Young hunters will have Utah’s marshes all to themselves during two days in September. On Sept. 22, a Youth Waterfowl Hunt will be held in the Northern zone. In the Southern zone, the youth hunt happens Sept. 29.
DWR Press Release
Two youth waterfowl hunts in Utah this month
Hunters 17 years of age and younger will have Utah’s marshes — and the ducks and geese that go with them — all to themselves during two days in September.
A special Youth Waterfowl Hunt will be held in the Northern Zone on Sept. 22. In the Southern Zone, a youth hunt will be held on Sept. 29.
All youth hunters, including those who are 16 and 17 years of age, must be accompanied by someone 21 years of age or older to hunt on the youth days. (Normally, those 16 to 17 years of age can hunt in Utah without adult supervision.)
Blair Stringham, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says one of the goals of the youth hunt is to get young hunters in the marsh with adults who can teach them responsible and ethical hunting. “To accomplish that goal,” he says, “we’ve decided — on Sept. 22 and Sept. 29 only — to require 16 and 17 year olds to have an adult with them.”
Trial Hunting program
If you’ll be 17 years of age or younger on July 31, 2018 — but you haven’t completed a Hunter Education course — you can still participate in the youth hunt through the state’s Trial Hunting program. The program allows someone 21 years of age or older to take someone 12 years of age or older hunting, even if the person they’re taking hasn’t completed Hunter Education.
More information about the Trial Hunting program is available at wildlife.utah.gov/trial.
Take a kid hunting
Stringham says taking young hunters into the marsh on Sept. 22 or Sept. 29 is the perfect way to get them interested in duck and goose hunting. He says the number of ducks in Utah peaks in mid-September.
“It’s the perfect time to be in the marsh,” he says. “The kids you take will see plenty of ducks. And they should get plenty of shots.” And the young hunters should also get your undivided attention. “Adults can’t hunt during the youth hunt,” he says, “so the kids you take will get all of your attention.”
Stringham says a youth day might be the best day you spend in the marsh all season. “Youth day is the perfect way to pass the tradition of waterfowl hunting on to the next generation,” he says. “The experiences the kids have that day are something they’ll never forget.”
Shooting on Sept. 22 starts at 6:47 a.m. On Sept. 29, shooting starts at 6:55 a.m. Except for part of the Harold Crane Waterfowl Management Area, all of the state and federal refuges in Utah will be open to youth hunters those days.
“A project to improve the water flow at Harold Crane is underway,” Stringham says, “and most of the WMA will be closed during the youth hunt. The East Pond will be open to hunting, though.”
To help you find a good spot to hunt, visit wildlife.utah.gov/waterfowl-opener-conditions.html. Marsh conditions — at the state’s waterfowl management areas — will be posted there soon.
Requirements
To participate in the hunt:
- If you’ve completed a Hunter Education course, you must be 17 years of age or younger on July 31, 2018. You must also have a current hunting license and Harvest Information Program (HIP) number, and be accompanied by an adult.Also, if you’re 16 or 17 years old, you must have a federal duck stamp.
- If you haven’t completed a Hunter Education course, you must be between 12 and 17 years of age on July 31, 2018. You also must have a current hunting license and Harvest Information Program (HIP) number, a federal duck stamp (if you’re 16 or 17 years old) and be accompanied by someone 21 years of age or older. In addition, before you hunt, you must complete a brief online Trial Hunting Program Orientation course. The orientation course is among the items available at wildlife.utah.gov/trial.
Learn more
More information about the Youth Waterfowl Hunt, including the number of ducks and geese kids can take, is available on page 32 of the 2018–2019 Utah Waterfowl Guidebook. The free guidebook is available online.