Swans

[CP]

They are everywhere.  Seems like there are more every year.  More swans than ducks now.  When are we going to get a season on them?

[Henrydog]

Monday I was pheasant hunting the Palouse and saw 3 flocks of them

[Stein]

Just thinking the same thing this morning, they decoy brilliantly into a few snow socks or just wait until one flies 20 feet overhead.  Good thing WA hunters are doing our part so people in other states get a chance at them.  Our only hope is to find the unicorn swan with an orange beak.

[Buckewe]

Just thinking the same thing this morning, they decoy brilliantly into a few snow socks or just wait until one flies 20 feet overhead.  Good thing WA hunters are doing our part so people in other states get a chance at them.  Our only hope is to find the unicorn swan with an orange beak.

Yea it ducks we will never have a season because of the Swan lovers in seattle. I'm still looking for an orange beak. Haven't seen one yet but there are thousands of swans up here now.

[Badhabit]

Is there any documentation that a muted swan has been harvested in WA? I'd love to find one hiding out in Eastern WA.

[Buckewe]

I have not heard of one being harvested but have heard reports of them being seen.

[Stein]

Mute Swans are very rare in Washington, but birds are occasionally sighted. These birds may be from populations in British Columbia. While no Mute Swans have bred in Washington in recent years, there are both captive and feral populations in southwestern British Columbia, and expansion into Washington is certainly possible. Mute Swans were first introduced in Vancouver around 1889, but the population did not become established until the 1950s. Winter-feeding and mild winters may be necessary for their survival. The only established feral population is on southern Vancouver Island from Duncan to Sooke. Humans providing food and shelter maintain other populations in the area, including Vancouver's Stanley Park and other urban ponds.

Doesn't sound too promising, but I still look.  I would love to see the dog try to drag one of those back to the blind.

[Buckewe]

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,205326.msg2730856.html#msg2730856

I thought I remembered a member posting about them.

[huntingfool7]

They are legally available if you're willing to travel.  This one was taken a few weeks ago in North Dakota.

[lokidog]

It is absolutely silly to not have a season here, a money maker for WDFW as well for permit apps and tags.

[Stein]

It is absolutely silly to not have a season here, a money maker for WDFW as well for permit apps and tags.

Agreed, one a year limit, $20 punch card or even a draw - it's proven we would all enter no matter how low the odds were.  Those things must completely destroy the fields they get into.  It's basically a 30-35 pound goose.

[EWUeagles]

I think it's funny all the people who are surprised that Washington doesn't have a season or something is done wrong here. We are one of the worst states around from hunting regulations to minimum wage. The basin sees huge numbers of Cranes but we don't get to shoot them either.

[bigtex]

I think it's funny all the people who are surprised that Washington doesn't have a season or something is done wrong here. We are one of the worst states around from hunting regulations to minimum wage. The basin sees huge numbers of Cranes but we don't get to shoot them either.

The feds would have to allow WDFW to open a swan season in WA before WDFW could open a season.

[Stein]

They have issued permits to other states, seems like it is more a decision by WDFW than the feds.

The population we see is about 13,000 strong from Alaska and the ones hunted in MT are from a population of about 500 plus maybe some migratory birds from Canada totaling about 1,600.

It would likely be a hard sell to the non-hunting public, swans have more social clout than geese or ducks for whatever reason.

[baldopepper]

I shot several in Utah years ago when it was legal.  They had/have a draw system for one bird a year and I think they issued 2000 permits.  Kind of like shooting down a small airplane (lol) and not really great eating.  Very dark meat and not fun to pick.  Used to try to get one that was still a little gray as they were the younger ones and better eating than the fully mature birds. Huge concentrations of them on the Great Salt Lake refuges and the claim was they were depleting the food source in the various refuge holding areas hence the hunting.