Changes in Nevada hunting seasons
Big changes coming for big game hunting seasons
Hunters who have been around a while will notice several important changes from years past. Perhaps the biggest changes affect the scheduled season dates for the upcoming fall hunting seasons. Rather than opening on a designated day of the week, as has been done in the past, the 2007 hunting seasons will begin and end on specific dates. Those dates have been set for the next two years. This, according to NDOW, will allow seasons to remain constant from year to year and should make it easier for hunters who need to plan their hunts and put in for vacation time early in the year.
This is a significant change for a hunting culture that is rich in tradition, but NDOW is hoping that the changes will ultimately make it easier for hunters and their families when it comes to applying for tags and planning their hunts.
“The long-term goal is to pursue standard seasons and eliminate unnecessary changes and confusion to tag applicants and hunters every two years,” said Mike Cox, NDOW’s big game staff biologist. “The diverse and changing work force of Nevadans, commitment of hunters to hunt regardless of what day of the week it is, the spread of hunting pressure across the opening day and first weekend of a season and trends of other western states were all taken into account.”
Another significant change is the creation of split hunting seasons for mule deer and elk hunts in several areas. These changes will provide hunters with a choice of early and late rifle hunts. The benefit of the split seasons, Cox said, is the ability it gives NDOW to recognize and manage two groups of hunters, “opportunity hunters” and “trophy hunters.” Each group has different expectations and demands. Split seasons also provide a level of protection to the mature buck segment by controlling the harvest of these bucks later in the fall.
Mule Deer — An antlerless deer hunt has been added in Area 6 and many hunt areas will now offer an early and late split rifle season. However, the resident junior deer rifle season was not split (single 22-day season). Some interstate deer herds have all three weapon class hunts in December.
Unit Boundary Changes
Pilot Peak in eastern Elko County is now designated as Unit 091. In prior years Pilot Peak was included in Unit 079, but that unit is now limited to the Toana Range and surrounding area. Other units with revised boundaries include: 072 – 075, 102, 104, 111, 114, 131, and 221.
Hunters should be aware and research that wilderness areas are greatly expanded across White Pine, Lincoln and portions of Clark County. These areas restrict motorized access. The Hunt Unit Map at ndow.org displays the wilderness boundaries. An updated Nevada hunt unit map can be found on the NDOW website at http://www.ndow.org/hunt/maps/unitmap.shtm . The Big Game online tag application program began last month and ends on April 16.
