Met with the game warden and more range time

Garth and I went to the archery range then attended the optional hunter education with Q&A last night. It was sponsored and catered by John Mull's Road Kill Grill. Great food!  I learned a lot, and as with the case with learning, I didn't know, what I didn't know!

Garth longbow from 60 yards

The "proof" you have to keep with you directly relates to the tag and typically is the head. For example, we are not hunting cow elk, we are hunting antlerless elk (which usually but not always is a cow), therefore, you must keep at least the top half of the head until you reach your destination. Same goes for the pronghorn, horns longer than ears, ya keep the head to show that they were longer than the ears.

Very important:  IN NEVADA ANY VIOLATION OF THIS PART OF THE NRS IS A FELONY.

Obvious rules, you can't shoot anything in any way for which you do not have a tag. No such a thing as an accident, if you do, it is a felony.  This is probably why poaching is less of a problem in Nevada than in other states!

There were of course some funny stories. The guy that showed up with the largest doe mule deer ever. Unfortunately, it was a donkey, not a doe mule deer. But think about it, the big ears on the mule deer?

Processing the game, I've always gutted first. They recommend skinning first, then gutting, then quartering. Of course, fastest cool down possible is how to go. They also recommended cleaning the meat as good as possible, cold water and a wash rag etc.... then when you put it on ice, keep the ice separate, maybe in a jug or bag, so that the meat stays dry.  Most important though is to keep it cold.

Most interesting thing I learned is that a pronghorn is not an antelope at all, it is a completely separate species and contrary to popular believe, they do shed the sheath off the horns every year. It's basically made of hair so it deteriorates very fast and you'll probably never see one on the ground.