Outdoors with Don Q: It's application time for Nevada big game hunters


If you're one of many thousands of big game hunters (54,000-plus last year) interested in drawing a 2011 hunting tag for Pronghorn Antelope, Mule Deer, California Bighorn Sheep, Desert (Nelson) Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Elk and Rocky Mountain Goat in the State of Nevada, be advised that you can now submit your application(s) to hunt one or more of the big game species listed above.

The 2011 application period began Friday, March 18 at 8 a.m.
The final deadline for RECEIVING your application(s) will be 5 p.m. on Monday, April 18. Remember that key work: Receiving.

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The drawing results will be made available to the public on June 13. If you would like to apply, you can do so by one of two methods:

— An authorized mail service (the good old “Snail Mail”)
— Via the Internet.


Here is some important information about each method of submittal:

— An authorized mail service: 
If you choose to use an authorized mail service, you must use a service such as the U.S. Mail, UPS or FedEx.
Your application(s) must be mailed to: Wildlife Administration Office, P.O. Box 1345, Fallon Nevada 89407.


Application(s) must be received by no later than 5 p.m., Monday, April 18.
Do not send your application(s) to the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW). If you do, they will just mail your application(s) back to you. And, if you are one of those poor souls who procrastinate until the last moment, by the time NDOW mails your applications(s) back, you could miss that all important deadline date.

Don't say you weren't warned. 
Before you submit your paperwork, have a relative or a close friend double check your application(s) to ensure you did not make any errors, which will cause your application(s) to be rejected.

Once all 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 and good luck to you in the computerized drawings.
However, you will be in a distinct minority if you do use an authorized mail service. Less than five percent of all the applications use that “Snail Mail” method.

And, I have a sneaky suspicion that those few paper applications are by an ever-dwindling number of older hunters (AKA “Old Geezers”) who do not have a personal computer or who do not know how to use one.  
02. Via the Internet: 
You can submit your application(s) via the Internet and in my humble opinion and in the opinion of many tens of thousands of other would-be big game hunters it is the only way to go.

Here's why:
In 2002, 58.25 percent of the applications were submitted via the Internet.
In 2003, 72.77 percent of the applications were submitted via the Internet.
In 2004, 80.83 percent of the applications were submitted via the Internet.
In 2005, 84.90 percent of the applications were submitted via the Internet. 
In 2006, 87.36 percent of the applications were submitted via the Internet.
In 2007, 90.02 percent of the applications were submitted via the Internet.
In 2008, 93.49 percent of the applications were submitted via the Internet.
In 2009, 94.65 percent of the applications were submitted via the Internet.
In 2010, 95.46 percent of the applications were submitted via the Internet.
That is phenomenal growth in the use of the Internet for applying for tags.

In 2010, a total of 54,923 would-be hunters submitted a total of 150,819 applications to hunt the various big game species.

Most interesting, last year, a total of 202 would-be hunters applied both on paper and via the internet. They applied via the internet for their own individual tags and also on paper as part of a deer hunting party.

And, perhaps as a sign of the future, the first-ever, proposed black bear hunt this year will require applications via only the Internet.

Three reasons to apply via the Internet:
If you are not aware, there are three very important reasons for being a part of that huge majority that submit each year via the Internet:


Reason No.1: 
The data you enter is automatically checked by the computer system as you key it in. If you make a mistake, the computerized system will not accept your application until the error has been corrected. If the data is valid, the computer will instantly accept it.

However, be advised that if you enter a wrong number for a hunt area and that number is a valid number, the computer will accept it. So, be careful.

Reason No. 2: 
At the time the computer 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 2011 computerized drawings. Presto Magic! It's that easy!


Reason No. 3: 
If you are sneaky (but totally legit) and have the ability to do so, when you submit your applications, use a separate credit card for each species that you are applying for.

Then wait about 4-5 weeks after that deadline of Monday, April 18, and begin to check the status of your various credit cards.
If you have been successful in the drawings, your credit card account(s) will reflect those charges. And, by knowing which credit card has which charge, you will also know which tag you were successful in drawing for 2011.

That will be long before you receive your tags via the U.S. Mail.
It is sneaky, very legal and very, very informative.
 On the other hand, if there are no charges to those credit card accounts, you will know you were unsuccessful and will finally receive a notice in the U.S. mail that you struck out in this year's drawings.
 To apply via the Internet: 
Go to www.huntnevada.com, and follow the easy-to-follow-instructions.
You'll have plenty of company at that website, including yours truly. 


For information:

Call the Wildlife Administration Office in Fallon at (800) 576-1020 during regular business hours.
Finally: 
No matter how or where you apply, remember that all-important, final deadline for receiving your 2011 Nevada big game application(s) is 5 p.m. on Monday, April 18.

Don't miss that deadline if you would like to hunt big game this year. 
Good luck in the 2011 drawings, unless you are drawing for tags I want.


Bet Your Favorite Pigeon

Bet your favorite pigeon he can't tell you which Nevada big game hunting tags I will be applying for this year.
If he grins and says, "Heck, Don Q won't even tell me," he could be one of my hunting partners who keep bugging me for that secret information.