Saturday, April 4, 1998 | 11:27 a.m.
Commissioners voted last week to allow hunters to bag up to 10 crows a day this fall and again in spring 1999.
They took that action at the request of county wildlife advisory boards, whose members complain there are too many nuisance crows in Nevada. They claim crows destroy crops, harass livestock and steal other birds' eggs.
"Heck, we're happy to give sportsmen an opportunity to hunt," said Mark Holt, chairman of the Lincoln County advisory board. "We have lots of agriculture in our area down here and there's a lot of crows."
But bird enthusiasts are not happy with the idea of turning crows into game birds. They say crows are extremely intelligent and don't cause as much damage as farmers and ranchers say they do.
Bird lovers also point out that few people eat crow and that the birds will go to waste. Crow hunters will be exempt from the state's so-called wanton waste law, which means they won't have to eat what they shoot or use the feathers.
With every other game animal, hunters are required to eat their prey or use its fur or antlers.
"They'll be out there killing the most intelligent birds there are," said Carson City ornithologist Jim Eidel. "This is a useless damn law.
"It's just for target practice. The hunters can use clay pigeons for target practice."
Eidel said he has no problem with people shooting the birds if they're destroying property or harming wildlife.
But he said he's afraid hunters will accidentally shoot ravens, which look similar to crows but are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Nevada Division of Wildlife employees opposed creation of the crow hunting season.
"We're not overly enamored by the idea because of the potential downside, like a public outcry," said NDOW administrator Willie Molini.
But the hunting season won't have an impact on their numbers because there are so many crows in Nevada, Molini said.
California, Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming also have crow hunting seasons.
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