Utah Weekly Wildlife News
Updated 12-29-2005
- Application Period Moved Back
- Trees: Don't Throw Them Away
- Hunter Safety Instructors
- Fishing Report: www.wildlife.utah.gov/fishing/weeklyreports.html
Big Game Application Period Starts Jan. 17
You won't find a Utah big game application just after the first of the year in 2006. That's because the state's big game application period has been moved back two weeks. The 2006 Utah big game application period begins Jan. 17 and ends Feb. 16.
Beginning Jan. 17, applications for general buck deer, limited entry, once-in-a-lifetime and Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit hunts will be available from hunting and fishing license agents statewide, the Division of Wildlife Resources' Web site (wildlife.utah.gov) and DWR offices.
You don't have to wait until Jan. 17 to decide which hunts you want to apply for, however. The 2006 Utah Big Game Proclamation is available at wildlife.utah.gov/proclamations. Printed copies of the proclamation should be available by the week of Jan. 9.
Reason for the Change
Getting more input from hunters about big game hunting decisions in Utah resulted in the application period being moved back two weeks.
"The public meetings to discuss big game hunting rules for the following year used to be held in mid-October," said Judi Tutorow, wildlife licensing coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. "Many hunters had a difficult time attending the meetings because a lot of big game hunts were going on at the same time. We want this input from our hunters, so we moved the meetings back to November this year."
Moving the meetings to November moved the process of getting the rules approved by the Utah Wildlife Board, and the printed version of the big game proclamation printed and into the hands of hunters, back two weeks. "That's why we had to move the application period back two weeks," Tutorow said.
Even though the application period has been moved back, hunters will still know the results of the draw by the end of April. "We're getting so many applications via the Internet now that we'll still be able to conduct the draw when we have in the past and have the results of the draw available by the end of April," Tutorow said.
Draw results will be available by April 28.
For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.
Contact: Mark Hadley, DWR Conservation Outreach Specialist (801) 538-4737
Don't Throw Your Christmas Tree Away; Use It to Help Wildlife
It served its purpose well through Christmas and into the New Year. Fresh pine aroma has engulfed your house. But solid branches have carried the heavy burden of lights and ornaments for three weeks now. Even though you've provided fresh water day after day, a few needles are beginning to fall off. You decide it's time to take another Christmas tree to the curb to be hauled to the landfill or ground into mulch for flower gardens at the local park.
But wait, before you get rid of that tree, doesn't it still have some value? Sure it does! That ole' tree can render wildlife benefits well into next summer, or even for two more years, depending on what you do with it.
Dean Mitchell, upland game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, provides the following ideas:
Coniferous trees (trees that produce cones, are generally evergreen and produce leaves shaped as needles) are extremely important to a variety of wild animals, especially in the cold of winter. Common coniferous trees used for Christmas in Utah include pines, spruces and firs.
Song birds and quail use coniferous trees to roost in at night after warm air becomes trapped in the dense branches. Blue grouse spend the winter eating needles from certain fir trees. Deer, elk, snowshoe hares and numerous other wildlife use conifers as hiding cover to conceal themselves from predators and to get out of the elements.
Before you discard your Christmas tree, consider using it for any of the following to help your wild friends:
· Make a Christmas tree for song birds in your yard. You can do this by placing the tree in your yard, or on a patio if you don't have a yard, and in front of a window where you can see it. Decorate the tree with stale breads and bakery products hung by ribbons or string. Fruits such as apples and oranges also can be hung. Be sure to cut the fruit in half so it's easier for the birds to eat. A cereal of any kind, such as "Cheerios," oatmeal, grits or cornmeal, also can be offered. Place them in net bags used for onions or potatoes, and tie them on the tree. Strings of popcorn or cranberries are great for wintering birds. Peanut butter or nuts of any kind can be mashed into the crevices of pine cones to offer special treats. You'll enjoy countless hours watching birds come to your "bird Christmas tree" through the rest of the winter.
