# Youth hunt and opener conditions



## fish-n-fool (May 26, 2009)

I have always looked forward to read about the conditions of the WMA's prior to the youth hunt and the opener.

Does anyone know if the DWR will have this info up within the next few days like in years past? 

fnf8)


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

The only thing I've heard is from folks that went to the youth fair. Said there was water in FB but not seeing a lot of birds. That is pretty typical because there are so many folks there and they're running airboats and mudboats in all the ponds around the parking lot. As long as my grandson get's a few shots Saturday that's all that counts for him. I'm sure if the birds are passing close enough he's going to end up with some. He usually gets 4-5 each youth hunt.


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## Spry Yellowdog (Sep 8, 2007)

I was out at the south entrance of FB last Saturday morning bright and early and can give a very dismal report. No water in any of the ponds over the bridge. The ponds on the south side fed by the state canal had plenty of water but no ducks at all. I saw 4 ducks total fly by and that was when the boats blew them off at the youth fair. There was plenty of cattle if you fancy beef over fowl for dinner. The place is beat down bad and there was a spray plane finishing off what ever plant was living. Some geese using the unit 2 secondary ponds. I'm going down again wednesday evening and will report if the cows are gone and some water is starting to flow. If nothing changes i would recommend not going in the south for a walk in hunt.

Spry


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

The South entrance has been terrible the last 2 seasons for hunting. Every time I go there I see guys walk the dike and blast away at anything that flies. and they have no way to retrieve the birds they shoot. I guess they don't care to retrieve coots because that is what most of the shooting is there.

I walked the dike there 2 years ago, late season with my dog. I never fired a shot and came out of there with a full limit of ducks. My dog would drop off the dike into the thick stuff and find the winged birds. I'm telling you guys in that area don't make any effort to retrieve downed birds, it's disgusting. I lost count of the coots my dog found.


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## Spry Yellowdog (Sep 8, 2007)

Well went out south again tonite and there is water flowing and the cows seem to be gone. But No ducks.

Spry


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Spry Yellowdog said:


> Well went out south again tonite and there is water flowing and the cows seem to be gone. But No ducks.
> 
> Spry


That's good that the water is coming in and cattle are gone, not so good about no birds. I was just reading a report in LA on the teal situation. Very bleak there this year. It's the 2nd to worst year on record for blue wing in Louisiana. My brother did well yesterday but he's in the very north part of the state. In the southern marshes they averaged less than 1/2 teal per hunter opening weekend. Hopefully all the shooting and hunters on Saturday will make whatever ducks are around want to get up and fly around a bit and give the kids a few shots. I'm guessing the skeeters were horrendous too like they usually are this time of year at FB


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Fowlmouth said:


> The South entrance has been terrible the last 2 seasons for hunting. Every time I go there I see guys walk the dike and blast away at anything that flies. and they have no way to retrieve the birds they shoot. I guess they don't care to retrieve coots because that is what most of the shooting is there.
> 
> I walked the dike there 2 years ago, late season with my dog. I never fired a shot and came out of there with a full limit of ducks. My dog would drop off the dike into the thick stuff and find the winged birds. I'm telling you guys in that area don't make any effort to retrieve downed birds, it's disgusting. I lost count of the coots my dog found.


It's sad to see people shooting ducks with no attempt to retrieve them. I got a dog this summer because I'm getting too old to trudge out and go retrieve the birds in my waders. She didn't come along as fast as I hoped but I'm bringing her on Saturday to see if she can help find some birds in the weeds when I can't locate them. She seems to have a good nose but she's just got a mind of her own sometimes. This will be her first hunt so it's going to be interesting.


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## moabxjeeper (Dec 18, 2012)

LostLouisianian said:


> It's sad to see people shooting ducks with no attempt to retrieve them. I got a dog this summer because I'm getting too old to trudge out and go retrieve the birds in my waders. She didn't come along as fast as I hoped but I'm bringing her on Saturday to see if she can help find some birds in the weeds when I can't locate them. She seems to have a good nose but she's just got a mind of her own sometimes. This will be her first hunt so it's going to be interesting.


She can't be as bad as my dad's buddy's dog... We went out to sit on Turpin dike with him last year. He'd shot a duck just before we got there and his stupid dog wouldn't go out there to retrieve it. We threw rocks and did everything we could to try to get that @%&# dog out there, but to no avail.

