Howard Slough WMA: hunting, access and rules

Howard Slough WMA is a 2,546-acre waterfowl management area owned by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in Davis County, in DWR's Northern Region, managed for waterfowl habitat. DWR's seasonal closure: End of the waterfowl hunting season until the Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt. Within 3 miles of it, 1.1% of the land is public, mostly DWR wildlife land.

Data updated October 2026. Property facts: DWR's public access properties layer. Units: DWR's 2026 boundaries. Land around it: UGRC, 2023.

What are the rules on Howard Slough WMA?

Seasonal closure: End of the waterfowl hunting season until the Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt. Motorized travel is allowed only on main gravel roads and established parking lots. No dogs from the end of the waterfowl hunting season through the Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt. Anyone 18 or older needs a Utah hunting, fishing or combination license or DWR's free digital access permit to enter.

DWR runs Howard Slough under its habitat management plan of 2018.

What is allowed where on a WMA: DWR's WMA map.

Which hunt units is Howard Slough WMA in?

Howard Slough WMA lies in 1 unit with a page of their own; on the Box Elder general-season deer unit as a whole, hunters took 1,123 bucks in 2025 (DWR):

Shares measured by FilledTag from DWR's 2026 unit boundaries and the WMA boundary. Harvest: DWR harvest reports, 2013 to 2025; each unit's page has it year by year.

What wildlife does DWR list for Howard Slough WMA?

Migratory waterfowl and other migratory birds, including white pelican, tundra swan, least sandpiper, bald eagle, canada goose, nothern pintail, malland, cinnamon teal, green-winged teal, wigeon, gadwall, northern shoveler, and many other duck species.

DWR's own words for the property's primary habitat and species.

What land surrounds Howard Slough WMA?

Within 3 miles of the WMA's boundary, 1.1% of the land is public land open to hunting, most of it DWR wildlife land (415 acres). State sovereign land (lake and river beds) covers 55.2% of the ring (21,406 acres); it is not counted above, and its own rules apply.

Measured by FilledTag from UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023).

What other WMAs are near Howard Slough WMA?

DWR's other wildlife management areas within 25 miles, as the crow flies from center to center: Ogden Bay WMA (16,656 acres, 6 miles northwest), Weber Face WMA (563 acres, 14 miles east), Farmington Bay WMA (28,699 acres, 15 miles southeast), Harold Crane WMA (9,848 acres, 15 miles north), Willard Spur WMA (13,441 acres, 19 miles north) and Blackhawk WMA (665 acres, 22 miles south).

How do you get to Howard Slough WMA?

Highways within 8 miles: I-15 and I-84. Nearest towns: West Point (2 miles), Syracuse (3 miles), Clinton (4 miles) and Clearfield (5 miles).

Questions hunters ask

When is Howard Slough WMA closed?

End of the waterfowl hunting season until the Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt, by DWR's listing for the area. Motorized travel is allowed only on main gravel roads and established parking lots. No dogs from the end of the waterfowl hunting season through the Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt.

Do you need a permit to enter Howard Slough WMA?

Anyone 18 or older needs a Utah hunting, fishing or combination license or DWR's free digital access permit to enter, by DWR's 2026 listing for Davis County.

How much public land is around Howard Slough WMA?

1.1% of the land within 3 miles of the WMA is public land open to hunting, most of it DWR wildlife land (415 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map.

Which deer and elk units is Howard Slough WMA in?

The Box Elder general-season deer unit, by DWR's 2026 boundaries. Hunting on the WMA follows that unit's seasons and DWR's rules for the property.

Sources: DWR property data, DWR's WMA page, DWR unit boundaries, UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023). FilledTag is not part of DWR.

Utah hunting units Northern Region