Waterfowl hunt opener conditions

Conditions at specific waterfowl areas

• Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
• Browns Park WMA

  Water/marsh conditions: Water levels on the Headquarters and Butch Cassidy units will be at or near full pool. Bridgeport unit will be close to full pool. Ponds on the Parsons unit will start out full and be drawndown as the fall/winter progress to allow for a maintenance project next spring/summer. River levels are expected to remain around an average of 1,800 cfs through the fall.

  Access: Road access from Dutch John to the Bridgeport and Parsons units is in good condition. The swinging bridge has reopened in Colorado and has a maximum width of 8 ft.

  Bird use: Current bird numbers are similar to last year. Youth hunters should expect to see some birds, which typically decoy well. For the regular season opener, hunters will mostly see mallards, green winged teal, wigeon and gadwall. Hunters should expect to see fewer Canada geese this year.

  General information: There may be habitat work occurring on the Bridgeport unit around the hay fields this fall.

• Clear Lake, Topaz Slough, Redmond & Bicknell Bottoms WMA

  Water/marsh conditions: The spring flows at Clear Lake have decreased this year, and it has been another long, hot, dry summer. The area south of the county road, Unit 1, is three-fourths full this year. It has good submergent growth to attract birds and should provide good hunting. Unit 2 is 90% dry and will fill as water becomes available. There is no water north of the county road for the beginning of the season. Like last year, the water will begin to fill areas as the weather cools down. North of the county road should begin filling around Dec. 1. The west marsh area continues to be dry. Conditions should improve as the season progresses; more ducks will show up and water will increase with each passing week.

  Please remember that Clear Lake is very shallow for boats; only non-motorized boats are allowed on the area.

  Marsh conditions at Topaz Slough are completely dry.

  Redmond has good conditions on small impoundments and also has foot access to the Sevier River.

  Bicknell Bottoms has excellent conditions. Water levels are good, and waterfowl numbers are up this year.

  Access: All of the areas allow only non-motorized boats due to shallow water conditions. Camping is allowed in parking lots, and fires are permitted. ATVs are prohibited on all areas listed.

  Clear Lake, Redmond, and Bicknell Bottoms are all good places to try pheasant hunting. Each area is open for pheasant hunting for 30 days and has excellent habitat for the birds and hunters to enjoy. Please check the current proclamations for details and shooting hours. If hunters are looking to get away from the crowds, try these areas.

  Bird use: Clear Lake duck numbers increase as the season progresses. Good numbers of ducks show up as soon as the weather turns colder. They are expected to continue increasing with peak numbers around Dec. 1. These ducks begin using flooded annual weeds and can provide some great late season hunting with easy access. The most common ducks at Clear Lake are wigeon, mallards, pintails and greenwing teal.

  Good numbers of ducks and geese are using Bicknell Bottoms. Bicknell Bottoms offers the best hunting both early season and late season when conditions are very cold. Bicknell Bottoms can have very good late season goose hunting.

  Redmond is generally better for duck hunting earlier in the season. Redmond is becoming a very popular pheasant hunting area.

  Clear Lake, Redmond and Bicknell Bottoms all receive planted pheasants each week during the general pheasant hunt.

  General information: General season is open Oct. 17, 2020 through Jan. 30, 2021.

  Youth pheasant and quail hunting is open statewide Oct. 31 through Nov. 5. The waterfowl season opens Oct. 17 in the Southern Region. Steel shot is required to hunt anything inside Clear Lake and Bicknell Bottoms.

  Gunnison Bend Reservoir is a large rest area in Delta. Many waterfowl stay there during the day and fly off eventually to go feed in the surrounding agricultural fields. Some success is found by scouting and asking permission to hunt private lands.

  Enjoy the areas and good luck!

• Desert Lake WMA

  Water/marsh conditions: Due to dry conditions, several ponds are dry and the rest pond is very low. A couple ponds retained water for the whole year and should provide good cover and food this fall. Ponds with water are holding birds. A couple good rainstorms could quickly add water to empty ponds and spread the hunting opportunity out more.