· If you live in a neighborhood without any trees, your Christmas tree can be used to provide cover for birds. Simply drive the base of the Christmas tree into a snowbank and leave it for the birds to use. If you have a clothes line, you can collect trees from your neighbors and lean the trees against the clothes line to create a "lean-to" that lots of birds can get out of the weather in. If you have existing trees, merely string some ropes between two of your trees and lean the Christmas trees on the rope.
· Submerged Christmas trees make excellent habitat for fish and aquatic wildlife, such as frogs. If you have a pond or stream on your property, you may want to collect a few more Christmas trees, tie them together and anchor them in the pond or stream with large rocks to offer fish, amphibians and aquatic insects a place to live. Christmas trees can also be used to keep a stream, creek or river from cutting into a bank by creating a diversion against the force of the water. Pools will form behind the Christmas trees that are ideal for fish to rest in.
· Brush piles created from discarded Christmas trees provide important habitat for wildlife, including escape cover, nesting sites and denning areas for ground squirrels, cottontail rabbits, weasels, skunks, snakes and red foxes.
Brush piles can be located on larger backyard lots or scattered throughout woodlands, meadows or farm areas. Since they do attract skunks and snakes, you may want to keep them a certain distance from your home. Brush piles need to be at least five feet in height and 12 to 15 feet in diameter to be useful to most wildlife.
Brush piles can be created by laying rows of Christmas trees perpendicular and on top of each other. Big brush piles should be started with a foundation of large rocks, stumps or logs to keep them from decomposing too fast. Several heavy logs can also be placed on top of the brush pile to keep it from blowing away. Old sections of culvert, drain tiles or hollow logs placed in the foundation provide ideal denning sites.
As you clean up your yard later in the year, you can keep your brush pile going by stacking onto the pile the tree branches you've trimmed. If you don't like the looks of your brush pile, simply plant a hedge of roses or raspberries around it to make it attractive.
By planning now, and thinking ahead, you can extend your enjoyment of that expensive Christmas tree throughout the year. Use your imagination to create things beneficial to wildlife. Keep an eye on the tree to increase your awareness of the wildlife around you and the importance of habitat. You'll be amazed!
Contact: Dean Mitchell, DWR Upland Game Coordinator (801) 538-4786
Hunter Safety Instructors Needed in Northern Utah
Training scheduled for Salt Lake City and Randolph
You can teach young hunters to be safe, responsible and ethical by becoming a volunteer Hunter Education instructor.
New instructors are needed in northern Utah. In January, the Division of Wildlife Resources will hold training sessions in Salt Lake City and Randolph to train new instructors.
Instructor training runs two nights a week, for three weeks. Seminars will be held at the following locations:
SALT LAKE CITY
* starts Jan. 9
Mondays and Tuesdays
7 - 10 p.m.
Department of Natural Resources
1594 W. North Temple
RANDOLPH
* starts Jan. 11
Wednesdays and Thursdays
7 - 10 p.m.
Rich County Courthouse
20 S. Main
Qualifications
The instructor training is free. To be an instructor, a person must be at least 21 years old and must be cleared through a background check. Prior experience in teaching is not required.
"In addition to getting people familiar with what the course teaches, we also teach people how to be good teachers," says Mark Bearnson, assistant hunter education coordinator for the DWR. "We focus a lot on teaching techniques and how to relate to the young audience instructors typically teach."
After being certified new instructors must teach, or assist another instructor in teaching, at least one student course each year. Instructors also must attend a four-hour training seminar each year. Seminars are held throughout Utah.
Those interested in attending the instructor training are encouraged to preregister by calling 1-800-397-6999. They also may register the first night of class.
Rewards
Instructors aren't paid for teaching, but they do receive a lot of rewards.
"I think the biggest reward a hunter education instructor receives is the knowledge that they've had a positive impact on the life of a young hunter," Bearnson said. "The information in the course is very positive and ethics and safety oriented. The knowledge that the instructor has played a role in teaching a young hunter those things, you can't put a price tag on that."
Bearnson also said that instructors are doing much to further the sport of hunting. "Responsibility and ethics are taught throughout the course, and being able to tie everything that's taught in the course back to one's ethical conduct is very, very important and something these young people will carry with them forever," he said.
