HUNTS upland game
The Utah Wildlife Board approved plans for the first sharp-tailed grouse hunt in nearly 20 years, agreed to an early forest grouse hunt and voted to continue a youth pheasant hunt.
For the first time since 1979, hunters who draw one of 663 sharp-tail permits will be able to hunt and take up to two birds between Oct. 31 to Nov. 6. Application dates will be July 27 to Aug. 7.
The sharp-tailed grouse population in eastern Box Elder County is rebounding because of the federal Conservation Reserve Program, said Dean Mitchell, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources upland game section chief.
The program pays farmers to take areas with highly erodible soil out of production and plant it with mixes of grasses and forbs to protect the soil, which then provides cover to the birds.
Biologist surveyed a 620-square-mile breeding area and reported that the sharp-tail grouse was the most observed upland game bird in the area, which also included sage grouse, Hungarian partridge and pheasants. Mitchell says there are between 6,900 and 8,400 sharp-tailed grouses in the hunting area.
The board tagged an extra week onto the forest grouse hunt for 1998, which will run from Sept. 12 to Nov. 30.
The pheasant hunt will run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 15, except in Utah County where areas will close on Nov. 6.
Continuing a program that started last year, youths between 12 and 15 will be able to participate in a special pheasant hunt on two DRW management units on Nov. 7. The two areas - Willard Bay and James Walt Fitzgerald - will be close to other hunters.
The hunts are being offered to increase youth interest in upland game birds and to teach them to be safe, responsible and ethical hunters.
Young hunters must be a recent graduate of the hunter education program and must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. The hunts will be limited to between 50 and 75 hunters on each of the units.
The board also voted to close all waterfowl management areas to dogs unless the area is open hunting. The intent, says Mitchell, is to protect game birds during the off-seasons while nesting and raising broods.
There will be 50 permits offered for sandhill crane hunting in Rich County, Sept. 5-13.
OUTING
The Salt Lake County Fish and Game Association will hold it annual outing at Murray Park on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Activities will include a children's fishing contest, volleyball and horseshoe pitching. The event is free.
The SLCFGA has been a strong supporter of wildlife projects since its founding in 1921. For information call 966-7818.
CLEANUP
The 16th annual Little Cottonwood Canyon Cleanup Day will be Tuesday. The day has been set aside to cleanup the canyon after a long winter's use.
Check-in and zone assignments will be given at the Alta Lodge between 8:30 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. The cleanup will run until 11:45 a.m. A barbecue and drawing of prizes will be held at the Snowbird Center.
Along with a raffle there will be prizes for the most unique, the most useful and the most ridiculous piece of garbage.
CAMPFIRE
The campfire program at Jordanelle State Park will be given by Dean Hailstone and will cover "History and Botany of the Hailstone Area." The program will begin at the Hailstone campground amphitheater at 8 p.m. For information call 783-3030.