  Access: The ponds can be accessed on the county roads that go through the property. Six parking lots can be found along the county roads for waterfowl hunters. No Camping is allowed on the Desert Lake Waterfowl Management Area. Please use adjacent BLM property for overnight use.

  Bird use: Waterfowl numbers have begun to increase over the last month and should remain steady until the general opener. Waterfowl numbers typically go down following the opener until the migration begins. There should be waterfowl present for the youth hunt and they should decoy well. Common species present include widgeon, gadwall, mallard, green-wing teal, redheads and coots.

• Farmington Bay WMA, Timpie Springs WMA & Layton-Kaysville WMA

  Water/marsh conditions:

  Farmington Bay WMA

  Wetland conditions at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area (FBWMA) are fair to good outside the impounded units and excellent inside the impounded units. Specifically, all units are at hunt level capacity. Unit 1, Unit 2, and Turpin produced large amounts of Sago pondweed. The abundance of this submerged aquatic vegetation in our three largest units will provide excellent forage for migrating waterfowl at FBWMA.

  The habitat in the interior sheet-flow wetlands and impoundments within FBWMA is in great condition due to aggressive herbicide treatments and/or cattle grazing on invasive Phragmites. For example, over 1,200 acres of Phragmites was treated northwest of the Turpin unit during the fall of 2017 and 2018, and the area was mowed and crushed during the winter of 2018, 2019 and 2020. In addition, cattle grazed extensively on the northwest side of the turpin unit.

  These large-scale Phragmites and grazing treatments north of Turpin should provide excellent areas for birds to loaf and should provide great hunting access. Phragmites were treated with herbicide on all dike lines and other areas accessible by Marsh-masters, track machines, road vehicles and airboats during August 2020. Improved habitat conditions should encourage excellent bird use at FBWMA this year. Cattle and drought stressing habitats were also used to manage Phragmites on many areas throughout the WMA besides the turpin unit in order to improve habitat conditions.

  Teal Lake (directly north of the airboat launch and west of the Unit 1 dike) was completed during the summer of 2016. UDWR's waterfowl maintenance crew improved the dike in 2018 by spreading gravel on top of the dike, which has made it more accessible to managers and the public. The Teal Lake dike needs immediate improvement and WMA managers were approved for monies to continue to improve the dike. Sportsmen may see construction taking place on the unit this fall and are asked to stay away from equipment and pay attention to closures around construction areas.

  Air boating conditions:

  Conditions in the shallow bays of the Great Salt Lake are similar to last year's conditions. Sportsmen should consider hazards, multiple changes in vegetation and large expanses of mudflat that exist (and change yearly) outside the diked units in the open waters of Farmington Bay, Layton-Kaysville wetlands, and the Great Salt Lake.

  Timpie Springs WMA

  Although Timpie Springs WMA is a small wetland complex, marsh conditions and habitat are considered good to excellent. Specifically, Timpie Springs WMA consists of two large impoundments, some sheet-flow wetlands, mudflat, and some areas of upland habitat (totaling 1,440 acres). The wetland vegetation is characterized by low standing salt grass, and few bull-rush species. Both ponds at Timpie Spring WMA are full and spilling water onto sheet-flow wetlands or surrounding mudflats.

  Layton-Kaysville WMA

  Marsh conditions at Layton-Kaysville are fair to poor due to Phragmites encroachment and low water.

  Access: All of the access points to FBWMA will be open Thursday, September 17, 2020 by 8:00 a.m. Boat hunters are encouraged to use the north entrance to launch into Unit 1 and Turpin. Access for small boats is located at the south entrance. Because of submerged hazards, a wakeless boat speed is recommended in all of the fresh water impoundments. Consider how well you'll be able to retrieve birds before you choose a place to hunt.

  Access to Timpie Springs WMA is permitted year-round. Access to Gaily and Layton-Kaysville wetlands will be open two days prior to the youth hunt, which occurs on Sept. 19, 2020.

  Bird use: There are currently large numbers of ducks and geese at FBWMA. Managers anticipate an increase in bird use and distribution within our impounded wetlands due to good to excellent habitat conditions within them (Especially when we start flooding all sheet flow wetlands in mid-September). Waterfowl hunters can expect to see large numbers of Cinnamon teal, Gadwall, and Pintail early in the season. Diving ducks typically show up later in October. Swans are typically harvested at FBWMA in larger numbers during mid to late November, while dark goose hunting typically improves during the extended goose hunt.

