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Churchill County Commission approves several wildlife-related items, including big game and migratory bird regulations
Summary
The commission approved a package of wildlife-related motions — including support for a falconry petition, amendments to the biennial big game release plan, a predation management plan for fiscal year 2026, and multiple commission regulation updates for hunting seasons and migratory game birds.
Churchill County commissioners approved a series of wildlife-related actions during their meeting, including a motion to support a petition affecting falconry licensing, changes to the biennial big game release plan, approval of a draft predation management plan for fiscal year 2026, and several commission regulation amendments for big game and migratory bird seasons.
The items approved with motions and seconds included routine business (agenda and minutes) and substantive regulatory recommendations: an amendment to the biennial big game release plan (amendment number 3), adoption of the draft FY2026 predation management plan, Commission General Regulation 5-24 (bonus-point changes for junior hunt applications), Commission Regulation 02/1200 (big game seasons amendment number 1), and Commission Regulation 25-11 (migratory game bird season and bag limits for 2025–26). A motion to support Joe Krasswold’s petition on falconry fees and license-scrutiny policy also passed; that item is summarized in a separate article.
Most items recorded in the transcript drew little extended debate and were approved by voice vote after a motion and second. Where discussion occurred it focused on technical corrections (for example, a typographical year error in one recommendation book), allocation numbers for planned releases, and agency jurisdiction (several speakers noted that some fees and bag limits are constrained by federal frameworks or flyway rules).
Listed actions (as recorded in the meeting):
- Approve agenda as submitted — motion carried.
- Approve minutes of 01/22/2025 — motion carried.
- Support petition filed by Joe Krasswold concerning falconry program fees and applicant scrutiny — motion carried. (See separate article for details.)
- Approve biennial big game release plan amendment No. 3 — motion carried. The transcript records an increase in planned release numbers (examples cited in discussion: increases from 20 to 25, 40 to 60 for specified holdings), though exact species counts were discussed only briefly in the record.
- Approve draft fiscal year 2026 predation management plan — motion carried. Joe Bennett was noted in the discussion as taking over the predator-management program and as a point of contact for follow-up requests to the Department of Wildlife.
- Approve Commission General Regulation 5-24 (bonus points for junior hunt applications) — motion carried; the change was described as converting a “junior bonus point” to an antlered mule deer bonus point so it transfers when the hunter turns 18.
- Approve Commission Regulation 02/1200 (big game seasons amendment No. 1) — motion carried; described as a correction to an error in the original recommendation book.
- Approve Commission Regulation 25-11 (migratory game bird seasons and bag limits for 2025–26) — motion carried; discussion included a request on the record to re-evaluate annual swan permit numbers.
The transcript records that many of these regulatory recommendations are ultimately within state or federal frameworks (for example, waterfowl and migratory-bird bag limits are set within a flyway framework). Several commissioners suggested routing technical follow-up and document requests to the Department of Wildlife or the state commission as appropriate.
