Swans Stopping In Utah
November 7, 2008
More than 28,000 counted on Nov. 3
If you drew a permit to hunt tundra swans in Utah, you may want to grab your gun and head to the marsh.
Tom Aldrich counted 28,271 swans in marshes along the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake during a survey flown on Nov. 3.
On Oct. 28, he counted 27,361 swans.
“Swans should continue to migrate into Utah this fall, but the storms we’re having could also push some birds out,” says Aldrich, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.
“If you have a swan permit, right now is a great time to head to the marsh.”
Where the swans are
Most of the swans Aldrich spotted on the morning and afternoon of Nov. 3 were on Unit one at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. He saw more than 23,000 swans on the unit.
The refuge is about 15 miles west of Brigham City.
“You can’t hunt on Unit 1, but the swans that are on the unit may fly over units 2, 1A, 3A and 3B, which are open to hunting,” Aldrich says.
The DWR usually flies its weekly swan surveys on Tuesday mornings. You can stay updated on where the swans are by logging onto the DWR’s Web site at www.wildlife.utah.gov/waterfowl/swan/swansurvey.php
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Utah’s swan hunting season ends Dec. 14. Only those who drew a swan hunting permit earlier this fall can hunt swans.
Hunting tips
If you’re one of the 2,000 hunters who drew a permit, Aldrich encourages you to spend time watching the swans and learning their flight patterns. Tundra swans are very consistent in the times of day they fly and the routes they take. “If you learn these patterns, you’ll up your chance for success,” Aldrich says.
Factors that can change a swan’s flight pattern include hunting pressure, changes in the weather and the availability of food.
Ice-up is another thing to watch for. As the water starts to freeze, swans fly more as they search for areas that still have open water. “Being in the marsh during this time can also increase your chance of taking a swan,” Aldrich says.
Aldrich reminds hunters that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has closed all of the areas north of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and north of Forest Street (the road leading from Brigham City to the refuge) to tundra swan hunting.
“The USFWS has restricted tundra swan hunting in this area to try and lessen the number of trumpeter swans that hunters take,” Aldrich says. “Compared to tundra swans, trumpeter swans are much less abundant.”
Swan hunters are reminded about requirements that are designed to help the DWR and the USFWS obtain an accurate count of the number of trumpeter swans that are accidentally taken by hunters.
Within 72 hours of taking a swan, you must take your bird to a DWR office, or the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, so it can be examined and measured. You must also return your harvest questionnaire within 10 days after the season closes, even if you don’t hunt swans or take a swan.
If you don’t do these things, you’ll have to pay a $50 late fee to apply for a swan permit in 2009.
Changes in 2009
Applications for swan hunting permits for 2009 will be accepted next September. Three changes await those who apply next year:
- You and up to three of your family or friends can apply for permits together as a group.
- If you apply for a 2009 swan hunting permit, but you don’t draw one, you’ll receive a preference point. If you apply for a swan permit again in 2010, this point will help ensure that your application is among the first drawn for a permit.
- To give young hunters a better chance at drawing a permit, 15 percent of the swan hunting permits for 2009 will be set aside for hunters who are 15 years of age or younger when the 2009 swan hunt opens.
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Duck Hunting Season Opens September 27 in Wisconsin
September 17, 2008
60-day season with a split season in the southern zone
MADISON – For many hunters it’s time to oil the shotgun, dust off the decoys and dig out the dented old thermos that makes such a fine companion in the chilly hours before dawn.
The autumn duck hunt is approaching and hunters in Wisconsin will again enjoy the maximum 60-day season allowed by federal regulations.
“Wisconsin waterfowlers should have a good hunting season,” said Kent Van Horn, migratory game bird ecologist for the state Department of Natural Resources. “Overall, populations of waterfowl game species are healthy and abundant.”
The duck hunt in the northern zone opens at 9 a.m. Sept. 27 and continues through Nov. 25.
In the southern zone, a split season opens at 9 a.m. Oct. 4, runs through Oct. 12, reopens at correction half an hour before sunrise on Oct. 18 and closes at sunset on Dec. 7.
