Final reminder of Silver State hunt of a lifetime
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 12:21am
By the Nevada Department of Wildlife
This is a final reminder that some sportsmen and women are already calling it the hunt opportunity of a lifetime, but what really has people talking is the fact that Nevada’s new Silver State Tag is available to the average sportsman at a price that won’t break the bank.
The Silver State Tag is similar to the state’s Heritage Tags, sometimes called governors tags or bid tags, and will provide lucky recipients with the opportunity to hunt a specific big game animal statewide in those hunt units where there is an established season for the species specified on the tag.
But unlike the Heritage Tags which generally sell at auction for thousands, Silver State Tags will be available through Nevada’s normal tag application process at a far lesser price.
For 2011, Silver State Tags are available for mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk and pronghorn antelope.
Tag applicants can expect to pay a nonrefundable application fee of $20 plus the $3 predator control and $2 online convenience fee, which bring the total to $25 for mule deer and pronghorn antelope.
An additional $5 is required for the elk application. Tag recipients will be charged the current fees established for the tag received.
Applications may only be submitted electronically at www.huntnevada.com.
In addition to expanded choice of hunt location, tag holders also will have an extended season in which to harvest their game animal.
Silver State Tag bearers can begin hunting the Saturday prior to the opening of the earliest season for the species noted on their tag and continue hunting until they fill their tag or the season ends, whichever comes first.
Silver State seasons for mule deer and elk will end Dec. 31 and pronghorn antelope Oct. 31.
Tag holders also can use their legal firearm of choice throughout the season’s duration – bow, muzzleloader or rifle.
The Silver State Tag draw is open to both resident and nonresident hunters who are eligible to hunt big game, even those who are fulfilling waiting period requirements for the species available.
However, if an applicant is in a waiting period he is only eligible to apply for the Silver State Tag for that species. If he is not in a waiting period, an applicant could apply for a Silver State Tag, a regular big game tag and a Partnership in Wildlife tag all in the same year. But once an applicant is awarded a tag his application will not be considered in subsequent drawings for the same species in that year. With the exception of tags for certain depredation hunts, a hunter may obtain only one tag per species per year.
As for bonus points, they are not considered nor awarded in the Silver State Tag draw. Applicants who receive a Silver State Tag will retain their bonus points for that species.
Like the money generated through the sell of Heritage Tags, Nevada law requires that Silver State tag application fees be deposited in the Wildlife Heritage Trust Account. Funds from this account must be used for the protection, propagation, restoration, transplantation, introduction and management of Nevada’s game species and fur-bearing mammals as well as management of predatory wildlife.
