# How well does Utah stack up?



## Iron Bear (Nov 19, 2008)

Do we in Utah have anything to brag about in the waterfowl department? I’m guessing we have great public access compared to other states. And it’s pretty nice having a marsh so close by with so many choices of where to go. I done some searching on the web but Utah doesn’t seem to rank. 

Just wondering because I have a buddie in Kansas and I keep telling him to come out. I’m hoping he will and be impressed and return the favor back in Kansas.


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## Papa Moses (Sep 27, 2018)

Loonnngggg seasons compared to Midwest. 107 days here I think 65 there. Liberal mallard bag limits. in Kansas the limit is 6 but only 5 can be mallards. And public land as you stated.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

Utah waterfowl hunting is fantastic!


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## Slap That Quack (Mar 2, 2017)

I think it is great! If you pay attention there are a lot of to be had!


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

Duck hunting is good but not great here (speaking from a foot soldier's perspective. I know the boaters do better 
as they can access so much more , but they are a minority of hunters. The goose hunting is a far cry from my home state of OK. This pick from today...and they had to "work" for their 30 birds! Access is getting more tricky due to outfitters locking up more land, but with some gas and good manners, a person can still get access for some great hunts.


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

One of my favorite things about hunting Utah is that we have a huge variety of birds here, including a few ocean ducks that show up on the GSL every year. There's not many other places where you can have a legitimate chance of seeing almost every major duck species on any given hunt, divers or puddlers. Also we have a long season, tons of public land availabe to hunt, we are one of 8 states that allow swan hunting, and our terrain gives opportunities for almost every kind of hunting from regular boat hunts over decoys to layout hunts in fields to airboat hunts out on the lake. 

Uh wait, our hunting is terrible here....no one should bother coming here to hunt.....our ducks are all mercury-soaked spoonies and goldeneyes, and the few good ducks we have taste like brine shrimp...I hear Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming Nevada, and Arizona all have better waterfowling than us...:mrgreen:


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## High Desert Elk (Aug 21, 2012)

A guy in my neck of the woods literally changed the migratory flyway because he fed the waterfowl in his fields. Waterfowling on the San Juan Quality waters is excellent and you can pretty much take nearly every species excluding sea ducks.

NAPI attracts candians, snows, and sandhills by the thousands.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Utah is a waterfowl Mecca. As mentioned, a variety of birds and a variety of hunting styles with everything from layout blinds to layout boats and everything in between. You can hunt freshwater one day, salt the next and jump shoot rivers and canals another day. It's hard to beat some of the scenery and backdrops too. Not many places in the midwest that have snowcapped mountains in the background. 

Utah has a liberal 107 day season, and we have birds all year long. Other states get a migration and they are pretty much done for the season. There are 3 to 4 million waterfowl that use the Great Salt Lake for breeding or migrating annually. It's a very important resource.

Where else can you shoot many different species in the same spot on the same day? goosefreak and I shot shovelers, pintails, wigeon, mallard and canvasbacks and missed a Canada goose yesterday. I know guys in other states that would go absolutely ape $hit over shooting prime spoonies. We really take a lot for granted with the waterfowl opportunities we have in Utah....


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

The Bear River Bird Refuge is the single most important waterfowl migration stop in the western united states...

aside from the 107 day season, you can go and shoot 7 different species within your limit in a single day, and do that 107 times if you choose to.

we dont get a lot of migrating Canada geese as compared to other states but, we still have a good amount.

I read an article a few years ago in DU? or Delta? maybe. But, anyways in that article they had the GSL ranked within the top 5 of best duck hunting within an hour drive from a metropolitan area.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

MWScott72 said:


> Duck hunting is good but not great here (speaking from a foot soldier's perspective. I know the boaters do better
> as they can access so much more ,


I disagree, respectfully so. Every 1-2 or 3 man limit of greenheads Iv shot, I walked into my spot. never needed a boat for a single one of those limits.

IMO the only advantage a Boat gives you is the ability to hunt Divers better but, not exclusive to.

Now, an Airboat yes, and I would even say maybe on that one too. Most my greenheads limits I walked into Airboat county to shoot them, and I didnt spend $40k to do it.

Iv had this conversation with Fowlmouth a couple times that, If I got rid of my boat, we would kill just as many birds as we do now.

BUT, I wouldn't be hunting the spur without a boat, or even what we did yesterday. 
so they serve as a good tool to have but, I would never say boat guys kill more birds. Some yes, some no


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## Iron Bear (Nov 19, 2008)

I believe we do take it for granted. The awesome waterfowl that is. 

