Updates on Utah's wildlife from the DWR
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Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and State Parks personnel were busy during the 2019 boating season, completing almost 300,000 boat inspections in an effort to prevent invasive quagga mussels from spreading from Lake Powell and other infested waters to other Utah waterbodies.
The weather is getting colder, but the fishing is still hot in some areas of Utah. No need to put away the fishing gear just yet — there are still plenty of great fishing opportunities if you know where to go and which species to target.
Mark Greer of South Jordan, Utah, submitted his pictures of four cutthroat and had them approved Oct. 16 to become the 500th person to complete the challenge to catch the state’s four subspecies of cutthroat trout.
A small herd of desert bighorn sheep was released last Thursday and Friday in the Ranch Canyon area of the Mineral Mountains west of Beaver by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and other partnering organizations. The translocation creates a herd in a location that has been void of bighorn sheep for many years and is part of a long-term effort to fill vacant wild sheep habitat.
Beginning Oct. 14, 2019, anglers must immediately release any bluegill they catch while fishing at Steinaker Reservoir and Pelican Lake. The bluegill is a popular sportfish that’s relatively small and easy to catch.
Many of Utah’s waterfowl hunts opened on Oct. 5 and 12, and hunters are getting out on the water across the state to harvest migrating geese and ducks. While they are prepared with decoys, dogs and ammunition, some hunters may not be as prepared to recognize and avoid harmful algal blooms on some Utah waterbodies.
You breathe in the crisp fall air as you sit quietly scanning the hillside with your binoculars. You see some movement and your heart skips a beat as you see a buck deer slowly walking up the ravine. The brilliant yellow aspen leaves seem to glow around you, and you smile at the picturesque scene of another perfect day hunting deer in Utah’s beautiful outdoors.
Each spring and summer, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources employees spend several days riding on airboats and plucking geese and ducks out of the water before placing little metal bands on their legs and then releasing them back into the wild. This work has been going on for decades, and the data collected from these banding efforts provide valuable information about the migration patterns of many waterfowl species. Now, for the first time, that information will be available to the public as well.
The 10-year statewide management plan for bighorn sheep in Utah was approved in November 2018, and on Thursday, the Utah Wildlife Board approved plans for each of the specific regions in Utah that have bighorn sheep populations.
When people think of October, images of fall colors, Halloween decor and pumpkin patches typically enter their minds. However, this month also has some really hot fishing in Utah, and because there are fewer people on the water, it’s a perfect time to take the whole family.
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