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Elko CAB backs petition to limit nonresident hound hunts, urges commission review
Summary
After testimony from houndsmen and public commenters about conflicts and enforcement gaps, the Elko County Advisory Board voted to support a petition asking the commission to pursue a regional, draw-based nonresident hound permit and resident over-the-counter permits.
Cleve Dwyer presented a petition asking the board to pursue a nonresident hound-permit system that would limit nonresident hounds through a 40-permit, regionally distributed draw and require vehicle-permit checks.
"We'd like to make it to where it's a 40 permit system... and put it into 3 different regions," Cleve Dwyer said, explaining the proposal would reduce nonresident pressure in areas used by resident houndsmen and generate revenue for predator management.
Public commenters backed the petition with examples of on-the-ground conflicts. David Gowen said he had recent experiences where nonresident packs interfered with resident hunts and described how enforcement is difficult in remote border areas. "I believe that some of those things are happening just because of evidence that I see on the ground," Gowen said. Mike Stevens added that local sportsmen want stronger limits or a draw requirement for nonresidents.
NDOW staff provided harvest context: biologist Matt Jeffress said recent seasons showed residents taking more mountain lions than nonresidents in the region (examples given across four-year spans: nonresident harvests of 45–75 lions vs. residents taking 69–110 in various years), and told the board staff can provide more detailed breakdowns of guided vs. nonguided takes.
Board member Justin French moved, and a colleague seconded, that the CAB support pursuing a nonresident hound permit program; the motion carried by voice vote with the chair voting aye. The CAB will forward its recommendation and supporting comments to the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners for formal consideration.
What happens next: The CAB's action is a recommendation; the commission will review the petition and the department's analysis at a future meeting where any regulatory or fee proposals would be developed or discarded.
