Opinion: Nevada — the state that loves to kill things
By Keaven Van Lom
The state of Nevada is rebranding itself as the “go to” state if you detest democracy and love to kill things. With the highest unemployment and foreclosure rate in the country, along with a mammoth meth crisis, Nevada’s good old boy network has cooked up a plan for the decrepit state by tossing out democracy and offering up more wildlife to slaughter in hopes of attaining an economic path of recovery by satiating trophy hunters.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife, whose commission seats happen to be occupied by hunters, kicked off the marketing plan when they added the majestic black bear to the list of hunting trophies to snag in the beautiful state. In an amazing display of abuse of public office, and the thwarting of democracy, the commission passed Nevada’s first bear hunt despite overwhelming public opposition and pleas to Gov. Brian Sandoval to intercede.
Despite polls showing fervent opposition to the hunt, letters to media, nearly 4,000 emails to NDoW on record against the hunt (less than 100 for it), nearly 19,000 anti-hunting signatures flopped on their desks, rallies and so forth, the trophy hunting commissioners took their cue from fascist countries and were able to do what small groups of self-serving, pathological males have always been able to do: what they want despite what the majority wants. The death of democracy now joins the state’s dead, bloodied bears.
As one observer stated, “The commissioners had already made up their minds about the hunt way before any public discussions where brought up and told us when they stated, ‘We’re having the bear hunt because we can’. If you’re a public officer elected or appointed in Nevada, you rule not serve.”
A lot of great marketing slogans have come in from citizens who want to help the state attract characters who hate the democratic process and who have, say, a certain amount of bloodlust. Here are some noteworthy ones:
Welcome to the new Wild West. Where random shootings are on the increase and hunting small, unsustainable populations to extinction are encouraged for your entertainment.
Come to Nevada; where real men kill stuff.
Welcome to Nevada; where democracy is as awful as your craps game.
Nevada, your one stop resource: rent a hooker, lose your shirt and kill your share of our unsustainable wildlife. Commit all your sins in just one state! Governor Sandoval has appointed Stevie Wonder to keep an eye on things.
A petition is now circulating to change the iconic Reno arch sign that straddles Virginia Street in downtown Reno. Citizens hope to reword the famous landmark from: “Reno. The Biggest Little City in the World” to “Welcome to Nevada. Have Fun Killing Our Wildlife.”
The sign change would certainly be apropos. It’s not like eco-tourism or the actual protection of wildlife to live wild and free was ever on the agenda. Nevada hosts animal snuffing groups such as the Safari Club International, killing accoutrement retailers such as Cabela’s and Scheels, and Red Rock Hounds for hunting hounds to tree your bears before you shoot them down. Born Free USA, who works to protect wildlife in their natural habitats, and encourage compassionate conservation globally, gives Nevada a D minus as one of the states where cruel body-gripping traps are least regulated. Desert Bighorn Sheep are being introduced in the Virginia Range for trophy hunting. To do that, plans are afoot to eradicate predators such as mountain lions, and cap underground springs so the area’s wild horses can’t find water.
Well, the Bureau of Land Management has already made life hell for the state’s wild horses. Heck, if you’re a wild animal in Nevada, you’re as unlucky as a blue hair at a rigged slot.
On a positive note, a local church group is fervently praying that baby Jesus will come to life from a front lawn nativity scene in Reno on Christmas Eve wielding a giant, golden saw. The congregation believes the baby Jesus will then saw the state from the continent and float it over to attach somewhere in the south where animal cruelty and abuse is pandemic. This will help the state feel more at home with their brethren says the group.
Liberals are just hoping the state attaches itself to Washington where democracy has long gone by the wayside, and animal advocates are encouraging cowardly hunters to enlist in one of America’s numerous wars and unleash their penchant for violence on something that can shoot back.
Will the new marketing ploy work, or will it send Nevadans packing to states where less blood flows and their voice and opinions actually count? Will they stay and vote out a Governor who turned a blind eye to his arrogant wildlife commission who snubbed a majority and continues to imperil innocent creatures?
Now that Nevada has gone rogue, perhaps Sarah Palin will move in and bring some luster back to the tarnished silver state. After all, Palin can now legally add decapitated black bear and Bighorn Sheep heads to her wall of horrors as well as enjoy some roulette. You betcha.
Keaven Van Lom is a freelance writer living in Truckee, CA. She welcomes your comments at keaven@suddenlink.net.
Keaven had best not quit his day job. Hysteria will only get one so far in the field of journalism. Usually a few facts are required, not just vitriol.
I live in Nevada and went to the Nevada DOW supposed public hearing in Douglas County. It was a farce. All hunters on the panel who already had their minds made up. The hunt is stupid and cruel. They hunt the bears with dogs and then shoot the bears when the bears go up a tree. They have already murdered 13 bears this year. Shame on the hunters and shame on Governor Sandoval for allowing hunters to rule his decisions.
