Hunting Washington Forum
Other Hunting => Waterfowl => Topic started by: Kola16 on November 27, 2012, 06:31:15 PM
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This has probably been done before, but here it goes...
Personally, I am tired of these stupid things flying right over me. If they became open, I would know just the spot.........................EVERYWHERE! I see them everyday on my local lake, and see them every time I go duck hunting, and plenty of them. I see more of these than Canadians. Make it like the sea ducks, brants, and snow geese :archery_smiley: :mgun2: :bfg: :mgun: :mgun: :mgun:
What's your thoughts :dunno:
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We can't get a season. Attend a pacific flyway meeting and ask them why.
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Yes, I have heard that we will never get a season. But do you think we should get one?
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I think the Feds have allotted us a season, but the state has chose not to at this time. I think it is a big image concern in this state. If they could get the WA Trumpeter society to buy off on it, they could have a chance. It would take a large financial incentive to get the ball rolling. $ amount for permit apps + a sizable tag fee with limited tags. I know it would take only a few minutes to fill the tag!
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It would be nice on a honest draw system.
But would come under a lot of fire from the tree huggers with large wallets.
I think it will do more harm than good. Can you see the yellow jackets lining every road. while a bloody swan does the chicken in the middle of the field.
A season will hurt us more than it's worth. I would vote NO!
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Anyone know how they taste? :EAT: :)
Seriously, there would have to be some pretty good management or they'd all be extinct in 5 min. Like shooting a 747 flying right overhead. I'd have to vote no season unless they could do a tag like sheep or something.
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Anyone know how they taste? :EAT: :)
Seriously, there would have to be some pretty good management or they'd all be extinct in 5 min. Like shooting a 747 flying right overhead. I'd have to vote no season unless they could do a tag like sheep or something.
Similar to a honker in my opinion! Just twice the size!
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This is a case of "Pick your battles...", as in don't pick this one...
I believe that if shooting swans is ever seriously proposed the anti's would rally the non-hunting public around protecting swans and ultimately limiting hunter access to whereever swans sit in order to do so. We'd lose more access to already restricted waterfowl areas.
I belive that public appreciation of and support for protecting swans is powerful in a way that protecting wolves will never be.
There may appear to be a ton of them over on the west side, but very few on the east side. When they're on the lake here people talk about it all over town.
So NO from me...
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isn't the fine for shooting one only like $200? ... just saying
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they have been in way too many movies, palms and childrens cartoons and stories.....and this is worshington, thinking noway Jose, that said, i would agree with a special permit draw.
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The state agrees there are too many of them, farmers hate them, but The Swan Society protects them.
If aloud the state should sell tags for $20 for one swan a year
I heard they aren't that good eating, but they sure would make some huge jerky strips
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Wouldn't it be more exciting going out and shooting your neighbors cow. Go shoot some coots
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They will wise up once they start getting shot it. They only act like they own the world because they know that no one will harm them. Years of protection have made them fearless.
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They seem fearless in the air, but when they are on the ground, or water, they can spot me out better than a duck...I am sure that they would change once they get shot at though :chuckle: At the beginning of snow goose season, they are flying really low :drool:
Wouldn't it be more exciting going out and shooting your neighbors cow. Go shoot some coots
Like mulies :rolleyes: :chuckle:
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Well I was at a pheasant meeting last Aug. And I heard DFW staffer allude to fact a season had been talked about.
I would like to see my dog's face when I sent her for one of those buggers.
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Well I was at a pheasant meeting last Aug. And I heard DFW staffer allude to fact a season had been talked about.
I would like to see my dog's face when I sent her for one of those buggers.
A live one on the ground :yike: :yike: :yike: :bdid: :chuckle:
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I ve heard that a big stumbling block would be the inability to distinguish tundras from trumpeters in flight.
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Come on guys.... those things were practically extict just a few years ago.
Do some research online, you will see why humans could never hope to hunt them again with out endangering their extinction.
In 2008, a study was conducted amongst researchers from alaska to mexico, and they estimated the trumpeter swan population for the Pacific flyway to number less than 30,000.
Plus there was research done to show only ruoghly a 4% growth in population every year for the last decade.
