Senate bill seeks to decriminalize incidental collection of sheds and clarify 'deadhead' rules; wildlife groups urge caution

Senate Bill 235 would change how Nevada treats the incidental, noncommercial collection of shed antlers, horns and weathered skulls (“deadheads”), removing criminal penalties for casual finders while preserving the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners' authority to regulate commercial collection.

Sen. Ira Hansen, sponsor of the bill, said the measure responds to years of regulatory interpretation that, in his view, exceeded legislative intent. Hansen showed committee members examples he said came from department materials that, as interpreted, made it unlawful for a hiker or boater to pick up a skull with antlers attached. He said current practice can criminalize incidental collectors and that the law should instead target commercial collectors.

Hansen and other supporters described a patchwork of county-level seasonal rules that prohibit gathering sheds in certain counties (named in testimony as Elko, Eureka, Lander, Lincoln, Nye and White Pine from Jan. 1 to April 30) and said the commission's rules and demerit system have created disproportionate penalties for otherwise harmless activity. Hansen cited agency figures and legislative history dating back to 2011 and said enforcement has produced a small number of citations overall but can produce demerits that threaten hunting and fishing privileges.

Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) staff described the regulatory history: the Legislature directed the commission to adopt regulations on shed antlers; the commission subsequently adopted NAC 503.172 and additional course and certificate requirements for shed hunting during specified periods. NDOW said enforcement emphasis is typically on commercial activity; casual, single-item incidents often receive warnings, while repeated or large-volume taking triggers enforcement.

Opposition testimony came from the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners, the Coalition for Nevada's Wildlife and the Great Basin Wildlife Conservancy, which said the commission has worked for years to establish a shed-hunting season and that the existing regulatory approach balances recreational opportunity and protection of wintering animals. The Board of Wildlife Commissioners told the committee it opposed SB 235 in its current form because it would remove an established shed-antler season that is common across western states.

Public callers offered mixed views: several individuals called in support of the sponsor's intent to reduce prosecutions of incidental collectors, while sportsmen and county citizens said the draft language was unclear and could hinder enforcement of commercial collection or disrupt seasons. NDOW staff told committee members it would prefer to continue addressing some issues through the commission's regulatory process, and the department said it is working on possible deadhead language in NAC that would be more flexible and administratively manageable.

The committee did not take a formal vote on SB 235 at this hearing; testimony concluded and the committee moved on. The record shows a substantive debate between the bill sponsor and wildlife stakeholders about the appropriate balance between preventing commercial over-harvest and avoiding criminalization of incidental finders.