Lahontan Cutthroat is Back!

For most outdoors men and women, the chance to take a step back in time is a frequent dream. All of the unoccupied land at our figure tips ready for exploring. The need to make a living off the land by trapping beaver, otter, and fox for income. The constant struggle with the elements. The freedom. What I would do to see the species that are forever lost!

While we may never have the chance to step into Doc’s DeLorean and burn rubber back in time, we are smart enough to help recreate things of the past. Modern science and conservation, a little luck, and a lot of hard work show that we can not only preserve our environment, we can rebuild it.
I’m talking about the Nevada State Fish, the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. The Lahontan Cutthroat Trout’s history is like that of many other species found in North America. What was once a thriving species in the Truckee River and Pyramid Lake was depleted by over-harvesting, human population growth, and elimination of habitat. The species became extinct from the watershed.

There is hope for the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. It was recently found that the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout are spawning in the Truckee River outside of Pyramid Lake. We are so fortunate to watch the regrowth of a species in our backyard. It’s not the first time a species has beaten the odds. Think about the American Bald Eagle, Wolf, and Grizzly Bear-all of which are repopulating in the contiguous United States. The fruits of our labor are showing, let’s keep up the good work!

Nevada Hunting Season is Here!

Its official, the 2013 Nevada hunting season has started. My mind is not in the right place today. The smell of cold frosty autumn mornings, deer urine, and black powder fill my nostrils. The sight of snow-capped wilderness mountains is burned into my mind. I swear I just heard an Elk bugle, even though I am hundreds of miles away from Elk habitat. I have developed a case of “buck fever” in preparation for my first big game hunt in the western United States.  

Agency owner Mike Menath departed yesterday for his first hunt of the season. Mike is after an Antelope with bow and arrow, arguably one of the toughest big game hunts in North American . I will start my hunting season on September 1 in pursuit of Blue Grouse in western Nevada and Ruffed Grouse in the Jarbidge Wilderness while scouting for my October Cow Elk hunt. Scott Menath and Woodford, his Brittany, have been training all summer in preparation for the October 1^st Chukar season.

Once again, best of luck to all hunters this season. May your bullets and arrows fly straight, luck be on your side, and fresh wild game fill your freezer.

Happy Hunting,

Paul Thibodeau  

NDOW Tag Draw Results

This week has been very exciting at our agency, two reasons I will note here:

We have been working with local guides to bind their policies for the upcoming seasons. We worked primarily with fishing guides this spring. Local fishing reports and personal experience are hopeful for a great fishing season (See photo). The Nevada Department of Wildlife publishing tag draw results last week so we are contacting local guides to make sure they are covered for the upcoming hunting season. If you are beginning to scout and book hunts, contact Menath Insurance today to get a free quote. We would love to build a relationship with you and protect your business.

That being said, the second reason we are jumping out of our seats is because of the tag results. I am very excited to have drawn my first big game tag in Nevada. I applied for just about everything including a Cow Elk tag to secure some meat for the winter. I was only successful with the Cow Elk tag and will be hunting the early season around Jarbidge, NV. Agency owner Mike pulled two tags; Antlered Mule Deer and Antelope Buck, both of which are longbow tags. Scott Menath was defeated by the lottery system yet again and will be providing support during our hunts.

Congratulations to all of those who were successful drawing big game tags this year, best of luck to you.

Shoot Straight,

Paul Thibodeau

What is Environmental Education?

The majority of outdoorsmen and women have a special place in their hearts for conservation. Protecting our mountains, forests, streams and lakes for the wildlife is a part of our lives. I have been exposed to conservation efforts my entire life, starting with those taking place in Northern Maine. School projects, Boy Scouts, and family recreation entrenched an ethic of conservation and preservation in my family. One of the most memorable projects was during my senior year of high school in an Environmental Science class. We spent a few days studying the water in our local network of rivers. Hands on experience and learning in the outdoors are what made this experience memorable.

I have been learning about “Trout in the Classroom” over the past few weeks. This program provides supplies to elementary and middle school students around the country to hatch trout eggs in the classroom. The program does not directly improve waterways or stock fish; rather it supports interdisciplinary education by combining history, science, arts, literature, and other subjects into a tangible project, hatching fish eggs. It also teaches students about their local fisheries and promotes a culture of conservation. The program culminates when the baby fish (AKA fry) are released into local waterways during the next few weeks. I love it!

