Hey guys. First I wanna say sorry Ive been off the forum for a few weeks. Finally made it out to Reno! Been living here and attending UNR. Been busy with school and stuff but I am loving it; I think I have really found a home here. Been meeting some great folks and having adventures fly fishing and grouse hunting.
I wanted to share something with you fellas, that I hope you appreciate. I am a journalism major here, in hopes to write for hunting magazines and websites someday, along with my blog, so I wrote a little column for my schools newspaper, the Nevada Sagebrush. Ill post the article below, so please give it a read and let me know what you think. All criticism is welcome. Unfortunately, the article was not published and probably wont be published. They kinda just told me to kick rocks because, in the words of the opinion editor (who expressed her dislike for hunting to me), UNR is a predominately anti hunter school.
I am hoping that they eventually come around and realize the mass amount of outdoorsmen and hunters here at University of Nevada. But they most likely will not. You can probably tell that I am still bitter about the situation, but ere it is guys. I really hope you enjoy. Please message me if you wanna check out my other articles that Ive written over the past 2 years. Thanks.
As the fall semester begins, many students do not have much on their minds aside from school, but for some University of Nevada students the beginning of the semester marks something else: that we are that much closer to the beginning of several hunting seasons in both Nevada and California.
Despite state of residency, any Nevada student can take advantage of the many hunting opportunities that the surrounding wilderness has to offer. Whether an individual has been lucky enough to draw a tag or not, there can be many alternate methods to successfully harvest wild game without traveling too far away from Reno.
Though there are many individuals on campus who would classify themselves as avid hunters, there are also many who believe they must put the hobby aside while attending school to save money and, of course, have enough time to focus on passing their classes. This attitude is in many folk's best interest regarding being a successful student, however hunting can be an excellent way to relieve some stress, blow off some steam,have fun with friends, and put food on the table. If an individual is simply curious about how to start hunting, there is no better time and place to give it a shot, as long as he or she has the proper licensing.
Being a resident in either Nevada or California can benefit a hunter in many different ways. The benefits differ just as the state's laws and regulations do. Licensing and tags are often going to have a significantly lower cost to a resident of the state, however there are still many permits that can be obtained despite residency. Big game tags in Nevada can only be obtained by purchasing a chance to get them in a lottery type drawing. In California, there is a similar system, but tag are also available for over the counter purchase.
If a hunter did not draw any tags in either state, it is still possible to go hunt big game species in nearby areas, however the only way to do this is to purchase a California license along with a California deer or bear tag. It would be wise to purchase a deer tag for zones D-3, D-4, and D-5. These zones include the Tahoe wilderness area and many surrounding areas. Luckily, this deer tag allows a hunter to harvest a legal sized male Columbian Blacktail or mule deer anywhere withing all three zones; it is titled as a D3-5 tag. On a side note, these deer will be recognized as mule deer due to their placement of being east of Interstate 5, despite their actual species classification. As for a bear tag, these can be purchased as a statewide permit. One bear tag will allow you to harvest a mature bear anywhere in California, as long as it is not a sow with cubs. There are many great public lands to hunt that can be found within an hours drive from Reno.
If hunting for big game is a little out of your experience level, or it is simply something that you rather not do, then bird hunting is also a fantastic way to get a shot at harvesting some meat for yourself and your roommates. An average hunter is likely to have a higher probability of successfully pursuing small game animals like this due to the high density of them in many areas – this means you are probably gonna see quite a few more animals than when you are hunting for bigger game, or at least get a few more shots off. There are several game birds that can be pursued within nearby areas, surrounding Reno; as a matter of fact, often, birds can be hunted a few miles out of town, depending on the location.
There is an extensive list of wild game birds that can be hunted in Nevada. This list includes Mountain Quail, Chukar, Hungarian Partridge, Gambel's Quail, American Crow, Himalayan Snowcock, Blue Grouse, Sage Grouse, Pheasant, and Dove. In addition to those birds, Rabbits can also be hunted within their designated season.
With the proper research done, any hunter could attempt to hunt any of these wonderful birds, but bare in mind that some of these species may take you a little farther away from Reno to harvest, and some may also take a significant more amount of effort. For instance, the Himalayan Snowcock is a bird that can only be found in two very specific places, one being the Himalayan mountains, and the other being the Ruby mountains right here in Nevada. They exist here, only because of the introduction of them in the 1960s. The Snowcock tends to be extremely elusive and also tends to live at very high elevations, which makes it a very tough bird to hunt; but if a hunter is determined enough, it is a task within reach.
