Learn How to Catch Kokanee Salmon
Free seminar on April 9
Salt Lake City -- Kokanee salmon are one of Utah’s tastiest fish. And, if you have a boat, and can locate a school of them, fast and furious fishing awaits. Once you hook a kokanee, it’ll give you all the fight you can handle.
So, how do you find the schools? And what techniques will bring you the most success?
You can learn all of those things—and more—at a free seminar in Salt Lake City. The seminar will be held April 9 at the Department of Natural Resources, 1594 W. North Temple. It runs from 7 – 9 p.m.
Four experienced kokanee salmon anglers, including Randy Oplinger, sport fisheries coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, will present the seminar.
“Kokanee are one of my favorite fish to catch,” Oplinger says. “Some of my most memorable fishing experiences have happened while I was fishing for them.”
If you attend the April 9 seminar, here’s what you’ll learn:
· Utah’s kokanee fisheries: how they’re managed and where they’re located
· Equipment needed to catch kokanee
· How to catch kokanee at Flaming Gorge Reservoir
· How to catch kokanee at Strawberry Reservoir
The seminar is free, but you must preregister to attend. You can register at http://bit.ly/kokanee18.
Utah’s Blue Ribbon Fisheries Advisory Council and the DWR are offering the free event.
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PHOTOS - four photos to accompany this story are available at http://udwrnewsphotos.zenfolio.com/p573557748 .
Contact: Mark Hadley, DWR Relations with the Public Specialist, 801-538-4737
Attend Free Clinic, Learn How to Hunt Wild Turkeys
Clinic happens April 7
Vernal -- Wild turkeys are doing well in the Uintah Basin. The hunt this spring should be a great time to get out and pursue these smart and elusive birds.
If you’re new to turkey hunting, or even if you have some experience hunting turkeys, a free clinic on April 7 is something you won’t want to miss. The Division of Wildlife Resources is holding the turkey hunting clinic at their Vernal Game Farm Wildlife Management Area, 3116 S. 500 W in Vernal. It runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
If you attend the clinic, you’ll learn from DWR biologists and members of The National Wild Turkey Federation how to locate, call and harvest the smartest bird in the woods.
“Turkey hunting can be extremely challenging, especially for the first-time hunter who’s trying to determine the difference between a jake, a tom and a hen,” says Tonya Kieffer, regional outreach manager for the DWR. “If you’d like to get some questions answered and increase your chance for success this spring, don’t miss this free event.”
Turkey identification and biology, turkey calling, blind setup, shotgun patterning and archery shooting are among the things you can learn and do.
The clinic is free, but you must register to attend. You can register at http://bit.ly/turkey_clinic3.
If you have questions about the April 7 clinic, call the DWR office in Vernal at 435-781-9453.
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PHOTOS - nine photos to accompany this story are available at http://udwrnewsphotos.zenfolio.com/p1061347669 .
Contact: Tonya Kieffer, DWR Northeastern Region Conservation Outreach Manager, 435-247-1551 or 801-995-2972
See Mountain Goats at Free Event
Sandy -- Colorful flowers and warmer weather aren’t the only signs spring is here: So are mountain goats at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon.
You can see and learn more about the goats at a free wildlife-viewing event. The Division of Wildlife Resources will host the event on April 14.
Scott Root, regional conservation outreach manager for the DWR, says April is a great month to see goats. “This event will be a great opportunity to watch a few goats and their sure-footed antics while enjoying the spring weather,” he says.
Free event
The April 14 event will be held at the Park-and-Ride lot at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake County. DWR biologists and volunteers will be at the lot from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
To reach the canyon, travel east from Sandy on 9400 South.
“We’ll have spotting scopes and binoculars ready for you to use,” Root says. “The optics will allow you to get a close look at these agile rock climbers. We’ll also be available to answer any questions you have.”
Mountain goat horns and fur will also be available for you and your kids to see and touch.
You don’t have to register for the free event, but Root encourages you to complete an online form. Completing the form will help the DWR make future events even better. The form is available at http://bit.ly/mntGoatsRule.
For more information, call Root at 801-491-5656.
Viewing goats on your own
If you’d like to see the goats before April 14, swing by the parking lot any time during the day. Fixed-point telescopes are available in the lot. The telescopes allow you to zoom in on the goats. You can also learn more about the goats by reading an interpretive panel in the parking lot.
Root says goats are usually visible at the mouth of the canyon from November through mid-April. After mid-April, the goats travel to higher elevations to spend the summer.
