Soggy weather could put damper on pheasant hunt

It's going to be a tough opening for the 2000 pheasant hunt on Saturday. Place the blame on the weather. The forecast is for rain.

Pheasants are not easy birds to get up and flying in sunny weather, but in wet, foul weather they are even less anxious to go airborne.

Even those with dogs will find it harder to flush birds.

Had the weather forecast been more favorable to pheasants instead of ducks, Dean Mitchell, upland game manager for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, was expecting a hunt he would rate anywhere from "fair to good, depending on the area."

Despite the fact that pheasant numbers have dropped significantly over the past 30 years, due primarily to changes in farming and the loss of habitat, this remains Utah's most popular bird hunt. Between 30,000 and 35,000 hunters are expected to traipse through fields and brush.

According to Mitchell, hunters can expect to see more birds this year than last. The mild winter of 1999-2000 resulted in a good carryover of birds. State game managers also report that spring reproduction was anywhere from average to slightly above average.

What this means to hunters is that about one in every two hunters can expect to shoot a bird on opening day. Obviously, those hunters who put in more time can expect to get more birds. The limit is two roosters per day.

Around the state, the Northern Region is reporting good production.

In the Central Region, the best hunting is expected to be in the irrigated fields in Sanpete and Utah counties. The summer drought left unirrigated lands in poor condition.

The remaining regions are reporting poor to fair hunting.

Some of the best hunting will be on private land, which means hunters will need to make contact with landowners prior to climbing a fence or opening a gate. New laws this year make it even more imperative for hunters to make contact and then get hunting permission.

Cultivated or "properly posted" lands are closed to everyone without written permission. Even family members are expected to carry a permission slip from the owner or person in charge of the land this year.

The big change is the term "cultivated." Heretofore, land had to be posted closed. Now, land that has soil loosened or broken up for raising crops, is used for raising crops or is pasturage that is artificially irrigated is automatically closed.

Anyone caught hunting on cultivated land, friend or stranger, without written permission, will be cited.

The quail season also will open Saturday. Most of the quail in the northern half of the state are found in urban areas. The best California quail hunting is in eastern and southern areas, mainly Duchesne, Uintah, Iron, Sevier and Emery counties.

Traditionally, some of the best hunting is always in the Uintah Basin, where quail numbers are good.

Hunters after Gambel's quail, found only at the southern tip of Utah, can expect to see more birds this year because of favorable nesting conditions.

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