The two main changes this year are a closed season for canvasback ducks and dual framework for scaup, also called bluebill, with a daily bag limit of one scaup for 40 days and two scaup for 20 days.
In the northern zone, the daily bag limit is two scaup from Oct. 18 through Nov. 6. In the southern zone, two scaup are allowed in the bag each day from Nov. 1 through Nov. 20.
The closed season on canvasback ducks makes it all the more imperative that hunters identify species as well as gender before firing, said warden supervisor Steve Dewald. This is especially true in the dim light before dawn when hunters often take their first shots. Other than on opening days, the hunt begins a half hour before sunrise.
The daily bag limit for the full 60 days is six ducks, not to include more than four mallards of which only one may be a hen, three wood ducks, one black duck, two redheads, one scaup for 40 days and two for 20 days as noted above, and one pintail.
The daily bag limit for mergansers is five to include no more than two hooded mergansers. The daily bag limit for coot is 15.
Trying to predict how weather patterns will affect hunting is a tricky business.
“Breeding and brood rearing habitat in Wisconsin was good this year, but lately conditions have become drier,” said Van Horn. “As always, hunters who do the early legwork, scouting for good wetland conditions, current duck use and securing landowner permissions, will be the ones having a good hunt.”
Many of the ducks harvested in Wisconsin come from birds that breed in the state’s wetlands.
“The four most abundant ducks in Wisconsin’s fall hunting harvest are mallards, wood ducks, green-winged teal and blue-winged teal,” Van Horn said.
Licenses and stamps required include a Wisconsin small game license, a Wisconsin waterfowl stamp and a federal migratory bird stamp. The $15 federal stamp can be purchased at a post office. This year hunters also have the option of purchasing the federal stamp privilege at license vendors for a $2.50 surcharge. The purchase will be noted on their license. The stamp itself will arrive weeks later in the mail.
Waterfowl hunters must also register for the Harvest Information Program (HIP), a federal program that helps the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitor the harvest of migratory bird species by randomly selecting a sample of HIP registered hunters and asking them to participate in a harvest survey. HIP registration is free and available at all locations where hunting licenses are sold.
Bag checks will be performed at select hunting locations in the state again this fall. Avian influenza testing will also occur at these sites. More information is available on the Waterfowl in Wisconsin pages of the DNR Web site.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Kent Van Horn - (608) 266-8841 or James Christopoulos - (608) 261-6458
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FWC Announces 2008-09 Migratory Game Bird and Early Waterfowl Hunting Seasons
September 15, 2008
Crow
- Season: Aug. 9 – Oct. 26, 2008 (Saturdays and Sundays only) and Nov. 11, 2008 – Feb. 18, 2009
- Shooting hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset
- Bag limit: No bag or possession limits
Rail and common moorhen
- Season: Sept. 1 – Nov. 9, 2008
- Shooting hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset
- Bag limits (daily/possession):
Clapper & king rails – 15/30 (singly or in aggregate)
Sora & Virginia rails – 25/25 (singly or in aggregate)
Common moorhen – 15/30
Purple gallinule – No open season
September Canada goose
- September Season: Sept. 6-24, 2008
- Note: This season is now open statewide (previously open on Lake Seminole only)
- Shooting hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset.
- Bag limit (daily/possession): 5/10.
Special early duck
- Season: Sept. 20-24, 2008
- Shooting hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset
- Legal to take: Teal, wood duck
- Bag limit (daily/possession): 4/8. The 4-duck daily bag limit may include no more than 2 wood ducks; the 8-duck possession limit may include no more than 4 wood ducks.
Mourning and white-winged dove
- Season:
First phase – Oct. 4-27, 2008
Second phase – Nov. 15-30, 2008
Third phase – Dec. 13, 2008 – Jan. 11, 2009 - Shooting hours:
First phase – noon to sunset
Second and third phases – One-half hour before sunrise to sunset - Bag limit (daily/possession): 15/30 (singly or in aggregate) - increased from previous year.