Other birds that are commonly found very close to Reno are Chukar and Blue Grouse. These game birds are perfect of any college student/hunter at University of Nevada, because you will not need to venture too far from home. They can both be hunted on an afternoon's outing, or even a weekend adventure with friends.
Chukar are an upland partridge that are likely to frequent rocky desert hills. If a hunter was to venture on to large rocky hills and ridges, he or she is bound to kick up a few on the trek. One of the biggest struggles with hunting chukar is the evasive methods that they use. Hunting them is usually a fairly repetitive chase; when you find them at the bottom of the hill, they will fly up the hill, when you finally climb near the spot that they landed, they will again take off right back down towards where they started. Many hunters will suggest using a trained bird hunting dog, but sometimes we do not all have one by our side. Though hunting chukar may breed frustration, it is a whole lot of fun and it is possible for any hunter, novice to expert, to bag multiple in a day, but bare in mind the daily limit of six chuckar.
Blue Grouse are an extremely interesting bird, and a lot of fun to hunt. They are around the size of a chicken and can often be found in mountainous terrain, such as in the Tahoe area. There are many trails that can be utilized in the Tahoe wilderness, which makes the grouse very accessible to any hunter. When hunting grouse, it is usually common to see them in open ground below trees or even on hill sides. Though they tend to hang put in areas like this, it should be kept in mind that they live at fairly high elevations, so an individual may have to do some hiking to get a chance at one of these delicious birds. A bird dog would definitely come in handy when pursuing a Blue Grouse, however it is still very possible to hunt them without assistance from a dog. The daily limit for Blue Grouse is three birds.
Being a student at University of Nevada allows presents you with a huge amount of opportunities to be in the outdoors, whether you enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, kayaking, etc. the list goes on. There is no better place to experience the outdoors to the fullest, especially if you want to try something new, such as pursuing the local wildlife. For more information on hunting in California or Nevada, be sure to check out the websites for the Nevada Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Also, when hunting, know the regulations of the zone and animal that you are pursuing; this includes bag limits, season dates, and of course safety regulations. Knowledge is the best thing you can gain in preparation to attempt any hunt. Good luck to all and happy hunting.
I wanted to share something with you fellas, that I hope you appreciate. I am a journalism major here, in hopes to write for hunting magazines and websites someday, along with my blog, so I wrote a little column for my schools newspaper, the Nevada Sagebrush. Ill post the article below, so please give it a read and let me know what you think. All criticism is welcome. Unfortunately, the article was not published and probably wont be published. They kinda just told me to kick rocks because, in the words of the opinion editor (who expressed her dislike for hunting to me), UNR is a predominately anti hunter school.
I am hoping that they eventually come around and realize the mass amount of outdoorsmen and hunters here at University of Nevada. But they most likely will not. You can probably tell that I am still bitter about the situation, but ere it is guys. I really hope you enjoy. Please message me if you wanna check out my other articles that Ive written over the past 2 years. Thanks.
As the fall semester begins, many students do not have much on their minds aside from school, but for some University of Nevada students the beginning of the semester marks something else: that we are that much closer to the beginning of several hunting seasons in both Nevada and California.
Despite state of residency, any Nevada student can take advantage of the many hunting opportunities that the surrounding wilderness has to offer. Whether an individual has been lucky enough to draw a tag or not, there can be many alternate methods to successfully harvest wild game without traveling too far away from Reno.
Though there are many individuals on campus who would classify themselves as avid hunters, there are also many who believe they must put the hobby aside while attending school to save money and, of course, have enough time to focus on passing their classes. This attitude is in many folk's best interest regarding being a successful student, however hunting can be an excellent way to relieve some stress, blow off some steam,have fun with friends, and put food on the table. If an individual is simply curious about how to start hunting, there is no better time and place to give it a shot, as long as he or she has the proper licensing.
Being a resident in either Nevada or California can benefit a hunter in many different ways. The benefits differ just as the state's laws and regulations do. Licensing and tags are often going to have a significantly lower cost to a resident of the state, however there are still many permits that can be obtained despite residency. Big game tags in Nevada can only be obtained by purchasing a chance to get them in a lottery type drawing. In California, there is a similar system, but tag are also available for over the counter purchase.
