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9/3/2007

Upland Game Hunting A Mixed Bag This Year

Good hunting can still be found despite hot, dry weather.

Don't be surprised if many of the upland game birds you bag this season are adults.

The hot, dry weather has reduced the number of younger birds in some parts of the state.

Utah's upland game hunts began Aug. 25 with the white-tailed ptarmigan hunt. The hunts wrap up on Feb. 29 when the cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare hunts end.

"Upland game bird chicks need two things: insects and water. With the hot, dry weather this year, neither of those is in good supply," says Dennis Southerland, upland game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

Southerland says lush, green vegetation produces more insects. And insects are 90 percent of what an upland game bird chick eats.

Southerland says cottontail rabbits are mostly leaf eaters that also rely on green grasses and forbs. Cottontails are near the peak of their annual 10-year population cycle, however, and plenty of cottontails should still be available to hunters in certain parts of the state.

"Despite the dry conditions, there will still be some good upland game hunting in Utah this fall and winter," Southerland says. "We encourage you to get out and enjoy it."

Southerland reminds parents that the minimum age to hunt small game in Utah has been removed. Young people of any age can hunt small game, but they must pass the DWR's Hunter Education course first. And they must be accompanied by an adult while hunting.

For more information about the DWR's Hunter Education classes, visit wildlife.utah.gov/huntereducation.

Here's an upland game hunting preview, provided by DWR wildlife biologists, for each of the DWR's five regions:

Northern Region

Cache and Rich counties: Darren DeBloois, the DWR biologist in Rich and Cache counties, reports forest grouse and chukar numbers are similar to last year. Hunters should expect good small game opportunities in traditional areas and around water sources and riparian (streamside) habitats. Based on lek (breeding ground) surveys, sage grouse populations in Rich County are up about 29 percent from last year. Pheasant populations appear stable and very similar to last year. Rabbit populations are slightly improved from last year and appear to be on an upward trend.

Box Elder County: Kirt Enright, the DWR biologist in Box Elder County, says a drier than normal spring was not favorable for upland game production in the county. Hungarian partridge populations are down again this year. Hunters should expect poor to fair hunting for Hungarian partridge. Chukar populations in eastern Box Elder County are similar to last year, but in western part of the county, numbers are down. The dry spring also resulted in reduced pheasant production, but healthy, isolated pockets of pheasants still exist throughout the county. Strutting grouse counts for sharp-tailed grouse suggest populations have increased by 17 percent. However, sage grouse decreased by 16 percent. Sage grouse brood production appears very low again this year. On a bright note, rabbit populations are still on their up-cycle, and plenty of good opportunities for rabbit hunters should be available in western Box Elder County. However, rabbit numbers fluctuate widely in the eastern part of the county.

Morgan County: Scott McFarlane, the DWR biologist in Morgan County, says forest grouse numbers are down again this year, probably because of the late snow in June. McFarlane has not observed forest grouse trying to renest. While forest grouse numbers are down, chukar populations look good again this year with numerous broods observed. Cottontail numbers were up in 2006. Their numbers appear to be similar to last year.

Summit County: Randy Wood, the DWR biologist in Summit County, reports seeing reduced numbers of forest grouse and ruffed grouse this year. Rabbit populations are also down from last year. If hunters are willing to walk into wilderness areas and hunt above the timberline, white-tailed ptarmigan populations are good this year.

Waterfowl Management Areas: DWR personnel at the Farmington Bay, Ogden Bay and Salt Creek waterfowl management areas report pheasant brood sizes and the number of broods are down from 2006. Upland habitat conditions across most of these areas are stressed because of the dry summer. The marsh vegetation is in good condition, however. Pheasant hunters should expect to find success similar to what they found last year, but not as good as the success found in 2004 and 2005.

Central Region

Central Region wildlife biologists Tom Becker, Steve Gray and Dale Liechty provide the following preview:

Pheasant: Pheasant populations are similar to last year in the southern part of the region. Agricultural lands and marsh areas around Utah Lake and the Great Salt Lake harbor some birds. Please remember that written permission is required to hunt agricultural lands. Limited public hunting is available on the Utah Lake Wetland Preserve and the Powell Slough Wildlife Management Area.

In the West Desert, pheasant hunting is marginal at best. Agricultural lands in the area do harbor some birds. There is also limited public hunting on the Walt Fitzgerald and Carr Fork wildlife management areas.

Chukar: Because of the dry spring and summer, the number of chicks hatched and the number of chicks that have survived have both declined. The overall number of chukars should be lower this year. Also, fires may have affected certain chukar areas in Utah, Juab and Sanpete counties.

Chukar hunting is expected to be slower than last year, but hunters can still find "hot spots" where good numbers of chukars can be found. If late summer rains fall, they may provide additional water sources to chukars at various elevations.

Dove: Unless storms move in, expect more doves this year. Doves are everywhere, and dove hunting should be good this year. For the best success, find water sources the doves are using.

The West Desert is an exception. Sunflower patches in the area usually hold some doves, but drought conditions have not produced many sunflowers this year, and dove numbers are expected to be down. The best chance to take doves is finding water holes the doves are using. If late summer rains fall, they may help hold migrating doves around puddles and ponds.

Forest grouse: Expect forest grouse hunting to be a little slower this year. The grouse that are available should be a little easier to find, however. They'll be concentrated in riparian (streamside) habitats at higher elevations.