Snipe
- Season: Nov. 1, 2008 – Feb. 15, 2009
- Shooting hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset
- Bag limit (daily/possession): 8/16
Woodcock
- Season: Dec. 20, 2008 – Jan. 18, 2009
- Shooting hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset
- Bag limit (daily/possession): 3/6
For general hunting season dates, follow this link.
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Take Your Kids Waterfowl Hunting in Utah on Sep. 27
September 12, 2008
Shooting starts at 6:50 a.m. that day
A great way to introduce your kids to waterfowl hunting awaits Sep. 27 as Utah hosts its annual Special Youth Hunting Day.
All of Utah’s state waterfowl management areas and federal refuges will be open to hunters 15 years of age and younger that day. To qualify for the hunt, young hunters must complete the state’s Hunter Education course, have a current hunting license and be accompanied by an adult.
Shooting starts at 6:50 a.m. on Sep. 27. You can learn more about the hunt by obtaining a copy of the 2008–2009 Utah Waterfowl Guidebook. The guidebook is available now at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks
A fun day
“The youth hunt is a great way to get young people excited about waterfowl hunting,” says Tom Aldrich, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. “There’s always plenty of ducks for the kids to shoot at, and the kids have the marsh all to themselves.
“And, since adults can’t hunt that day, they can focus all of their attention on these young hunters. The youth day gives adults more time to teach the kids how to be safe, responsible and ethical hunters.”
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Open Water Rule Clarified for Wisconsin’s Mississippi Duck Hunt
September 9, 2008
LA CROSSE, Wis. – Faced in recent years with an increasing number of complaints about open water duck hunting on the Mississippi River, state and federal wildlife officials are issuing a pre-season rule clarification – and a fair warning.
“Duck hunting on the Mississippi River is becoming more popular, attracting hunters from throughout Wisconsin,” said Steve Dewald, conservation warden supervisor with the Department of Natural Resources at La Crosse. “As a result, competition for hunting spots is increasing. Unfortunately, last fall we got a lot of complaints that some hunters were not following the rules regarding open water hunting.”
Under Wisconsin law, open water hunting is prohibited with the exception of specified water bodies such as Lake Winnebago in northeast Wisconsin and Lake Pepin on the Mississippi.
The purpose of the rule is to direct hunters to the edges of water bodies and allow large numbers of ducks to rest and feed in open water during their fall migration, said Kent Van Horn, DNR migratory game bird ecologist.
“This provides benefits to the ducks in conserving energy resources and benefits the waterfowl hunter by keeping the ducks nearby on the water body,” Van Horn said. “This rule was developed to apply statewide across our many lakes in addition to the open areas of our rivers. I ask hunters to hunt in ways that support the intent of this rule rather than seek ways around the rule. In the end both ducks and duck hunters will benefit.”
It is also an issue of fair play.
“We want hunters to enjoy the river,” Dewald said. “However, to be fair, we can’t allow a small number of hunters to interfere with legal hunters by setting up in open water to cut off ducks before they can reach the legally placed decoys and blinds.”
On the Mississippi, blinds are allowed within 100 feet of the shoreline. These blinds must be securely anchored.
Otherwise, “open water” is defined by statute as “any water beyond a natural growth of vegetation rooted to the bottom and extending above the water surface of such height as to offer whole or partial concealment to the hunter.”
This means duck hunters on the Mississippi must set up their blinds within 100 feet of shore or within concealing rushes or other emergent aquatic vegetation.
In an attempt to secure an unfair advantage, officials said, some hunters have set up beyond the 100 foot limit claiming that any visible vegetation meets the letter of the law.
Because Wisconsin territorial waters lie within the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, both the Wisconsin DNR and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have jurisdiction over hunting practices.
Don Hultman of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, manager of the federal refuge, said federal rules governing hunting in the refuge are designed to mirror state regulations. That means any state violation is also a violation of federal law.
“Last year we saw several cases where hunters were setting-up in or near sparse, dead or flattened emergent vegetation and sticking willows or other material in the bottom for concealment,” Hultman said. “We consider such actions a violation of the open-water rules.”
Guides who engage in this practice risk losing their federal permit to operate commercially within the refuge, federal officials said.
