The Nevada Wild Podcast

Just in time for the season opener for Nevada's forest grouse species, Utah State University released a guide on forest grouse hunting that can benefit all hunters in western states, including Nevada.

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller meet with NDOW Upland Game Staff Specialist Shawn Espinosa and an author of the publication, Dave Dahlgren to talk about how this guide can help upland game hunters in Nevada. They also share strategy and locations for hunting Nevada's forest grouse species.

View the guide, "Forest Grouse in the Fall, Improving Your Forest Grouse Hunting Skills", as you listen to the podcast here: https://www.usugrouserange.com/resources-research

Nevada's opening date for forest grouse hunting is September 1. For more season dates click here: http://www.eregulations.com/nevada/small-game/

Due to a dry year, bears in western Nevada are moving into lower elevations to search for food, leading to more bear sightings.

In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk with Bear Biologist Heather Reich over Zoom to discuss the importance of being responsible while living in bear country. Heather explains why people need to be diligent about securing their trash and other attractants more than ever before, and takes us through the steps you can take to keep Nevada bears wild.

For more information on the wildlife resistant trash containers and other resources mentioned in this podcast visit NDOW's Bear Awareness page at this link: http://www.ndow.org/Nevada_Wildlife/Bear_Logic/

If you have been staying home recently, you may have noticed more wildlife near your home than usual.

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez talks to NDOW's Urban Wildlife Coordinators Jessica Wolff and Lauren MacLeod about the common wildlife-related calls they've received from people recently, why there is an increase in wildlife sightings and what to do if you spot wildlife in your neighborhood.

As a dry summer continues and we see wildfires pop up across the state, this week's Nevada Wild takes a look at the importance of NDOW's Habitat Division and the prevention and rehabilitation work it does to protect crucial habitat for Nevada's wildlife.

shley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk with NDOW Habitat Biologists Mark Freese and Caleb McAdoo about their role in wildfire prevention and rehabilitation, the importance of working with partners to protect wildlife habitat and more!

We want to thank all of the partner agencies and sportsmen's groups who help us protect, preserve and rehabilitate Nevada's wildlife habitat!

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller chat with NDOW's new Outdoor Connection Coordinator Bobby Jones and his wife Allie Scurry.

Bobby explains his position at NDOW and the important role he plays in connecting people with nature and recreation. Right on topic, his wife Allie joins us to explain how Bobby has completely changed her perception of hunting, how their differing beliefs have brought new interests into each others lives, and she explains how her new and expanded view on conservation has impacted her.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife is learning more about the state's growing moose population with help from ongoing projects by NDOW biologists and sightings reported by Nevadans.

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez talks to NDOW Game Biologists Kari Huebner, Travis Allen and Cody McKee about the status of Nevada's moose population, the work they're doing to learn more, the importance of information from the public, how you can report a sighting and more!

Game wardens will be out in force for Fourth of July weekend as part of Operation Dry Water looking for anyone boating while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller Zoom with NDOW Game Warden Captain Brian Bowles and officer in charge of the US Coast Guard Station Lake Tahoe, Chief Colt Fairchild. They explain how the agencies work together to keep the waters safe, especially during busy weekends like the Fourth of July holiday, they explain Operation Dry Water, and what you need to do to prepare before heading out. The two even exchange a couple U.S. Coast Guard stories!

Nevada waters are stocked and ready for fishing. Now is the perfect time to get back outside and enjoy! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller chat with NDOW Angler Educators Abbey Czarnecki, Joe Doucette and Jan Nemec about fishing conditions around the state, recommended spots, the importance of planning ahead, and social distancing tips to follow so you have a safe and memorable experience.

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW's Bighorn Sheep Staff Specialist Mike Cox to reflect on the similarities between COVID-19 in humans and a disease pandemic in wild sheep that biologists in North America have been dealing with for centuries. Mike explains the challenges the disease pandemic in wild sheep has created as they try to restore populations, its similarities to COVID-19 in humans, and the successes biologists and partners have had in restoring bighorn sheep herds. Read the article that resulted in this podcast here: https://www.wafwa.org/news/e_2205/News/2020/5/Issue-Profile--Human-COVID-19-and-Wild-Sheep-Disease-Pandemics-

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Deputy Director Jack Robb and Habitat Division Administrator Alan Jenne to talk about the Wildlife Heritage Trust. This trust is administered by the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners, and is critical in funding projects that benefit Nevada's wildlife and wildlife habitat. This podcast explains where Wildlife Heritage Trust funding comes from, its history and Nevada sportsmens' involvement in the trust's creation, and how it's used on a wide range of projects that have led to success stories for Nevada's wildlife.

If you notice any technical glitches, bear with us! We're still recording from home and had some internet issues.