The duck wasn't that far off the dike and I had my chest waders on, so I decided to go out and see how far I could get. I got a few steps off the dike and immediately started sinking into the mud. Anyone that's been out there knows exactly what I'm talking about. Well, the dog finally sees his opportunity.. He gets into the water, comes up behind me, _puts his front paws on my back *and proceeds to hump me*, all while I'm sinking waist deep into the mud..._ I was so deep that I could hardly move, and the stupid dog was hastening my sinking. I tried to pull him off but I guess he was having too much fun and wouldn't let go. I finally scored a hit right on his nose and he yelped and let off. I practically had to crawl out of there to get back to dry land.

Needless to say, that dog was lucky I had left my gun on the shore. //dog// <<--O/


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

^^ Don't care who you are, that right there is funny chit!!


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Moabxjeeper - that is hilarious!! :rotfl:


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Did I really just read that?!?!


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Well all I can say is you must be VERY attractive


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

Conditions are up.

http://wildlife.utah.gov/waterfowl-opener-conditions.html


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

moabxjeeper said:


> She can't be as bad as my dad's buddy's dog... We went out to sit on Turpin dike with him last year. He'd shot a duck just before we got there and his stupid dog wouldn't go out there to retrieve it. We threw rocks and did everything we could to try to get that @%&# dog out there, but to no avail.
> 
> The duck wasn't that far off the dike and I had my chest waders on, so I decided to go out and see how far I could get. I got a few steps off the dike and immediately started sinking into the mud. Anyone that's been out there knows exactly what I'm talking about. Well, the dog finally sees his opportunity.. He gets into the water, comes up behind me, _puts his front paws on my back *and proceeds to hump me*, all while I'm sinking waist deep into the mud..._ I was so deep that I could hardly move, and the stupid dog was hastening my sinking. I tried to pull him off but I guess he was having too much fun and wouldn't let go. I finally scored a hit right on his nose and he yelped and let off. I practically had to crawl out of there to get back to dry land.
> 
> Needless to say, that dog was lucky I had left my gun on the shore. //dog// <<--O/


Post. Of. The. Year.


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

Clarq said:


> Conditions are up.
> 
> http://wildlife.utah.gov/waterfowl-opener-conditions.html


Thanks Clarq!


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## fish-n-fool (May 26, 2009)

Thanks Clarq


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

moabxjeeper, you gotta quit tickling your dogs balls with cattails when you're sitting in the blind.


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## quackaddict35 (Sep 25, 2015)

So how do guys feel about people taking their boats out to the WMA and scouting around. I want to go check in some spots but don't know if it's frowned upon because it pressures the birds before the season? Do you guys have any opinions on this 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Looks like the kids at Ogden Bay are going to have a good time on Saturday morning.


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

quackaddict35 said:


> So how do guys feel about people taking their boats out to the WMA and scouting around. I want to go check in some spots but don't know if it's frowned upon because it pressures the birds before the season? Do you guys have any opinions on this
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


My opinion is that you shouldn't do it. But lots of people do. At the very least, keep bird disturbance to a minimum.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

quackaddict35 said:


> So how do guys feel about people taking their boats out to the WMA and scouting around. I want to go check in some spots but don't know if it's frowned upon because it pressures the birds before the season? Do you guys have any opinions on this
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I think they should open the WMA's to boats like they do now, 2 days before the youth hunt, and leave it open until the following Saturday, then close it down and lock the gates until the opener. This would give the birds a 1 week rest period.


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## quackaddict35 (Sep 25, 2015)

Clarq said:


> My opinion is that you shouldn't do it. But lots of people do. At the very least, keep bird disturbance to a minimum.


I agree, maybe walking the dike with some binos can yield me the same results

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## moabxjeeper (Dec 18, 2012)

Fowlmouth said:


> moabxjeeper, you gotta quit tickling your dogs balls with cattails when you're sitting in the blind.


Hey, gotta do something to pass the time...

On a serious note, that SOB was actually scared to death of me when I first got there. He waited until I was vulnerable to get "acquainted".


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

They say a dog's attitude reflects his owner's....:shock:


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## moabxjeeper (Dec 18, 2012)

johnnycake said:


> They say a dog's attitude reflects his owner's....:shock:


And intelligence -/|\\-


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

moabxjeeper said:


> And intelligence -/|\\-


I beg to differ because my wife says my dog has more sense than I do.:shock:


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## OPENCOUNTRY (Jan 25, 2009)

Clarq said:


> Conditions are up.
> 
> http://wildlife.utah.gov/waterfowl-opener-conditions.html


Either I'm an idiot and blind or they didn't do it but...... Did they not put conditions up for Farmington?


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

OPENCOUNTRY said:


> Either I'm an idiot and blind or they didn't do it but...... Did they not put conditions up for Farmington?


 I bet it will be something like this:
A little bit of water, a few birds, LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of hunters.

