Swans are flying into the marshes
Tundra swans have started migrating through Utah. As many as 40,000 swans could be in the state by the end of November. Credit: (Phil Douglass)
Source: http://wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/news
Published: Nov. 04, 2010
Swan hunters: It shouldn't be long now. During an aerial survey on Nov. 2, 2010, Tom Aldrich counted 14,793 swans in marshes along the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake.
Tundra swan
During a survey a week earlier—on Oct. 26, 2010—he counted only 4,319 of the big, white birds.
While the 14,793 he counted on Nov. 2, 2010 are nowhere near the 40,000 swans that might be in Utah's marshes in just two to three weeks, it is an indication that the fall migration of tundra swans through Utah is underway.
"If you drew a swan hunting permit for this year, it might be a good time to grab your gun and head to the marsh," says Aldrich, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.
The Division usually flies its weekly swan surveys on Tuesday mornings. You can learn where the swans are on the Division's website.
Where the swans are
Most of the swans Aldrich saw on the morning of Nov. 2, 2010 were on Unit 1 at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. He spotted more than 8,200 swans on the unit.
The refuge is about 15 miles west of Brigham City.
Aldrich says Unit 1 has been set aside as a rest area for the birds, and you can't hunt on it. "But swans that are on the unit make regular flights from the rest area to other areas on the refuge that are open to hunting," he says.
Utah's swan hunting season ends Dec. 12, 2010. The 2,000 hunters who drew a swan hunting permit earlier this fall are the only hunters who can hunt swans.
Hunting tips
If you're one of the hunters who drew a permit, Aldrich says you should spend time watching the swans and learning their flight patterns. Tundra swans are very consistent in the times of day they fly and the routes they take. Three factors that can change a swan's flight pattern, however, include hunting pressure, changes in the weather and the availability of food.
Ice-up is another thing to watch for. As the water starts to freeze, swans fly more in search of areas that still have open water. "Being in the marsh as the water is starting to freeze can also increase your chance for success," Aldrich says.
Aldrich reminds you that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has closed all of the areas in Utah north of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and north of Forest Street (the road leading from Brigham City to the refuge) to tundra swan hunting.
"The USFWS has restricted tundra swan hunting in this area to try to reduce the number of trumpeter swans that hunters take," Aldrich says. "Compared to tundra swans, trumpeter swans are much less abundant."
Swan hunting reminders
If you drew a swan permit, please remember the following requirements. These requirements help the DWR and the USFWS obtain an accurate count of the number of trumpeter swans that hunters accidentally take:
* Within 72 hours of taking a swan, you must take your bird to a DWR office, or the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, so it can be examined and measured.
* You must return your harvest questionnaire no later than Jan. 10, 2011, even if you don't hunt swans or take a swan.
If you don't do these things, you'll have to do several things—including paying a $50 late fee and completing the swan orientation course again—before you can apply for a swan permit in 2011.
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