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DWR Announces Big Game Permit Proposals for 2018 Hunts
Depending on which unit you applied for, you might have a better chance at drawing a permit to hunt big game in Utah this fall.
Buck deer, buck pronghorn, bull moose and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are among the animals for which Division of Wildlife Resources biologists are recommending a permit increase.
Covy Jones, big game coordinator for the DWR, says most of the state’s big game species are doing well. “If you enjoy hunting or viewing big game,” Jones says, “it’s a great time to live in Utah.”
Starting March 19, all of the DWR’s big game permit recommendations should be available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings.
“The recommendations are arranged by unit,” Jones says, “so you can visit the web page and zero in on the units you applied for.”
Learn more, share your ideas
After you’ve reviewed the ideas at www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings, you can let your Regional Advisory Council members know your thoughts by attending your upcoming RAC meeting or by sending an email to them.
RAC chairmen will share the input they receive with members of the Utah Wildlife Board. The board will meet in Salt Lake City on April 26 to approve big game permit numbers for Utah’s 2018 hunts.
Dates, times and locations for the RAC meetings are as follows:
Southern Region
April 3
5 p.m.
Beaver High School
195 E. Center St.
Beaver
Southeastern Region
April 4
6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
1765 E. Main St.
Green River
Northeastern Region
April 5
6:30 p.m.
DWR Northeastern Region Office
318 N. Vernal Ave.
Vernal
You can also provide your comments to your RAC via email. Email addresses for your RAC members are available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/rac-members.html.
The group each RAC member represents (sportsman, non-consumptive, etc.) is listed under each person’s email address. You should direct your email to the people on the RAC who represent your interest.
Permit recommendations
The following are the total number of permits DWR biologists are recommending for Utah’s 2018 big game hunts:
Hunt 2017 2018
General buck deer 89,050 91,050
Premium limited entry deer 184 184
Management buck deer 61 71
(including “cactus” bucks)
Limited entry deer 1,191 1,153
Doe deer 1,470 1,955
General any bull elk 15,000 15,000
Youth any bull elk 500 500
General spike bull elk 15,000 15,000
Limited entry bull elk 2,833 2,892
Cow elk, public draw 9,830 10,090
Cow elk, private lands only 8,790 9,105
Buck pronghorn 849 1,021
Doe pronghorn 750 760
Bull moose 68 84
Cow moose 22 34
Bison 148 152
Bison (archery only) 10 15
Desert bighorn sheep 53 56
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep 32 40
Mountain goat 106 117
Mountain goat (archery only) 2 4
Big game animals doing well
While all of Utah’s big game species are doing well, Jones is especially excited about the following:
General buck deer
After the deer hunts are over each fall, DWR biologists go afield and classify the number of bucks, does and fawns on each unit. On 11 of Utah’s 29 general season units, biologists want to see 15 to 17 bucks per 100 does. On the remaining 18 units, the objective is 18 to 20 bucks per 100 does.
Based on the number of bucks observed after the hunts last fall, biologists are comfortable allowing more permits on 10 units. On six units, they’re recommending a permit decrease. On 13 units, permit numbers would stay the same as 2017.
On most of the units where an increase is recommended, the general rifle hunt has been split into two hunts—an early hunt in September and a later hunt in October.
“Permits will be split between two hunts,” Jones says. “That should help reduce hunter crowding and hopefully allow everyone to have a good experience.”
Buck pronghorn
A new management plan for pronghorn will give more hunters a chance to hunt buck pronghorn in Utah this fall.
Data collected in Utah and other states suggest two things about buck pronghorn in the West: excluding bucks that are taken by hunters, survival rates for bucks are relatively low (typically less than 80 percent). And they attain most of their horn size by two years of age.
“Because of these lower survival rates ” Jones says, “and because most of their horn growth occurs by two years of age, it doesn’t make sense to manage for older animals.”
Utah’s pronghorn management plan was revised in fall 2017. “The plan directs us to manage the population such that the average age of pronghorn taken by hunters is between two and three years of age,” he says.
In past years, most pronghorn taken by hunters in Utah were almost four years old.
“Because we are now managing for younger animals,” Jones says, “we can offer more hunting opportunities this fall while still providing a quality opportunity for hunters.”
Bighorn sheep
In the case of Rocky Mountain bighorns, a new population on the Oak Creek Mountains has increased to the point that hunters can take a few rams. “And the population on the Newfoundland Mountains is doing really well,” Jones says. “We’re excited that more Rocky Mountain and desert bighorn sheep opportunities might be offered in Utah this fall.”
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