# Slow Slow Slow...



## Gee LeDouche (Sep 21, 2007)

Went to Farmington yesterday (10/11/10) and ended up with 2 spooners and a hen Ringneck. Man I thought it was SSSSSLLLLLOOOOOOOWWWWW but while we were pulling out we had our birds checked and we spoke with the nice DNR dude and he said that the previous 16 trucks that came through he had only seen 4 birds. :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: WOW! from where we were sitting I didnt see another bird drop all day. I thought we had done pretty crummy but apparently we did okay, considering.. anywho. just food for thought. o-||


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

yea it was slow saturday to.we need windy and weather to get them moving.


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## drsx (Sep 8, 2010)

I went to FB yesterday evening....... didn't see a anything, except one pheasant.


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

i picked up two yesterday evening and two this morning. not a whole lot going on out there but the crowds seem to have diminished a little.


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## Bhilly81 (Oct 18, 2009)

went there this morning and had three when i left at eleven but better than last week which was one all day but we did see about 300 to 400 throughout the day apperantly we were in the highway from the ducks it was the most amazing thing i have seen


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## Phragmites (Sep 12, 2007)

Well what do you expect, no water, poor habitat conditions. The marsh is really in a sad state of affairs and if we don't do something soon you haven't seen nothing yet. Lets not just sit back idle and let the invasive species that plague our wetlands continue to expand. The hunting community needs to wake up and realize that we don't get politicians to address the issue the GSL will be lost forever, and everyday we wait the more expensive it will be to address the issues. Take a second and write a letter to your local representive or to the governer complaining about the problem, the squeeky wheel gets the grease.


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## luv2fsh&hnt (Sep 22, 2007)

Phragmites said:


> Well what do you expect, no water, poor habitat conditions. The marsh is really in a sad state of affairs and if we don't do something soon you haven't seen nothing yet. Lets not just sit back idle and let the invasive species that plague our wetlands continue to expand. The hunting community needs to wake up and realize that we don't get politicians to address the issue the GSL will be lost forever, and everyday we wait the more expensive it will be to address the issues. Take a second and write a letter to your local representive or to the governer complaining about the problem, the squeeky wheel gets the grease.


Instead of dealing with pinhead politicians we should organise a group to provide the labor and get some consevation groups to kick in supplies get the dwr to provide some supervision then we can get something done. By the time the polocks...I mean politicians to get off their duff and studying the issue it will be too late!


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## Phragmites (Sep 12, 2007)

We allready have groups and the materials and funding to spray portions of phragmites in the inpounded units of the wma's it is just unfortunate that there isn't a lot of participation But that is like putting a bandaid on a gunshot wound, there our over 350,000 acres of phragmites out there and that is going to take aerial spraying as a lot of the area's our not acessible by traditional methods, last I heard it cost about 11 dollars and acre to spray at 3.8 Million dollars that is not a small amount of money. Additional there would be cost ever year to insure that it doesn't regain a foothold again. Spraying is only a small part of the puzzle and there has to be a comprehensive plan to deal with it, that is going to take mulitple management practices to succeed and we our going to have to work with not against to get the funding and the approval from federal and state agencies to deal with the issue. Unfortunately these agencies our under funded and don't have the man power to deal with an issue of this magnitude, and usually the position of most people in these agencies want to do something but there hands our tied by the politicians as they control the purse strings. But lets be honest when it involves money wildlife and habitat our last on that list.


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## luv2fsh&hnt (Sep 22, 2007)

I think BR is the only area controlled by the feds right? The other WMA'S are state properties aren't they? Seems to me if the supplies are there we should be able to get the labor. I wonder if we could find a crop duster to donate a plane and his flying ability. Might have to fabricate a tank for the chemicals. I don't know if they can be purged after spraying plant killer or not. Just some thoughts. I am probly just bein stupid.


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## Phragmites (Sep 12, 2007)

I don't think your being stupid I think we need to throw everything out on the table and come up with a solution, While the majority of problems lye outside of the WMA's on soverign state lands they still have to follow federal and state regulations, Bear River Bird Refuge is still in it infancy regarding it phragmites problems but ever year I see more and more phragmites out on the refuge. I know there have been suggestions and even request by groups to help spray phragmites on the refuge but I don't believe those request have been granted. I would much rather have to much participation from the hunting community than not enough and all we can do is keep asking how we can volunteer and help. There a few people right now really working hard to open peoples eyes on what is really happening on the gsl you have to remeber a lot of the gsl is a remote area unless you have an airboat you aren't getting out there, and even then if condition aren't correct it can still be hard to get to. You know out of sight of mind. I believe that if every waterfowler took 1 day during the offseason and volunteer to help our marshes we would be much better off, sometimes that involves labor other times it as simples as writing a letter or placing a phone call. Take the time be involved and volunteer your time to help our wetlands they need it.


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## kev (Feb 7, 2008)

Aerial spraying is nearly non-effective for phrag. My understanding is that it almost all has to be put down from the ground, not sure why, bu that's how I understand it. Also, water control is the most important part of phrag reduction. Most of the areas that are overrun lack the necessary water control structures to be effective.