  General information:

  • All of the areas listed above are open for hunting.
  • The northwest corner of Unit 1 at Farmington Bay is a waterfowl rest area and is closed to hunting and trespassing.
  • The area west of the main entrance road to the first right bend in the road, and north of the road until you get to Goose Egg Island, is all closed for education purposes.
  • Shooting is prohibited at Farmington Bay within 600 feet of all dikes and any road open to motorized vehicles.
  • Airboats are prohibited within diked units.
  • The South Crystal unit is motorless unit.
  • Camping is allowed in parking areas only. Open fires are prohibited. Please clean your campsite so that we can continue to allow camping.
  • The hunting blind for people with disabilities is by reservation only. Contact Jason Jones at 801-451-7386 for reservations and rules.
• Harold Crane WMA

  Marsh conditions:

  Main Impoundments — There is excellent aquatic vegetation growth in all impoundments.

  Exterior Flats — Good conditions on flats to the east. West of the impoundments are flooding.

  Rainbow Unit — Currently, the Rainbow Pond is full of water and will have water throughout the hunt. The area north of the Rail Trail also looks good on the east end. It was burned and then grazed by cattle and has good water.

  Generally, marsh and impoundment conditions are great.

  Access: Gates will be opened on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020.

  The road with three parking lots accessing the west Rainbow Unit is in good shape. The main Harold Crane parking lot has been improved also.

  The east access channel into the non-motorized boating only, east unit was cleaned and boat launch was installed a couple years ago. This channel starts at the west end of the main parking lot.

  The federal Bureau of Reclamation road to Harold Crane through Willard Upland Game Bird Area is in OK shape because of the hard work that our waterfowl maintenance crew has done. The head gate bridges are slightly narrower than the road, so be careful.

  Bird numbers:

  Main Impoundments — Great numbers of both ducks and geese on all impoundments.

  Rainbow Unit — Fair number of birds north of the Rail Trail in the Phragmites treatment area. Goose numbers are overall great.

  General information: Hunting should be excellent for the youth hunt and general opener if the birds stick around.

• Howard Slough WMA

  Marsh conditions: Conditions are great in main impoundments. Water is at full pool/spilling levels and contains great pondweed growth. Some seasonal, small ponds on the Hooper Hot Springs Unit are low and/or dry. The east side impoundment edge was also chemically treated last fall and grazed this summer.

  Access: The access road will be graded. Gates will be opened Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020.

  Bird numbers: Excellent bird numbers are in main impoundments. The grazed area has a lot of birds. Some birds are way west of the marsh areas along lakefront. Generally duck numbers have been holding well above average and goose and swan numbers have increased substantially the last few years here.

  General information: Howard Slough WMA had some of the best WMA Youth Hunt success in the region the last few years and should be great again this year. It should hunt well throughout the season also. For its size, it holds up very well under extremely heavy hunting pressure and swan hunting is expected to be good later on.

• Locomotive Springs WMA

  Water/marsh conditions: The water levels are very low and impoundments are dry.

  Access: Roads are a little rough. Gates will open Sept. 17, 2020.

  Bird numbers: Bird numbers are extremely low. Mallard, pintail and green-winged teal are the primary birds. There are very few Canada geese.

  General information: Locomotive Springs WMA is in the northern goose area. Dark goose hunting will be closed Oct. 16–23. Camping is allowed in established parking areas, but there are no facilities available, Fires are the responsibility of the camper, and if you lose it, you pay for it.

• Ogden Bay WMA

  Marsh and impoundment conditions:

  Unit 1 – Pondweed growth is excellent on the main impoundment and excellent in the secondary impoundments. In March, managers conducted a very successful carp control treatment. Screens were installed on all water control structures that feed the area and we have done an excellent job of keeping the carp from re-invading the area. There are ponds in the secondary units that have never seen pondweed before and are now covered in it. Over 2,000 acres of Phragmites on the east side of the open water have been successfully grazed. With the acquisition of three Marsh master machines, the east side of the Unit was treated for Phragmites as well. In the secondary impoundments, grazing pressure was increased and more acreage was opened up.

