Young Hunters Get First Crack at Pheasants
Pheasants will be released before Oct. 14 - 16 hunt
Oct. 14, 15 or 16 might be the best time this fall to take a young person pheasant or quail hunting in Utah. The state will host its annual youth pheasant and quail hunt on those days. Those who were 17 years of age or younger on July 31, 2017 will have Utah’s pheasants and quail all to themselves.
Pheasant releases
To increase the chance young hunters take a bird, Division of Wildlife Resources biologists will release more than 1,000 rooster pheasants before the hunt. All of the birds will be released on state wildlife management areas and Walk-In Access areas. Visit www.wildlife.utah.gov/uplandgame, before Oct. 14, to learn which areas will receive birds.
Special guided hunts in southern Utah
The DWR has partnered with conservation groups to offer young hunters some special guided pheasant hunts in southern Utah. The hunts will be held in October and November.
Please visit www.wildlife.utah.gov/youth-upland-game-hunts to learn more about the hunts and how to sign up to participate.
Requirements to participate
If you were 17 years of age or younger on July 31, and you’ve graduated from Utah’s Hunter Education program, you can participate in the hunt. You must also have a hunting license and follow all of the state’s upland game hunting rules.
You can find the rules in the 2017 – 2018 Utah Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook. The free guidebook is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks.
If you haven’t completed a Hunter Education course, you still might be able to participate through Utah’s new Trial Hunting program. Visit www.wildlife.utah.gov/trial to learn more.
After Oct. 16, the pheasant and quail hunt will close. The hunt will reopen—for hunters of all ages—on Nov. 4.
Finding a place to hunt
With the exception of Gambel’s quail in the Mohave Desert in southwestern Utah, most of Utah’s pheasant and quail hunting happens on private land. That doesn’t mean you should stay home, though—plenty of places are available to hunt:
Walk-In Access
Jason Robinson, upland game coordinator for the DWR, says the state’s Walk-In Access areas are great places to consider. Walk-In Access areas are private property that’s open to public hunters and anglers through agreements the landowners have made with the DWR.
Robinson says many of the Walk-In Access (WIA) properties have pheasants and quail on them. “If you’re looking for a place to hunt,” he says, “the Walk-In Access areas are the first places I’d try.”
More information about the WIA areas, including which ones have pheasants and quail, is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/walkinaccess.
WMAs
The DWR manages several wildlife management areas and waterfowl management areas, also called WMAs, across Utah. All of these areas are open to the public. And many have pheasants on them.
More information about the WMAs is available in the “Access to Wildlife Lands in Utah” book. To get the free book, visit www.publications.utah.gov. Once you arrive at the website, type “Access to Wildlife Lands in Utah” into the search bar. Then, hit return.
Private land
In addition to the WMAs and WIA areas, another option is getting written permission from a private landowner to hunt on his or her property. A permission card you can print off and take to the landowner is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/law/permissioncard.html.
Robinson encourages you to be polite and understanding if a landowner doesn’t give you access. “If you get access,” he says, “make sure you respect the landowner’s property by leaving it better than you found it.”
Robinson says you should not wait until the morning of the hunt to try to get permission. “Get written permission as soon as you can,” he says.
Finding pheasants and quail
Robinson says farm land in Box Elder, Cache, Weber, Davis, Utah, Juab, Millard, Duchesne and Uintah counties are among the best places in Utah to find pheasants. Many of the wetlands near Utah Lake and Great Salt Lake also hold good numbers of birds.
California quail aren’t as widespread as pheasants, but good numbers are found in parts of Duchesne, Uintah and Juab counties.
(Parts of Davis, Salt Lake and Utah counties also hold good numbers of California quail. But most of these birds are within city limits where hunting is not allowed.)
Gambel’s quail are much easier to access—they’re found almost entirely on public land in the Mohave Desert in the central and western parts of Washington County.
More information
If you have questions about the youth pheasant and quail hunt, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at 801-538-4700.
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PHOTOS - seven photos to accompany this story are available at http://udwrnewsphotos.zenfolio.com/p750833006 .
Contact: Mark Hadley, DWR Relations with the Public Specialist, 801-538-4737
Rifle Deer Hunt Opens Oct. 21
Beautiful fall colors, good numbers of deer await hunters
Utah’s most popular hunt—the general rifle buck deer hunt—kicks off Oct. 21. More than 60,000 hunters, along with their families and friends, will be in Utah’s backcountry, relaxing, enjoying the fall colors and looking for that elusive mule deer buck.