If a hunter did not draw any tags in either state, it is still possible to go hunt big game species in nearby areas, however the only way to do this is to purchase a California license along with a California deer or bear tag. It would be wise to purchase a deer tag for zones D-3, D-4, and D-5. These zones include the Tahoe wilderness area and many surrounding areas. Luckily, this deer tag allows a hunter to harvest a legal sized male Columbian Blacktail or mule deer anywhere withing all three zones; it is titled as a D3-5 tag. On a side note, these deer will be recognized as mule deer due to their placement of being east of Interstate 5, despite their actual species classification. As for a bear tag, these can be purchased as a statewide permit. One bear tag will allow you to harvest a mature bear anywhere in California, as long as it is not a sow with cubs. There are many great public lands to hunt that can be found within an hours drive from Reno.
If hunting for big game is a little out of your experience level, or it is simply something that you rather not do, then bird hunting is also a fantastic way to get a shot at harvesting some meat for yourself and your roommates. An average hunter is likely to have a higher probability of successfully pursuing small game animals like this due to the high density of them in many areas – this means you are probably gonna see quite a few more animals than when you are hunting for bigger game, or at least get a few more shots off. There are several game birds that can be pursued within nearby areas, surrounding Reno; as a matter of fact, often, birds can be hunted a few miles out of town, depending on the location.
There is an extensive list of wild game birds that can be hunted in Nevada. This list includes Mountain Quail, Chukar, Hungarian Partridge, Gambel's Quail, American Crow, Himalayan Snowcock, Blue Grouse, Sage Grouse, Pheasant, and Dove. In addition to those birds, Rabbits can also be hunted within their designated season.
With the proper research done, any hunter could attempt to hunt any of these wonderful birds, but bare in mind that some of these species may take you a little farther away from Reno to harvest, and some may also take a significant more amount of effort. For instance, the Himalayan Snowcock is a bird that can only be found in two very specific places, one being the Himalayan mountains, and the other being the Ruby mountains right here in Nevada. They exist here, only because of the introduction of them in the 1960s. The Snowcock tends to be extremely elusive and also tends to live at very high elevations, which makes it a very tough bird to hunt; but if a hunter is determined enough, it is a task within reach.
Other birds that are commonly found very close to Reno are Chukar and Blue Grouse. These game birds are perfect of any college student/hunter at University of Nevada, because you will not need to venture too far from home. They can both be hunted on an afternoon's outing, or even a weekend adventure with friends.
Chukar are an upland partridge that are likely to frequent rocky desert hills. If a hunter was to venture on to large rocky hills and ridges, he or she is bound to kick up a few on the trek. One of the biggest struggles with hunting chukar is the evasive methods that they use. Hunting them is usually a fairly repetitive chase; when you find them at the bottom of the hill, they will fly up the hill, when you finally climb near the spot that they landed, they will again take off right back down towards where they started. Many hunters will suggest using a trained bird hunting dog, but sometimes we do not all have one by our side. Though hunting chukar may breed frustration, it is a whole lot of fun and it is possible for any hunter, novice to expert, to bag multiple in a day, but bare in mind the daily limit of six chuckar.
Blue Grouse are an extremely interesting bird, and a lot of fun to hunt. They are around the size of a chicken and can often be found in mountainous terrain, such as in the Tahoe area. There are many trails that can be utilized in the Tahoe wilderness, which makes the grouse very accessible to any hunter. When hunting grouse, it is usually common to see them in open ground below trees or even on hill sides. Though they tend to hang put in areas like this, it should be kept in mind that they live at fairly high elevations, so an individual may have to do some hiking to get a chance at one of these delicious birds. A bird dog would definitely come in handy when pursuing a Blue Grouse, however it is still very possible to hunt them without assistance from a dog. The daily limit for Blue Grouse is three birds.
Being a student at University of Nevada allows presents you with a huge amount of opportunities to be in the outdoors, whether you enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, kayaking, etc. the list goes on. There is no better place to experience the outdoors to the fullest, especially if you want to try something new, such as pursuing the local wildlife. For more information on hunting in California or Nevada, be sure to check out the websites for the Nevada Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Also, when hunting, know the regulations of the zone and animal that you are pursuing; this includes bag limits, season dates, and of course safety regulations. Knowledge is the best thing you can gain in preparation to attempt any hunt. Good luck to all and happy hunting.
