Men Fined For Shooting 4 Tundra Swans Near Tri-Cities
December 15, 2016 Andy Walgamott
The shooting of several tundra swans near Tri-Cities early last month serves as a good reminder to know your target before you pull the trigger, as well as illustrates the strong partnership between hunters and fish and wildlife officers.
When the giant waterfowl were illegally killed early on Nov. 6 by a pair of middle-aged Western Washington men, nearby hunting parties at McNary National Wildlife Refuge by Burbank quickly called WDFW’s poaching hotline to report the incident.
Details were patched through to Sgt. Brian Fulton who contacted two federal wildlife officers, and the trio went to the blind and
located four hidden tundra swans. “They told us they’d shot some snow geese the day before and thought they were snows,” says USFWS Officer Hindman. While that’s possible in the early light of a Columbia Basin morning, there’s also quite a bit of size difference between the two species, plus tundra swan necks are much longer than those of snow geese.
Hindman says he doesn’t believe the two men went out that morning to purposefully kill swans, but all the same, it’s a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to do
Both men were fined $560, which they’ve subsequently paid, he says.
Hindman says that the unit where the swans were shot is a draw hunt where hunters are given ground rules before going out. Information that tundras are in the area has been added to the spiel.
At least three other tundras have been shot here this season, but in this case waterfowlers saw something that wasn’t right and immediately called it in.
“The hunting community by and large doesn’t stand for these violations. It really makes our job easier,” Hindman says.
He adds that USFWS and WDFW have a good working relationship.
Though not open for harvest in Northwest states, limited tundra swan hunts occur in the Dakotas, Utah, North Carolina, Alaska and Montana.
Hindman says the four killed at McNary NWR will likely be mounted for display at the refuge’s visitor center.