In other words, if you let us hunters take 1201 birds a year, the population will decline... dramatically. Hell it takes a swan something like 5 years just to mature to breed.
Just saying..... they do have reasons.
That being said, you bet your ass I'd love having a Trumpeter Swan mounted on my wall with wings spread.
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Hunting swans would turn off a great many non-hunters who presently support us. I would be be vehemently opposed to opening up a swan season without irrefutable proof that they're causing severe economic damage and need to be culled.
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They've had limited hunting on them in Utah for years. (draw permit basis usually around 2,000 permits) . Eat only sego pond lilly there (whistlers) and they congregate in the thousands there depleting the available food supply. I've shot several when I lived there (you don't want to be under one when they come down!!) Very, very dark meat and very hard to pick.. Usually want to try to get one that was still grey (young bird) as the pure white ones are very tough eating. Some days the hunting units there (Ogden Bay, Farmington Bay and Bear River Bird Refuge) are literally white with them.
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NC has a season, lottery draw, 5000 permits I believe. The population is amazing and seems to be growing every year.
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Hunting swans would turn off a great many non-hunters who presently support us. I would be be vehemently opposed to opening up a swan season without irrefutable proof that they're causing severe economic damage and need to be culled.
I agree! Hell I am a hunter and think I would be turned off at fellow hunters.
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Never saw them as a game bird, like owls and crows, I wouldn't shoot them even if they were legal, even though others may.
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:yeah: i wouldnt hunt them if it was legal but if the numbers are there idk why they dont let ya hunt them like turkeys or somethn
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There's just not enough of them. If the population was so high that it needed to be reduced, I could see it. Using a limited permit system might work, but why bother? Who would really want to hunt them anyway? Especially since I'm sure they don't taste any better than ducks. :puke:
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There's just not enough of them. If the population was so high that it needed to be reduced, I could see it. Using a limited permit system might work, but why bother? Who would really want to hunt them anyway? Especially since I'm sure they don't taste any better than ducks. :puke:
ya got that right, idk why anyone would want to eat a nasty ole duck, i have tried a bunch of ways and it just dont taste good, or maybe i dont have those fancy ass rich type taste buds that make it good, i have seen some prices in resteruants for roast duck or braised duck or whatever it is and i damn near *censored* myself :chuckle:
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North Carlolina and TX have Tundra swan hunts. I would say that if we cannot get a seperate bag limit for MERGANSERS we are going to get nothing pursuing this. :twocents:
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Its too bad people don't take a more vested interest in shooting starlings or English sparrows. More sporting and probably taste better
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Its too bad people don't take a more vested interest in shooting starlings or English sparrows. More sporting and probably taste better
And let me have a collective "yuk" from the audience! :chuckle: :chuckle:
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Could you even get enough meat from a dozen english sparrows to have a meal? :dunno:
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Could you even get enough meat from a dozen english sparrows to have a meal? :dunno:
It would be harder than doves :yike: :chuckle:
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Come on guys.... those things were practically extict just a few years ago.
Do some research online, you will see why humans could never hope to hunt them again with out endangering their extinction.
In 2008, a study was conducted amongst researchers from alaska to mexico, and they estimated the trumpeter swan population for the Pacific flyway to number less than 30,000.
Plus there was research done to show only ruoghly a 4% growth in population every year for the last decade.
In other words, if you let us hunters take 1201 birds a year, the population will decline... dramatically. Hell it takes a swan something like 5 years just to mature to breed.
Just saying..... they do have reasons.
That being said, you bet your ass I'd love having a Trumpeter Swan mounted on my wall with wings spread.
I believe its the Tundra swan that they are talking about opening a season on. the Trumpeter as you mentioned is still in trouble.
if you see the two flying side by side there is no mistaking one for the other - when one is alone it gets a lot tougher to figure out which is which.
