The Commission shall:

1. Establish broad policies for:

(a) The protection, propagation, restoration, transplanting, introduction and management of wildlife in this State.

(b) The promotion of the safety of persons using or property used in the operation of vessels on the waters of this State.

(c) The promotion of uniformity of laws relating to policy matters.

2. Guide the Department in its administration and enforcement of the provisions of this title and of chapter 488 of NRS by the establishment of such policies.

3. Establish policies for areas of interest including:

(a) The management of big and small game mammals, upland and migratory game birds, fur-bearing mammals, game fish, and protected and unprotected mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians.

(b) The management and control of predatory wildlife.

(c) The acquisition of lands, water rights and easements and other property for the management, propagation, protection and restoration of wildlife.

(d) The entry, access to, and occupancy and use of such property, including leases of grazing rights, sales of agricultural products and requests by the Director to the State Land Registrar for the sale of timber if the sale does not interfere with the use of the property on which the timber is located for wildlife management or for hunting or fishing thereon.

(e) The control of nonresident hunters.

(f) The introduction, transplanting or exporting of wildlife.

(g) Cooperation with federal, state and local agencies on wildlife and boating programs.

(h) The revocation of licenses issued pursuant to this title to any person who is convicted of a violation of any provision of this title or any regulation adopted pursuant thereto.

4. Establish regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this title and of chapter 488 of NRS, including:

(a) Seasons for hunting game mammals and game birds, for hunting or trapping fur-bearing mammals and for fishing, the daily and possession limits, the manner and means of taking wildlife, including, but not limited to, the sex, size or other physical differentiation for each species, and, when necessary for management purposes, the emergency closing or extending of a season, reducing or increasing of the bag or possession limits on a species, or the closing of any area to hunting, fishing or trapping. If, in establishing any regulations pursuant to this subsection, the Commission rejects the recommendations of a county advisory board to manage wildlife with regard to the length of seasons for fishing, hunting and trapping or the bag or possession limits applicable within the respective county, the Commission shall provide to the county advisory board to manage wildlife at the meeting an explanation of the Commission’s decision to reject the recommendations and, as soon as practicable after the meeting, a written explanation of the Commission’s decision to reject the recommendations. Any regulations relating to the closure of a season must be based upon scientific data concerning the management of wildlife. The data upon which the regulations are based must be collected or developed by the Department.

(b) The manner of using, attaching, filling out, punching, inspecting, validating or reporting tags.

(c) The delineation of game management units embracing contiguous territory located in more than one county, irrespective of county boundary lines.

(d) The number of licenses issued for big game and, if necessary, other game species.

5. Adopt regulations requiring the Department to make public, before official delivery, its proposed responses to any requests by federal agencies for its comment on drafts of statements concerning the environmental effect of proposed actions or regulations affecting public lands.

6. Adopt regulations:

(a) Governing the provisions of the permit required by NRS 502.390 and for the issuance, renewal and revocation of such a permit.

(b) Establishing the method for determining the amount of an assessment, and the time and manner of payment, necessary for the collection of the assessment required by NRS 502.390.

7. Designate those portions of wildlife management areas for big game mammals that are of special concern for the regulation of the importation, possession and propagation of alternative livestock pursuant to NRS 576.129.

8. Adopt regulations governing the trapping of fur-bearing mammals in a residential area of a county whose population is 100,000 or more.

9. Adopt regulations prescribing the circumstances under which a person, regardless of whether the person has obtained a valid tag issued by the Department, may assist in the killing and retrieval of a wounded big game mammal by another person who:

(a) Is a paraplegic, has had one or both legs amputated or has suffered a paralysis of one or both legs which severely impedes the person’s walking; and

(b) Has obtained a valid tag issued by the Department for hunting that animal.

10. In establishing any policy or adopting any regulations pursuant to this section, first consider the recommendations of the Department, the county advisory boards to manage wildlife and other persons who present their views at an open meeting of the Commission.

(Added to NRS by 1969, 1557; A 1977, 1229; 1979, 891; 1985, 1349; 1989, 729, 1268; 1991, 259, 2283, 2289; 1993, 429, 816, 1654; 1995, 544; 1997, 2598; 2003, 1521, 2536; 2011, 1024; 2015, 956, 970)