# Walk-in Areas



## Bhuntin (Sep 8, 2007)

I went to a walk-in access area the other day. I was in disbelief of how many people had been there before me (2 had hit it that morning on a Wed). What I was really amazed at was looking at the record book no birds had been killed. 
Just curious as to if others have had success on WIA. My point in all of this, is the money being paid to property owners really worth it? I'm not trying to stop the program by no means, but are there ways maybe we can rate properties? Possibly drop the bad/unproductive ones and maybe the State pays landowners premium prices if they have better properties, or give them incentives to take care of game (shelter belts, predators). Obviously, I know that no property can receive the amount of pressure this one has had and produce anything, but I looked through the sign-in sheet and there were no birds taken even from opening day.


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## Rodz&Riflez (Feb 16, 2009)

I have hunted a few of them, and did ok on the dove hunt. But when the Pheasant hunt started, there were more hunters on those "secret" spots than there was on public land. I went out the Thursday after the opener and there had been a minimum 5 separate groups on three different Walk-in areas already that day. I ended up going to my normal public land areas (with no dog) and flushed up 20 roosters and 3 hens before heading home (only shooting 2 of course).


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## HJB (May 22, 2008)

Some are good and deserve the money, others are a complete waste of money. For Example the river access behind the Oaks restaurant??? I've fished that same stretch for 10 years and never had any problems with the owners at all. The access point is public and the river is public, so why are we giving them money??? There are a few others like that as well. On the other hand there are some very good areas that I'm glad are enrolled in the program.


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## pheasantphool (Nov 30, 2007)

They pay the landowners literally pennies a day so don't expect much. I'm all for them paying a higher rate to landowners with premium properties. Maybe if they did this they could get some very large ranches along the Wasatch to go into the program.

Hunting
Acreage Yearly payment
80–250 $370.00 
251–500 $475.00 
501–650 $630.00 
651–999 $840.00 
1,000–2,499 $1,260.00 
2,500–4,999 $1,420.00 
5,000-plus $1,680.00 

Fishing
Pond acreage Stream length Yearly payment
5–25 .25 to .5 mile $625.00 
26–50 .5 to 1.0 mile $785.00 
51–75 1 to 1.5 miles $945.00 
76–100 1.6 to 2 miles $1,105.00 
100-plus 2-plus miles $1,323.00


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## duck jerky (Sep 8, 2007)

One of the propertys I used to hunt before the land owner enrolled in the walk-in had lots of birds, chukars, huns, pheasants and now nothing. like was said before I stop by just check out log book to see how the success is going and no one has gotten anything except maybe a jack rabbit. I have hunted a few of them and some have been real good and others nothing.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

Walk-in Access is a program I'm really thankful for. Those places are NOT my hunting spots. They are a place where I can run to during the week and pretend to hunt while I train my dogs. Sometimes I bring some birds of my own and let them loose on the WIA property. The only way to increase the quality of these properties is to enroll more and more pieces of land, thereby giving people more space to hunt and reducing the overcrowding problem.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

BirdDogger said:


> Walk-in Access is a program I'm really thankful for. Those places are NOT my hunting spots. They are a place where I can run to during the week and pretend to hunt while I train my dogs. Sometimes I bring some birds of my own and let them loose on the WIA property. The only way to increase the quality of these properties is to enroll more and more pieces of land, thereby giving people more space to hunt and reducing the overcrowding problem.


I agree with this perspective. You have to start somewhere, so it may as well be here. Although it may seem like the WIA program isn't working, or isn't worth it now, imagine what it will be like when the enrolled acreage doubles, triples, or quadruples. Lots less pressure on each one, which will make them all better. If we bag it now though, we'll never know what it might have become.


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## hemionus (Aug 23, 2009)

i don't get why there is so much complaining about the program. i have had awesome hunts on some of these properties, others i've not seen shiz. yea some are better than others but isn't that the case with every piece of land we hunt, some places are good some aren't. it is land we never would of been able to spend time outdoors on without the program. yea it may have its faults but what doesn't, the pros highly outweigh the cons. Thanks DWR and thank you landowners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## byuduckhunter (Dec 2, 2008)

Just a question, how many people go to a WIA area and maybe are successful but still don't log it in the book? I am pretty sure I wouldn't write that I found a bunch of pheasants or chukars or something. Then everyone and there mom would be there overnight.


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## SureShot (Oct 2, 2007)

I think you should always be honest in every situation. It's one thing to not tell of your success to your friends and associates. It's another thing to lie on a log book that's part of the program.


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## hemionus (Aug 23, 2009)

your probably right about people not being honest in the log books. hard core bird hunters never give their secrets  . they ought to put a locked drop box to drop your information form in so no one else can take a looksy. they'd would get better and more honest information that way.


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## duck jerky (Sep 8, 2007)

byuduckhunter said:


> Just a question, how many people go to a WIA area and maybe are successful but still don't log it in the book? I am pretty sure I wouldn't write that I found a bunch of pheasants or chukars or something. Then everyone and there mom would be there overnight.


I write down everything I got. I have no problem writing down if I was successful or not.


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## toomeymd (Sep 21, 2009)

byuduckhunter said:


> Just a question, how many people go to a WIA area and maybe are successful but still don't log it in the book? I am pretty sure I wouldn't write that I found a bunch of pheasants or chukars or something. Then everyone and there mom would be there overnight.


Seems to me (and I may be wrong here) that if we lie and say we didn't harvest birds, the DWR will stop funding these places as there is no reason to pay a landowner for non-producing property and we would lose our access. Honesty is always the best policy.


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## lehi (Sep 13, 2007)

So, even if the Unit IS crappy, we should say we still shot birds so it stays open? I see how it all works now. :lol:


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## byuduckhunter (Dec 2, 2008)

I'm not saying I think people should blatantly lie...I guess I can just see people not logging out. Or just leave the harvest section blank. Not putting a zero but just leaving it blank. I have only been to a couple WIA areas so that might not be the norm.


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## toomeymd (Sep 21, 2009)

lehi said:


> So, even if the Unit IS crappy, we should say we still shot birds so it stays open? I see how it all works now. :lol:


Not at all, if its a non-performing property, I don't think our tax dollars should continue to pay for it. It should be used towards a performing property or obtaining a new property with hopes that it will hold enough birds.


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## Bhuntin (Sep 8, 2007)

Just another thought--where do they plant all the birds that commercial hunting units are suppossed to give to the State? Why not plant them on these units as well as WMA's???


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## Gordon (Sep 11, 2007)

No one GIVES the state anything. The bird farms are required to turn loose a percentage of birds. If you go to a farm and buy 10 birds but only shoot 6 those 4 go towards the required amount. (If they return to the pen cause they are too stupid to make it on their own, that is a bonus for the operator)


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## USMARINEhuntinfool (Sep 15, 2007)

I think they are great for what they are. I hunted one this year, the land had great cover, there was phez ****, it had been hunted by 20 or so groups before us, we got 1 bird, we also saw a lot of coyote, fox, and **** tracks. I think if the state is going to spend the money to access the land they could spend a little more and trap the predators. Also if they were to collect the birds from the bird farms in that county that are supposed to be released and distribute them to the WIA lands in the county that would get things going in the right direction.


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## hemionus (Aug 23, 2009)

most of them are open to predator hunting so hopefully predator guys are hitting them too. i don't know if i want the dwr spending my money to trap predators on someone else's land.


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