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Utah now requires an identifcation course be taken before you can apply. They get vitually no trumpters thru there but do get literally thousands of whistlers (a subspecies of tundras I beleive). As you can imagne, Utah has very limited waterfowl areas and these swans literally decimate the available areas. Some years in the past it was estimated that as many as 150,000 -200,000 were stopping over in those limited areas. The hunt is supposedly as much to get them to move on as anything else. (Havent hunted there in over 20 years now, so can't say what the reasoning is now or what the population is estimated to be) Used to be quite a sight when they'd get up en masse and head out onto the great salt lake from the various refuges, they were so noisy you had difficulty carrying on a conversation. They really arent that bad to eat, but don't think I'd blast one now days. To much trouble carrying them back in and picking.
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I'll pass. I just don't see the point, especially since they don't taste that great. They have an intrinsic value all their own without them having to be viewed as a game bird. Just enjoy them and appreciate them for being there. Those moments when they fly over low like bombers with their melancholy swan song have been high points of my hunts, no matter how many other ducks/geese I killed. Awesome birds.
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I'll pass. I just don't see the point, especially since they don't taste that great. They have an intrinsic value all their own without them having to be viewed as a game bird. Just enjoy them and appreciate them for being there. Those moments when they fly over low like bombers with their melancholy swan song have been high points of my hunts, no matter how many other ducks/geese I killed. Awesome birds.
but if you shoot a giant swan everyone will think you must have a giant shwanz.
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Ducks aren't great to eat if you don't cook them right.
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It's one of the highlights of a hunt to be able to see swans cruising over the blind, even if it were legal don't think I'd take the shot. I know I'd never put in for a limited tag.
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Do you hunt on the East side AWS :dunno: Where I hunt in Snoho and Skagit County, they are thicker than Canadiens. They are constantly flying over.
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Come on guys.... those things were practically extict just a few years ago.
Do some research online, you will see why humans could never hope to hunt them again with out endangering their extinction.
In 2008, a study was conducted amongst researchers from alaska to mexico, and they estimated the trumpeter swan population for the Pacific flyway to number less than 30,000.
Plus there was research done to show only ruoghly a 4% growth in population every year for the last decade.
In other words, if you let us hunters take 1201 birds a year, the population will decline... dramatically. Hell it takes a swan something like 5 years just to mature to breed.
Just saying..... they do have reasons.
That being said, you bet your ass I'd love having a Trumpeter Swan mounted on my wall with wings spread.
Do the research again, then attend a flyway meeting. Swans are currently ABOVE their management goal.
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I would like to see my dog's face when I sent her for one of those buggers.
I did see the look on my Lab's face when told to "fetch" and pointed at a live, but ill swan. I was capturing sick swan as part of the team collecting them and trying to figure out where they were ingesting lead that was killing them. My dog looked and me and I knew that puzzled look meant, "Are you kidding!" The swan was on dry land and was running for the water when the dog headed for the confrontation. Smart dog; he just laid on top of the bird with his front legs extended like he was applying a full-nelson. It worked.
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I would like to see my dog's face when I sent her for one of those buggers.
I did see the look on my Lab's face when told to "fetch" and pointed at a live, but ill swan. I was capturing sick swan as part of the team collecting them and trying to figure out where they were ingesting lead that was killing them. My dog looked and me and I knew that puzzled look meant, "Are you kidding!" The swan was on dry land and was running for the water when the dog headed for the confrontation. Smart dog; he just laid on top of the bird with his front legs extended like he was applying a full-nelson. It worked.
Great story. :)
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Well I was at a pheasant meeting last Aug. And I heard DFW staffer allude to fact a season had been talked about.
I would like to see my dog's face when I sent her for one of those buggers.
:yike: :chuckle:
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I would apply for a limited tag, if I could afford it.
Tired of those flying rump-roasts comin in right over the dekes when ducks are working.
Scares em off.
Then they come back in 3's, split up and come from different directions.
:mgun: :mgun: :mgun: :mgun: :mgun: :mgun: :mgun:
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Why would you want to shoot something that there are very few of?
My Dad came from North Dakota and shot'em years ago and told me there was no meat on'em.
Some sailed my place a week ago and my first was GEESE. Then I recognized they were swans and were sailing like a flock of seagulls. No wonder they don't have no meat. They are not Flappers.
Save a Swan. Eat a Seagull!
