UT Waterfowl trends

[TheColorCamo]

I recently moved down to Utah (Lehi area) and was doing some scouting around the state... seeing less birds than I expected to see. I'm used to Waterfowl hunting in western WA and so maybe im just not used to the Utah scene. Are we still waiting on birds to migrate down? Not cold enough up north yet? Low populations in general?

 

[RockAndSage]

I recently moved down to Utah (Lehi area) and was doing some scouting around the state... seeing less birds than I expected to see. I'm used to Waterfowl hunting in western WA and so maybe im just not used to the Utah scene. Are we still waiting on birds to migrate down? Not cold enough up north yet? Low populations in general?

Yeah...the coastal part of the pacific flyway is an entirely different universe of opportunity, compared to what we get in the Great Basin region. Just not the same thing. Expect opportunity to be far less frequent on a day to day basis, with occasional waves of fresh birds coming down in relation to weather up north, but overall just far, far fewer numbers of ducks.

 

[TheColorCamo]

How do the geese fair? pretty much the same as ducks?

 

[RockAndSage]

How do the geese fair? pretty much the same as ducks?

I think it can be better than right on the coast, for sure. It's pretty dependent on what part of the flyway you're in, but when they're around, they're really around, often for a long time. Geese don't need as much water, it seems, but are happy to fly into someone's cut fields and hang out for a week or three, teasing you from across the fence, until it gets colder and they fly further south.