THE UDWR AT WORK

Last year 21,937 hunters chased pheasants throughout the state. That's a far cry from the 88,290 who took to the field in 1958.
   The drop is related to a number of factors, but the most significant reason is a continuing decline in the number of birds.
   "It has been about a 2 percent decline each year since the early 1960s," said Dean Mitchell, upland game coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR).
   Continued and increasing habitat loss is one of the biggest factors impacting pheasant populations in Utah. The situation has worsened as six years of drought took an extra toll on the game birds.
   It is no surprise, then, that Mitchell is predicting a poor to fair take when the 2004 season opens Saturday.
   "The good old days of pheasant hunting are obviously a thing of the past," Mitchell said. "We are working to provide access to some of the suitable habitat which remains out there. We still have pheasants and we still have pheasant habitat. We just need to find a way to get corridors for hunters to those places."
   Mitchell said that access should improve with the launching of the Walk-In Access Program. A three-year pilot, in which the state will purchase access rights from willing landowners, is slated to begin next summer in the DWR's northern region.
   Another DWR program is aimed at helping young hunters develop an interest in pheasants. The state is offering five special

youth hunts Nov. 13. Hunters between 12 and 15 with hunter education certificates are eligible to apply for remaining spots by writing an short essay on the tradition of upland game hunting. Interested parties can apply for youth hunts by visiting the DWR's web page at http://www. wildlife.utah.gov/uplandgame/ youthhunt.html.
   In yet another way to appease Utah pheasant hunters, the DWR will release around 1,300 birds in state wildlife management areas before or during the season, which ends Dec. 5.
   Hunters have another upland game opportunity starting Saturday when the quail hunt opens. California quail are scattered throughout the state but a large portion of the population is found in urban areas along the Wasatch Front where they cannot be hunted. Mitchell said quail numbers appear to be up and this year's hunt should equal or better last year's.
   bpretty@sltrib.com