Elk Rides Ending Early at Hardware Ranch
Warm weather is pushing elk out of the ranch
Hyrum -- If you want to take a wagon ride through a herd of wild elk at the Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area, you need to take it soon. Unseasonably warm temperatures have caused elk to leave the meadow at the WMA early. For that reason, Division of Wildlife Resources managers have decided to end the wagon rides early this year.
Feb. 9 and Feb. 10 are the last days to take a ride through the elk herd. After Feb. 10, the elk-viewing season—which was scheduled to run until Feb. 26—will end for the year.
Hardware Ranch WMA Manager Brad Hunt says the elk are exhibiting behavior that he usually doesn’t see until March. “They’re moving to the hills above the meadows,” Hunt says. “And they’re acting anxious to move to even higher county.”
On Feb. 7, Hunt said 90 elk were still near the meadows where the wagon rides are held. Earlier this winter, the meadows had nearly 500 elk in them.
With unseasonably warm temperatures in the long range forecast, Hunt was concerned about people coming to the ranch and not seeing many elk. "The meadow is also getting really muddy,” he says. “It we keep running wagons over it, we’ll likely damage the meadow grasses that we’ll harvest this summer so we can feed elk next winter."
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Watch the Sky Turn White
See as many as 20,000 snow geese
Delta -- It’s a sight you have to see to believe: thousands of snow and Ross’ geese lifting off Gunnison Bend Reservoir amid honks and the beating of wings.
You can see this spectacle yourself on Feb. 23 and 24 as the Delta Chamber of Commerce hosts the annual Delta Snow Goose Festival.
Part of the festival includes a snow goose viewing event offered by the Division of Wildlife Resources. The event will be held at Gunnison Bend Reservoir, just west of Delta. Admission is free.
As many as 20,000 geese—mostly snow geese—have been at the reservoir during past festivals. Except for the black tips on their wings, snow geese are pure white.
Phil Tuttle, regional conservation outreach manager for the DWR, says DWR biologists will set spotting scopes up, so you can get a close look at the geese. “We’ll also be available to answer any questions you have,” Tuttle says. “Wildlife watching is a fun activity for the whole family. We encourage you to come out and see the spectacle.”
You can learn more about the festival at www.deltagoosefestival.com.
The best times to see the geese
The areas where you’ll see the geese vary according to the time of the day.
If you arrive in Delta early in the morning, you can watch the geese feeding in fields that surround the reservoir. Then, between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., the geese take off and fly back to the reservoir. “That’s an exciting time to be at the reservoir,” Tuttle says.
After landing on the reservoir, the geese usually spend the next few hours there. Then, sometime between 4 and 6 p.m., they take off again and fly back to the fields. “Watching and hearing the geese take off can take your breath away,” Tuttle says.
DWR biologists will watch which fields the geese fly to. If you arrive after the geese have left the reservoir, the biologists will direct you to the fields where the geese are feeding.
Viewing tips
· Use binoculars or a spotting scope to view the geese. If you get too close to the geese, you could scare them away.
· If you pull off the road to view the geese, pull as far off the road as you can. And watch for cars.
· The weather could be cold and wet. Bring the proper clothes so you can stay warm and dry.
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See Bald Eagles
February is Bald Eagle Month in Utah
February is the best time of the year to see one of the country’s most iconic birds.
Bald eagles fly to Utah in the winter to find food and escape colder conditions farther north. By the time February arrives, hundreds of eagles are in the state.
You can see the eagles, and learn more about them, during Bald Eagle Month.
Matt Bartley, special events coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says the agency has expanded its former Bald Eagle Day to include several Saturdays of viewing.
“Holding viewing events at different times, in different parts of the state, will give folks across Utah the best chance to see the greatest number of eagles,” Bartley says.
In the past, the DWR held the event on a single Saturday in February.
“On the day we held the event,” he says, “some of the sites had good numbers of eagles while other sites had fewer birds. In some cases, eagles hadn’t arrived at the sites in good numbers yet. In other cases, they’d already come and gone. Holding the event on different Saturdays should increase the chance you see eagles on the day you attend.”
Seeing the eagles is free. You can see eagles during the following days and times:
Feb. 10
Northern Utah
Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area (Compton’s Knoll), located about 10 miles northwest of Corinne
Viewing on Feb. 10 takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
To reach the Salt Creek WMA, exit Interstate 15 at Exit 365, and travel west on state Route 83 through Corinne. Stay on SR-83 until you get to 6800 West (Iowa String). Turn right on 6800 West, and travel north to 6800 North. Once you reach 6800 North, the WMA’s Compton’s Knoll Watchable Wildlife site will be on your left side.
