Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Retriever club plans field test

Paula DelGiudice

Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2000 | 11:43 a.m.

Paula DelGiudice's outdoors notebook appears Wednesday. Reach her at PDelGiudice@compuserve.com.

The deadline for entering the Las Vegas Hunting Retriever Club's (LVHRC) first North American Hunting Retriever Association licensed field test is Feb. 19. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 26 and Sunday, Feb. 27 at Overton Wildlife Management Area.

The event will begin bright and early at 8 a.m. Saturday. That evening a tailgate dinner will be held. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children. A raffle will be held and awards provided. On Sunday, all events will begin at 8 a.m.

This should be a great event and should be exciting for all retriever owners in Southern Nevada. Hopefully the participation will be good so that more events such as this one will be held here in the future.

For more information about entering the test, contact the LVHRC at 262-9000. E-mail entries can be made to Jean Wu at jeanwul@ibm.net.

* VIRTUAL BANQUET: If you support wildlife, it's likely you've been to a fund-raising banquet to help raise money to protect the animals or birds and their habitat. Through the years in Southern Nevada there have been banquets for ducks, turkeys, elk, sheep, trout and their habitat. The banquets are fun evenings, raise a bunch of money for wildlife and are good social events.

On March 11, the first of its kind "virtual banquet" in support of Wildlife Forever will be held online via Yahoo! Proceeds will go directly into conservation efforts.

Patrons will be able to purchase a gourmet banquet dinner online at www.wildlifeforever.org or by calling (612) 833-1522.

Once you've ordered your banquet-in-a-box from Omaha Steaks, which includes sirloin steak, crab and scallop stuffed sole, chicken cordon bleu and baked potatoes for two all packaged in a Styrofoam cooler and shipped to arrive by March 11, join in an online auction hosted by Yahoo! (auctions.yahoo.com). Featured in the auction will be wildlife art, trips to outdoors places, outdoor products, unique collectibles and more.

Wildlife Forever represents over one million hunters, anglers and conservationists nationwide. The organization has delivered more than $5 million for more than 500 projects in all 50 states since 1987.

To learn more about Wildlife Forever, visit the organization's website at www.wildlifeforever.org or email lneisen@wildlifeforever.org. Those without computers may call (612) 833-1522.

* TROUT ON THE LAMB: The Nevada Division of Wildlife recently stocked approximately 500 rainbow trout, some weighing more than 1 1/2 pounds, into the pond at Floyd Lamb State Park. The trout were donated by the owner of a private pond in the Spring Mountain Range west of Las Vegas. The private pond will be drained soon to facilitate repair work. NDOW workers netted the trout and transported them to the park pond.

* RECORD ELK: Elk hunters in Nevada had a record season in 1999 highlighted by the harvest of the second-largest bull taken during the 20th century.

San Stiver, NDOW staff biologist, said the state's record was shattered when a non-resident hunter from Oregon harvested a 6x6 elk that scored 425 3/8. That animal was taken from Table Mountain in Management Area 16 north of Tonopah.

Another bull with typical antlers that scored more than 400 points was harvested at Mule Shoe Burn in Management Area 22. The world record elk for muzzleloaders also was taken in Nevada during 1999 with an animal that scored over 380.

"This is phenomenal given the fact that only 30 typical elk have ever been harvested in North America that have scored more than 400," Stiver said.