- Details
- Category: Waterfowl
- Published: Monday, 31 December 2007 13:16
- Written by Greg
Swan Hunt
When I was a kid, hunting swans was not an option. Now, thirty years later, the swan population has grown to the point where hunting tundra swans in Utah is an option.
Anytime there is a chance to get out and hunt with my son, I try to take advantage of the opportunity. Well, here was that chance!
When the time came to put in for a swan permit, I was a little apprehensive because I didn't have any experience with this migratory bird. Luckily for me, I ran into an old friend at a wedding reception just a couple of weeks before the end of the application period and he had lots of experience with swans. He told me that if my son and I were lucky enough to draw permits, he'd take us out hunting.
It was early September when I got notification that I had drawn a permit, I was excited for the chance to get out to the refuge to see some birds! I quickly called my buddy, hoping that he too had been as fortunate as us and to let him know that we'd be hunting swans this season, no matter what.
By the time I got off the phone, we had a preliminary plan in place. We'd hunt the week of Thanksgiving. And not only would we be trying to fill my tag, we'd be going after a swan for him as well! If only my son had drawn a permit...hopefully next year.
The time had finally arrived, the perfectly clear and cold November day found us trudging along with our decoys in tow. Our plan was to set out a spread of duck decoys, along with a few swans, and hope some flying birds would spot our setup. Well, the plan worked. We'd been setup for about an hour when we heard a flock of tundra swans way off in the distance. We strained our eyes out across the horizon and spotted the flock. Unfortunately, their current fly zone would not bring them remotely close to us. We quickly incorporated the other part of our plan and that was to vocalize. We started whooping and whooing...calling them in. Much to my surprise, the flock quickly changed course and started heading our way!
What a magnificent sight, eleven huge white tundra swans now only a couple of hundred yards away, calling all the while! The closer they got, the bigger they looked. I got the feeling that I was at the airport, standing in the middle of the runway, as eleven planes readied for a simultaneous landing. At 30 yards, my buddy took out the lead bird. At that moment, the entire flock flared. I already had my sights on a nice big swan that was a few birds back. One shot from my 12 gauge and the #2 pellets did the trick.
As we gathered up our decoys, the full moon lit up the eastern sky, leaving us with a picture perfect memory. There we were, a few good hunting buddies with a memory to last a lifetime!
