Outdoor notes

YOUTH HUNTING DAY COMING

Hunters 15 years of age and younger will have Utah's marshes — and the ducks and geese that can be there — all to themselves on Saturday, Sept. 18. That's the day Utah hosts its annual Youth Hunting Day.

Tom Aldrich, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says Youth Hunting Day is a perfect way to get children involved in duck and goose hunting.

Shooting on Youth Hunting Day starts at 6:41 a.m. Hunting is open to those who are 15 years of age or younger.

To qualify, youths must be a Hunter Education course graduate, have a current hunting license and Harvest Information Program (HIP) number, and be accompanied by an adult.

More information about Youth Hunting Day, including the number of ducks and geese that youths can take, is available on page 30 of the 2010-11 Utah Waterfowl Guidebook. The guidebook should be available today at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks.

HUNTS START SATURDAY

Two hunts that are great ones for children to participate in — Utah's cottontail rabbit and forest grouse hunts — start Saturday, along with the snowshoe hare hunt.

But hunters have to wait until Saturday to start upland game hunting. If they're adventurous, they can go to the high country now to pursue white-tailed ptarmigan. The hunt for this bird, which lives above the timberline, started in August and runs until Oct. 17.

Dave Olsen, upland game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says taking kids along on a cottontail rabbit or a forest grouse hunt is a great way to introduce them to hunting. Rabbits can be taken with small .22 caliber rifles, and grouse can be taken with shotguns as small as .410s. If adults will match the size of the firearm to the size of their child, the child should have fun and find some success.

WATERFOWL CLASS PLANNED

BRIGHAM CITY — The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge invites the public to participate in free "Waterfowl Identification" classes offered from 6-9 p.m., each evening, Sept. 22-24, at the James V. Hanson Wildlife Education Center, 2155 W. Forest Street, one block west of I-15 at exit 363 in Brigham City.