Initial, scattered reports from hunters and conservation officers with the Division of Wildlife Resources during the general archery deer hunt in August and September, and the general muzzleloader hunt in late September, indicate buck numbers might be down a bit in certain parts of the state. Good numbers of deer—especially older, mature bucks—are still available, though.
This past winter, deep snow and bitter cold gripped parts of northern and northeastern Utah. The hardest hit areas were the Cache hunting unit in northern Utah and the South Slope unit in northeastern Utah.
To try to help deer in the areas, DWR biologists started an emergency feeding program. Despite the supplemental feeding, between 70 and 90 percent of the fawns born during spring 2016 died. For that reason, members of the Utah Wildlife Board lowered the number of hunting permits available for those units this fall.
“Hunters probably won’t see many 1½-year-old bucks on those units,” says Justin Shannon, Wildlife Section chief for the DWR. “Some older bucks should still be available, though.”
Shannon also has good news to share: the number of bucks per 100 does is at or above objective for every deer hunting unit in Utah. “Last year’s buck deer hunt was the best we’ve had in decades,” he says. “I think success will be down a bit this year, but I still expect a really good hunt.”
The 2016 success rate will be hard to beat. In 2016, a total of 87,000 hunters took a combined total of 32,000 bucks during the general archery, muzzleloader and rifle hunts. That’s the most deer taken since 1996, when 104,000 hunters took a combined total of 33,000 bucks during the three hunts.
During the 2016 hunt, though, 17,000 fewer hunters were in the field. “The success rate for 2016 was 37 percent,” Shannon says, “compared to 32 percent for the 1996 hunt.”
Utah Hunt Planner
As you prepare for the hunt, Shannon encourages you to click on www.wildlife.utah.gov/HuntPlanner or enter the address into your web browser. That’s the url for the new Utah Hunt Planner website.
Once you arrive at the site, you’ll find notes from the biologist who manages the unit you’re going to hunt, general information about the unit, and safety and weather items. Information about the number of bucks on the unit, compared to the number of does, is also given. You’ll also find maps that show the unit’s boundaries, which land is public and which is private, and the various types of deer habitat found on the unit.
Shannon says DWR biologists want you to have a great experience during the hunt. “We want you to have a successful, enjoyable time,” he says. “The experience you have is important to us. We’re hoping the information on the site will help you plan your hunt and be better prepared to find success.”
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PHOTOS - 25 photos to accompany this story are available at http://udwrnewsphotos.zenfolio.com/p606306068 .
Contact: Mark Hadley, DWR Relations with the Public Specialist, 801-538-4737
Tips for Rifle Buck Deer Hunt
If you’re one of the 60,000 hunters who’ll participate in Utah’s general rifle buck deer hunt, Gary Cook, Hunter Education coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, has some advice to share. He says preparing in advance and following the basics of firearm safety are two ways to ensure you have a great experience. And, while taking a deer is always the highlight of a hunt, so much more awaits.
“Just being in the outdoors,” Cook says, “enjoying the mountains and wildlife with your family and friends, is really what it’s all about. My family and I recently participated in the state’s general muzzleloader deer hunt. We took a deer, but it was the moose in our campground, the porcupine in our campground, the amazing fall colors, that really made the trip. Spending time together as a family was awesome.”
The general rifle buck deer hunt starts Oct. 21. Cook provides the following tips to help you have a safe and enjoyable time:
Preparing your firearm
- Be as familiar as possible with your rifle. Know where the safety is and how to operate it, and how to load and unload it properly.
- Make sure the barrel doesn’t have any obstructions in it.
- Make sure you have the correct ammunition for your rifle.
- Visit a shooting range, and sight in your rifle. When you sight in your rifle, make sure you use the same ammunition you’ll use during the hunt. A list of shooting ranges in Utah is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/shooting-centers-home.html.
If you recently bought a rifle, you can enjoy a free day of shooting at the DWR’s Lee Kay and Cache Valley public shooting ranges. To shoot for free, just bring the sales receipt for your rifle to either range within 30 days of buying it.
The Lee Kay Public Shooting Range is at 6000 W. 2100 S. in Salt Lake City. The Cache Valley Public Shooting Range is at 2851 W. 200 N. in Logan.
