2009 waterfowl hunt opener conditions

Unit 1 — Pondweed growth is excellent on main and secondary impoundments. Over 2,500 acres of phragmites in the east central area were treated or retreated with herbicide. Waterfowl food vegetation production is incredible in some of the treatment areas. In the main impoundment, a large block of invasive cattail has been manipulated by herbicide and burning into a series of small, scattered islands that provided excellent boat hunting locations during the Youth Hunt. A 100-foot strip of mixed cattail and phragmites was treated this fall to regain original open water pond size.

Unit 2 — 600 acres of east side phragmites overgrowth were reopened by experimental grazing this summer. A similar, smaller treatment resulted in excellent hunting last year. The area is currently being flooded.

Unit 3 — Good, improved. Pondweed growth is excellent again this year, as the stands developed over the last two years have thickened and enlarged. A huge new principally alkali bulrush and salcornia marsh, west of outer dike, is currently being flooded after a summer draw down. Main impoundment is overgrowing, unfortunately, but 600 acres is in draw down. 580 acres were sprayed with herbicide, and over 800 acres are planned for the next large burn. Funding was secured and permits were recently approved for two new impoundments on this unit.

Weber Delta — South Weber Delta is good with three ponds and seasonally flooded flats water system currently being filled. The "Big Pond" is full and was grazed to reduce perimeter vegetation overgrowth this summer. North Weber Delta is fair, with the main river impoundment currently flooded and the east dump basin starting to fill.

Pintail — Fair with some good new marsh area, but phragmites expanded westward this summer. Last year's wildfire area has grown back with rank phragmites because it was not pretreated with herbicide. Just burning without herbicide pretreatment, grazing or summer draw downs only stimulated and expanded phragmites stands.

Generally, some ponds were low all summer and some small ponds or flats are just now being flooded. Conversely, all major impoundments are now overflowing and Great Salt Lake has receded greatly, approaching its all time low, which allowed large areas of west flats to regenerate vegetation. Phragmites control by draw down, experimental grazing, or herbicide projects is in progress on several sections of marsh, and they may appear drought stricken, but will be flooded for hunting season.

Unit 1 — Good, better than last year in the main impoundments. Good numbers of birds are holding in the larger remote interior ponds, but are hidden by tall vegetation. Good numbers are starting to use phragmites treatment areas.

Unit 2 — Fair and increasing with larger numbers on the south grazing area, west flats, and far north end ponds.

Unit 3 — Excellent in the main impoundment and will be excellent on west flats later on. In early September, bird use of the main impoundment was as high as it has ever been in the last 30 years.

Weber Delta — Fair in general, but numbers will increase as these areas refill. Holding the WMA's largest concentration of geese.

Pintail — Fair and increasing to excellent on west side flats towards the Great Salt Lake

Generally, birds were mostly concentrated on larger impoundments and ponds in Unit 1 and 3. Remote ponds and flats way west of impoundments are increasingly holding larger numbers of birds as they are being displaced in easily accessible areas by hunters pre-hunt scouting activities.

Good, with most roadways and parking lots in good shape. Pintail access road will be graded as a soon as a grader part arrives. Boat channels into main impoundments of Unit 1, Unit 3, and east side are clear and usable.

Airboaters will have to be careful and go around the sandbar and vegetation overgrowth at the bottom of the heavily used South Pintail Boat Access Channel. Access in this channel to the Great Salt Lake will be narrow, but visibility has improved. The West Airboat Access Channel is usable and the Airboat Association upgraded its boat ramp. They also treated phragmites along both channels. The West Airboat Channel is less congested and now preferred by most all airboaters. A new head gate has been installed to improve water management down the West Airboat Channel.

A handicap-accessible boat dock was placed near the boat ramp into Unit 1 at parking lot number four. A boat channel was excavated around the lowest bridge along the East Dike channel.

Large areas in Unit 1 and 3 are targeted for burning as soon as possible. This will require mandatory public closures of the entire WMA on burn days, no matter when they occur. Burning closures are detailed on Page 9 of the Waterfowl Guidebook. There will also be some temporary head gate replacement construction activates that may interfere with hunting some areas for a day.

The Youth Hunt was excellent. The General Opener should be improved as well. Hunting should improve as the season progresses and new birds arrive after all the pre-hunt scouting and opening weekend pressure subsides. Hunters in general will find the best hunting to the west or south and in Phragmites treatments on the area. The huge Phragmites treatment area south of the West North Run Parking Lot is expected to provide excellent walk in hunting this fall, also. Pintail Flats and Weber River Channels should again be the best late season areas.