An Antelope-Fish Story

In the last 18 years, I have fished the Wayne Kirch Wildlife Management Area (Kirch WMA) at least 40 times. The Kirch WMA resides in the extreme eastern portion of Nye County, NV, about 60 miles south of Ely, NV. I have encountered Pronghorn antelope on two of those previous trips. My good friend, Luis, accompanied me on this trip. As I turned off NV Highway 318 onto the Kirch dirt access road, I mentioned to him there was a possibility we would see a Pronghorn or two. As if by some magic of the natural world, I immediately noticed a Pronghorn walking towards us on the Kirch access road. We were almost in disbelief as another joined it, and the two bucks sauntered off together in a southwesterly fashion.

Luis revealed that he did not know about Pronghorn antelope. I shared what little I knew about them, and that it was somewhat unique to see them so far south in Nevada (which is not to say they aren’t found at lower latitudes). Once you reach the latitude of Ely, NV and above, they are much more common. Pronghorns are the fastest land mammal in the Western Hemisphere, being built for running speeds up to 55 mph in order to evade predators. Unlike deer, their horns are composed of a permanent bone on which they regrow an outer sheath of keratin every year.

As we talked about Pronghorns we found ourselves approaching the Dave Deacon Campground where the turnoff toward Dacey Reservoir awaited. This is where we ran into antelope number three. Like the first sighting, he began to walk towards the truck, but he eventually passed in front of the truck and continued walking down the Dacey Reservoir road. It was as if he was escorting us. I began to wonder if the Sunnyside residents had been leaving feed out for them, and that perhaps this one had become somewhat domesticated.

Although temped, I did not step out of the truck in an attempt to get closer to this lovely wild animal. I was cognizant that I should not desensitize him towards humans. I also did not want it to appear as if I was harassing this antelope, as Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 503.010 states, “it is unlawful to harass any game mammals or game birds by any means.” I let him take the lead down the road at his own pace.

As we arrived at Dacey, Luis noted there was a large bird on the sign, which I identified as an Osprey. Apparently, our Lord wished to bless us with a different wildlife sighting. I have seen my share of Ospreys (any devoted lake angler will eventually see their fair share), but this was a new raptor that Luis had never heard of. When we turned into the parking area the great bird took off, revealing more evidence identifying him as an Osprey. I told Luis I wasn’t sure if an Osprey at the reservoir was a portent of a good, or a bad fishing experience. After I parked the truck Luis approached the primitive boat launch area and reported that there were 50 or so dead fish. They were Rainbow trout, of the usual Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) stocking size between 9 and 10 inches. Perhaps NDOW recently stocked Dacey but warmer temperatures than usual killed the trout in transport, or perhaps there was a chemical spill of some sort… I don’t really know. I will say that the fishing was good despite the omens of Ospreys and dead stocked trout, so I lean more towards death by high temperature than by chemicals, and I think the legion of dead trout is why this raptor was resting on the sign next to the boat launch with a mess of dead fish nearby.

The weather was wonderful for fishing from a float tube. Breezes were under 5 mph throughout the day, and the ambient temperature was about 70 degrees. Although we arrived at Dacey around 10:00am, it takes a while for two old men to prepare to launch into the reservoir. I always examine my fly tackle before fishing. In this case, I noticed my fly line near my perfection loop for the leader was not looking good, nor was the nail knot. I fumbled with replacing the perfection loop because I was impatient, so I’m guessing we didn’t start fishing on the reservoir until 10:45am or so.

As seems to be the case for Dacey these past few years, locating large rainbows (18 inches or longer) isn’t as easy as when I first started fishing it. Nonetheless, I hooked about 10 Rainbow trout, but landed only 6 of them. Those I brought to net resembled 12 inches, more or less (probably 10-inch stockers from the fall of 2024), but I did have one “long distance release” of a trout that looked closer to 15 or 16 inches as it made its one and only leap from the water, dislodging the barbless hook.

The Largemouth bass were active with the warming temps. Along the riprap dam I hooked up with 7 or 8 bass, but I only landed 5 of them. Considering we began casting around 10:45am and finished at 2:15pm (3.5 hours of actual fishing), the 18 hook-ups, 11 of which were netted, indicates a good hook rate of one every 12 minutes, and a landing rate of one every 19 minutes. But it can’t compete with just one dogfight with an acrobatic 20-inch Rainbow trout. Still, it was a good day fishing and a great day to share with Luis.

Luis did very well on this trip. He took his own path through the reservoir, and he landed a good share of his own fish. Because I wanted him to have the best angling experience he could, I kept an eye on him. Even at a distance of 100 yards or more, I observed him confidently catching fish on his own. Casting the fly rod is still a weak point (all fly anglers, experienced or novice, have their days when casting skills seem to mysteriously disappear), but the proof of Luis’s skill improvement is simply this: he is catching his fair share of fish using a fly rod, fly reel, and feathered hook. I’m very happy for him.

The best part of traveling with Luis is that we have great conversations which quickly pass away miles of time on the highways. Whether the topic be our faith in Jesus, our family, retirement, politics, economics, or anything else, our discussions are insightful for both of us. Somewhere along the drive the question arose about salvation for those who were never exposed to, or taught from, the Bible. Does God save those who were never exposed to the “Good News” of the Bible? In past blogposts I have included several Bible verses describing how nature screams the glory of God (e.g., John 1:3, Job 12:7-10, Psalms 19:1, and Psalms 95:4-5), but Romans 1:20 in Paul’s letter to the church in Rome came to mind regarding those who only have their experience of nature to gain understanding of God’s Devine Sovereignty over everything:

But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.

Romans 1:18-22

I’ve always been crazy enthusiastic about nature, from the environs of my childhood backyard to my grand exposure to wilderness as an outdoorsman. I am mesmerized by nature. I always knew, even without the benefit of biblical theology, that there was a God who created everything I saw outdoors. From the structural symmetry, the color spectacles, the relationships between all living things, and the seemingly infinite variety of it all just screams to me a Devine creator of everything. When I read Romans 1, it is easy for me to believe that through Jesus, the living Word of God, everything we see and don’t see in our universe was indeed created by Him. Created not only for our pleasure, but because He knew it would convict those who witnessed His creation that there was an all-powerful, loving God who wanted us to know His presence in our lives, and who deserves our worship.

My prayer is that those who are still seeking God can find him through Romans 1:20.