Closure prompts hunting detour

During September and October, one of rural Nevada's busiest roads is the Harrison Pass Road in Elko County. This relatively short road links Ruby Valley on the east side of the Ruby Mountains with Huntington Valley on the west, and during the fall months it is a major thoroughfare for hunters seeking to fill their big-game tags in Area 10.

But maybe not this year.

This year the more than 4,000 hunters who have tags in Area 10 will find Harrison Pass to be closed at least part of the time because the Federal Highway Administration, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, is resurfacing the road on the west side of the pass.

Work was scheduled to begin Tuesday and is expected to continue through mid-October, depending on weather conditions. The road will be closed to non-construction traffic from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, but hunters should be happy to learn the pass will be open to travel on weekends.

This part-time closure will affect six miles of the Harrison Pass Road beginning near the Zaga Ranch on the west and ending about two miles west of the summit. This will leave hunters with access to the east side of Harrison Pass and the summit open to hunters who plan on hunting in the higher elevations above the pass.

During those times when the Harrison Pass Road is closed, anyone wanting to cross from the east side of the Rubies to the west will need to drive north to Secret Pass or south to Overland Pass. Secret Pass is paved, but the Overland Pass road still is dirt. That shouldn't be a problem for most hunting rigs unless serious weather issues develop in that area.

Given the sometimes unpredictable nature of the weather in this part of Elko County, the chance always exists that the project could be delayed or extended into November. Signs will be posted in key locations, and the Forest Service will maintain an updated phone message describing current access conditions. That message can be reached at (775) 778-6141.

A CASE FOR ANGLER ETHICS

In August I received an e-mail from Wayne Bach, a reader who had just buried his four-legged fishing partner. The dog's name was Oakley. Bach wrote that he has been fishing at Floyd Lamb Park every Saturday for more than five years. On one of their fishing trips last month, Oakley swallowed a baited fishing hook that had been left behind by an angler who either didn't realize he had dropped it or simply didn't think of the possible consequences when he threw it on the ground.

Bach rushed Oakley to the veterinarian only to be directed to another facility where the hook surgically was removed from the dog's esophagus, but Oakley never fully recovered. An angler's seemingly harmless act of leaving a baited hook lying on the ground resulted in the dog's death and thousands of dollars in medical bills.

Receptacles are around the park where anglers can deposit their discarded monofilament. They were placed there by a Boy Scout who completed the project to fulfill the requirements for his Eagle Scout rank advancement. The ethical angler would have dropped the discarded hook in one of these receptacles or one of the many nearby trash cans.

Bach described the angler's setup as a "hook and leader attached to a wire leader with two drop shot sinkers attached to it." I can't figure out what the person was hoping to catch with that rig, but perhaps the culprit will recognize his handiwork and offer to reimburse Bach for the medical bills and even buy him a new dog. Just send me an e-mail and I'll put you in touch with him.

ANOTHER SIGHT-IN OPTION FOR HUNTERS

The Boulder Rifle and Pistol Club in Boulder City will have its annual Hunter Sight in Days on Sept. 13 and 14.

There will be no charge to shooters who take advantage of this opportunity to sight their rifles in at a safe facility. Shooters will have access to 100-yard shooting bays complete with shooting benches and shade. Club personnel will be on hand to help spot targets and advise shooters on necessary sight corrections.

Shooting times are 8 a.m. to noon Sept. 13 and noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 14. No reservation is necessary. Contact the club office (293-1885) for more information. Directions and a map can be found online at www.brpc1.org.

Doug Nielsen is an award-winning freelance writer and a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. He can be reached at doug@takinitoutside.com.