Glitch prompts extension of Utah big-game deadline

During the past 30 years, computer technology has led to significant changes in the way we do business. This is especially true for outdoor enthusiasts, who, thanks to the Internet, can purchase hunting and fishing licenses from the comfort of home. And long gone are the days when sportsmen and women spent hours filling out, and double-checking the accuracy of, paper tag applications. Those, too, can be completed online.

But even with the technological marvels of the Internet, glitches still rear their ugly heads, usually at the least opportune times. Such was the case Monday, when a computer glitch prevented thousands of frustrated hunters from submitting their applications for Utah's 2010 big-game hunting permits. Monday was the last day to do so.

According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the technical issues affected applicants for at least two days of the application period. Applicants experienced everything from no access to the Utah application Web site to the Web site loading slowly. If you were among those who couldn't submit their permit applications, don't give up hope. The DWR extended the application deadline by a week to Monday.

Call the Utah Wildlife Administrative Services office at 1-800-221-0659 for more information.

Nevada's big-game application process generally begins in mid-March with an application window of about four weeks. Those materials should be available online at ndow.org or at license vendors in another week or so.

■ Elk Camp -- The 26th annual Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Elk Camp & Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Expo begins today at the Reno/Sparks Convention Center and will run through Sunday. Though the event was elsewhere in 2009, the RMEF considers Reno to be the Elk Camp's home turf and has held the event there 11 times.

No doubt this is good news for Nevada's tourism industry.

"We've had our most successful Elk Camps in Reno," said David Allen, RMEF president and chief executive officer. "Our members and supporters like to come here, and the local community always turns out and supports us in a big way. We can always count on Reno to help charge our batteries for another year of wildlife habitat conservation projects across elk country."

One of the most popular activities at Elk Camp is the World Elk Calling Championships, which can be seen via live video stream online at espnoutdoors.com. Preliminary competition begins at 9 a.m. Friday, and finals begin at 9 a.m. Saturday. This will be a great opportunity to see and hear some of the best callers.

Daily admission to Elk Camp is $12 per person or $25 per family. Kids ages 5 and younger are free. Participants will have access to seminars on bowhunting and other hunting-related skills, calling strategies, wild-game cooking and marksmanship. More than 400 exhibitors of hunting-related goods and services will be on hand. A full agenda is available online at www.rmef.org.

Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His "In the Outdoors" column, published Thursday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own. He can be reached at dougnielsen@att.net.