2022 quota recommendations

6chukar

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Unbelievable. Whoever the biologist is for area 6 should be fired!
 

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Thanks for posting Chukar. Looks like we are still trying to kill off all deer in the Rubies if I read this correctly. Goats are up in 102, 121 (New) from 7-12 because one Billy was seen in 121 last year. Res junior deer is up to 810 from 490 (keep killing all those Doe's). 1st and second season is up 850 to 1050 and the late season has went up 30. That does not include non-res tags.
Chuckar-it's not just area 6 where they should be fired!
 
Thanks for posting Chukar. Looks like we are still trying to kill off all deer in the Rubies if I read this correctly. Goats are up in 102, 121 (New) from 7-12 because one Billy was seen in 121 last year. Res junior deer is up to 810 from 490 (keep killing all those Doe's). 1st and second season is up 850 to 1050 and the late season has went up 30. That does not include non-res tags.
Chuckar-it's not just area 6 where they should be fired!
I agree 10 went up also but I don’t spend much time there. I’ve been in 6 a ton for the last 20 years and it’s as bad as I’ve ever seen it. As far as the goats go if they did truly observe 340 adult goats then I’m glad they raised the quota. Maybe give a few more people a chance at drawing one. It does make me question how often or how accurate the counts can possibly be with such a drastic increase in one year.
 
There is still some hope. I have seen the Commissioners grill the biologists on the hot seat in previous meetings. They don't always lie down and accept every number presented to them and thankfully ask the same questions in our minds.

Let's see what the final numbers end up being after the meeting.
 
Unit 221-223 sure dropped the tag quota, not much hope for a non resident. I like that they responded with lower quotas. The south east side looks like they did the right thing and dropped tag numbers.

Rich
 
I really wonder why they are increasing the tags in area 6 so much, the only thing that agrees with that move are the livestock and a few elk.
Speaking of elk they cut the tags in some areas almost in half. Area 7 and others they are recommending big reductions. Going to be sheep like odds in the better archery areas. 221-223 did get a small increase.
 
131-134 dropped way buck thank goodness. I was there last year on the early hunt for 5 days. I honestly couldn’t believe it, we couldn’t hardly find any deer anywhere. Hunted the unit 4 times before last year and took a couple nice bucks out of that unit. Seen tons of deer on our previous outings. I was dumb founded last year on the lack of deer in the unit
 
With the recommended drop in deer tags in the South East Units, what the heck happened to the deer to make them want to cut tags by so-much? Can’t be all drought related?
 
131-134 dropped way buck thank goodness. I was there last year on the early hunt for 5 days. I honestly couldn’t believe it, we couldn’t hardly find any deer anywhere.
I hear ya. I had a tag for that area last year and it was largely devoid of deer. I was even out there in the middle of a snow storm and the day after. I hiked up a couple of the peaks and visited pretty much all the units, not just 131 but all the way to 134.

In several days of scouting and hunting, I saw maybe 5 does. No bucks. I did not hear a single rifle go off while I was out there.
 
With the recommended drop in deer tags in the South East Units, what the heck happened to the deer to make them want to cut tags by so-much? Can’t be all drought related?
According to the report, it was lack of precipitation and depleted range conditions. All the deer that they trapped in 2021-2022 had basically no body fat reserves. They also listed poor fawn health, reduced antler growth, etc.
 
Were there large fires in these areas of concern? I didn’t spend any time last two fire seasons in Nevada, but if habitat was burned than the carrying capacity of the unit might have drastically changed; hence why tag numbers are up in some areas.
 
I hear ya. I had a tag for that area last year and it was largely devoid of deer. I was even out there in the middle of a snow storm and the day after. I hiked up a couple of the peaks and visited pretty much all the units, not just 131 but all the way to 134.

In several days of scouting and hunting, I saw maybe 5 does. No bucks. I did not hear a single rifle go off while I was out there.
I had the late rifle season tag. We hit it hard but honestly saw more bucks and much larger bucks in a Colorado hunt a week later in a unit that only took 1 point to draw. I was shocked how poor the buck numbers were in Unit 13. The biologist was really helpful though, he said the odds of seeing a mature buck were very low given the die off in recent years due to drought and other issues.
 
I had the late rifle season tag. We hit it hard but honestly saw more bucks and much larger bucks in a Colorado hunt a week later in a unit that only took 1 point to draw. I was shocked how poor the buck numbers were in Unit 13. The biologist was really helpful though, he said the odds of seeing a mature buck were very low given the die off in recent years due to drought and other issues.
Southeast Nevada has been living off it's past reputation and all the hunting pimp mags for the last 3 years. Feel sorry for those that burned decades of PP to hunt there. It's a shadow of what it was.
 
