Upland Game Guidebook Available

It’s hot in Utah right now. But if you visit your local sporting goods store or the Division of Wildlife Resources’ website, you’ll find a sure sign that fall is on its way.

Utah’s Upland Game Guidebook for the 2010 – 2011 hunting season is now available.

In addition to sporting goods stores and the DWR’s website (www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks), you can pick the free guide up at your nearest DWR office.

Utah’s upland game seasons begin on Aug. 21. That’s when the white-tailed ptarmigan hunt starts. The upland game seasons won’t end until the cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare hunts end on Feb. 28.

That’s six full months of hunting.

In addition to providing hunters with lots of opportunity, Utah’s upland game also provide a lot of diversity.

“If you want, you can hunt white-tailed ptarmigan high in the Uinta Mountains one day and chukar partridge on the rocky slopes of the West Desert the next,” says Dave Olsen, upland game coordinator for the DWR. “Utah provides a wide variety of upland game experiences.”


Great hunt for kids
Upland game hunting is also a great way to introduce young people to hunting. Many of the state’s upland game species can be taken with small firearms. And most of the hunts aren’t strenuous.

“If you want to have fun with your kids and introduce them to the sport of hunting, upland game hunting is the perfect way,” Olsen says.

There’s no minimum age at which a person can start hunting upland game in Utah. But children must pass the state’s Hunter Education course before they can hunt.

The Hunter Education classes usually meet two nights a week for four weeks. Because the hunts are getting closer, it’s important to enroll your child in a class as soon as you can.

After passing the course, your child will receive a free hunting license. He or she can use that license to hunt upland game and waterfowl in Utah this season.

You can find a list of Hunter Education classes at www.wildlife.utah.gov/huntereducation .