fortunately we have a Wildlife commissioner with some common sense (Tommy Ford) who intercepted and halted the last transplant. The part you left out was that we had to give that transplant to Utah. Policy 25 mandates that predator management must be done before any transplant can be carried out in our state. We did not have any areas that met this new requirement so Utah got the sheep transplant. This is another area where you have been sleeping. The sportsmen of Nevada need to know that because of your ineptitude
there will be fewer sheep in our state.
You have consistently criticized those of us who were instrumental in passing AB307 in 1995 which added two more sportsmen to the Wildlife Commission and specified a member shall not serve more than two consecutive terms as chairman.
You have circumvented the intent of the law last year by soliciting and accepting the vice-chairmanship so you will possibly be in a position to become chairman again next year. It won t work! Perhaps we should amend this law to restrict the vice-chairman to two terms also.
The southern Nevada commissioners wanted at least a vice-chairman position but you stopped this. This has deepened the North-South split by not working with the southern commissioners. Now the south is going to amend the law to increase their membership on the Commission since they have 68.8% of the population in the state. This Bradley Amendment will be a direct result of you not working with the south.
Commissioner Bradley, you have served your limit of two terms, now it is time you say good night and let the others on the Commission serve as chairman. They certainly are as capable as you!
According to newspaper reports, you and ex-administrator Willie Molini were in Fallen attending a Wildlife Commission meeting and got into a brawl at a Fallon bar while in possession of a state vehicle a few years ago. At a more recent Commission meeting in Ely you were again seen at a bar with ex-administrator Willie Molini and ex-Commission Chairman Mahlon Brown. It will take years, if ever, to recover from the mismanagement they applied to this agency. You know the saying- Birds of a feather flock together!
Commissioner Bradley, where do you score on the Responsibility Chart that you have talked of so often. Sportsmen are supposed to be responsible. N.A.C.
502.160 is failure to immediately and properly punch a tag. N.A.C. 502.150 is for the failure to attach a tag. Sportsmen are responsible for these along with many other wildlife laws and regulations. Commissioners must be responsible for their duties.
Commissioner Bradley, it shouldn t have taken a cartoon to make you realize we have had a serious predator problem in our state for years. The cartoon told the story exactly as it is in our state when it comes to predator control. As a matter of fact, there is a famous country and western group named after those pictured in the cartoon. The group is called Asleep at the Wheel .
By Gerald Lent, President Nevada Hunters Association
