Duck Hunt Starts at 7:30 a.m. October 2

Photo by Phil Douglass, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Salt Lake City -- Hunters in five counties will get a 30-minute head start when Utah’s duck and goose hunt opens Oct. 2. On Aug. 19, members of the Utah Wildlife Board approved a 7:30 a.m. start time in Box Elder, Cache, Davis, Salt Lake and Weber counties. Over the past 16 years, the hunt in the counties has started at 8 a.m.

Across the rest of the state, the Oct. 2 opener will start even sooner—at 6:55 a.m. Tom Aldrich, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says starting the hunt sooner should make opening day better for those in the marsh.

“You should have more chances to take ducks coming into your decoys,” Aldrich says. “By the time 8 a.m. arrives, some of your best chances have past.” For years, the hunt opened at noon. Then, the start time was moved to 8 a.m. “Now the board has approved our recommendation to move it to 7:30 a.m.,” Aldrich says.

Aldrich says the DWR is comfortable starting the hunt 30 minutes earlier. “There’s plenty of daylight at 7:30 a.m.,” he says. “And, after 16 years of opening the hunt at 8 a.m., we’re comfortable allowing hunters to start 30 minutes earlier.”


Same season, same bag limits
Except for a slightly shorter light goose hunt next spring, Utah’s seasons and bag limits will be identical to last season—the season will run for 107 days, and the duck, goose and swan limits will be the same.

Except for the North Goose Zone, the light goose hunt will be slightly shorter this season, however. Outside of the North Goose Zone, the spring hunt will run March 5 – 10.

The board shortened the hunt by six days so it wouldn’t conflict with the popular Snow Goose Festival viewing event that’s held in Delta each spring.

All of the rules the board approved will be available in the 2010 – 2011 Utah Waterfowl Guidebook.

The guidebook should be available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks  starting the week of Sept. 6.

Duck-Drawing Time

Credit: USFWS

On your mark . . . Get set . . . Draw! Or paint or crayon. Children in grades K–12 are now preparing entries for the 2010 Junior Duck Stamp contest that combines science and art to teach students about waterfowl conservation. The competition is administered by the Service under the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program Act enacted by Congress in 1994.

Participants, grouped in four age categories, compete to create visually compelling and biologically accurate drawings or paintings of any of 46 native species of ducks, geese and swans. Students are encouraged to visit National Wildlife Refuges with their families or environmental education groups to observe or photograph waterfowl for their drawings and paintings.

The winning national entry is reproduced on one–inch by one–and–one–half–inch stamps sold by the U.S. Post Office and some National Wildlife Refuges. Sales of the $5 stamps help support environmental education programs and provide awards and scholarships for the students, teachers and schools participating in the program.

Credit: Rob MacDonald, USFWS

Each state or territory first selects winners and prizes vary. The "best in show" from each state or territory contest goes on to compete nationally. National winners will be selected April 23, 2010, at the Science Museum of Minnesota. The top three national winners earn cash prizes ranging from $2,000 to $5,000.

In most states, the submission deadline is March 15, 2010. The deadlines for a few specific states include North Carolina: January 18, 2010; South Carolina: January 30, 2010; and Arizona and Ohio: March 1, 2010.

K–12 students attending public, private, tribal or home schools in the United States and the U.S. Territories are eligible to enter as long as they are U.S. citizens, resident aliens, or nationals. U.S. citizens attending schools abroad may enter through their legal state of residence. For contest information and entry forms, visit: http://www.fws.gov/juniorduck/ .