Waterfowl Hunting at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

Western explorer Captain Howard Stansbury described the Bear River region of northern Utah in 1849 this way: “I have seen large flocks of birds before ... but never did I behold anything like the immense numbers here congregated together ... as far as the eye can see.” Pathfinder John C. Fremont had been similarly impressed, writing in 1843, “the waterfowl made a noise like thunder ... as the whole scene was animated with waterfowl.” Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge’s recent history has been one of recurrent floods and droughts, and its waterfowl populations have ebbed and flowed accordingly. Congress in 1928 designated the Bear River delta as a national wildlife refuge, seeking to reverse the drying of marshlands because of upstream water diversions; by 1983, the problem was the reverse: too much water, caused by the rising level of the Great Salt Lake, topping refuge dikes and contaminating wildlife habitat with salt water and destroying habitat. The refuge was essentially inoperable, and since that time an ambitious plan has been launched to restore the 74,000-acre property to biological productivity. Birds are now returning in large numbers to refuge impoundments, yielding expanded recreational opportunities, as in this refuge scene of waterfowl hunting, believed to date from the 1950’s.