Nevada: Governor’s Veto of Apprentice Hunting Bill Overridden!

Please Thank Your Legislators!

On Sunday, May 31, the State Senate followed the lead of the State House and unanimously overrode Governor Jim Gibbons’ (R) veto of Assembly Bill 246.  The vote came shortly after the Governor had announced he was considering overturning his own veto. 

AB246 will establish an apprentice hunting license that enables prospective hunters who are at least 12 years old to try their hand at hunting before completing a hunter education course.  Apprentice hunters would have to be directly supervised in the field by a mentor who is at least 18 years old and who holds a valid Nevada hunting license.  Experience in more than two dozen other states shows that this apprentice hunting program is exceptionally safe and will bring many new hunters into the field. 

Hunter recruitment is critical to the long-term preservation of our hunting heritage.  Hunter numbers are declining and radical anti-hunting organizations like the Humane Society of the United States are doing everything they can to keep people from hunting.  Nevada currently ranks 49th among the states in hunter recruitment.  For every 100 Nevada hunters who permanently quit hunting, only 30 new hunters replace them.  This trend must be reversed, and AB246 will help in this effort. 

Please contact your Legislators and thank them for their support for this important legislation and the future of hunting in Nevada.  You may find your legislators and his or her contact information by clicking here.