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Show Sporfstacular Page 20 October 4, 1979 Will steel shot be required this year? BRIGHAM CITY, UTAH--A big question in the minds of those who like to hunt at Bear River Refuge near Brigham City, is, Will steel shot be required this year?" Last year, everyone got a surprise when the U.S. Congress gave the authority to make that decision to the individual states a few days before the opening day of the duck bunting season. Utah opted to dispense with steel shot that year. This year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Utah Wildlife Resources Board have anticipated a similar action on the part of Congress. Officials in the Salt Lake Office of the Fish and Wildlife Service requested that the State Wildlife Resources Board consider the question of steel shot in advance of the hunting season. Since steel shot shells are available only for the Board decided support the steel shot guns, if requirement for lead were allowed in other gauges. The Federal agency has agreed to go along with this decision, and to implement it at Bear River. What this means is that you can hunt at Bear River with shotguns only if you use steel shot If your gun is a gauge other than 12, you may legally use lead shot The steel shot rule for guns will be strictly ge Steel shot must be ptrchased from local merchants, since it is no longer sold at the refuge. Anvnmsill tUtLsk by Keith Daacaa Some 60,000 or more tergunners are expected to get involved in the waterfowl hunting season for 1970-8The new season opens Saturday at noon with the annual duck hunt kicking things off and doesnt close until Jan. 6 at 5:15 p.m. Good food and water conditions give every indication that this weekend's opener and the rest of the duck hunt will be highly successful. There are a few exceptions, like Pintail Flats at Ogden Bay which is dry and Willard Spur which is much the same. 0. . ! ; scat-- I huM epom But the rest of the waterfowl country along the Wasatch Front and west, is holding hundreds of thousands of ducks. Ogden Bay has been holding about 100,000 ducks and that many or more should be around this Saturday. Information like this is directed from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Howard Slough to the south, another state refuge, has 50,000 ducks and should be a good spot for the opener. Harold Crane Refuge west of WUlard Bay Reservoir has at least 60,000 ducks. It is reported that many choice ducks, now paddling and Jabbering about on local marshes include great numbers of pintail and good numbers of green-win-g Teal, Baldpate, GadwaQ - and Mallard. On Ogden Bay, Wildlife officials say there has been a problem of hunters going into Unit 3, a closed unit, to retrieve ducks, and this is illegal. Officials say an effort to end such actions has been undertaken by building a series of blinds away from the boundary line. It is hoped hunters will use them and be discouraged from shooting close to the boundary so aft ducks fall in the closed area. All dikes have been rebuilt since the high water of the Great Salt Lake washed out or damaged some. Part of Unit 2 has been burned off to reduce cattails and permit growth of plants better for waterfowl. Birds downed should be easier found also. Hunters who pick Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge to bunt can also expect to find plenty of birds. The area has been holding over 200.000 ducks. Hunters with shotguns are reminded they will be restricted to steel shot at Bear mm River. Water and food conditions are excellent. The daily bag limit on ducks will be seven with a possession limit of 14 except that no more than two redheads or two canvas back or one of each may be taken daily and no more than four singly or in the aggregate maybe possessed. With the exception of Saturday when shooting starts at noon, hunting will be restricted to one-ha- lf hour before sunrise to sunset each day of the 112 day hunt For example, shooting will end Saturday at 7:02 p.m. It will be legal again Sunday at 7:00 a.m. and close that day at 7:01 p.m. |