The Utah Wildlife Board approved a few updates to waterfowl hunting in Utah. To simplify information and to streamline processes, the Utah Wildlife Board approved combining migratory upland game bird species with migratory waterfowl species into one guidebook. The board also voted to classify all of those bird species as “migratory game birds” in administrative rule. “These bird species are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the regulations, season dates and bag limits are ultimately set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in conjunction with the harvest strategies of multiple states located within the Pacific Flyway,” shares DWR Migratory Bird and Falconry Coordinator Jason Jones. “As such, changes to waterfowl frameworks tend to be small, and the regulations are tightly controlled, so a three-year cycle provides more consistency.” The board also approved the season dates and bag limits for the newly classified species for the next three years — within the federal limits.
