Outdoor notes

PHRAGMITES BURN PLANNED

If the conditions are right, Division of Wildlife Resources biologists will burn plants called phragmites at the Ogden Bay and Farmington Bay waterfowl management areas this fall.

The burns would take place on weekdays. The two areas will be closed on the days the burns occur. Information about when the burns will happen will be posted at wildlife.utah.gov/burn as soon as it's available.

DWR biologists would like to burn phragmites at Ogden Bay two times this fall. They'd also like to do one burn at Farmington Bay.

The WMA supervisor will close the gates to the WMA the night before the burn occurred. The gates would remain closed on the day of the burn. The public would not be allowed to enter the WMA.

Phragmites are a species of aggressive, non-native plant that's taken over parts of many of Utah's marsh areas. Phragmites crowd out the native marsh plants that provide birds with food and places to nest.

For more information, call the DWR's Northern Region office at 801-476-2740.

GOOD DUCK HUNT EXPECTED

This fall's duck hunt, which opens on Saturday, Oct. 3, could be one of the best Utah's hunters have seen in years. The number of ducks is up from last year. And the marsh conditions are great at many hunting areas.

"The number of ducks that nested on Utah's marshes this past spring was close to a record," says Tom Aldrich, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

Aldrich says more water is the reason for more ducks. "Lots of rain fell in Utah clear into June," he says. "That rain provided ducks with excellent nesting conditions."

However, there is one factor that could push birds out of the state — the weather — as each storm pushes more birds out of the state.

Aldrich says a long, lazy fall, with cool temperatures and a few small storms, is the prefect recipe for a good waterfowl hunt.

RIFLE ELK HUNT OPENS OCT. 3

The rifle elk hunt opens on Saturday, Oct. 3, and if you're new to elk hunting, the big-game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources has some advice for you.