Have you ever wondered how Nevada big game quotas are established by the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners?
Nevada big game hunters should be interested in the upcoming meeting of the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commission for possible action on Nevada Big Game Quotas for the 2013-14 Season. The Commission establishes regulations for the numbers of tags to be issued for mule deer, pronghorn antelope, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats and black bears for the 2013 – 2014 season……
Realistically, Nevada has limiting climactic, environmental, and human population variables that directly contribute to the number of big game tags permitted each year-
Climactic conditions: According to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)-Nevada is determined to be the driest state in the nation, receiving annualy on average, less than 10 inches of precipitation per year- http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3071/fs2005-71.pdf
Environmental habitat: Nevada’s native vegetation and geography lead to limited wildlife forage and cover……(obviously, a situation that is further complicated by the state’s overall lack of precipitation).
Human population growth: Despite recent economic conditions, Nevada’s population growth has shown a slow but steady percentage increase, notably the increase per square mile of land area-http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0014.pdf
Based on these circumstances, Nevada’s overall wildlife population may not equal comparable wildlife populations in neighboring states, leading to a controversial solution…
.
The Nevada Board of Wildlife Commission has developed policy to ration the amount of eligible tags, with a “tag draw” system for Nevada big game. Nevada is currently the only state in the nation to have this system, and for better or worse, your odds of getting a tag are impacted by the rationing system and truly, the “luck of the draw”.
We would like to hear our user’s opinion on Nevada’s big game tag draw system, the experiences you may have had, and any input on this discussion-
Next week-further discussion on resident vs. non-resident hunts…..