It’s tax time and it’s also time for big-game tags

If you woke up this morning with that nagging feeling that an important deadline is looming, a deadline you really don’t want to miss, you may want to take it seriously.

No, it isn’t the annual tax day thing, although that is something we should probably give some thought to. It’s Nevada’s big-game tag application deadline that’s weighing on my mind.

Those of you who are new to the Silver State might ask, “What’s a big-game tag application?”

In Nevada, all big-game tags are awarded through a drawing process that takes place in the spring of each year. Anyone wanting to hunt big game must submit an application for each species they would like to hunt. The application process begins in mid-March and ends in mid-April. Generally, if you are thinking about your tax return, you also should be thinking about submitting your tag application, or applications as the case may be.

This year the tag application deadline is April 18.

There are two options for submitting your application: If you are Internet savvy, you can apply at huntnevada.com. Or if you prefer something tangible, you can apply with a paper application. Those are available at Nevada Department of Wildlife offices or they can be downloaded and printed at ndow.org. Paper applications have to be submitted through a postal service, so keep mailing time in mind when putting pen to paper.

Though I am one of those guys with one foot in the digital realm and the other in the paper world, I prefer to submit my applications via the Internet. That’s partly because all I have to do is click a button on a computer mouse and it’s a done deal, but also because the application software makes it difficult for me to make a mistake that will cause my application to be rejected. With a paper application, there is a little more room for such errors.

That said, the click of a mouse on the incorrect button can lead to unexpected results. One year, for example, my daughter received an unexpected antelope tag. It was for an archery hunt when I had submitted an application for a rifle season. At least I thought I had. As it turned out, I had selected the hunter choice number for an archery hunt rather than the rifle season.

Dad always said that a smart man learns by experience, but evidently I forgot that antelope lesson. While checking results of the 2015 tag draw, I learned the bull elk tag I drew was actually a cow tag. A quick check of my application selections showed that I had selected the correct areas but did so for the wrong hunt. As a result, I missed out on a bull elk bonus point.

Perhaps there is a thing or two we can learn from my mistakes. First, take your time when completing your application despite your level of experience with the application process and regardless of whether you choose to use the digital or paper application. Second, take the time to review your selections before hitting the submit button or pasting a stamp on the envelope. The extra time certainly won’t hurt, and it definitely might help.

In addition to digital convenience, another advantage of online applications over the paper version is financial. With online applications, only the application fees are charged to your credit card up front. Tag fees are charged to your credit card only after the draw is complete and you are awarded a tag. With paper applications, all application and tag fees must be submitted with your application. Then, if you are unsuccessful in drawing a tag, your tag fees will be refunded.

When it comes to the application process there is no way to guarantee you will receive a tag, no secret to stacking the odds in your favor, though hunters who have been through the process more than a few years all have their own approach. The key lies in finding a method you are happy with and helps you have the hunting experience you are looking for.

In my case, I don’t mind sitting out a couple of seasons if I get the chance to hunt where, when and what I want.

Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His “In the Outdoors” column, published Thursday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own. He can be reached at intheoutdoorslv@gmail.com.