“Where people got into trouble last year was in misinterpreting the open water definition,” Dewald said. “If a duck is flying over the river toward you, and there is no vegetation rising to a height to conceal you from that duck, then you are in violation of the open water rule. I explain to people that if they are in vegetation that doesn’t rise above the gunwales of the boat, then the vegetation isn’t concealing the hunter at all. We are asking people to be reasonable about this.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Dewald, 608-785-9970
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Mississippi Waterfowl Late-Season Dates Set
September 9, 2008
Jackson- The Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks approved dates for the 2008-2009 waterfowl hunting season, according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released late-season frameworks in early August providing a “window” of dates from which states may select specific season dates.
The duck, merganser, and coot seasons will open on November 27, 2008 and run continuously until January 25, 2009. The duck daily bag limit will be a total of 6 ducks, including no more than 4 mallards (no more than 2 of which may be females), 3 mottled ducks, 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 1 scaup, 1 black duck, and 1 pintail. The season on canvasbacks will be closed. The merganser daily bag limit will be a total of 5 mergansers, only 2 of which may be hooded mergansers. Coots will have a 15-bird daily bag limit. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit for ducks, mergansers, and coots.
Ed Penny, MDWFP Migratory Game Bird Program Coordinator, said “The most significant changes to this year’s bag limits include the 3-bird wood duck daily bag limit, the bag limit reduction of scaup to a 1-bird daily bag limit, and a closed canvasback season.”
Late-season Canada goose and brant seasons will occur from November 17, 2008 – January 25, 2009. Canada geese will have a 3-bird daily bag limit and brant will have a daily bag limit of 2 birds. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit for Canada geese and brant.
Snow, blue, Ross’s, and white-fronted goose (white-fronted geese are known as “specklebellies” by many hunters) seasons will be from November 15, 2008 – January 25, 2009. Snow, blue, and Ross’s geese will have a daily bag limit of 20 birds. White-fronted geese will have a daily bag limit of 2 birds. In addition to the regular hunting season, there will again be a conservation order for snow, blue, and Ross’s geese during the following dates: October 1 – November 14, 2008; January 26 – January 30, 2009; and February 2 – March 31, 2009 (only snow, blue, and Ross’s geese may be taken during the light goose conservation order). The possession limit for white-fronted geese is 4 and there is no possession limit for snow, blue, and Ross’s geese.
“Similar to last year, we will extend the light goose conservation order on snow, blue, and Ross’s geese later into the year, because a few geese remain in Mississippi through the month of March” said Houston Havens, MDWFP Migratory Game Bird Program Biologist. “This year, hunters will again have that extra opportunity.”
The youth waterfowl weekend will be the weekend of January 31 – February 1, 2009.
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Mentored Dove Hunting Workshop Sept. 19-20 at Justin Hurst WMA
September 4, 2008
AUSTIN, Texas — An innovative public hunting opportunity for newcomers, the Mentored Hunting Permit, will launch this fall with a dove hunting workshop Sept. 19-20 at the Justin Hurst Wildlife Management Area near Freeport, Texas.
The family-friendly event is designed to introduce participants to hunting and provide hands-on knowledge and experience for hunting dove and other game in Texas. u
The mentored hunting workshop will focus on teaching hunting skills, safety, ethics, game processing and preparation, elements of habitat management, and provide guidance and advice for hunting activities in the future. As part of the workshop, participants will be offered the opportunity to take part in a mentored dove hunt accompanied by an experienced hunter.
Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis and space is limited to 20 participants. Information about the event, including registration form, is available on the TPWD Web site or by calling urban wildlife biologist Richard Heilbrun at 210-688-6444. Cost for the workshop is $35 and the Mentored Hunting Permit, which covers cost for access to the dove hunt, is $25.
Participants must also have a valid Texas hunting license and Texas Migratory Game Bird Stamp and have satisfied Hunter Education Certification requirements or purchase the Hunter Education Deferral prior to the weekend of Sept. 19.
“The mentored hunting program is intended to explore possible ways to increase hunter recruitment,” said Linda Campbell, director of public hunting with TPWD. “By offering these educational workshops and mentored hunting opportunities, we hope to provide an effective vehicle for people who are not from traditional hunting backgrounds to learn about and get started in hunting.”