I was shocked how poor the buck numbers were in Unit 13.
Agreed. It was just weird not seeing much of anything out there. The habitat certainly seems very hospitable for mule deer so I am very curious as to what else may be going on.

According to the hunt documents for that area, it speaks of a migration along a specific corridor that occurs in late/mid-October, but I saw no such thing.
 
Please inform me where it says trophy bucks. I know the biologist in area 6 well he says that there's several deer in the area 6 some herds well over 200. You just got to find them during season
 
Please inform me where it says trophy bucks. I know the biologist in area 6 well he says that there's several deer in the area 6 some herds well over 200. You just got to find them during season
When was the last time a 200" buck came from area 6?
 
Absolutely hammered the muzzleloader tags this year in an effort to maintain ALW for elk and antelope. 111-114 for example down to 1 tag for antelope from 5 while maintaining last year's ALW. Elk tags down 40% overall for muzzleloader compared to 10% for ALW. Painful for muzzleloader guys like myself.
 
I’m concerned about the “Recommendations” for the Resident Muzzleloader Deer hunts in the Washoe County units.
They are recommending to cut residents quotas down to what the nonresident quotas are so it will be a 50-50 split if approved.
Is that even legal?
 
Think the tag split is overall 90/10 and not limited by weapon class. Seems absurd though that ALW in some of these areas aren't losing a tag and we are being reduced 80%
 
NDOW does allow pretty significant aberrations from 90/10 in a particular unit - but I had never noticed it get as bad as 50/50 - which looks like will occur this year. Overall by species/gender, it will average to 90/10 for the draw allocation.

I have an email from NDOW where they even used the fact that a RES happened to get both the Silver State and PIW ram tags to rationalize that the 10% NR cap wasn't exceeded.

NV does NOT enforce 90/10 at the level of each unit/weapon (like some states do), but in the aggregate. Which is a generous move - making it even more frustrating that NDOW completely throws out 90/10 with resident agnostic FCFS.

NRs obtained 100% of the FCFS archery bull tags in trophy units 111-115, 221-223 & 231. All of those tags (100%) were returned by RES, and 100% converted to NR in 2021. Trust me, you don't want to see what the final R/NR ratio was for those hunt codes after FCFS hosed over thousands of residents that applied for those tags.
 
I had the late rifle season tag. We hit it hard but honestly saw more bucks and much larger bucks in a Colorado hunt a week later in a unit that only took 1 point to draw. I was shocked how poor the buck numbers were in Unit 13. The biologist was really helpful though, he said the odds of seeing a mature buck were very low given the die off in recent years due to drought and other issues.
I know a guy who had that rifle tag also. Same story from him. Never saw a 4 point his entire hunt.
 
Area 6 last year was pretty dismal not many deer so the way to fix it is to raise the number of tags would make more sense to lower tags nake hinting better later but yhat makes sense so ndow wont do that
 
The April 28 Washoe county advisory board meeting went well in my opinion.
Some good public comments were made.
Now if the commissioners will listen to us at the May 7 quota setting meeting!
 
Just my opinion here, but I think there are 200 inch bucks in every unit in this state, but it is a rarity. My issue with all of this are the deer numbers. I don’t think there is any debating the numbers are in the toilet in pretty much all units. I was happy to see a decrease but when I looked closer they made up for those tags in a few select units, one being area 6. I have been in 6 in January and seen a lot of wintering deer. Not sure where they come from but I can say if they fly it in January the numbers are pretty impressive. If you look at the overall tags proposed to be issued it is not much less than last year in the state. My hope is the the commission challenges this as I think there needs to be less tags issued in 6, 15 and others they decided to add to for no reason other than revenue. I wouldn’t be opposed to closing a couple of units each year to get number back up. I have just come to the conclusion tags are going to be harder to draw this year and I am fine with that. Good to see cut tags in the East, but I think they need to cut them everywhere. Again, just my two cents.
 
I was happy to see a decrease but when I looked closer they made up for those tags in a few select units, one being area 6. I have been in 6 in January and seen a lot of wintering deer. Not sure where they come from but I can say if they fly it in January the numbers are pretty impressive.
I had a doe tag in 6 last year. I only hunted 3 days and I caught a glimpse of 3 deer in some aspens. Tons of sign everywhere. I think people think their numbers are low because they stay holed up in the Aspens and don't come out. I was shocked at how much sign I saw and never saw a deer in the open.
 
