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Show Duck hunt to be good CEDAR CITY - This year's duck hunt should be a little better than last year's, if the weather cooperates, according to Al Regenthal, waterfowl wildlife program coordinator coor-dinator of the Division of Wildlife Resources of the Utah Department of Natural Resources and Energy. Early populations of birds on waterfowl marshes of the state numbered three-quarters of a million birds. However, storms recently moved many of these bords out of the area. Birds are on the move, but that means more will be coming through Utah and the Oct. 2 waterfowl season opener should be a good one. Waterfowl biologists wih the Division began making aerial waterfowl counts this week to keep assessed of the numbers. Regenthal said Utah marshes were on the brink of experiencing a severe botulism outbreak, out-break, but the storms that moved the birds out of the state lessened the impacts of the bacteria. Utah had a lot of water this spring, but the hot, dry period in August quickly receded the waters and conditions were right for a botulism outbreak. Some areas in Utah, that have been dry over the last few years, received water this year. These will furnish resting areas for migrating birds which should result in more birds staying in Utah for a longer time. Production in Canada was down abut 11 percent this year because of adverse climatic conditions con-ditions during incubation and hatching according to Regentahal, but success of late nesters and renesters did help |