A quote from a hunter against the bear hunts said “it would be like shooting a cow” and “if you kill a bear, you will regret it for the rest of your life when you see it die.” Thank you Keavon, you spoke the truth about Nevada.
Writers should report facts not opinions. If you don’t like what is going on in Nevada, use your democratic right to get out and vote. Keep your opinions out of the media.
I am with Dogwoman, I was waiting for a fact in the story and I never ran into one other then the writer does not live in the state of Nevada. How will you feel about the Bears when they attach your dog or cat or rip the door off your house. You say that the bear population is unsustainable, but don’t tell is that it is growing so fast that it stands a better chance to be hurt by sickness or starvation. Stay in your cabin keep smoking and stay paranoid.
A brilliant analysis of a shameful situation. For those of you who cry that this OPINION (check the headline) piece lacks facts, I disagree. It is filled with facts about Nevada’s government and it’s flippant disregard for the will of the people and the sanctity of it’s wildlife. As for rhinopoker, I would remind you that you live in a rural, mountainous area among a variety of WILDLIFE. If bears are roaming your neighborhood you have only yourself and/or your neighbors to blame. It is PEOPLE that bring bears into neighborhoods by carelessly leaving trash (aka bear food) out and habituating bears to the practice of trash consumption. Bears will then do what is natural for them to do. Bears do not know better. PEOPLE DO. Sadly, when people engage in such thoughtless and lazy acts, it is bears who pay the ultimate price. If you cannot respectfully and peacefully co-exist with wildlife, perhaps mountain life is not for you. There are plenty of cities where you won’t have to deal with these “problems”. I only hope the citizens of Nevada find a way to put an end to this inhumane practice.
I have lived in the Sierra my whole life and I can tell you that the bear population has dramatically increased over the last 30 years. Seeing a bear was a rare sight when I was a kid, now they are everywhere. In my neighborhood folks have bear proof garbage cans, spray the outside of the house with pine sol, board up windows and the bears still get in. I chased a bear out of my neighbors house, as it once again had done major damage to his house. Over the years even given our best efforts they have done thousands of dollars damage to our house, and hundreds of others in the Tahoe basin. I hate to see bears hurt as well, but the population is bigger than the resource can withstand and to go on with this men are horrible claptrap is just to get people riled up and has nothing to do with the issue. The sad reality is what is needed is a hunting program only for the neighborhood-urban bears who cause the problems and leaving the wilderness bears alone…good luck getting that one past the fear mongers.
Is it ok with Keaven if we still go fishing?
Well written Keaven and well researched and very factual. This disgusting bear hunting ruling has unified a force in Tahoe never seen before – we are not going away and we will not stop until the bear hunting ruling is reversed. See you soon.
Tahoeasvocate, “Keep your opinions out of the media?”. You clearly don’t understand the democratic process – or you do and it terrifies you.
Keaven is fully accurate in her view point. Multiple peer reviews of the “science” upon which Nevada’s bear hunt was based showed the analysis and modeling of the data to be flawed. The reason humans are seeing so many bears these days is because loss of habitat and easy sources of urban food have caused a population sink in the wildland bears, as they relocate and become urban bears. The population is SCIENTIFICALLY shown to be at risk from this hunt. Hunting is also SCIENTIFICALLY proven to increase nuisance bear problems. What we have here is a system hi jacked by those who enjoy killing wildlife and who skew science to justify their blood lust.
They fool no one, and certainly not Keaven. Great article!
Great article. I am well aware that the democratic system in Nevada is broken.
Hunters ; tell me what you get out of killing a bear??? A bear skin rug?? It is not food for your family. I know that. Maybe it makes you feal like a big tough man. Killing a bear. I think trophy hunters are men who need a big ego boost and kill to say ” Oh, look at me and how tough I am ” I killed an innocent animal with a high powered gun. ” Rhinopoker (gotta wonder about this name) , have you ever actually known anyone who’s pet was attacked by a bear??? Bears usually run from dogs. Unless of course you have shot them and send the hunting dogs after them.
Mark Smith: I fear the media as well as celebrities through the media who try to tell me what to think. I want the media to give me facts from which I can make my own decision. That’s democracy. If you can’t make your own decisions and need to be told what to think, that terrifies me.
“Long Live the Bears and all other living wild creatures”.”please don’t leave out the horses”,we own a lot thanks to these animals that help found this nation through wars and peace”..Minus Humans.
“Pray” that they feel the natures sleep coming real soon as to spare their lives till SPRING.
There needs to be more done with money raised to relocate these viva Helli ride to the deep mountains of Sierras instead of destruction.
wasá is how my tribe says Bear.