My feeling on the lack of birds however is simply too much pressure on local birds. We don't raise that many and what we do have gets the crap kicked out of it the first couple weeks. Even if their not being shot they are being pushed around nearly every waking hour. I'm not complaining here, note that, just offering an observation. Because if I am out there I'm part of the problem. I just think we need more area designated for rest/loafing. Possibly some sort of voluntary rest areas, or even a closure day or something, at least for the month of October, just to take some pressure off the local birds.

Later,
Kev


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## nbp (Oct 27, 2007)

kev said:


> Aerial spraying is nearly non-effective for phrag. My understanding is that it almost all has to be put down from the ground, not sure why, bu that's how I understand it. Also, water control is the most important part of phrag reduction. Most of the areas that are overrun lack the necessary water control structures to be effective.
> Later,
> Kev


The duck clubs use aerial spraying to great effect (by plane or better, helicopter). you just have to get the chemical on the phrag at the right time of year. another thing most folks don't seem to know is, it can take 2 or 3 years of spraying to kill a stand of phrag. then you still need to burn it.


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## rjefre (Sep 8, 2007)

Aerial spraying of phragmites is the absolute best way to apply the herbicide. Ground crews are very ineffective and very labor intensive. With the state of the marshes the way they are now, we will continue to see wide fluctuations in bird numbers during the season. It is a no-brainer to realize that as soon as the first shot is fired on opening day, many of the birds get pushed out of the WMA's. *Shotguns are noisy and birds are skittish...pretty simple*. The key to the great legacy of successful waterfowling along the Wasatch Front in the past has been the GSL marshes. The soveriegn lands outside the dikes have always provided huge areas for birds to rest, feed, relax and enjoy their stay in Utah. This is mostly gone now due to phrag. This also results in birds getting pushed out of the area prematurely instead of hanging around and providing shooting opportunities for us guys that like to hunt ducks. We must accept poor hunting opportuninties on our marshes or we must push to get them re-claimed and restored. *This must be done through the legislature.* If you complain about lack of birds and poor hunting while at the same time refuse to write a short email to your legislator--you are not part of the solution.
R


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## earlybird (Sep 25, 2010)

i am small fry when it comes to this issue but I have personally observed, and have become very concerned with, the growing problem with this invasive species. I am also new to the political arena and was just wondering, if I wanted to write a letter, to whom should I address it and what should the letter itself contain in order to be most effective?


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## cnegeese801 (Mar 19, 2009)

I think there all sort of problems. Lack of water ( great Salt Lake) phrag and hunters. I can't wait till it turn cold and the weekend warrior stops going out. The rest area thing I hav always thought would be a good Idea. just my .02
Travis


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## kev (Feb 7, 2008)

rjefre said:


> Aerial spraying of phragmites is the absolute best way to apply the herbicide. Ground crews are very ineffective and very labor intensive. With the state of the marshes the way they are now, we will continue to see wide fluctuations in bird numbers during the season. It is a no-brainer to realize that as soon as the first shot is fired on opening day, many of the birds get pushed out of the WMA's. *Shotguns are noisy and birds are skittish...pretty simple*. The key to the great legacy of successful waterfowling along the Wasatch Front in the past has been the GSL marshes. The soveriegn lands outside the dikes have always provided huge areas for birds to rest, feed, relax and enjoy their stay in Utah. This is mostly gone now due to phrag. This also results in birds getting pushed out of the area prematurely instead of hanging around and providing shooting opportunities for us guys that like to hunt ducks. We must accept poor hunting opportuninties on our marshes or we must push to get them re-claimed and restored. *This must be done through the legislature.* If you complain about lack of birds and poor hunting while at the same time refuse to write a short email to your legislator--you are not part of the solution.
> R


I stand corrected. I was mistaken. For some reason I thought that ground spraying was the preferred method. I amy have been thinking of something else. Thakyou for clearing that up.

Later,
Kev


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## rjefre (Sep 8, 2007)

Earlybird, there is no such thing as small fry. Although there are a few organizations working to secure funding from alternate sources (besides the DNR budget) we are a long way off and your voice is huge. Our legislators need to hear from us about the devastation of the GSL wetlands that has been allowed to occur over the last 10 years. They won't let the state lands division (FFSL) have any of the money they collect from lake usage and royalties, so the marshes just waste away under a forest of phrag. You can help by sending a very short message via email to your legislator about the state of the lake. To find out who your legislator is, go to the Utah legislature website or go here - *http://www.le.state.ut.us/maps/amap.html*
You can punch in your address and it will tell you who your representative is. There are other issues that affect our hunting, but this is the biggest threat of all, and it can be fixed in a relativlely short time if we had the money allocated by the legislature for it's intended purposes. If you would like help, please contact me and I will get you your representative's email address. It is election time, so right now they have to pretend to care about your concerns! 
P.S. I will do this for anyone that asks...I will even write up a short note for you to use.
R


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