HA Newsletter 28

In the next legislative session, just like the last one, NDOW and the Wildlife Commission have chosen to sell you out! (See story on page XX) If they have their way, sportsmen will have higher fees, no accountability for sportsmen’s money and many new laws designed to harass hunters. HUNTER’S ALERT finds it amazing that they received a 33 percent increase ($7 million) in the last legislative session and now they want more of sportsmen’s money without any accountability for their $28 million budget. Their legislative package contains no new game projects and the majority of it is more law enforcement. In addition, they refused to do anything in the way of predator control to bring back our deer. Is it stupidity or do they just not want to? No other reason is valid.

In our past writings, we have given you many examples of why Clint Bentley should not have been appointed to the Wildlife Commission.  Here are more reasons for his dismal failure. Mr. Bentley is a member of the Wildlife Damage Management Subcommittee. This is nothing more than a fancy name for a predator control committee which in itself has become a joke. Mr. Bentley should never have even been on this subcommittee as on numerous occasions in the past he has failed to react about the abundance of mountain lions in our state. At a meeting on May 13, 2004 in Reno, Gerald Lent, President of Nevada Hunters Association told the committee it was not doing what the predator money was intended for and that NDOW had never supported this predator program.

Nevada Department of Wildlife has a sixteen page document on the use of force on sportsmen. It tells when they are allowed to shoot you and the rights of a game warden.

Kayne Robinson replaced Charlton Heston as president of the NRA (National Rifle Association) on April 28, 2003. He is a straight forward, tell-it-like-it-is sort of guy. In the Shot Business magazine (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade) of January, 2004 he gave an interview and one of the questions asked of him was “What do you see as the barriers to the continuation of the shooting sports?”  Following is his response in its entirety to this question.  We will then compare his concerns to what Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) is doing.

It is quite apparent that our deer herds will not be brought back during our era. However, with your help, perhaps the deer herds can be salvaged for your children or grandchildren. Why do we make such a statement? Let’s get down to the very basics.

Being politically correct has been the thing to be for the last twenty years for politicians and government employees. In reality, it has buried us in actually doing what is correct. Let’s examine how being politically correct has hurt sportsmen in our state.

An ongoing research project on the 3-Bar Wildlife Area near Roosevelt Lake is helping biologists to better understand--and to an extent redefine--the predator-prey relationship.

The study’s findings so far indicate that predators may have a more significant impact on deer populations than biologists previously thought. The prevailing biological belief is that habitat conditions are the primary controlling factor for deer populations, not predation. The long-term deer study at the 3-Bar is punching holes in parts of biological theory, and others.

During the last legislative session, Assemblyman Jerry Claborn asked the NDOW Director, Terry Crawforth if now that NDOW just received $7 million because of increases in fees, wasn’t there enough money to hire another biologist. Terry Crawforth emphatically stated no. 

In the January 4, 2004 Reno Gazette-Journal, an article entitled “Nevada’s Dangerous Crossings” appeared. In that article, it states “Wildlife officials estimate that between 1,000 and 2,000 deer are killed on Nevada roadways every year.”

Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) and the Wildlife Commissioners want…more rules, more regulations, more law enforcement and less game. For years HUNTER’S ALERT has told you that NDOW”s main focus is on law enforcement, not producing more game for sportsmen. Here is proof of what we have stated. NDOW and the Wildlife Commissioners have come up with their proposals for the next legislative session. It consists of thirty six pages of more law enforcement, nothing, repeat nothing to bring back our deer. Not only deer, but nothing for game of any type!