Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Nevada hunting figures to improve

Paula DelGiudice

Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2000 | 9:58 a.m.

Paula DelGiudice's outdoors notebook appears Wednesday. Reach her at desertdenizens@aol.com.

The Nevada Division of Wildlife urges hunters not to put away their shotguns for the season just yet. The best hunting of the season may be yet to come.

"Chukar hunting has been tough, but now that we have had some snow throughout much of northern Nevada, hunter success should really improve," said San Stiver, upland game biologist with NDOW.

Stiver explained that birds were concentrated around water sources early in the season but dispersed widely after late summer and early fall rains resulted in the sprouting of new plants known as "green up."

"All of that tender grass, a favorite food of the chukar, tends to spread the birds, potentially over 100 percent of their habitat, making finding them more difficult. They could be anywhere," Stiver advised.

But now, on the heels of the recent snows, birds will tend to concentrate on south facing slopes below the snow line where they will be feeding heavily on the recent green-up.

"This is the time of year we advise hunters that 80 percent of the birds will be found on 20 percent of the land in any particular area known to be good chukar habitat," Stiver said.

He advises that once hunters locate birds, they should be able to find more in similar spots across the area they are hunting. "This is it. This is a real good time to hunt," Stiver said.

Nesting success -- or in other words, the production of young birds -- this past spring wasn't what it has been in the past two years, which might have an effect on hunter success. However, hunting conditions should still be excellent.

Chukar populations are most abundant ranging across northern Nevada from the California border to the Utah border. Stiver said that the area where chukars abound includes Elko County, where mild winters during the past two summers have resulted in good chukar survival.

The chukar (and quail) hunting seasons remain open through Jan. 31, 2001. The chukar limit is six daily, 12 in possession, with the quail limit set at 10 daily, 20 in possession in all but Elko, Eureka, Lander and White Pine counties, where the limit is five and 10.

Moran is a lifelong resident of Nevada who has long enjoyed the outdoors as a hunter, angler, snow skier, hiker, golfer and photographer, according to Geoff Schneider, spokesman for the Nevada Division of Wildlife. Moran is a noted attorney.

"It's really incredible. There's so much that the Commission and Nevada Division of Wildlife staff are dealing with," Moran said. "It (wildlife management) covers the entire state and involves virtually every aspect of outdoor recreation."

He said that he enjoys public service, and formerly served as chairman of the Colorado River Commission. It was the enjoyment that he received from his tenure on that commission that sparked his interest in serving on another.

He is looking forward to tackling the issues that will be coming before the Commission. These include the size of big game populations, habitat preservation, private land access and various issues relating to elk management.

Moran joins Tommy Ford as a new member of the Commission. Ford is a longtime Las Vegas businessman and sportsman who has lived in Nevada for 46 years. One of his main goals will be emphasizing cooperation between the various parts of the state.

The two new commissioners join David McNich, a public health environmentalist for the Washoe County Health District.