  West of Unit 1, thousands of acres were intensively grazed by cattle, opening up many once overgrown areas. Managers did have grazers fence off 500 acres west of the Unit 1 dike, which has some decent cover.

  Unit 2 – Grazing pressure was also increased in this area and Phragmites overgrowth was reopened extensively this summer. The area has just started being flooded, and should be flooded by the youth hunt.

  Unit 3 – Pondweed growth is excellent this year as the stands developed over the last three years have thickened and enlarged. Cattle have grazed the east side of the open water, opening overgrown areas. Be advised that the rest area is in place on Unit 3. The area is very well posted and there is absolutely no trespassing allowed in this area. The rest area consists of the 2 small impoundments that are on the south side of the road as you head to the Unit 3 boat launch.

  Weber Delta – South Weber Delta was mostly dry this summer and is in fair condition. Water is in the river impoundment; however, the east dump basin is low.

  Pintail – Cattle grazed thousands of acres out here and have opened up a lot of overgrown areas. Water will be sent out there around Sept. 10 and a lot of the area should be flooded by the youth hunt and most should be flooded by the general opener.

  Generally, all major impoundments are full and overflowing onto the westward flats. Marsh conditions are good to excellent in most areas. The Great Salt Lake elevation is 4193 ft., which is about six inches lower than it was one year ago. Phragmites control by drawdown, grazing, or herbicide projects occurred in several large sections of marsh and they may appear drought stricken, but are now flooding.

  Access:

  All outer gates to lower parking lots and boat launches will be open Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020.

  There is good vehicle access with most roadways and parking lots mowed and in good shape. Most access roads will be graded by the general opener.

  The bridge on North Run is currently being repaired and should be finished by the Youth Hunt.

  Unit 1 boat channel into main impoundments is clear and usable. Unit 3 boat channel will be clear and usable.

  Bird numbers:

  Unit 1 – Great bird numbers in the main impoundments. Good numbers of birds are starting to build in the larger interior flats, which were reopened by grazing and are now flooded. Great numbers of ducks are starting to use secondary ponds also.

  Unit 2 – We have just started to release water to the area and bird numbers will increase as soon as the area is flooded. Further west flats and far north end ponds are expected, like last year, to gain large number of birds when these areas totally refill and interior hunting forces them out there.

  Unit 3 – Great bird numbers in the main impoundment. The west flats are just starting to get water and bird numbers will increase as it floods. The east flats have good numbers of birds.

  Weber Delta – Fair in general on North Weber Delta and poor on South Weber Delta, but numbers will increase as these areas refill. Ducks are concentrated in the larger ponds and impoundments on North Weber Delta.

  Pintail – Good now and with an expectation of increasing to excellent numbers later on west side flats towards the Great Salt Lake.

  Generally, birds are mostly concentrated on larger impoundments or ponds and flats in Units 1 and 3. Remote ponds and flats way west of impoundments will increasingly hold larger numbers of birds as they are displaced in easily accessible areas by hunters pre-hunt scouting activities and the Youth Hunt.

  General information:

  The Youth Hunt should be great in the main impoundments and adjacent flats. The General Opener should be great as well. Hunting should continue to be good as the season progresses and new birds arrive after all the pre-hunt scouting and weekend pressures subsides. Hunters in general will find the best hunting in the better habitat and bird concentration areas detailed before.

• Ouray National Wildlife Refuge

  Marsh conditions: Due to hot, dry conditions, there is a limited amount of water in Leota Bottom. Currently there is water present in only two impoundments (L3 and L4). There is a possibility water will be diverted to L6 and L10 in time for the 2020 waterfowl hunt opener, however this could be subject to change. Please contact refuge staff for up to date information.

  Access: Access into this area is limited to foot, bicycle, horseback, canoes or small boats with electric motors only.

  Bird numbers: Waterfowl numbers are well below average due to dry wetland conditions.