California quail: Most of the quail habitat in the Central Region is along the Wasatch Front where hunting is very limited, if not restricted all together. Caution should be used when hunting in the foothills above the housing areas-please take note where city limit boundaries are to avoid illegal shooting. The quail populations are stable, and hunters should find as many birds as last year.

Sage-grouse: The Central Region is closed to sage-grouse hunting.

Cottontail rabbits: Casual observations by biologists and conservation officers have found fewer rabbits in southern Utah County, Sanpete County and Juab County. Good numbers aren't everywhere, but with a little effort you should still be able to find areas that have good numbers of cottontails.

In the West Desert, drought conditions in 2006 reduced rabbit numbers before this past winter. Rabbit populations have dropped in the area, and good rabbit numbers are spotty at best.

Snowshoe hares: Hare numbers have increased over the past few years. Look for them in higher elevations where the vegetation is green.

Northeastern Region

DWR wildlife biologists in the Northeastern Region report the following:

Pheasants and quail: Pheasant populations remain low and spotty throughout the region's agricultural areas. Although limited in distribution, California quail populations are in good shape throughout the brushy areas associated with agricultural fields.

White-tailed ptarmigan: White-tailed ptarmigan will provide good hunting for those who venture into the Uinta Mountains and know where to find the birds. You should focus your efforts around the interfaces of small rivulets of water that are associated with dwarf willow and rocky talus outcrops, and slide rock, above the timberline.

Forest grouse: Forest grouse populations continue to do well, but they're fairly local in both distribution and abundance. Hunters who work the interfaces of aspen and mountain brush zones should find success for both blue and ruffed grouse. Hunters should remember that ruffed grouse are seldom found in areas where an aspen grove is not at least within sight.

Sage-grouse: Sage-grouse may be hunted only by those who obtained a sage-grouse permit earlier this year. The population throughout the region has declined in recent years. However, hunters with permits should find local populations in fair to good shape, and they should expect to harvest their two-bird limit.

Chukar: Chukar populations are spotty in the Northeastern Region, but hunters who work to locate birds usually find success. Most populations are found along dry and talus slopes near the salt desert shrub communities of the Uintah Basin. Chukars are dependent on water. Keep this in mind as you you're your hunt.

Cottontail rabbits: Cottontail rabbit hunting should continue to be good in the Uintah Basin this season. Populations have been good in recent years, and hunters have had good success. Expect similar action this year.

Snowshoe hares: Snowshoe hare hunting in the region is limited, and most hunters usually take hares while they're hunting other species. To find snowshoes, concentrate your efforts in pine- and fir-covered areas in the high elevations.

Southeastern Region

DWR wildlife biologists in the Southeastern Region provide the following preview:

Chukar: Production is down a little bit, but good populations of adults remain scattered throughout the desert areas in the region. Hunting for chukars should be good.

Cottontail rabbits: Populations are down just a bit from the high of the past two years, but hunting should still be very good.

Blue grouse: Production is down. Hunting will be fair. Birds have been observed at higher elevations.

Sage grouse: The Southeastern Region is closed to sage grouse hunting.

Quail: Small populations can be found along riparian (streamside) areas in Emery and Carbon counties. Hunting will be slow.

Pheasant: Populations are significantly lower than past years. Small grain production is almost non-existent in the region, and the farming practices don't favor pheasant populations. Hunting will be poor.

Southern Region

DWR wildlife biologists provide the following preview for various parts of the region:

Sage grouse: Plateau, Fishlake Unit — A June snow and several below-freezing nights affected both hatching success and chick survival. This could mean fewer young birds will be available this fall. However, spring lek (breeding grounds) counts set another record this year, and hunters should see as many adult birds this season as they've seen in recent years.

Forest grouse: Plateau, Fishlake and Monroe units — A June snow and several below-freezing nights affected both hatching success and chick survival. Clutches have been smaller than normal this summer. Conditions through the remainder of the summer and early fall have been good, though, so birds should be where you've seen them in the past. The total number of birds may be reduced, however. Good places to try in these units are the Salina Creek and Gooseberry areas.

Zion and Beaver units — Some birds are around, but populations are not abundant.

Panguitch and Upper Paunsaugunt units — Good populations, although the birds seem to be flighty right now.

Cottontail rabbits: Very abundant everywhere!

Chukar: Although chukar numbers have declined from past years, biologists and conservation officers have seen good numbers in Jap Valley, Black Rock Point and in the foothills above Siguard in Sevier County. The number of chukars in Washington County has declined significantly. Not as many chicks have survived this year, which could be attributed to the dry spring.

Pheasant: A fair number of pheasants are available on the DWR's wildlife management areas. Several broods were seen near Clear Lake and Redmond this summer. A few pheasant broods have also been seen in the Millard and Sevier county areas.

Quail: Several quail broods have been observed in areas in Millard County, but not as many as in past years. Some birds have also been observed on DWR wildlife management areas in Sevier County. Quail populations on the Beaver Dam Slope in southwestern Utah have had poor to no recruitment. Some adults have been observed, but populations appear to be down significantly in the area. This can be attributed to a combination of fires in 2006 and a dry spring.

Doves: Dove numbers look great across the region except in Kane and Garfield counties, where dove numbers are much lower.