Open house on Aug. 6
Brigham City, UT -(AmmoLand.com)- This fall’s waterfowl hunt hasn’t even started yet, and biologists are already seeking input about a possible goose-hunting change in northern Utah for the 2016–2017 season.
The Northern Goose Area is the area in question. Should the 2016–2017 goose season dates be the same as they’ve always been in the zone—a hunt that starts on the first day of the general waterfowl season and runs until mid-January? Or, should the season stop for nine days in mid-October, and then start again and run until late January?
You can share your thoughts by taking a brief survey by July 26.
Using the responses they receive, biologists will form a recommendation that they’ll share with hunters at an open house in Brigham City on Aug. 6.
The Aug. 6 open house will be held at the Brigham City Community Center, 24 N. 300 W. It runs from 6–8 p.m.
Why the concern?
Blair Stringham, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says the idea for the change was suggested by hunters. The hunters would like to see the season dates in the Northern Goose Area match season dates across most of Utah.
Across most of the state, the Canada goose hunting season starts on the first day of the general waterfowl hunt in October and runs for about two weeks before closing for nine days. Then, the goose season reopens and runs until late January.
Stringham says late January is a good time to hunt Canada geese.
“The birds are starting to pair up for the breeding season. That makes them less wary and easier for hunters to take,” he says. “Also, by late January, many geese that are north of us have migrated south and are wintering in Utah. There are more geese for hunters to hunt.”
Not every hunter wants to see a change, though. Most of the hunters who like the current season belong to private hunting clubs in the goose area. The water on many of these clubs freezes by early December. And most of the clubs don’t have agricultural fields that draw geese to the clubs in the winter.
“Hunters on these areas would lose some chances to hunt geese if the season stopped for nine days in October,” Stringham says.
About the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR)
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) is part of the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR). In addition to managing and protecting Utah’s wildlife, we manage hunting and fishing opportunities within the state.
For more information, visit www.wildlife.utah.gov.