  General information: Leota Bottom is the only area on the Ouray NWR that is open to duck, goose or coot hunting. You cannot hunt snipe, swan or sandhill crane at Ouray. The Green River, its sandbars and islands are closed to hunting within the refuge boundary. You cannot hunt waterfowl within 100 yards of the Green River in Leota Bottom. Hunters may enter the refuge 1.5 hours before sunrise, and must exit the refuge by 1.5 hours after sunset. For more detailed information, please read the Ouray National Wildlife Refuge Hunting and Fishing Regulations brochure or call 435-545-2522.

• Public Shooting Grounds WMA

  Water conditions: Water conditions have been good all summer, except for the West Marsh (an area west of Wigeon and Pintail Lakes). The West Marsh was aerially treated with herbicide last fall. The intention was to burn it this spring, but with COVID-19 restrictions, we were unable to implement a burn. The area was kept dry throughout the growing season to discourage cattail and Phragmites growth.

  The West Marsh will have some water in it by the Youth Hunt and will be completely flooded for the General Opener. All impounded units on both north and south Public Shooting Grounds have held water all summer. Pondweed production was good to excellent in most ponds.

  Access: Gates will open in the afternoon on Sept. 17, 2020. All roads and parking lots have been or will be mowed and graded before the general opener. Speed bumps have been installed on the main road near the ADA-accessible blinds. Please be careful and slow down.

  Bird numbers: Bird numbers are excellent and building daily. Mallard, pintail, green-winged teal, gadwall, cinnamon teal and some redheads are present now. Wigeon are starting to show up in good numbers. There are also numerous Canada geese right now.

  General information: Public Shooting Grounds WMA is in the northern goose area. Dark goose hunting will be closed Oct. 16–23. Camping is allowed in established parking areas, but with no facilities available. Fires are the responsibility of the camper; if you lose it, you pay for it. Please respect posted signs and regulations along with regulations in the Waterfowl Guidebook.

  Americans with Disabilities Act–accessible duck blinds are used on a first-come, first-served basis. You must possess a DMV-issued disabled license plate or placard to use these blinds.

  Widgeon Lake is a non-motorized boat lake.

  The swan hunting boundary has been extended north to Highway 83. South Public Shooting Grounds will be open to swan hunting. North Public Shooting Grounds (north of Highway 83) is still closed to swan hunting.

• Salt Creek WMA

  Water conditions: Due to a large channel dredging and island restoration project, most of Salt Creek WMA was dry all summer. Currently, construction crews are working on this project with an expected completion date of Oct. 1 (weather dependent).

  The main pond at Salt Creek will not have water for the Youth Hunt and will have little to no water for the general opener.

  As soon as construction is completed, managers will start to re-flood the area. You can stay up to date with the progress of this project on the Division's Waterfowl Management Area Facebook page. Although, the unit was dry through the summer and produced no pondweed, a large amount of other plants such as Chenopods, Smartweeds, and Kochia have grown in over much of the pond. These plants produce a lot of seed that ducks love and should provide a good food source through the hunting season.

  The units on the east side of Salt Creek, Gadwall, Canvasback, Redhead, Mallard Teal and Goose, will have some water for the Youth Hunt and General Opener. However, water levels will be lower than usual until managers can open up the water control structures above the construction project site. Canvasback and Redhead held water most of the summer and produced poor to fair pondweed. Both Ibis and Stilt ponds held water all summer and produced fair to good pondweed. Snipe pond was left dry this summer in order to plant millet. Managers will re-flood the unit in November.

  Access: Gates will open the afternoon of Sept. 17. All roads and parking lots have been or will be mowed and graded before the general opener. Please be careful and slow down on WMA roads.

  Bird use: Bird numbers are very low. The few birds that are around are concentrated on the north and east impoundments. You should see mallard, pintail, green-winged teal, gadwall, cinnamon teal and wigeon at Salt Creek. There are a few Canada geese around right now.

  General information: Salt Creek WMA is in the northern goose area. Dark goose hunting will be closed Oct. 16–23. Camping is allowed in established parking areas, but there are no facilities available. Fires are the responsibility of the camper, and if you lose it, you pay for it. Please respect posted signs and regulations along with regulations in the Waterfowl Guidebook. Salt Creek WMA is closed to swan hunting.