Here is a video collage of egg delivery day in the Tahoe Basin. 2000 eggs were delivered. As you will see, the expression on student faces is priceless. It brings me a wealth of joy knowing that our waterways will be cared for generations to come. I am confident that my future children will have tracts of wilderness to explore, thriving with wildlife.

Learn more about Trout in the Classroom by visiting their blog.
http://troutintheclassroom.wordpress.com/about/

Paul Thibodeau

A gun for Valentine's Day.

For Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend said he was getting me a hand gun. I protested because I had pretty high expectations for a fancy dinner and flowers (and I’ve never actually held a gun before, let alone shot one), but I was hit with a very calculated (and well rehearsed) rebuttal.

“A gun is the most romantic gift you can give.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Flowers may be beautiful, but no matter what you do, they will die, and that is certainly not a good example of my love. A gun, however, will not die. It says ‘I love you so much that I want to protect you and keep you safe.’ It says that I will love you forever.”

As my boyfriend waited for applause, I actually started thinking… If I did have a gun, would my insurance cover it? (When you work in an insurance office, liability coverage replaces any and all romance in your life.)

But seriously… Of all the things in this world, that would be the one policy I would not want to be caught without!   

And so the research began.

Homeowner’s policies do not cover “intentional loss.” I.E. Because of my gross inexperience with firearms, going to a shooting range would be the first thing I would do with my Valentine’s present. Making that shooting range in my living room, however, would not be wise. But, I read on, if there was “bodily injury resulting from the use of reasonable force to protect persons or property,” then the policy would be effective.

So reasonable force? That thought made my head spin. So a burglar, a serial killer, GASP, alien invasion!? Fortunately for me, that exclusion is decided on a case to case basis, so my wildest reverie could be put to rest.

As I tried explaining my findings to my boyfriend with a robust tangent about aliens, he told me to go talk to an agent in the office. (Apparently my monologue was less epic than his.) And as always, they were able to explain gun liability with an ease and grace I will never quite comprehend.

I took the wind out of the sails on the whole gun gift and got my fancy dinner. But over wine and steak, I agreed that I would be open to the possibility of a gun in the future.

As long as it’s pink.  

For your own personal gratification, here is the article on gun liability. But I’d also encourage you to stop by and ask one of our agents any and all questions you might have. Especially if you have a wild imagination. 

Calling all fishermen!

There has been a recent (re)discovery at Pyramid Lake. The Lahontan cutthroat trout, once thought to be extinct, has resurfaced. For years in the late 19^th and early 20^th century, fishermen frequented the lake hoping to hook the Goliath trout (the official world record was a 41 pounder caught in 1925). However, after the Truckee River was dammed, the population of the cutthroat dropped until they were completely gone from the lake by the mid 1940s.

In the 1970s, a biologist found a strain of the cutthroat in a small creek on the border of Nevada and Utah called Pilot Peak. Apparently a Utah man had stocked the small creek with the fish in the early 1900s and had never made a record of it. And so, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service worked hard to preserve the fish by bringing the eggs they found to a hatchery in Gardnerville. In 2006, they stocked Pyramid Lake with the cutthroat spawn and crossed their fingers.

Those prayers were answered in November 2012, when a Reno man caught a 24 pound trout. Since then, sportsmen have visited the lake in hopes of catching (and releasing) the biggest fish of their lives. According to biologists, the fish that have been caught are still adolescents, with more than 2/3s of their life left. For fisherman far and wide this is great news. There is still time to break that 41 pound record. 

-Sophie

NDOW Offering Bowhunters Course

Although taking this course in bowhunting is not required in NV, they are aware that most hunters enjoy hunting in other states that do require the course.

April 4th, 2010
8am-6pm
$15 per student
Class topics include:

• Bowhunter responsibility
• Preparation for the Hunt
• Shot placement
• Ethics on the hunt
• Stalking and blood trailing

Find out more information or register at http://www.ndow.org/ or call Jim O'Kelly at 7750626-7509.

For information pertaining to education requirements and courses in other states please visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Website.