*Waterfowl Slam enters its fourth year*

You can add fun and challenge to your duck and goose hunts this season by joining Utah’s Waterfowl Slam. In the process, you’ll provide funding that helps the birds, Utah’s wetlands and yourself.

“Every penny that’s raised goes directly into habitat work that benefits waterfowl and creates new areas to hunt,” says Blair Stringham, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. “The slam is a great way to add fun and challenge to your hunt while giving back to waterfowl and wetlands.”

Stringham provides a brief overview of the program. He also talks about the ways the DWR has used money raised through the slam.

*Utah Waterfowl Slam*

Utah has nine waterfowl slams. Each time you complete one, you’ll receive a colorful leg band that you can place on your call lanyard or anywhere you’d like to keep it.

Most of the slams focus on taking male ducks, called drakes, within a certain time frame. For example, to earn a band in the Mallard Slam, you must take a limit of seven drake mallards in a single day. You have the entire season to complete the Puddler Slam, but don’t let the amount of time you have trick you: in addition to an American coot, you must take a drake from each of

the seven puddle duck species most commonly found in Utah (mallard, northern pintail, American wigeon, gadwall, cinnamon teal, green-winged teal and Northern shoveler).

Waterfowl Slam memberships cost $20 for hunters older than 17, and $10 for those 17 years of age and younger. Memberships must be renewed annually.

“What’s neat about the program is that for every dollar a hunter pays to join, the federal government gives us three dollars in return,” Stringham says. “For example, if you’re an adult, and you pay the $20 fee to join the program, the DWR, in return, gets $60 in federal funds. So, by paying $20, you’re actually providing $80 for on-the-ground work that helps waterfowl and other wildlife.”

You can learn more about the slam, and sign up to participate, at www.wildlife.utah.gov/utah-waterfowl-slam