Firearm safety
- Always control the muzzle of your firearm. Never let the muzzle point at anything you don’t intend to shoot. And make sure you don’t accidently point the muzzle at yourself.
- Never become careless or complacent while handling a firearm. Treat every firearm like it’s loaded.
- Do not put your finger on the trigger until your sights are on the target.
- Before you shoot, make sure the animal you’re shooting at is a buck deer. Also, be certain that the area behind the target is safe to shoot into and will stop any bullet that doesn’t hit the target.
- Never carry a loaded firearm in your vehicle. Carrying a loaded firearm in your vehicle is illegal and dangerous.
Personal preparation
- If you haven’t yet, try to scout the area you’ll hunt at least once before the season starts. “If you want to be successful,” Cook says, “you need to learn where the deer are and their daily patterns. Also, if you scout before the hunt, you’ll know in advance if any road or camping conditions have changed.”
- Put a survival kit together. The kit should include:
* a small first aid kit
* three ways to make a fire (e.g. matches, a cigarette lighter, fire starters)
* quick-energy snack foods
* a flashlight
* an extra knife
* a cord or rope
* a compass or Global Positioning System unit
* a small pad of paper and a pencil (if you become lost, you can leave information at your last location about yourself and the direction you’re traveling).
Vehicle preparation
- Make sure your vehicle is in good mechanical condition.
- Before you leave for your hunt, make sure a shovel, an ax, tire chains, jumper cables and a tow chain are in your vehicle.
- If you experience mechanical problems with your vehicle or you get snowed in, stay with your vehicle—don’t leave it.
Before leaving on your trip
- Let someone know where you’re going and when you expect to return.
While in the field
- Wear proper safety clothing: 400 square inches of hunter orange on your back, chest and head. This is the minimum amount that’s required. “It’s a good idea to wear even more,” Cook says. “Hunter orange really helps you stand out to other hunters.”
- If possible, try not to hunt alone.
Field dressing your animal
- Use a sharp knife. Because a sharp knife cuts better than a dull knife, it’s safer to use.
- As you cut, cut away from you. Never bring a knife blade towards you while cutting.
Your physical well-being
- Know your physical limitations, and don’t exceed them.
- Prepare yourself for weather changes by dressing in layers. Dressing in layers allows you to regulate your body temperature by adding or removing clothes as needed.
- Drink plenty of water, no matter how cold the air temperature is. “It might be hard to believe,” Cook says, “but you can become dehydrated, even in cold weather.”
- Hypothermia (the loss of body temperature) can occur in temperatures as warm as 50 degrees.
Be aware of the signs of hypothermia. Some of the first signs are violent shivering, stumbling or becoming disoriented. “If you notice these signs,” Cook says, “sit down immediately, and build a fire. Get yourself warm and dry as fast as you can.”
- Frostbite. If you’re hunting in cold weather, watch for signs that you’re getting frostbite. White spots on your skin are the first sign. Check your face, feet and hands regularly. You’ll notice the first signs of frostbite on your face sooner if you’re hunting with a companion who can alert you.
If you get lost
- Don’t panic. Sit down and build a fire, even if it isn’t cold. A warm fire has a soothing effect. “It’s amazing the effect a small campfire can have,” Cook says. “Building one can help you calm down, relax and think clearly.”
After calming down, try to get your bearings and think your way out of the situation. If you think you know the direction you need to travel, get the pad of paper and pencil out of your survival kit, and leave a note at your location. Indicate on the note who you are and the direction you’re traveling. If you find other hunters as you’re walking, don’t be embarrassed to ask them for help and directions.
If you don’t know which direction you should travel, stay at your camp. If possible, build a shelter several hours before sundown. Build a smoky fire (this type of fire can be spotted from the air) or build three fires (a distress signal that can also be spotted from the air).
Remaining at your camp is usually a good option. “You might not know this, “Cook says, “but you can live without food and water for several days. Staying at your camp, rather than taking off and possibly traveling in the wrong direction, is usually a good choice.”
Alcohol and firearms don’t mix!
- Do not handle a firearm if you’ve been drinking alcohol.
- Do not give alcohol to someone who’s cold. Rather than warming the person, alcohol will actually make them colder.
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Fishing reports - available at http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots .
