Outdoor Briefs

OPEN TO ALL ARTISTS

American wigeon selected for 2012 duck stamp contest

The American wigeon may be a common and widespread duck species, but artists who want to win the 2012 Nevada duck stamp art contest will find them captivating.

The American wigeon (Anas americana) is the Nevada Waterfowl Association choice for the contest to select artwork for the 2012-13 state duck stamp.

The contest, sanctioned by the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners, is not restricted to artists from Nevada. Entries must be an original creation, in any drawing medium.

The deadline for submission to the Nevada Department of Wildlife is Oct. 21. Contest rules are available at www.ndow.org/wild/stamp, or by calling (775) 688-1998 for more information.

Entries will be judged by seven people, including two members of the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners and five others appointed by the Nevada Waterfowl Association. The names of the top 10 finalists will be announced by the Nevada Department of Wildlife on Nov. 14.

The American wigeon is a bird of open wetlands, such as wet grassland or marshes with some taller vegetation, and usually feeds by dabbling for plant food or grazing. Its winter migration brings the birds to Nevada each year.

Any person 12 to 64 years old who hunts any migratory bird except mourning or white-winged dove, snipe, coot or moorhen in Nevada is required to purchase a state duck stamp. Money from the sale of Nevada duck stamps is used for projects approved by the commission for the protection and propagation of migratory game birds, and for the acquisition, development and preservation of wetlands in Nevada.

TAKE AIM

Learn archery skills through wildlife department classes

The Nevada Department of Wildlife will host a pair of archery classes June 15 and 16 at the Clark County Shooting Park Education Center, 11357 N. Decatur Blvd. The first evening will be an introduction to archery class and the second will be an intermediate archery class. Both classes will run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

The introductory course is designed for those 10 and older who want to learn about the parts of a bow and how they function, basic shooting technique and range safety. The course is comprised of a 45-minute classroom instruction period and about two hours of hands-on shooting experience. Intermediate archery is designed to build on those concepts by fine tuning technique and practicing shots.

The classes are free and equipment will be provided. Registration is required and will begin Monday . For more information or to register, contact Chris Cheff at 486-5127, ext. 3504.

TAKE THE BAIT

Anglers can celebrate their sport during Free Fishing Day

Residents and nonresidents alike will have a chance to enjoy fishing without having to buy a license on Saturday , Free Fishing Day in Nevada.

To celebrate this opportunity and encourage people to try fishing, the Nevada Department of Wildlife will have free fishing events at two local parks.

One will take place at the Veterans Memorial Park pond in Boulder City. This event will include a fishing derby for anglers of all ages, along with booths where participants can learn about various fish species in Southern Nevada as well as how to tie fishing knots and select their bait and tackle. The booths also will offer information about desert flora and fauna, boating safety and other related subjects.

The first 300 children who register for this event will receive a free tackle box, and all participants will have chances to win a prize. Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m., with the event running from 8 to 11:30 a.m. For more information, contact Ivy Santee, 486-5127, ext. 3503. Partners in this event are the Boulder City Parks and Recreation Department, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership.

The second event will take place at Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs in Las Vegas. Department of Wildlife personnel will be on hand to loan out fishing rods and tackle, beginning at 7:30 a.m. (equipment must be returned by noon). For more information, contact Christie Garness at 249-5877. Partners in this event include Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Ross and the Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Department.

For anglers who want to escape the valley, Echo Canyon State Park near Pioche will have its annual fishing derby from 8 a.m. to noon. The derby is open to anglers of all ages and will include a tagged fish event with the chance to win prizes. For more information, contact Ranger Ben Johnson, (775) 962-5102.

ANOTHER TRY

Big game hunters can apply for second draw of tags

Hunters who did not draw a big game tag in the recently completed main draw have another chance in the second draw.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife has posted Nevada's big game tag draw results at www.huntnevada.com. Official results and tags will be mailed to addresses on record by June 13.

Remaining tags for mule deer -- antlered -- longbow (hunt 1341) and antelope -- horns longer than ears -- longbow (hunts 2161 and 2261) will be available to residents and nonresidents. There are 28 tags remaining in hunt 1341, with 19 tags remaining in units 101-108 early, two in unit 203, six tags remaining for units 211 and 212, and one tag remaining for units 271 and 272. Two tags remain for resident hunt 2161 and nonresident hunt 2261.

There will be a second draw for antlerless elk, with 25 tags remaining for resident longbow hunt (hunt 4111), with 19 tags in unit 072 and six tags in unit 073.

Resident youth hunters continue to have the best opportunity at second draw tags, with 83 tags remaining for the junior mule deer, either sex hunt (1107) with 34 tags remaining in unit 051, 41 in units 101-108 and seven tags remaining in units 251-253.

Hunters interested in applying for tags in the second draw can visit www.huntnevada.com starting at 8 a.m. June 13 or call the wildlife administrative services office at (800) 576-1020 for a mailing address. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. June 28. Final results of the second draw will be provided by July 15.

Any tags remaining after the second draw will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.