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved the new hunter recruitment initiative as a means of providing opportunities for people interested in participating in a multi-day hunter recruitment workshop on a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department WMA. Participation will be by reservation, on a first-come, first-served basis, and the fee for the Mentored Hunting Permit will be $25.
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Goose Hunters: You Can Hunt Light Geese Next Spring in Utah
September 2, 2008
Duck hunting changes also approved
Get ready, Utah goose hunters. You can hunt light geese into March this season.
At their Aug. 28 meeting in Salt Lake City, members of the Utah Wildlife Board approved Utah’s first–ever spring light goose hunt. Light geese include snow, blue and Ross’ geese.
The board also approved some duck hunting changes.
Duck hunting
Scaup and canvasback ducks are struggling a bit this year. To help the birds, members of the board approved two changes:
- Canvasbacks may not be taken this season.
- The scaup season has been shortened to 86 days. And the daily scaup bag limit has been dropped to two scaups a day. Utah’s scaup season runs from Oct. 4 to Dec. 28. Scaup may also be taken on Sep. 27, which is Youth Hunting Day in Utah.
Another change the board approved is a new waterfowl shooting time on the opening day of the state’s pheasant hunt. The pheasant hunt opens Nov. 1. Waterfowl shooting on Nov. 1 will begin at 7:29 a.m. In the past, waterfowl hunters could not begin shooting until 8 a.m. on the opening day of the pheasant hunt.
Goose hunting
Utah’s dark-goose season (Canada, cackling and white-fronted geese) will not be affected by the later light-goose season dates.
Goose-hunting dates for the 2008—2009 season are as follows:
- North Goose Zone: Oct. 4 to Jan. 17.
- Rest of the state: Oct. 4 to Oct. 16, and Oct. 25 to Jan. 25
- North Goose Zone: Oct. 25 to Jan. 17, and Feb. 18 to Mar. 10
- Rest of the state: Oct. 13 to Jan. 17, and Mar. 2 to Mar. 10
50,000 light geese
“We don’t see many light geese in the fall, but in the spring, more than 50,000 light geese — most of them snow and Ross’ geese — stop over in Utah,” says Tom Aldrich, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.
“In addition to providing hunters with a unique opportunity, hunting light geese in the spring will reduce the agricultural damage the geese are doing,” he says. “Most of the damage is happening in Box Elder and Millard counties, where the geese are eating grain and alfalfa crops that are just starting to grow.”
In addition to hunting light geese into the early spring, you can also take more light geese this season. Board members raised the daily light-goose bag limit to 10 geese a day. They also raised the number of light geese you can have in your possession at home to 20.
The former limit was four light geese per day and eight in possession.
Mostly private land
Very few light geese use state waterfowl management areas or federal refuges in Utah. But some light geese do visit the Salt Creek, Public Shooting Grounds and Clear Lake waterfowl management areas in the spring. These areas will be open to light goose hunting in February and March.
The remaining waterfowl management areas in Utah — Brown’s Park, Desert Lake, Farmington Bay, Harold Crane, Howard Slough, Locomotive Springs and Ogden Bay — are closed to light goose hunting in February and March.
The three federal refuges in Utah, Bear River, Fish Springs and Ouray, are also closed to light goose hunting in February and March.
“Most of the light geese are on the private land where the crops are being damaged,” Aldrich says. “That’s where the geese feed and rest.
“We have a Walk-In Access program in northern Utah. The program provides hunters with access to private land. We’ll continue working with landowners in Box Elder County to see if we can get more of them enrolled in the program,” Aldrich says.
Helping the geese
In addition to helping Utah’s farmers, the light goose hunt will also help the geese.
In the central part of North America, light goose populations have gotten so large that they’re damaging the areas in Canada where they nest and raise their young.
“The population in the western part of North America hasn’t become overabundant yet, but it’s growing,” Aldrich says. “In December 2007, for example, the population exceeded 1 million birds.
“We want to help stabilize the population before it gets too large. Once the geese become overabundant, it’s hard to bring them back.”