March 24 is a magical date for Nevada big game hunters

Don Quilici
March 20, 2008, 4:01 AM

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If you're a Nevada big game hunter interested in drawing a tag for pronghorn antelope, mule deer, California bighorn sheep, desert bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain elk and Rocky Mountain goat, March 24 is an important date in your life.

That is the first day that you can submit your application to hunt one or more of the species listed above, and the final deadline for applying is 5 p.m., Monday, April 21.

You can apply for your tag(s) one of two very different ways:

1. An authorized postal service.

2. Via the Internet.

Postal Service:

If you use a postal service, you must use a service such as the U.S. Mail, UPS or FedEx, and your application must be mailed to: The Wildlife Administration Office, P.O. Box 1345, Fallon, Nevada 89407.

That application MUST BE RECEIVED by no later than 5 p.m., Monday, April 21.

Note No. 1: Do not send that application to the Nevada Department of Wildlife. If you do, it is the wrong location and they will mail it back to you. And, if you are one of those procrastinators who wait until the last moment to do something, by the time NDOW mails that application back, you could miss that all-important deadline of 5 p.m. on April 21.

Note No. 2: When you have your necessary forms, fill out all of the requested information. Carefully check to ensure that you have all the correct information. Have a relative or close friend double check that you did not make an error. Once the information has been verified as being accurate, write a check for the exact amount for all of the various tags and their associated fees. Then, mail everything to that Fallon address. You are done!

Internet:

You can submit your application via the Internet, and in Don Q's and many tens of thousands of other would-be hunters opinions, that is the only way to go.

In 2005, 84.9 percent of the applications were via the Internet.

In 2006, 87.3 percent of the applications were via the Internet.

In 2007, 90.2 percent of the applications were via the Internet. An all-time record! Wow, nine out of ten (125,975 of 141,049) were via the Internet.

Here are three good reasons for being part of those impressive percentages:

Reason No. 1: The date that you enter is automatically checked as you key it in. In the event that you make a mistake, the computerized system will not accept your application until that error has been corrected. If the date is valid, the computer will instantly accept it. It's that easy and simple.

Reason No. 2: At the time the computer system accepts your application information, you must also provide credit card data for the necessary money amounts. Once your application and credit card amounts have been accepted, you are officially in the 2008 computerized drawings.

Reason No. 3: If you are a real sneaky (but totally legal) person and have the ability to do so, when you submit your applications for the various hunts, use a separate credit card for each tag. Then wait for about 4-5 weeks after that deadline of April 21, and begin to check the status of your various credit cards. If you have been successful in the drawings, your accounts will reflect those charges. And, most informative, by knowing which card has a charge, you will also know which tag you were successful in drawing.

That will be long before you receive your tags via the U.S. Mail ("Snail Mail"). It is sneaky, very legit and very, very informative.

However, on the other hand, if there are no charges to your credit cards, you were unsuccessful and will finally receive a notice in the mail that you struck out in the drawings.

Oh well, better luck in next year's drawings!

To apply for your tags via the Internet: Go to www.huntnevada.com.

You'll have plenty of company at that site, including me.

For information, call the Wildlife Administration Services office in Fallon at (800) 576-1020.

Miscellaneous:

If you're interested in submitting an application to hunt a bull elk with a rifle:

In big game management area Nos. 111-115, 221 and 222 Early, last year, there were 247 who were successful and 3,259 who where unsuccessful in receiving a tag.

In Nos. 111-115, 221 and 222 Late, 202 were successful and 1,151 were unsuccessful.

In Nos. 161-164, 6 successful and 1,287 unsuccessful.

So, if you want a rifle bull elk tag in any of those areas, you've got your job cut out for you. Good Luck!

Finally:

Remember that all important deadline for RECEIVING your 2008 big game applications: It is 5 p.m. on Monday, April 21.

Don't miss it, if you want a chance to hunt big game in Nevada this year. You snooze, you lose!

• Bet Your Favorite Pigeon

Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you which tags I will be applying for this year.

If he grins and says, "Heck, Don won't even tell me," he could be one of my regular hunting partners, who want to know which hunt areas I am applying for, and I refuse to tell them.



• Don Quilici is the Outdoors editor for the Nevada Appeal