T-Advocate,
This is an Opinion piece. Every publication has opinion pieces. You have voiced your opinion here. Why is it more valid?
this is one of the more insane comments i have ever read:
“Writers should report facts not opinions. If you don’t like what is going on in Nevada, use your democratic right to get out and vote. Keep your opinions out of the media.”
just curious, if this person is a fox news consumer.
oh the ironing.
My reply is yes I have had an animal attached by a bear, it was a horse. I have never shot a bear with a gun but with a bow from 45 yards. I eat the meat, which is very good and good for you and have its pelt on my bed to keep me warm at night. That way I didn’t get my food, bedding or guns from corporate America. I did it all myself. You people should try it sometime.
Rhinopoker, you can get meat from Raleys and a warm blanket from K Mart and try to realize that it is not just YOUR world, it is the bears world too.
Regarding democracy, the views of the people were totally ignored by the Governor of Nevada who appointed the NDOW commission of “hunters only need apply.” Hunting with a bow..ha, how long did it take the bear to die from that.
Is it still true that not a single bear was hunted in the Tahoe Basin?
I vaguely remember part of the bear hunt sell referring to the break ins in homes in the Tahoe Basin.
Real men use bows.
Conservation, bows may result in a clean kill or maybe not, but an animal that I shoot with a high velociity bullet dies instantly. Causing more suffering is not a mark of a man. I have taken deer with both and I do not use a bow anymore. As to your other question, yes bears were killed in Tahoe this year and every year, but they were killed on the California side.
Victoria, that is funny. I guess if you get meat from Raley’s an animal didn’t die? Or is it because then you dont see the animal die? How does that make sense?
I dont need anyone to do my killing for me thanks. And my kids know that meat does not come from a grocery store.
Tim, you have seen the bear population increase in the last 30 years? What have you noticed about the human population? A growing number of people move to the mountains to be surrounded by nature, and once there, are disturbed by it and want it ‘suppressed.’ People are irresponsible about their trash and they leave food in their cabins with doors and windows wide open. What do they think is going to happen? Nevada should legislate bear-proof trash containers and other responsible behavior before they legislate a bear hunt.
Victoria, you sound like a very silly & childish with the point that you can get meat from Raley’s.
“California think” is why California will continue to sink.
How sad it is to hear about the Bears being killed ,It is no wonder why Nevada is in such a rut,no jobs ,and all other things that are happening in Nevada,How sad it is to have a Gov say shoot the Bears,It has come to this to survive to eat a Bear because you have to eat,It has come to this to feed your family,Enjoy the meat,and to keep warm,Why not just shoot your selfs and eat the meat,People that kill Bears are sick and cruel anyway,Freedom of speech,It is said that when you kill a Bear ,you kill yourself ,you have to live with it ,What goes around ,comes around ,BAD Luck to the Bear Hunters.How sad it is to say how the world has got to survive today to live,and to kill animals ,Oh by the way ,do shoot your selfs along the way,I hear its good meat,In time that will happen to ,if it isnt already ,Enjoy the meat.and eat to survive, What a cruel world we live in, to survive to eat ,to live, and to keep warm,and To live in poverty,Hope you do not get robbed for the meat , oh thats already happening to .Hard up ,and sad People in the world today.Collect cans to survive will ya ?
Nice Job Keaven,
I think you summed it up very well…those who thirst for blood will eventually pay the price.
Thank you to all those who are fighting this fight for our brothers and sisters…
wowahwa
Great commentary! To those under the impression that this hunt is a response to the bears getting into people’s garbage, please understand that the “urban” bears and wild-land bears are separate populations. NDoW already kills “urban” bears after three reported human encounters. None of the bears hunted have been tagged before. And according to the NDoW’s own literature, hunting does not reduce the “nuisance” bear problem. In fact, it increases the problem. This hunt has nothing to do with the increase in human-bear contact. It has everything to do with the NDoW being run as an extension of the Safari Club International.
The bottom line here is that there is no scientific evidence that supports a bear hunt in Nevada… (The bears that have been killed are wild bears, not the urban bears that seem to be the hot button as far as damages are concerned…which are ultimately caused over the last few years by human behavior in dealing with trash.) AND the fact that our elected officials are completely ignoring the will of the people who voted them in ( is that just not so typical?). It is time to hold Sandovals feet to the fire in his dealings with the NDOW. The public has spoken, been ignored, and we will speak again come election time. Sandoval is so apparantly out of touch with his voters it is pathetic. NDOW commissioners need to be voted in…NOT appointed anymore.
It is the right was to expect a fair and balanced management of our resources in Nevada. NoBearHuntNevada is NOT an anti-hunting organization. It is an anti-bear hunt organization which is demanding science, balance in NDOW and recognition by the governor that we are voters and we do have the right to be heard and taken seriously.
