Outdoor notes

WOMEN'S SHOTGUN CLINIC

Women can learn the basics of shotgun shooting by attending a clinic that begins March 4 in Salt Lake City.

Sponsored by the DWR, the annual "Becoming an Outdoors Woman" spring shotgun clinic will be held at the Lee Kay Public Shooting Range, 6000 W. 2100 South. The clinic runs for six Saturdays in March and April. Each class runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost to attend is $25 per class or $125 for all six weeks.

The shotgun clinic is for women who have never touched a gun before and would like to learn how to shoot a shotgun in a safe and supportive environment. It's also for beginning or intermediate shooters who would like some pointers or need help refining their skills.

For more information call Louise Ekenstam at 435-882-6328. To receive a registration form, e-mail Jill West at jillwest@utah.gov or download a registration form from the DWR Web site at wildlife.utah.gov.

CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE STUDY

Late last month, the DWR captured 35 deer — 27 bucks and eight does — on the LaSal Mountains east of Moab. The deer became part of a three-year deer movement and behavior study that is under way in southeastern Utah.

Biologists hope the study will shed some light on how chronic wasting disease is transmitted among deer.

The deer were captured using a helicopter and fitted with radio collars, then released. Deer were caught on the north, east and south ends of the LaSal Mountains. Placing radio collars on the deer in these different areas will provide researchers with a balanced picture of the animals' movements across the mountain range.

Since the fall of 2002, nearly 10,300 deer in Utah have been tested for CWD. Of those, 26 have tested positive for the disease. Eighteen of the positive animals came from the LaSal Mountains.

OGDEN NATURE PROGRAMS

The Ogden Nature Center will hold a number of community programs over the next month.

They include:

Feb. 25 — Shell Magnets from 10:30-11:30 a.m. This is a Children's Craft Workshop for ages 5 and older. Children will create creatures from shells. Fee is $5 members, $6 nonmembers.

Feb. 24 — Wild Winterlife for Preschoolers at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.; March 6 and 7 at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; and March 8 at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. This is for ages 3 to 5. Cost is $3.