Wildlife Commissioner Brad Quilici said Friday he made a mistake and paid the price for not following state trapping regulations 17 years ago - but that he has had a clean record since.
Quilici, named to the commission in November by Gov. Kenny Guinn, was convicted on five citations involving a trap line in Pershing County's American Canyon in 1982 and paid $500 in fines.
"I was a young kid 25 years old and didn't do what I was supposed to do," he said. "Got caught and paid the piper."
He said he has had no citations or violations since then and has contributed to wildlife programs as a hunter safety instructor and a member of the Wildlife Advisory Board in Lovelock.
"I can guarantee I can do a good job," said Quilici, who is in construction in the Lovelock area. "Everybody makes mistakes when they're young. If you learn from them, you've done a good job."
Quilici, 47, also admitted that some people have made other allegations against him but said he has made a few enemies throughout the years.
"I'm a kind of high-profile guy," he said. "I'm outspoken. I tend to ruffle some feathers."
He said that goes with the territory once one is on an advisory board or the wildlife commission.
"You're going to make maybe 51 percent of the people happy and 49 percent unhappy," he said. "All you can do is the best you can."
Quilici was hit with four citations for not properly concealing the bait from his traps in 1982. Wildlife experts say the bait must be hidden from 30 feet away primarily to prevent predatory birds - especially eagles - from finding it and getting caught. He was also cited for not visiting his trap line for more than 96 hours.
Guinn's Chief of Staff Scott Scherer said they knew about a minor violation in Quilici's past before naming him and had no plans to ask him to step down unless someone advises them he has a serious transgression in his past.
