"The new junior upland game season is more about the one-on-one experience with your child, and expressing the need for safety and ethics," said David Catalano, who will be taking his son, David Paul, to pursue chukar during Nevada's first junior upland game season. "The game is secondary."

The Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners authorized the hunt, open statewide Sept. 29 and 30, at their last commission meeting. Their focus is on recruiting and retaining youth hunters.

Catalano, a wildlife diversity biologist for the Nevada Department of Wildlife and a volunteer as a hunter education instructor, values the opportunity this hunt brings to focus on young sportsmen.

"When you're hunting with kids, you're looking for birds as well," he said. Catalano will act as a shadow, watching how his son interacts with the outdoors. "The youth hunts give parents an opportunity to focus solely on the child - their safety practices, techniques, and handling of uneven terrain," he said.

Young hunters may also have a better opportunity to build confidence, as they can take to the field before the season opens to all hunters and perhaps have a greater chance of success.

Catalano has a great deal of confidence in David Paul, who at 11 years of age has gone on hunts before, but will be carrying a shotgun for the first time.

"I know he understands the things I've expressed in terms of ethics, safety and the importance of being a sportsman," said Catalano. This youth hunt provides the opportunity to see how the young sportsman applies the teachings.

"I hope that this hunt encourages parents to focus on the most valuable aspect of all - the bonding experience it offers," he continued.

The department also holds youth waterfowl and mule deer hunts. This focus on youth may be a factor in keeping declines in the number of young hunters at bay.

A recent U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service report states that the number of hunters nationwide has declined 10 percent from 1996 to last year. In the same period, the number of youth hunting licenses sold in Nevada increased 28 percent.

For young hunters and their mentors who capture the experience of their hunt with a camera, valuable prizes, such as a 12 gauge Berretta Semi-automatic 3901 and a 20 gauge youth model Berretta 3901, will be awarded in the first Youth Upland Hunt Photo Contest.

The contest is sponsored by the Carson Valley Chukar Club, Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, the Nevada Chukar Foundation, the Desert Chapter of the Safari Club International and the Northern Nevada Chapter of Safari Club International. For more information and a contest entry form, visit www.ndow.org.

The junior upland game season is open to hunters 15 years of age and younger. Youth must be accompanied by an adult who is al least 18 years old.

The season is open for chukar, Hungarian partridge, California, Gambel's and scaled quail, and rabbit. An upland game stamp is required for anyone aged 12 or older to hunt upland game birds, except turkey and crow.

The $10 stamp funds habitat work that benefits upland game species. A junior hunting license is required for those 12-15 years old.