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April 29, 2005
Wildlife Digest
A trapper from Utah who wrongfully claimed Nevada residency was found guilty of illegally taking 53 Nevada bobcats and two gray foxes. He was ordered to pay civil penalties and fines and forfeit traps and furs totaling more than $20,000. Donovan Yates, 45, of Mona, Utah, was found guilty in an Ely Justice Court trial of two misdemeanor wildlife crimes. After a four-hour trial on April 18, Judge Ron Niman found Yates guilty of providing false information to obtain a Nevada resident trapping license and unlawful possession of bobcats. The trapping of bobcats and gray fox is closed to non-residents in Nevada. The judge fined Yates $750 plus court costs, and he ordered Yates to forfeit proceeds from the sale of 43 bobcat pelts totaling $12,127 to the Operation Game Thief Citizens Board. The judge also assessed Yates an additional civil penalty of $5,500 for the unlawfully taken animals, confiscated 98 traps used and sentenced Yates to a six-month sentence in the White Pine County jail. The sentence is suspended provided Yates pays his fine and civil penalties within six months. Nevada law requires six months residency to be eligible for a resident trapping license. The Court heard testimony that Yates came to Nevada from Utah to trap bobcats because of Utah 's restrictive laws on trapping and harvest quotas of bobcats. Yates claimed that he trapped the animals in November and December of 2004 and January of 2005 under authority of a Nevada resident trapping license obtained in October 2004. Nevada game wardens, acting on information from Utah conservation officers, issued Yates two citations and seized 53 bobcats and two gray fox in early February, 2005. This case was a cooperative effort between the Nevada Department of Wildlife and Utah Division of Natural Resources. The Nevada Department of Wildlife reminds sportsmen to report poaching to Operation Game Thief at 1-800-992-3030. Sportsmen can learn more about the program at www.stoppoaching.org. Support wildlife; purchase licenses People who don't fish or hunt but want to contribute to Nevada's wildlife and help protect wildlife habitats in the state can do so by purchasing fishing and hunting licenses, according to Elsie Sellars, education coordinator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW). "Buying a license is one of the few avenues people have for making a contribution that will make a difference to our state's wildlife," Sellars said. "The money that is received from license sales goes to far more than managing sport fish and game animals, it protects crucial wildlife habitats and benefits all of the state's wildlife." She said that the dollars received from license sales, along with sales of state duck, trout and upland game stamps, help to fund NDOW's wildlife management areas that are located around the state. These are important habitats for a diverse range of wildlife and provide the public with the opportunity to view birds, fish, mammals, reptiles and amphibians in their natural environment. License revenues also are used to fund NDOW's ongoing habitat work that involves partnering with land management agencies as well as other public and private groups to have wildlife taken into consideration in land use planning and in issues relating to human impacts on wildlife habitat. The fees also help with construction and maintenance of the hundreds of wildlife water developments that NDOW has installed throughout the state to provide year-round sources of water for wildlife. "License and stamp fees can often be matched at three or four to one with federal aid funds that are collected through excise taxes on the sale of fishing and hunting equipment. So the dollars that are spent on fishing and hunting licenses become even more valuable to wildlife," said Sellars. Fishing licenses for resident adults are $29 while hunting licenses are $33 and combination fishing and hunting licenses are $54. Licenses also are sold for lesser amounts to juniors and seniors. State duck, trout and upland game stamps are $10 each. A hunter education card is required when purchasing a hunting license or combination license for anyone born in 1960 or later. Licenses can be purchased at most sporting goods stores, the sporting goods departments of major retail stores, bait and tackle shops and NDOW offices. "I encourage everyone to purchase a license or stamp. It's crucial to our wildlife and you will help Nevada's wild animals," she said. (All fees were published in the Pahrump Valley Times editions on April 15 and 22.) |
