WTF is up with Nevada’s licensing?
I’ve never hunted chukar in Nevada, but have wanted to for a long time now. A few years ago, we met some nice folks from Nevada who’d kindly agreed to meet us for dinner in Winnemucca and maybe point us in the right direction. I posted about it last November, although the events in question occurred in 2022.
The upshot is that when we got down there, after having purchased upland game licenses in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Wyoming that fall, I (stupidly) assumed I could waltz into Wal-Mart in Winnemucca and buy one from Nevada. Even if the manager had been able to remember his login credentials for his licensing system, he would have turned me away empty-handed.
Unlike the other five states I’ve been licensed in, Nevada has a non-resident requirement for all hunters born after 1960 to provide evidence of having completed a “hunter safety course.” I’d lost my card from the hunter safety course I’d taken after moving to Idaho in 2000, but I was able to go online to ilostmycard.com and (after paying $10 or $20) — wow — get a duplicate of my certificate from Idaho Fish & Game. The course I’d taken was targeted at bow hunters, but covered all of the material for the rifle/general hunter safety courses offered in Idaho, plus extra stuff specifically relating to bow hunting.
We weren’t able to plan a trip to Nevada last year, but I was excited to plan something this season. So I logged onto my Nevada Department of Wildlife account and tried to purchase a license. A popup window told me that I needed to have my hunter’s safety course added to my record, and then I’d be able to purchase a license. The information included an email address to which I was to send my proof.
So I did that. A couple hours later, I received an email that read, “Unfortunately, we cannot accept a Bowhunter Education Certification as proof of Hunter Education. If you have taken a Hunter Safety specific course, please provide a copy of that so we can add it to your account.”
I responded, but was shot down by someone named Harmony. Apparently, Nevada will only accept (but they don’t tell you this anywhere) hunter safety courses taken from their approved vendor (hunter-ed.com). I’ve spoken to several other non-resident hunters, including some born before and some born after the magical 1960 date. They all informed me that they were easily able to purchase licenses online for Nevada without the hunter ed requirement.
So I ask you, those of you from outside NV who’ve hunted in NV, what’s been your experience getting a license to hunt there? Asking for a friend.
Bob, try contacting a fish &wildlife conservation officer or biologist directly. That’s how a friend got his nonresident license last year. I’m a 1955 baby who lost his hunters ed certificate but aged out of the requirement. Last year was great in Nevada.
Thanks, Ron. I got a personal connection from a friend to a NV F&W officer, but he never responded to my email. I think it’s a sign.
Not sure I can provide any help but I had a similar thing last season. Was planning on hunting a place just across the border (I’m in Utah and hunt pretty close to the border anyway). Luckily I was antsy and tried buying a license on Wednesday before the planned Friday hunt. When I got the same warning you got I called my friends back and said sorry I can’t make it because I too had lost my hunters ed card many moons ago. They gave me the suggestion of taking a screenshot of my drawing points report from Utah since it has all of my info including my current license and my Utah hunters ed #. I sent that off to the email they provided and had a reply by the next day saying that I was now in the system and could buy my NV license. That probably doesn’t help since it sounds like your issue is an “unapproved” hunters ed course.
I too thought it was weird that they wouldn’t let me buy a license without first “vetting” me. I’ve bought licenses in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, Kansas, and Oklahoma but had never been required to show anything other than my current license from whichever state I was coming from.
The trip did end up being worth the hassle for me as I got my first 6 chukar limit that day (the limit is only 5 in Utah).
Thanks so much, Chance. The whole thing is absurd.
Was not a problem. Showed my Ca. License got NV. license not a problem. This was probably 15 years ago. Once I was in there system was able to get a license on the internet
Bob. Be glad to try to help. I think you are not getting to the right person. Unfortunately because it’s harder to ungive so the default is to say no if it doesn’t check all the perceived boxes at the base level. I’ll email you as I get info.
Thanks, Jeff. I understand bureaucracy, and its uses. But I can’t help feeling a bit like Kafka. Don’t go to any trouble on my account; I’m about ready to throw in the towel and be a sheep for the extortive Silver State and its vendor hunter-ed.com.
Hello Bob , yes I went through the Nevada suffering as well.
I am real good at suppressing the super painfull stuff . However my recollection is very similar to your experience, including Harmony !
Remember to get your California boater card as well buddy -it seems the blue states mean well, HA HA HA .
Hey Bob, I hunted Nevada for over 30 years, pretty much every year When I lived in the Bay Area, I never had to produce a hunter safety Certificate ever!
I fact my good long time friend, we met up In Winnemucca last October and we both got our licenses at Wall Mart, being non-Resident was not a Problem.
Strange you had to go through so many loops, still did not get it.
Good luck next time.
Cheers.
Thanks Mehmet. I’m still working on it.
I am from Cali, hunt Nevada frequently. I have a Cali hunter safety course from 10 years ago. Had my hunter safety on my phone, walked into BassPro outside Reno, got the NV license. They definitely checked but it went fine.
Thanks! I just completed their hunter ed course, and it’s on my NVDOW account now so I assume I’ll be fine. $40 and a day and a half online.