How will drought, avian flu affect Utah's waterfowl hunting season?

SALT LAKE CITY — Many of Utah's waterfowl hunts begin this weekend as drought and the avian flu continue to impact wild birds all over the continent.

Yet Utah wildlife officials say that the state's duck and geese populations are holding up fairly decently ahead of the hunting season, even if that means fewer changes for some species than in recent years.

"Hunters should expect to see fewer ducks overall, compared to the last 10 years," said Blair Stringham, the assistant wildlife program chief for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, in a news release. "Hunters should see lots of geese early in the season. Migrating geese will begin showing up around mid-late November. Geese continue to increase in the Pacific Flyway — which includes Utah — and hunting should be good this year."

Dealing with the drought

Drought continues to be one of the largest factors, especially for ducks. For example, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service noted there are an estimated 34.2 million ducks in North America this year, a 12% drop from the last survey conducted in 2019, or about 4.7 million fewer ducks, in a report released in August.

Some species actually thrived. Redhead duck populations rose 36%, while gadwalls (30%) and blue-winged teals (27%) also experienced large population increases. But northern pintail suffered the largest population percentage drop at 54%, while scaup dropped 28%, American wigeon fell 19% and mallards also decreased by 9%.

The agency didn't release estimates in 2020 or 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the West's drought worsened between 2019 and 2022, especially in Utah, which experienced its driest year on record in 2020.

"In general, habitat conditions during the 2022 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey deteriorated relative to 2019," the report states, highlighting dry trends in important breeding grounds in the U.S. and Canada.

Utah wildlife officials say duck populations across Utah are generally "OK," all things considered.

As with other parts of the continent, Utah offered fewer ponds for nesting this year compared to last year, resulting in less reproduction, according to Stringham. This is why he anticipates that while there will be many young birds migrating through the state this fall, hunters will likely see fewer ducks than in recent history.

"Many of the core breeding areas for most duck species were dry last year due to drought conditions, so there was very low production last year," he said.

Canada and snow geese species are in a much better position. The federal report found a 5% gain in the Canada goose species, and state wildlife officials said Utah's populations "are doing well this year and had higher reproduction rates than last year."

But Utah's drought situation could also factor into hunting conditions, not just the populations. The levels of the Great Salt Lake, for example, have reached an all-time low again this year, and that limits food resources for the 10 million migratory birds that use the lake every year, including ducks, geese and swans.

"Because of that, it's likely that waterfowl will migrate through Utah quicker this year, which will make hunting more difficult later in the season," Stringham said.

Avian flu's impact

This year has added another element with the avian flu. As of Thursday, geese species account for 32 of the nearly 100 confirmed wild cases in Utah, while various ducks accounted for dozens more of the state's cases, according to federal data.

That said, Stringham points out that the state hasn't seen any "large die-offs" and doesn't believe that the flu has had any "significant impact" on state populations to this point. And though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has only detected one human case in the U.S., the division does recommend that hunters take some precautions this fall.

These include:

• Do not harvest, handle or eat any animal that appears sick.
• Field dress game animals in a well-ventilated area or outdoors.
• Avoid direct contact with the intestines.
• Wear rubber or disposable latex gloves while handling and cleaning birds.
• Keep your game birds cool, clean and dry.
• All game meat should be thoroughly cooked before eating.
• Dogs are susceptible to the avian flu, but don't often show clinical signs. Review Utah's avian flu hot spots if you plan on bringing a dog as a retriever, and consult a veterinarian if your dog exhibits any respiratory symptoms.
• If you have domestic poultry, keep them separated from the wild bird carcasses you have harvested. Do not handle poultry after handling wild birds.

"If anyone finds a group of five or more dead waterfowl, they should report it to the nearest (Division of Wildlife Resources) office and absolutely make sure not to touch the birds or pick them up," Stringham adds.

Hunting notes

Aside from swans, which require special permits, Utah's waterfowl hunts are open to anyone with a valid hunting license, and who has completed all the necessary paperwork to hunt waterfowl, such as obtaining a federal migratory bird hunting and conservation stamp (for hunters 16 and older).

The northern half of Utah's general season duck hunt and dark geese and white-faced geese begins Saturday, as does the Wasatch Front's goose hunt and the state's general swan season. Duck and geese hunts in other parts of the state begin later in the month.

General-season duck season dates

• Northern Zone: Oct. 1 to Jan. 14
• Southern Zone: Oct. 15 to Jan. 28

Dark and white-fronted geese season dates

• Eastern Box Elder area: Oct. 1 to Jan. 14
• Northern area: Oct. 1 to Oct. 8; Oct. 26 to Jan. 31
• Wasatch Front area: Oct. 1 to Oct. 8; Nov. 10 to Feb. 15
• Southern area: Oct. 15 to Jan. 28

Light geese season dates

• Eastern Box Elder, Northern and Wasatch Front areas: Oct. 15 to Dec. 22; Feb. 1 to March 10
• Southern area: Oct. 25 to Dec. 15; Jan. 15 to March 10

General swan season dates

• Statewide: Oct. 1 to Dec. 11 (there is a federal limit of 20 trumpeter swans that can be harvested, which has closed this season early over the past three years)

Related topics