But yeah, I do not see FB in there either.


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

Typically they do a combined report for Farmington Bay, Layton-Kaysville, and Timpie Springs. I can't imagine why they wouldn't have it up by now. It may be worth a phone call or two tomorrow.

Or it might be better to head north. I've always hunted north of Ogden Bay on the youth hunt, and crowds haven't been an issue.


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## waterfowlwhacker (Aug 13, 2016)

Walked some dikes at fb today and saw a lot of geese probably a few hundred. Only a handful of ducks though. A ton of water...


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## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

quackaddict35 said:


> So how do guys feel about people taking their boats out to the WMA and scouting around. I want to go check in some spots but don't know if it's frowned upon because it pressures the birds before the season? Do you guys have any opinions on this
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


No problem if it's after Saturday's youth hunt. 
Seems every year guys driving through decoy spreads while the kids are enjoying their day.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

waterfowlwhacker said:


> Walked some dikes at fb today and saw a lot of geese probably a few hundred. Only a handful of ducks though. A ton of water...


I'm hoping some ducks come in before tomorrow morning but based on this I am making sure to bring some BB shot for the grandson just in case.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

"Desert Lake Waterfowl Management Area

Water conditions: Because of the low rainfall in late summer, a couple of our ponds are dry. We are hoping for a little more rain before the general opener. Cattails and bulrush provide thick cover around the edges of ponds.

Waterfowl use: Waterfowl numbers have been on the rise over the last few weeks and should continue to increase leading up to the season opener. Flooded grasses and forbs are providing great food for waterfowl. We are seeing blue-wing teal, green-wing teal, cinnamon teal, northern shovelers, mallards, pintail, coots and wigeon. There are also Canada goose on the property."


Blue Winged TEAL ???????


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## Utmuddguy (Aug 25, 2013)

LostLouisianian said:


> "Desert Lake Waterfowl Management Area
> 
> Water conditions: Because of the low rainfall in late summer, a couple of our ponds are dry. We are hoping for a little more rain before the general opener. Cattails and bulrush provide thick cover around the edges of ponds.
> 
> ...


See them every year in sept then they are gone.


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## Utmuddguy (Aug 25, 2013)

moabxjeeper said:


> She can't be as bad as my dad's buddy's dog... We went out to sit on Turpin dike with him last year. He'd shot a duck just before we got there and his stupid dog wouldn't go out there to retrieve it. We threw rocks and did everything we could to try to get that @%&# dog out there, but to no avail.
> 
> The duck wasn't that far off the dike and I had my chest waders on, so I decided to go out and see how far I could get. I got a few steps off the dike and immediately started sinking into the mud. Anyone that's been out there knows exactly what I'm talking about. Well, the dog finally sees his opportunity.. He gets into the water, comes up behind me, _puts his front paws on my back *and proceeds to hump me*, all while I'm sinking waist deep into the mud..._ I was so deep that I could hardly move, and the stupid dog was hastening my sinking. I tried to pull him off but I guess he was having too much fun and wouldn't let go. I finally scored a hit right on his nose and he yelped and let off. I practically had to crawl out of there to get back to dry land.
> 
> Needless to say, that dog was lucky I had left my gun on the shore. //dog// <<--O/


I have a couple of retrievers for rent. &#128512;


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Utmuddguy said:


> I have a couple of retrievers for rent. &#128512;


Do they train other retrievers????? :grin:


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## Utmuddguy (Aug 25, 2013)

That would probably end badly


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Utmuddguy said:


> That would probably end badly


We'll see how Lucy the wonder dog does tomorrow. She's a Chessie rescue, sweet as can be but stubborn and strong willed. She had lived for nearly a year on the western shore of Utah Lake as a wild dog before she was rescued and she was used to killing rabbits and cats to eat and survive. We've had her since April and she sure has come a long way from her wild ways. The vet say's she's around 2 ish. She may get dropped off at the pound on the way home for all I know. If anyone tomorrow morning at FB hears somebody yelling...Lucy BAD DOG, Lucy come here...you'll know who it is. ;-)


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## Raptor1 (Feb 1, 2015)

Took the kids and the new pup out scouting this afternoon and saw tons of ducks. More than last year on the youth hunt, more than I saw the entire hunt anywhere! Mostly Pins, Mallards and Teal. Kids and the new pup are super excited. Hopefully the daughter can bag her first duck tomorrow and the dog his first retrieve. Bugs were pretty bad, be sure to remember the bug spray!!!


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Grandson limited out by 9:30. Could have limited out an hour earlier but we waited for bigger ducks. Cinnamon Teal, Mallards & Gadwall


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