2007 waterfowl hunt opener conditions

Ogden Bay Waterfowl Management Area

Marsh Conditions

Unit 1 — Poor on main impoundment as cattail invaded large areas during low water this summer, over grown in interior and east side. Over 1,200ac of phragmites have been herbicide treated and will be burned next spring.

Unit 2 — Poor to fair, new marsh on west end. Should be burned next spring.

Unit 3 — Good, improved new huge marsh west of outer dike. Main impoundment is overgrowing unfortunately, but 600ac in drawdown and 400ac in herbicide treatments with burning planned next spring.

Weber Delta — South Weber Delta fair, North Weber Delta fair.

Pintail — Good with some new marsh area.

Some ponds were dry or low all summer and some small ponds or flats are just now being flooded. Conversely, by mid September all major impoundments are overflowing and the Great Salt Lake has receded, which allowed large areas of west flats to regenerate vegetation. Phragmites control by drawdown or herbicide projects is in progress on several sections of marsh may appear drought stricken, but will be flooded for hunting season.

Bird numbers

Unit 1 — Fair in the main impoundments and excellent west side flats. Huge numbers of birds are holding in the larger interior ponds, but are hidden by tall vegetation.

Unit 2 — Fair and increasing with large numbers on the far north end

Unit 3 — Good in impoundment and will be excellent on west flats later on

Weber Delta — Poor in general, but numbers will increase as these areas refill.

Pintail — Fair and increasing

Birds are currently most concentrated on larger impoundments and ponds in Unit 1 and 3. Flats way west of impoundments are also holding large numbers of birds.

Access: Good, with all roadways and parking lots in good shape. Boat channels into main impoundments of Unit 1, Unit 3, and east side are clear and usable. Airboaters will have to be careful and go around the sandbar at the bottom of the south pintail access channel and water has not reached the Great Salt Lake yet. Access to Great Salt Lake will be narrow, but improved since last year. The west airboat access channel should be usable by the General Opener and the Airboat Association has installed a new boat ramp.

Hunting forecast: The Youth Hunt should be good to excellent. The General Opener may be improved, but still only fair due to heavy hunting pressure and birds being displaced by the Youth Hunt. However, hunting should improve as the season progresses and new birds arrive. Hunters will find the best hunting on west, and south ends of the area.