Columnist Paula Del Giudice: Predator control plan finally in place

Thursday, April 4, 2002 | 11:39 a.m.

Paula Del Giudice's outdoors column appears Thursday. She can be reached at desertdenizens@aol.com.

By now, most individuals who applied for a big game tag in 2001 have received their application information packet in the mail. The Division of Wildlife has been receiving phone calls from hunters who were unaware that a new predator control fee of $3 was being charged for all those applying for a hunting tag in Nevada.

Many of Nevada sportsmen's groups have been urging the Division to investigate and instigate some form of predator control. Some of these sportsmen's groups pulled together and lobbied for an assembly bill to help fund predator management and control. Assembly Bill 291 passed during the legislative session and became effective Jan. 1, 2002.

The Board of Wildlife Commissioners mandated that NDOW develop a predator control plan for their annual review. This predator control plan includes activities or projects that will be funded by the predator control money. The Commission last August approved the plan covering six management projects. The 2003 plan will be reviewed at their August meeting in Las Vegas.

This is the first year that hunters will be able to apply for tags online. While this may not be more convenient, it is now more difficult to donate to OGT. In the past, unsuccessful hunters were able to designate all or part of their refunds to the program, but those who apply online now need to donate when they submit their applications.

OGT is a law enforcement program that encourages citizens to report wildlife violations. Anyone witnessing a potential wildlife violation can call1-800-992-3030 to make confidential reports and receive cash rewards of up to $1,000 upon conviction.

To know for sure, scientists are using tiny transmitters to track the daily movements of 600 mallard ducks as they mate and nest. The tracking devices enable the research team to glean data about the daily movements of the waterfowl, without disrupting their behavior. Each hen, emitting a unique frequency, will be tracked daily from a truck-mounted antenna. The findings will assist in long term conservation planning.

Stay tuned to www.ducks.org for regular updates throughout the spring and summer.

If you're interested in big largemouth bass, however, there's only one spot that should be on your radar.

Located 70 miles northeast of the Gateway City, Mazatlan (City of Sails), El Salto covers 24,000 acres of excellent structure fishing. Lake El Salto was formed by the damming of the Elota River and was seeded in 1986 with Florida-Strain bass.

If you're interested in learning more about how to plan a big bass fishing vacation, check out the website at www.hooksportfishing.com.