A youth upland game season, hunting season dates for waterfowl and regulation changes on junior big game hunts are topics the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners may take action on when they meet Friday and Saturday in Ely.

The meeting begins Friday at 1 p.m., at the Bristlecone Convention Center, 150 6th Street, and reconvenes at 8 a.m., Saturday.

On Friday the commission will review and be asked to approve a youth upland game season for the 2007 through 2012 hunting seasons.

The commission will review and may also approve a biennial big game release plan for 2008 and 2009.

"We have created an ambitious plan to continue the success we've had restoring herds of bighorn sheep and pronghorn," said Mike Cox, NDOW big game biologist.

Populations of bighorn sheep re-established through the department's translocation efforts make up about 69 percent of the herds in the state.

The department, with substantial assistance from such groups as Nevada Bighorns Unlimited and Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn, has re-established herds in areas where they historically thrived. Most transplanted populations have grown to harvestable size.

The commission will also consider a change to the 2007 big game tag questionnaire.

It is currently 15 weekdays from the close of the season; the proposed move is to the fourth Monday in January.

"It was apparent that the shortened deadline was a real problem," said Cox. "As a courtesy to hunters and to raise our return rate it made sense to return to one simple deadline," he said.

On Saturday's agenda is the establishment of hunting season dates and bag limits for waterfowl and snipe.

Limits and seasons are contingent upon federal regulatory guidelines, some of which have yet to be set. Craig Mortimore, a department migratory bird biologist, stated that the season in the Pacific Flyway will be 107 days long. At press time, scientists were engaged in discussions about the appropriate limits for canvasback and scaup.

The Tag Allocation and Application Hunt Committee (TAAHC) will recommend regulation changes affecting junior hunt eligibility and transfer of bonus points.

The commission will be asked to take action on this item, and will also hear the committee's recommendation for the bonus point program. The TAAHC was established in August 2006 to review tag allocation issues based on sound biological principals, and evaluate potential changes to the application hunt and draw process.

The committee has met with, and gathered input from, every county advisory board to manage wildlife in Nevada.

This meeting is open to the public, and a public comment period is on the agenda for each day. For a complete agenda and support materials visit www.ndow.org, under Our Agency, Commissions & Boards.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, and promotes fishing, hunting, and boating safety. The department's wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are primarily funded by sportsmen's license and conservation fees and a federal surcharge on hunting and fishing gear.

Support wildlife and habitat conservation in Nevada by purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination license.

For more information, visit www.ndow.org.