'Mixed deer hunts? I don't understand what you mean'

If you are a big game hunter, interested in applying, this coming Monday at 5 p.m. is the final deadline for RECEIVING applications for those hunting tags.

Nevada law requires a computerized drawing system for the issuance of hunting tags for: pronghorn antelope, mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, California bighorn sheep, desert bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goat.

Your application forms and their associated checks must be received by 5 p.m. on April 21 at the Wildlife Administrative Services Office, P.O. Box 1345, Fallon 89407-1345. Those forms are required to be submitted through an authorized postal service such as the U.S. Mail, FedEx, UPS.

You can also apply on the Internet by going to two different websites: www.ndow.org or www.huntnevada.com.

In fact, last year, more than 60,000 (including Don Q) out of a total of 103,000 applications were received via the Internet. That's awesome!

And, Don Sefton of the Wildlife Administrative Services Office said he expects even more this year!

During these past few weeks, I have touted the Internet as the best way to apply for three very important reasons:

1. All of the data that you enter is automatically checked for validity as you key it in.

In the event you enter erroneous data, the computerized system will not accept your application until that error has been corrected.

If the data that you enter is valid, the computer will accept it. (Very carefully remember that particular point!)

2. At the time that the computerized system accepts your application information, you must also provide credit card information for the necessary money amounts.

Then, once your application information and money amounts have been accepted, you are officially in the 2003 computerized drawing.

3. Finally, the most important reason why you should apply via the Internet and it is a sneaky reason:

After that mail-in deadline of Apr. 21, wait about a week or so, and then start checking the status of your charge card account on a daily basis:

If you have been successful in the computerized drawings, your credit card account will reflect the charge, long before you receive any notification via the U.S. Mail ("Snail Mail").

For example, last year, I knew for many days in advance that I had drawn a rifle buck mule deer tag, before it arrived in the U.S. Mail.

I did not know what area that I had drawn, but I knew that I received a deer tag by the amount of money charged to my credit card.

And, unfortunately, I also knew by the amount of money that had been charged, that I had not been successful in applying for a California bighorn sheep tag.

Very sneaky, but very legal and very, very informative.

And, if there is no charge to your credit card, you also know that you did not draw any tags, long before receiving notification in the mail stating that you were unsuccessful.

Sounds pretty simple doesn't it?

Well, as we found out, it is not quite that simple....if you screw up.

I had told my son, Jim, how easy it was to use the Internet and we made the decision to apply as a party of two for rifle, buck, mule deer tags.

That way, you both go, if drawn, or you both stay home, if unsuccessful.

One afternoon, about two weeks ago, the two of us sat down at my computer, connected to the Internet, went to www.ndow.org and from there, linked into www.huntnevada.com.

Once at that website, we slowly worked our way through all of the required information including name, mailing address, phone number, hunting license information, etc.

Then, we applied for our desired deer hunts in two different, big game management areas: (Nos. 071-079 in Northeastern Elko County and Nos. 194-196, west of Carson City).

We keyed in the necessary information, credit card no. and Presto Magic: we were entered into the drawing.

And to ensure that we had a record of our transaction, I printed out a hard copy of our application.

Sounds pretty simple doesn't it?

Well, as we found out later, it is not quite that simple....we screwed up.

The information that we entered was absolutely valid but it was not necessarily correct.

Then, on the night of April 8, Sefton was the featured guest on The Outdoor Recreation Show.

As Jim and I were talking with Sefton before going live on the air, I showed Sefton the hard copy of our 2003 Internet application.

Sefton looked at it, frowned and said, "Geez, I didn't know that you fellows mixed your deer hunts."

I was instantly puzzled and responded, "Mixed hunts? I don't understand what you mean."

He said, "Well, you applied for rifle deer tags for 071-079 and for archery deer tags for 194-196."

"Are you kidding? We did what!"

I grabbed the form out of his hands, carefully read it and discovered that he was absolutely correct.

We had made a first choice of rifle, buck mule deer tags for area Nos. 071-079 and a second choice of archery, buck mule deer tags for area Nos. 194-196 (you are allowed up to five choices).

As it turned out, when applying for our second choice, we had been looking at the area Nos. of 194-196 and had not noticed that we had put down the code for archery hunting.

And, guess what: once your information is accepted by the computer it is locked in the safe, permanently.

You get what you request!

You can not withdraw your request, in the event that you have picked the wrong big game management area numbers or type of hunt.

You can not even return the tags in the event you do not want them!

Geez, if we are lucky enough to get drawn, I am either going hunting in Elko County in October with my .30-06 rifle or I am going hunting in the mountains above Carson City in November with my bow that I have never used.

Heck, who knows which one!

The good news is that I might finally get a chance to see how good I really am with my compound bow.

Finally, the moral of this particular story is to be very careful of what you ask for, you just might get it.

-- Bet Your Favorite Pigeon

Bet your favorite pigeon he can't tell you where area Nos. 194-196 are located.

If he grins and responds, "They are in the area, north of U.S. 50 to Lake Tahoe, west of urban Carson City and south of the Mt. Rose Highway, he, too, could be a hunter interested in that area.