Some eyebrow-raising approaches to wildlife management

By Don Quilici

OK Gang! Enough is enough! I've got to speak up before I burst. I can no longer sit back quietly and not go on record with a personal opinion about a number of wildlife-oriented legislative bills, which have raised my eyebrows.

Here they are in all of their infinite wisdom, plus my opinion:

A.B. 90:

This bill would have the Nevada State Board of Wildlife Commissioners review and approve the Department of Wildlife's budget before it is submitted to the Nevada State Budget Division.

Excuse me, gang, but I always thought that budget approval is the sole responsibility of the Governor and not an appointed commission such as the Wildlife Commission.

Opinion: Here's a tip: Don't be messing with the "Big Guy" (AKA Governor Kenny Guinn), if you know what's good for you.

A.B. 115:

This bill would establish a management area where a person may not take a mule deer unless it has at least three points on one antler.

Geez, somebody must not have been in Nevada when this approach was tried, very unsuccessfully, many years ago, right here in our very own backyard in Carson City, as a four-point area.

It was a significant failure in deer management. Unfortunately, it resulted in many bucks, less than four points, being taken illegally or being left illegally in the field after they were shot.

Opinion: It was a failure then and so would be this approach.

Please kill this bill.

A.B. 116:

This bill would prohibit a deer hunter from applying for a tag in the year following the year in which he/she harvested a deer.

Most interesting, this bill would not apply to someone (AKA rich dude) who would have purchased a depredation tag to hunt on private lands. He/she could buy a deer hunting tag, each and every year.

The guys and gals who hunt on public lands (like you and I) would be penalized, while the rich dudes could continue to hunt every year.

Opinion: Please kill this bill not once, but twice, to make doubly sure that it is dead.

A.B. 152:

This bill would replace a sportsman on the Wildlife Commission with an accountant.

An accountant rather than a sportsman on a wildlife commission! You've probably read my previous column about how absurd this bill is, so enough said.

Opinion: This bill doesn't warrant any further consideration by anyone, at anytime, anywhere, for any reason.

Kill it. Please kill it dead, dead!

A.B. 173:

This bill would allow a person with a big game hunting tag for private lands to be able to hunt any surrounding area for up to one mile from that private land.

Geez, give me a break!

Why stop at one mile? Why not make it 100 miles in any direction?

Hmmm, apparently someone is getting greedy and wants more than they are entitled to.

Opinion: Kill this bill and do it quick to put it out of its misery.

A.B. 226:

This bill would require that twenty-five percent (25%!) of all monies in the Wildlife Account be spent on the management and control of natural predators of mule deer.

Twenty-five percent of all the proceeds of the sales of stamps, tags, permits and licenses!

This at a time when NDOW is struggling just to try to make financial ends meet.

Hello! Where have you been?

Yipes! Come to think of it, I'm a natural predator of deer. Geez, would they be trying to eradicate me?

Maybe, someone should be required to be an accountant (like they want in A.B. 152) before they can submit a bill like this.

Opinion: Kill this bill: A.S.A.P.

Finally:

A.B. 90, 115, 116, 152, 173 and 226 are all examples of someone trying to management Nevada's wildlife by going through the Legislature rather than through the proper channels of the 17 county wildlife advisory boards and the Nevada State Board of Wildlife Commissioners.

Let us all hope and pray that these bills never, ever, see the light of day.

If by some chance they do, then all that Don Q can say is "May God help us!"

• Bet Your Favorite Pigeon

Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you, which of the bills listed above, I think is the worst.

If he grins and says, "Don says it is a dead-even tie between all of them," he has heard me rant and rave about this legislation.