  Americans with Disabilities Act–accessible duck blinds are used on a first-come, first-served basis. You must possess a DMV-issued disabled license plate or placard to use these blinds.

• Utah Lake WMA

  Water/marsh conditions: The water level at Utah Lake is a lot lower than last year. The small boat ramp is open at the Mill Race public access point (located west of I-15 in Provo Bay). The main channel is very shallow and even with a mud motor you will hit the bottom frequently.

  The middle of Provo Bay has a little more water but only a few inches around the edges near cover. The small boat ramps at Swede Lane and LeBarron Point are dry, and mud will make reaching the water very difficult. We recommend using one of the main public marinas — Utah Lake State Park, Lindon Boat Harbor, American Fork Boat Harbor or Pelican Bay — to launch your duck boat. Be aware of blue green algae blooms which can be fatal to dogs.

  The Utah Lake Commission continues to treat Phragmites around the lake. They will be doing retreatments on over 6,000 acres in Saratoga Springs, Provo Bay, Sandy Beach and other areas.

  The DWR has improved the access point at Powell Slough with fencing and parking areas. Pheasants will be released in the area this fall.

• Willard Spur WMA

  Water/marsh conditions: Wetland conditions at Willard Spur Waterfowl Management Area (WSWMA) are great. Specifically, water levels are about average. A dry, hot summer with little rain has the Spur lower than last year but still in good conditions. Good water levels have produced large amounts of Sago pondweed. The abundance of this submerged aquatic vegetation should provide excellent forage for migrating waterfowl at WSWMA.

  The habitat at WSWMA varies from year to year, depending on water conditions. However, aggressive herbicide treatments are taking place annually in the fall to decrease the spread and growth of Phragmites (Phragmites australis). Over 1,000 acres of Phragmites was treated between Bear River Bird Refuge's D-line and Harold Crane WMA during the fall of 2020. UDWR is planning on conducting a control burn on the 1,000 treated acres at WSWMA in the spring of 2021. If conditions for burning are not adequate, the area will be mowed and crushed during the spring of 2021.

  These large-scale Phragmites treatments on the south-central part of WSWMA should provide excellent areas for birds to loaf and should provide great hunting access. Improved habitat conditions should encourage excellent bird use at WSWMA this year.

  Access: All of the access points to WSWMA are open and will remain open year around. Conditions in the shallow bays of the GSL are similar compared to last year. However, sportsmen should consider hazards such as sink boxes, as well as multiple changes in vegetation and large expanses of mudflat that exist (and change yearly). Consider how well you'll be able to retrieve birds before you choose a place to hunt.

  Bird numbers: There are currently large numbers of ducks and geese at WSWMA. Managers anticipate an increase in bird use and distribution within the area due to good-to-excellent habitat conditions this year. Waterfowl hunters can expect to see large numbers of Cinnamon teal, Gadwall, Mallard, Wigeon and Pintail early in the season. Diving ducks typically show up later in October. Swans are typically harvested in larger numbers during mid to late November. Hunters should anticipate similar hunting opportunities as the 2019 waterfowl season.

  General information:

  • All of WSWMA is open for hunting.
  • Boats are allowed on the area.
  • Boaters are cautioned of hazards in the water.
  • The northern property boundary consists of private land and the Bear River Bird Refuge. North of this posted boundary (D-Line) is considered a waterfowl rest area and is closed to hunting and trespassing.

Maps

Waterfowl Management Areas

• Swan hunting boundary
  
• Bicknell Bottoms WMA
• Browns Park WMA
• Clear Lake WMA
• Desert Lake WMA
• Farmington Bay WMA
• Harold Crane WMA
• Howard Slough WMA
• Locomotive Springs WMA
• Ogden Bay WMA
• Public Shooting Grounds WMA
• Salt Creek WMA
• Timpie Springs WMA
• Topaz WMA
• Willard Spur WMA

National wildlife refuges

• Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
• Fish Springs
• Ouray

If you have questions on waterfowl hunt opener conditions or Waterfowl Management Areas in northern Utah, contact the Northern Region office at 801-476-2740 or the Salt Lake office at 801-538-4700.