I don’t hunt ducks often based on I don’t care to eat them. It’s about as fun as it gets though. 

A couple years ago a friend took me out on the GSL in his airboat. He set up dozens if not a hundred silhouettes and put me and my son in coffin blinds. Then he said see you later and took off. We sat there for a minute as I heard the airboat abandon us out on the giant lake. My son asked what now? I said he’ll be back I sat up a bit and looked acrossed the lake to see where the airboat was and saw him driving up what had to be 10,000s of birds. With in seconds birds were coming in at us in all directions. Shoot reload shoot some more. It was kaos after the hellfire we cleaned up both with nearly a limit each. All shovelers. I wondered if hunting like that is ethical but is sure was effective and fun. 

When we got home a cleaned the ducks most had rice breast. I didn’t dare eat them. I figured shovelers must not be very good table fair.


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

So in other words he rallied the birds. No its not real ethical lol


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

goosefreak said:


> MWScott72 said:
> 
> 
> > Duck hunting is good but not great here (speaking from a foot soldier's perspective. I know the boaters do better
> ...


Goosefreak- you make alot of good points, but I guess I still believe that an experienced waterfowler with a boat has more options than one that doesn't. Just my opinion and nothing more.

A question for you - how much do you and fowlmouth scout or have you simply hunted long enough now to know where to go and when? In my own world, I wish I had more time (and gas) to scout, knowing that I would be more successful if I could. I have shot limits as well walking out into airboat country, but it does take a large amount of effort to get to those places on foot. If I could scout more, no doubt i would invest more effort in getting to those spots!

You guys do very well - my hats off to you as you are the Ridgetop of waterfowling.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

MWScott72 said:


> goosefreak said:
> 
> 
> > MWScott72 said:
> ...


A boat definitely gives you more options.

This is my 20th year of waterfowl hunting and I believe FowlMouth is somewhere around 30 years of waterfowl hunting.

For the most part we have hunted so much that we know when and we're to go BUT, I still scout when I can. I would say, 75% of my scouting results in an excellent hunt the fallowing day.

I'm geared out to hunt almost any and every situation, I'm always keeping a watchful eye out on what birds are doing and when I see a pile of birds somewhere I always run hunting scenarios through my head and see what kind of gear I have to make that scenario work.

I always try and stand out and do something different or, above and beyond the next person.

I always pay attention to my wind and flight direction and how well I hide..

I'm a pretty far out thinker and I will try anything and everything until it works..

BUT, Scouting usually pays of big time. Some of those hunts I knew the birds would be there, I just didn't know exactly when so, I will scout it and watch for them to show up..

In my mind, aside from city limits or private property, there is no bird that can't be hunted,


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

Thanks for the response. I have hunted waterfowl on and off for over 30 years, but only about 10-12 here in UT. I cut my teeth on ducks, but in recent years got more into big game which cut significantly into my waterfowling. Recently, there's been a resurgence to hit the ducks again, and it's been fun getting back to my roots.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

MWScott72 said:


> Goosefreak- you make alot of good points, but I guess I still believe that an experienced waterfowler with a boat has more options than one that doesn't. Just my opinion and nothing more.
> 
> A question for you - how much do you and fowlmouth scout or have you simply hunted long enough now to know where to go and when? In my own world, I wish I had more time (and gas) to scout, knowing that I would be more successful if I could. I have shot limits as well walking out into airboat country, but it does take a large amount of effort to get to those places on foot. If I could scout more, no doubt i would invest more effort in getting to those spots!
> 
> You guys do very well - my hats off to you as you are the Ridgetop of waterfowling.


A boat is a good tool, it allows you to carry a lot of decoys, gear and people. However, especially this season, I have felt disadvantaged at times. I would take my boat when I should have packed in on foot. I should have been in non-boating areas to have been successful and not relied so much on the boat. Honestly, I believe It's actually getting harder to have successful hunts shooting from a boat. Ideally, I would rather be in a layout blind on dry ground hunting ducks and geese if I could choose.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

JerryH said:


> So in other words he rallied the birds. No its not real ethical lol


Not legal, either. Even if they are spoonies.


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## Iron Bear (Nov 19, 2008)

paddler said:


> JerryH said:
> 
> 
> > So in other words he rallied the birds. No its not real ethical lol
> ...


Knowing this buddy I'm not surprised. &#128528;

I promise I'll never do it again.


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