Check the numbers…and get your head out of the sand (?) governor.
With all this talk of facts, people who support this hunt need to get their facts straight. The NV bear population is reported to be about 200, total, and barely stable. Yes, 200. (you do the math – 20 bears killed every year in a hunt, plus the loss of unborn cubs and orphaned cubs…how sustainable is that?) NDoW is peopled and leveraged by hunters. In all petitions the vast majority of the public are opposed to the hunt. The hunt was introduced without following due process (namely considering public opinion) and, as many people have already pointed out, hunting hears does not address the nuisance bear problem – the bears killed by hunting are out there minding their own business in the forest. Linking the hunt to nuisance bears is pure bear hunt-serving propaganda. The only thing that can solve the urban bear issue is trash management, and in fact hunting can drive more bears into our streets and houses. And aside from all this, it boggles my mind to think that someone can kill a stationary animal up a tree at point blank range and call it sport. Seems pretty cowardly to me. Also, given that many of the sows killed had cubs, those cubs now have to be taken care of (if by chance they are found) in animal sanctuaries whose resources are limited. Anyone that believes this is ‘animal management’ and supports the health of the whole is buying into the old boys’ Safari club party line. And then there’s the added issue of poaching that inevitably raises its head….. 200 bears. At this rate all we’ll have left in a few years time is the nuisance bears and none in our NV mountains. Good job trophy hunters!
oops, sorry, cell phone interuption and left out part of a sentence.
correction: “it is the right of the people to expect a fair and balanced management of our resources in Nevada”.
Get your head out of the sand Gov?I agree, We the people ,for the Bears In Incline Village,STOP THE BEAR HUNT ,FOR THE BEARS, WE STAND ,FOR THE BEARS. WE UNITE ,AND STAND TOGETHER.We will keep fighting for our rights.We will WiN .Sandoval you wont be in for ever as a Gov.
Change of barbaric acts against animals can only happen when people speak out. Thank you Keaven for doing that. That hunters can get their jollies from killing innocent animals is beyond me. If these people would only stop and think that they are killing a family member who loves and wants to enjoy their time on this earth as much as we do.
I am sure there are many Nevadans who are outraged. It seems their very democracy is being stifled and innocent animals are being murdered.
My very first thought of this article is that it is written like propaganda. The opinions are aggressive, one sided and maybe even extreme. At the same time we all, as US citizens have the right of free speech. I say kudos to you for speaking well on your “opinion” (Stated in the title) I don’t know where i stand on taking bears because i have not seen the facts for myself nor does this article state them. If there really is a massive bear shortage in NV like some have stated then would probably choose another animal.
I do understand quite well that we have an urban bear problem in the Tahoe Basin as we have had a bear break into our house 5 times in the course of a year in 2010. It was only when the bear shattered our back door that a more aggressive defense was needed. Fortunately, It appears that something happened to the bear as it suddenly stopped breaking in or showing its face. A few changes to the house since the incidents have been made with the help of the bear league our land lords and finally a few back up plans.
Now i don’t claim to be a hunter, but if i had the means and the knowledge. Maybe the upbringing. I most certainly would. I am obviously not a vegetarian and I have nothing against those that are. My opinion on the matter of hunting is that i would rather get my meat from a more natural source. A source that was not raised without a chance at life. a source that was fed hormones to make it grow to harvesting age more efficiently or raised in a cruel manor. If i could actually appreciate where my meat comes from then i would have much more respect for the animals and meat that i not only live with but live off of. I believe that anyone who eats meat should go through the same process that i believe we were meant to go through to get our meat at least once. Including stalking, taking, cleaning and skinning and butchering. Going to safeway in Tahoe City detaches us from the reality of where food comes from. If i had it my way and maybe someday soon it could happen. Most, if not all of the meat i would eat would be an animal that i took from the wild. I say kudos to those that already do the same.
This is just my humble and less than educated opinion.
Cheers friends,
Fred
TC local
Dear John. You are not a skilled hunter and a poor shot. Sack up, learn some stealth.
Dear everyone else: Not a single bear has been killed in the Tahoe Basin. So this hunt isn’t really doing much for you, directly.
Right on Keaven… thank you for putting it on the line… sharing the anger that many of us have regarding Nevada’s lack of respect for democracy, as well as it’s disregard for voiceless animals.
Save the goldfish!
In 30 + mountain years, we’d never had a bear at our front door. Then came day 2 of the bear hunt & a huge, confused bear stood shifting, then pacing like a zoo animal on our brick path.
Hello, Nevada? Eco-tourism = profit worldwide(ex: Africa).
Wild horses are a symbol of the American West, but no one wants to see them in pens in Kansas. Plus, it costs millions to put them there. Leave them on the range, do pack/hiking/four-wheel tours & they’ll earn their keep.