Lol….sheep shiit
Seen the same thing in the Devil's Garden. You're cruising around and you start seeing more and more "deer" tracks and then all of a sudden the ground is powdered from all of them, only to come face-to-face with a Kangal or a Pyrenees. Them sheep protection dogs do not mess around!!
 
As to the response to my post about wildfires possibly affecting quotas; fires as far back as 2018 may seem like a long time ago but in an ecosystem that is overrun by nonnative species after a fire it takes much longer than that for it to bounce back. Sometimes when habitat is lost it’s lost for good without human intervention. Not to mention even if the ecosystem does bounce back on its own at some years later without being overrun with nonnatives, a lot of the good habitat brush and grasses takes a long time to grow back. I’m speaking from over 20 years of land management experience but by no means am I claiming this is the answer why, but a possible contributor.
 
Largest problem faced by Nevada wildlife is wild horses and burros. They are completely unchecked population wise. Not only do they compete for feed, they destroy water developments and get territorial. Ndow should make any deer elk or antelope tag also good for a wild horse/burro or just open a general OTC season on them and have Meat eater or Randy Newberg do an episode.
 
Largest problem faced by Nevada wildlife is wild horses and burros. They are completely unchecked population wise. Not only do they compete for feed, they destroy water developments and get territorial. Ndow should make any deer elk or antelope tag also good for a wild horse/burro or just open a general OTC season on them and have Meat eater or Randy Newberg do an episode.
you do realize that NDOW would love to do that???.....Right???..
The Feds protect feral asses and horses....
 
you do realize that NDOW would love to do that???.....Right???..
The Feds protect feral asses and horses....
NDOW is doing its best to get rid of as many horses as they can!
I’m pretty sure it has to be done through the BLM though.
 
you do realize that NDOW would love to do that???.....Right???..
The Feds protect feral asses and horses....
Oh I’m sure NDOW would love the opportunity to actually manage them. I know it’s over their head or they would be raking in cash selling tags for them. Maybe something good will come out of the states rights deal. Or perhaps wishful thinking .
 
So far the worst place I've seen for horse over population is the valley between 121 and 104. They're EVERYWHERE. Valley to peaks.
.
 
So far the worst place I've seen for horse over population is the valley between 121 and 104. They're EVERYWHERE. Valley to peaks.
.
You should visit the entire eastern boundary of 231 along the border with Utah. They may have removed some since the last time I was there, but I'd have 100 horse picts for every 1 deer pict on my trail cam.
 
We’re any of you guys in attendance at the recent CAB meeting? If you care so much, I invite you to attend and let your input be vocalized.

If you’d like to hear any details, I’d be happy to share. Also being on the area 10 mule deer enhancement committee, I may be able to shed a bit of light on that situation.

NVMDF
 
We’re any of you guys in attendance at the recent CAB meeting? If you care so much, I invite you to attend and let your input be vocalized.

If you’d like to hear any details, I’d be happy to share. Also being on the area 10 mule deer enhancement committee, I may be able to shed a bit of light on that situation.

NVMDF
Why?….was there someone there from the feds that was actually interested in helping?….or with any ability to help?

……and shed away with light on area 10
 
Why?….was there someone there from the feds that was actually interested in helping?….or with any ability to help?
……and shed away with light on area 10
No feds there… the wild horse thing is controlled by Washington and they have a very organized group, unlike hunters. Want to make a difference, get involved.

I ask because sportsmen can make a difference and it was obviously not expressed by the publics turn out. Not only are the area 10 deer facing challenges from environmental impact and damages, but human impact may be as much to blame. Have you seen the enormous and growing gold mine blocking the major migration corridor?
Listen, I was there advocating for team deer! I believe the CAB iS also on board. The CAB voted to cut the proposed quotas for the junior hunt from 810 tags to 450 and recommended doe tags from 100 to 50.
You guys can go on and on, here, but PLEASE GET INVOLVED! It makes a difference.
 
We’re any of you guys in attendance at the recent CAB meeting? If you care so much, I invite you to attend and let your input be vocalized.

If you’d like to hear any details, I’d be happy to share. Also being on the area 10 mule deer enhancement committee, I may be able to shed a bit of light on that situation.

NVMDF
I was!
Any particular cab meeting you’re asking about?
Which County?
 
Elko county earlier this week.
If you were there, that’s great & thank you
I’m in Washoe.
Never know what those commissioners will decide.
Did you see at the meeting today where Mcnintch said he is in favor of wolves in Nevada?
 
