Wildlife blog
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Seven spooky species found in Utah

Utah has incredible wildlife, but some animals are not as highly esteemed as others. In fact, some are considered bad omens. In honor of Halloween, I've compiled a list of seven Utah species with scary reputations.

Wings beat and roosters flew

Running the Walk-In Access Program for the Division has allowed me the opportunity to deliver and release pheasants each week of the hunt. Some days I spend as many as 15 hours in my truck, driving from the grower to the release sites.

That's deer meat?

There's an old joke told at game-checking stations every year about how to make deer meat taste like beef. It goes something like this: If you kill a prime grain-fed steer, gut it and drag it back to camp behind a four-wheeler, leave it laying out in the dirt and sun for a couple days for your buddies to admire, and then take it down to the butcher shop for processing, when you get it back, it will taste a lot like deer meat!

White-nose syndrome: a disease of bats

Strange things began to happen in caves in New York State late in the winter of 2007. Scientists found bats clustered near cave mouths, flying around the snow-covered landscape during daylight, and lying dead within caves and outside on the snow in large numbers.

When a plan comes together

I love it when a plan comes together. I had two big goals going into upland game season this year: first, to share with folks my excitement about Utah's new Upland Game Slam program, and second, to train two breeds of dogs to hunt with me simultaneously.

Perfect moments

It's hard to believe fall is nearly upon us. The cool nights of the past few weeks have many of us anticipating the turning of leaves, the whirl of wings and the bugling of elk. As a kid I passed the long lonesome days between hunting seasons watching Dez Young and his setter Hank crisscross the country pursuing upland birds in the series "Hunting with Hank."

Backcountry fishing at its finest

For many years now, my brother has been asking me why I put so much work into wilderness hunting and fishing trips. Each time I invite him along on a backcountry trip he says he can hunt and fish from home.

Restoring a historic dam for anglers and farmers

Red Creek Reservoir is located seven miles north of Fruitland in Duchesne County, Utah. In the late 1950s, the Duchesne County Water Users Association decided to create a reservoir on Red Creek for irrigation and recreation. The anticipated benefits: farmers in the area needed the water for irrigation, and there was a need for a good fishery for anglers and other recreationists.

Are you catching and releasing properly?

It's been close to 30 years since I took on my first educational campaign as a new Regional Outreach Manager for the DWR. The day after I moved into an apartment in Vernal, I took a walk along the Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam.

There's gold in the Uintas!

One of my passions is fly fishing for all western trout species. If you ask my wife Debbi, she would likely call it an obsession. Anyway, I prefer to call it a passion. Along with the native cutthroat trout in the west, I love fishing for golden trout.
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