Wasatch Audubon and the DWR are co-sponsoring the event at Salt Creek.
Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, located on the west side of Farmington at 1325 W. Glovers Lane (925 South)
Viewing on Feb. 10 takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The DWR and the Wild About Birds Nature Center in Layton are co-sponsoring the Farmington Bay event.
Central Utah
Fountain Green State Fish Hatchery, located east of Nephi
Viewing on Feb. 10 takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free tours of the Fountain Green State Fish Hatchery will also be offered.
If you’re coming from the north, you can reach the hatchery by taking Interstate 15 and exiting the freeway at the second Nephi exit (Exit 225). After exiting the freeway, turn east on state Route 132 and travel about 10 miles. About one mile before the city of Fountain Green, a Bald Eagle Day sign will point you to an access road that leads to the hatchery.
Once you reach the hatchery, you’ll receive a driving map of the Sanpete Valley that highlights the best areas in the valley to view eagles. Literature, displays and bathroom facilities will also be available at the hatchery. Spotting scopes will be set-up at a nearby location where eagles often gather in a large tree. The viewing site is about one mile from the hatchery.
Feb. 24
Northeastern Utah
Ouray National Wildlife Refuge, near the refuge headquarters in Randlett at 19001 E. Wildlife Refuge Road
Viewing on Feb. 24 takes place from 8 a.m. to noon.
To reach the site, travel on U.S. 40 about 14 miles west of Vernal, or about 13 miles east of Roosevelt, and turn south on state Route 88. Travel south on SR-88 for 14 miles, and then turn left into the refuge entrance. The refuge headquarters is one mile down the entrance road.
The Ouray National Wildlife Refuge and the DWR are co-sponsoring the event.
Get a close look
Bartley says spotting scopes will be available at each viewing site so you can get a good look at the eagles. “If you have any challenges spotting the eagles,” he says, “our biologists and volunteers will help you find them. We’d also be happy to answer any questions you have.”
You can also pick up a Bald Eagle Month button. Handouts and information about bald eagles, wildlife watching and birding opportunities in Utah will also be available.
The button and information are free.
Items to bring
If you attend Bald Eagle Day, dress in warm clothes and bring waterproof boots. Also, if you want to take photos of the eagles, bring a telephoto lens.
“You need a telephoto lens to get good, close-up shots of the eagles,” Bartley says. “The eagles will be fairly close to the viewing sites, but you still need a telephoto lens to get good photos of them.”
More information
If you have questions about Bald Eagle Month, call Division of Wildlife Resources offices in Ogden, Springville or Vernal.
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Fishing reports - available at http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots .
See bald eagles across the state
February is Bald Eagle Month in Utah, and we’re hosting free eagle-viewing events across the state. Many bald eagles migrate into Utah during the winter to find food and escape colder conditions farther north. The birds are large and social, and can be fun to watch and photograph.
When and where: Throughout February. The dates and locations vary as follows:
· Feb. 10 — Northern Utah: Salt Creek WMA (near Corinne) and Farmington Bay WMA (in Farmington) and Central Utah: Fountain Green Fish Hatchery (near Nephi)
· Feb. 24 — Northeastern Utah: Ouray National Wildlife Refuge (Randlett)
Contacts:
· Northern Utah — Phil Douglass, 801-510-1406
· Central Utah — Scott Root, 801-376-7076
· Northeastern Utah — Tonya Kieffer, 801-995-2972
Young archers competing at the Western Hunting & Conservation Expo
This Saturday, more than 1,000 young archers will showcase their skills and compete in Utah’s eighth annual state archery tournament for youth. (The first state tournament had only 44 participants.) This year, the youth will again compete during the Western Hunting & Conservation Expo. Representing dozens of different schools, the youth all participate in the National Archery in the Schools Program. Designed for students in grades four through twelve, this program has helped teach youth essential skills and made a positive difference in their focus, self-confidence and enthusiasm about school. Reporters and photographers are invited to attend the tournament and learn how archery is helping Utah students succeed.
When: Saturday, Feb. 10
Where: The Salt Palace Convention Center
Relocating nuisance turkeys
Over the past 20 years, Utah’s turkey populations have boomed. Unfortunately, some of the birds have settled on private property and are making a huge mess. DWR biologists are trapping nuisance birds in northern and central Utah and moving them to the eastern part of the state.