Hunting in the Rubies has been and is a thing of the past. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been pumped into the Rubies and East Humboldt's for its natural resources from businesses, attorneys and lobbyists. NVMDF-I appreciate your efforts and many Nevadans do but you're going into a gun fight with a knife. They do NOT care about the mule deer population in area 10 as there is way too much money to be made from natural resources. Yes, we have all seen the huge, expanding gold mine (which has been there forever)- big money always wins and they can give a sh-t about the migration corridor. This is not new as it's been in play for over a decade now. Either your new to this or just still have hope. Either one, I applaud you for your efforts. Keep plugging along and maybe you can get us back to where we want to be. There is a MASSIVE chunk of land between Harrison Pass and the Smith Creek area that they want to suck out all of the natural resources---and they will and that's right in the path of the migration corridor.
 
What's up with the drop in elk tags for area 7? 72-74? Last time I was in those units they were crawling with elk?
 
What's up with the drop in elk tags for area 7? 72-74? Last time I was in those units they were crawling with elk?
I don’t think it makes sense but when I asked about it I was told that they are managing for 50 inch main beams.
Even though there are more Bulls than Cows they are cutting Bull tags because we’re not killing enough 50 inchers.
 
I don’t think it makes sense but when I asked about it I was told that they are managing for 50 inch main beams.
Even though there are more Bulls than Cows they are cutting Bull tags because we’re not killing enough 50 inchers.
Wow. That doesn't sound like science to me?
 
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Hunting in the Rubies has been and is a thing of the past. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been pumped into the Rubies and East Humboldt's for its natural resources from businesses, attorneys and lobbyists. NVMDF-I appreciate your efforts and many Nevadans do but you're going into a gun fight with a knife. They do NOT care about the mule deer population in area 10 as there is way too much money to be made from natural resources. Yes, we have all seen the huge, expanding gold mine (which has been there forever)- big money always wins and they can give a sh-t about the migration corridor. This is not new as it's been in play for over a decade now. Either your new to this or just still have hope. Either one, I applaud you for your efforts. Keep plugging along and maybe you can get us back to where we want to be. There is a MASSIVE chunk of land between Harrison Pass and the Smith Creek area that they want to suck out all of the natural resources---and they will and that's right in the path of the migration corridor.
I’ve been hunting the Rubys for nearly 30 years, I’ve see the highs and lows, I also believe it will never be what it once was, but I believe there’s a medium that we can get to. I’m discouraged at times, but I believe it’s worth the effort of the biologist, department, and public to attempt to make positive changes and decisions. There will be a CAB seat opening up in Elko county that gives us a chance to make some headway
 
What's up with the drop in elk tags for area 7? 72-74? Last time I was in those units they were crawling with elk?
The years of cow hunts have reduced the total heard to below objective numbers and the bill harvest is below age objective.
 
I do know this much-I had applied in 2017 and got my first Nevada bull tag in Jarbidge. This tag had always started September 15th which is a 100% rut hunt. I did not pay attention when applying (my fault) and did not see the dates had changed to September 1st. So, I was only out of knee surgery for 2 months and figured, hell with it, I am going elk hunting-which was a major mistake. Called the DOW to find out why the dates had changed. Response I got was-there were too many elk in the unit, so they figured by changing dates for ML and starting the dates for rifle hunters earlier would increase the bull harvest and thin out the overpopulated elk herd. Maybe this was part of the problem, maybe not as there have been fires in those units. Thinking back about how many bulls we used to see in that area as compared to after the fires-the DOW had a pretty good game plan but who would have known it would have all burned!!
 
Idaho fish and game killed a bunch of them three years ago, they called it a “depredation process”. It was political. I had a tag in there the following season without knowing that. Numbers were way low. There’s still elk in there but not close to what it once was
 
Hopefully they share the final numbers before the deadline. Anyone seen it available yet? A link to the video?
 
They rejected the increases in some units (northern washoe, 15 and a couple others) but left the increases in 6 and 10 is what I got. I missed part of it though.
Thanks. I was hopin theyd push back a little on 6 and 10. I do understand there are a lot of factors in play when these decisions are made. Whats crazy to me is the 61000 horses and that having more biomass than all wild game combined in the state. I wish control of managing those feral horses would be turned over to the states. Wildlife have it hard enough in these conditions without competing with those.
 
Found the vid and made it through. Completely revised my apps based on approved tags.

Nevada has a great system in place between the commission, CABs, and NDOW.
 
I played the draw game for 30 years, I drew out 25 of those years every one was 1st choice with 3 being late season. Good luck
 
Did the recommended changes in the first post of this thread get approved or did they settle on something completely different? Does anyone have the list of the final approved quotas?
 
Did the recommended changes in the first post of this thread get approved or did they settle on something completely different? Does anyone have the list of the final approved quotas?
Go to around 3:38 or 48 in...I think. That's when they finalize mule deer quotas.
 

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