There have been times over the past few years when I thought the rules of common courtesy and sportsmanship had all but disappeared from the sporting community, but something happened this past weekend that gave me cause to rethink that position. I’m not talking about anything spectacular or life altering, just a simple example of what it means to be a sportsman.
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In The Outdoors
Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His “In the Outdoors” column, published Thursday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own.
intheoutdoorslv@gmail.com
Upland game bird hunters experienced mixed results Saturday when they took to the field for the opening day of quail and chukar season. Some hunters managed to put a few birds in their game bag, but they had to work for it.
You have to love the weather this week. Downright chilly in the early morning and not too hot in the afternoon. That can mean only one thing, folks: It’s time to break out the shotgun and do some bird hunting. Quail and chukar seasons open Saturday, waterfowl on Oct. 17.
The upland game bird season started with a bang last weekend as young hunters like Cody Newberry shouldered their shotguns and took to the field for the first time. With his dad, Hoss Newberry, playing the role of bird dog, Cody bagged a limit of chukar and a quail to boot. The father-son team took advantage of the two-day youth hunt that took place last weekend.
“I don’t carry binoculars. They’re too heavy. If I need to look at something, I look through my scope. That’s why I carry a 3-to-9.”
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For as long as I can remember, Dad has been one of those guys who just can’t land. No matter what we are doing, or trying to do, Dad just can’t relax and enjoy it. He always has to be on the move.
Until a few weeks ago, southern Utah’s Newcastle Reservoir was little more to me than a name on a map or one of those brown signs you drive past on your way to somewhere else. Driving past the signs to Newcastle Reservoir is something I’d done for more years than I care to admit.
Dove season opens Tuesday morning, but given what I haven’t seen, it could be a slow opener. And what I haven’t seen are doves.
There was a time when you had to travel as far north as Canada to hunt a wolf, but that changed Monday when the Idaho Game & Fish Commission established a harvest limit for the state’s first public wolf hunting season. That season is scheduled this fall and is open to nonresident hunters.
What was once the Desert Lake Shooting Club in Boulder City is about to be saved from extinction and given a new name. In June, Desert Lake members were notified the facility would close by the end of the month. The reason was never given, only a vague allusion to an unsuccessful lease negotiation.
The sun was just lightening the eastern horizon as we made our way out of Boulder Harbor and Mike O’Donnell pointed his pontoon boat toward the northern tip of Saddle Island. That wasn’t our destination, but it was a good waypoint along our route to Government Wash. With the water so low, Mike could easily see the whitewashed rocks against the dark water as he guided the boat around the point.
Whether you use them to haul your big game back to camp or for exploring Nevada’s backcountry, owners of off-highway vehicles soon will have a little more paperwork to complete before they can take their motorized toys out for a spin. With the passage of Nevada Senate Bill 394 during the recent legislative session, state law will mandate the registration and titling of off-highway vehicles.
Some guys have all the luck. They always catch fish. They always draw a big game tag. They always bag the biggest bucks. They always get the girl.
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