There will be cougar and pintail duck hunts this year and very likely a swan hunt. Canvasback ducks, however, will be off-limits.
The Utah Wildlife Board met Tuesday and decided:
Because of a drop in the pintail population, Utah's duck hunters will only be allowed to hunt pintail for 60 days within the 107-day waterfowl season. And, following federal guidelines, the board banned the hunting of canvasback ducks this season.
Tom Aldrich, waterfowl program coordinator for the DWR, said canvasback numbers are down 14 percent over their long-term average. Because of it, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service closed hunting for canvasback nationwide.
Pintails may be taken during three time slots. Hunters 12 to 15 may take one pintail during the Youth Hunting Day on Sept. 28. Hunters may take pintails at the beginning of the season, from Oct. 5 to Nov. 7, and from Dec. 25 to the end of the season on Jan. 18. Pintails may not be taken from Nov. 8 to Dec. 24.
The responsibility for identifying the ducks will fall on hunters.
Barring federal action, the Utah tundra swan hunt will go as scheduled during the general waterfowl season. There is currently a lawsuit in court calling for an end to hunting trumpeter swans.
"Hunters need to be aware that the court decision could occur anytime this fall, and there is some potential that swan hunting could be closed entirely when that decision is reached," said Aldrich.
"There's also a chance that the court may rule that tundra swan hunting can continue but that the legalized, accidental taking of trumpeter swans won't be allowed any more. If that happens, we would be required by law to issue citations to hunters who accidentally take trumpeters."
The board recommended that the DWR continue to offer a tundra swan hunt this season even if federal action requires a closure to the legalized take of trumpeter swans.
The board approved a harvest of around 400 cougars for the 2002-2003 season. That number represents seven more animals than were taken last season.
A total of 362 limited entry permits were issued statewide, which is an increase of 104 permits from the 258 offered last season.
The board also set an objective of taking a statewide total of 297 cougars on 31 harvest objective areas, which is a decrease of 42 cougars from the objective of 339 set last season.
The approved harvest is based on the average number of cougars taken over the past five seasons.
"The number of cougars that we're projecting will be . . . very similar to the 393 cougars taken during the 2001-2002 season," said Craig McLaughlin, mammals coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. "Weather conditions — particularly the availability of good snow cover for tracking cougars with hounds during the winter months — will influence the final number of cougars that are taken, however."
The season will run from Dec. 14 to June 2.
One of the most significant changes was in the Mount Nebo unit, where a reintroduction of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep is scheduled this winter. To help the herd get established, the DWR recommended that the number of cougars in the area be lowered. The number of permits went from 24 to 38.
"The overriding goal of our cougar management plan is to maintain a healthy cougar population," McLaughlin said. "In addition, we consider human safety, economic concerns and other wildlife species.
"Predation by cougars can suppress the growth of depressed deer herds or newly introduced populations of bighorn sheep. In those cases, we'll ask the board to increase the number of cougars taken in a specific area to help those big game populations grow. That's what we recommended for the western portion of the Mount Nebo area for this season."
Applications for limited entry cougars permits will be available by Oct. 1 from hunting and fishing license agents, DWR offices and the DWR's Internet Web site www.wildlife.utah.gov.
The board also discussed the upcoming muzzleloader hunt with respect to fire danger. Some of the older weapons use a wad to pack the black powder that can catch on fire when fired.
Other discussion topics ranged from closing the season if the danger remains high to barring the use of the older weapons.
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