Tags in popular elk area may be reduced to allow herd to grow

Sandra Chereb

Wednesday, March 8, 2000 | 3:53 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - A pact allowing an elk herd in northeastern Nevada to more than triple in size could be a double-edged sword for hunters - at least for a while.

The agreement among the Nevada Division of Wildlife, private property owners and federal land managers is expected to be ratified by the Nevada Wildlife Commission on March 18.

If approved, it would allow the elk population in one of the state's prime hunting areas to increase from 300 to 1,000.

But wildlife commissioners must decide how to achieve the goal and how quickly.

The issue comes into play in May when the board sets fall hunting season quotas. The board's decision affects how many hunters receive tags when they are drawn in early June.

"Eventually, it will mean better opportunity for better quality elk hunting," said Commission Chairman Bill Bradley, a Reno attorney.

"The thing is, at what rate will that herd grow? There are those who wish it to grow unfettered" by restricting the number of tags from previous years, he said.

"Others feel moderate hunting pressure will not impact the growth rate to any degree."

Gregg Tanner, wildlife division game bureau chief, said staff will likely recommend the board reduce anterless tags - known as "cow tags."

"We'll be less aggressive on cow harvest, but plan to continue," he said.

The goal is "to achieve an objective of 15 to 40 bulls per 100 cows post-season," Tanner said.

The boundaries of the hunting area, known as Unit 072, run from the Nevada-Idaho line to just south of Charleston, and from Jarbidge east to O'Neil Basin Road.

It's one of the more popular areas in the state for hunters who prize the prospect of a freezer full of meat over an antler rack on the wall.

In each of the past three years, the division issued 200 resident anterless tags for the area trying to control the herd's size.

Though harvest success rates have been marginal compared with some other areas, the two-to-one odds of getting a tag are among the best in the state.

In comparison, out of 540 applicants, only 15 resident bull tags were issued last year in the same area.

Elk were introduced to the area in 1990. The 300-elk limit was imposed to appease ranchers and federal resource managers, who feared the herd would raid hay supplies and damage rangeland if it grew too big.

"We've been party to a research project to measure the elk use on vegetation within the unit," Tanner said. "It's been determined we can afford to allow the population to increase."

Tanner said vegetation monitoring will continue.