2nd duck hunting zone, more bear permits available for 2017

2nd duck hunting zone, more bear permits available for 2017

(Ted Hallows, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources)


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THE GREAT OUTDOORS — The Utah Wildlife Board recently approved several changes for duck and bear hunts in 2017.

All of the approved guidelines for the duck hunts will be available in the 2017-2018 Utah Waterfowl Guidebook, which should be available by mid-June, according to the Division of Wildlife Resources. The full list of approved black bear rules will be available in the 2017 Utah Black Bear Guidebook by the end of January.

Here are a few of the new approved hunting changes:

2 duck hunting zones

The Utah Wildlife Board approved the creation of two duck hunting zones in Utah, which will be a “win-win for hunters in the southern part of the state,” DWR said in a news release. State wildlife migratory game bird coordinator Blair Stringham said splitting the hunt into two zones would benefit hunters in several ways.

During the hunt for the past several years, warm weather in northern Utah has delayed birds from migrating to southern Utah during the first part of the season, Stringham said. So delaying the start of the hunt in the southern zone would provide hunters with more birds.

It would also give hunters more opportunities to hunt because they can start in the northern zone, and after that hunt ends, travel to the southern zone for an extra week of hunting. Having two duck zones would also allow wildlife resources to offer two Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days, with one in each zone.

The North Zone hunt will run from Oct. 7 to Jan. 20, and the hunt in the South Zone will run from Oct. 14 to Jan. 27. The youth hunt in the North Zone will take place Sept. 23, and the youth hunt in the South Zone will occur Sept. 30, DWR said.

Reduced pintail limit

Another change for the 2017-2018 waterfowl season will limit Utah hunters to only take one pintail per day during the hunt. In recent surveys, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists saw 14 percent fewer pintail ducks than in 2015, so biologists decided hunters should only be allowed take one pintail per day, as opposed to the two per day in previous hunts.

New waterfowl rest area

A new waterfowl rest area is also among the changes. The new designated rest area will be located west of the headquarters building at the Ogden Bay Waterfowl Management area. It will be closed to hunting and will be about 250 acres in size, DWR said.

“Rest areas are great for hunting,” Stringham said in a news release. “After congregating on a rest area, the birds will fly from the rest area to other areas on the WMA. Rest areas keep birds on WMAs longer, providing hunters with chances to take birds that would have normally left the area because of hunting pressure.”

More limited-entry bear permits

The Utah Wildlife Board also approved 46 additional black bear permits for the upcoming hunting season, which they believe will result in an additional 20 bears being taken in Utah, DWR said. Most of the additional permits will be offered in the southeastern part of Utah where black bear populations are doing well.

“The population trend is positive, meaning the state’s bear population is continuing to grow at a slow but a fairly steady pace,” DWR mammals coordinator Darren DeBloois said. “Hopefully, increasing permit numbers in southeastern Utah will help address some of these conflicts (in campgrounds and with livestock.)”

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