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Ha! You guys are funny. So few of them......:bs:
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No meat on them? There's plenty of meat on a swan.
My old neighbor decided to get into duck hunting and the father and son duo were out on one of there first few trips and brought home some "snow geese". ;) They brought them over to show me and :yike: THOSE ARE NOT SNOW GEESE! Anyway they looked to have quite a bit of meat on them. :twocents:
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Speaking of that.....if you are out hunting snows with some folks and a gaggle of swans buzz the tower it is best to let your buddies know ahead of time if you like to "practice" swing on them. Some hunters get a little excited to see you swing on them even if you are just practicing.
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Ha! You guys are funny. So few of them......:bs:
It just looks like the field is crowded with swans because the stick out like a sore thumb, probably not as many as you think.
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Ha! You guys are funny. So few of them......:bs:
It just looks like the field is crowded with swans because the stick out like a sore thumb, probably not as many as you think.
No, they are constantly flying over me. And number wise, I usually see more swans than Canadians. Except today because I only seen 11ish swans today and I saw about 2 dozen geese today (I was not hunting, just from my car).
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Curly, thinks there is no meat on them because he gets the NECK at thanksgiving! :chuckle:
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Ha! You guys are funny. So few of them......:bs:
It just looks like the field is crowded with swans because the stick out like a sore thumb, probably not as many as you think.
I have volunteered and counted swans, remember that you don't see the whole population. We have tens of thousands down here. CA has just as many. There is enough of them to hunt. The state is just anti hunting. Also remember the Feds already said yes to hunting.
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I don't think the population is an issue, unless you can show negative economic impact and are able to impress the importance of killing them with society at large. This would have a lot to do with perception. I think the public perception of killing swans would be a bad one unless proper justification were made. Remember that 96% of WA's population doesn't hunt, but most of them read. I think it would be a bad PR move for us to kill swans. My :twocents:
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I think it would be a tough sale(sell). As I said, I see no need for it and I am quite pro hunting. Why not open a season on Bald eagles. There are lots of them now, and they do more damage probably than swans do...........See the problem.
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Exactly
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:yeah:
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I'll pass. I just don't see the point, especially since they don't taste that great. They have an intrinsic value all their own without them having to be viewed as a game bird. Just enjoy them and appreciate them for being there. Those moments when they fly over low like bombers with their melancholy swan song have been high points of my hunts, no matter how many other ducks/geese I killed. Awesome birds.
but if you shoot a giant swan everyone will think you must have a giant shwanz.
How can I argue with logic like that? :chuckle: :chuckle: LOL.
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Speaking of that.....if you are out hunting snows with some folks and a gaggle of swans buzz the tower it is best to let your buddies know ahead of time if you like to "practice" swing on them. Some hunters get a little excited to see you swing on them even if you are just practicing.
Reminds me of my dad years ago in the early 90's before he passed on. We were duck hunting an island on the Columbia and a flock of geese came towards us, and I could tell they were speckle bellies, but I remember at the time that the season was closed on them for some reason. Anyway, I sat there in the blind watching them fly over pretty low, then all of the sudden my dad stood up, shouldered his gun, and proceeded to "practice swing" on them. Several times. To say I was surprised was an understatement. I don't think he knew they were specs, at least I try to tell myself that. :yike:
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Isnt there a swan hunt in cali and texas as well as sandhill cranes?
Id love to roast a swan.
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Isnt there a swan hunt in cali and texas as well as sandhill cranes?
Id love to roast a swan.
I know you can hunt cranes in Idaho and Texas :dunno:
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I think it would be a tough sale(sell). As I said, I see no need for it and I am quite pro hunting. Why not open a season on Bald eagles. There are lots of them now, and they do more damage probably than swans do...........See the problem.
There is NO reason to hunt if you rely on the "need" argument The "Need" argument is a trap. Once you open yourself up to argument then the "Need" for Hunting at all is up to debate. :twocents:
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I'm pretty certain trumpeters are federally protected under the endangered species act.
Anyone know what % of the population here is tundras -vs trumpeters? As opposed to states that do have seasons on swans? I could see identification issues as a reason for us not to have a season (look at the whole dusky thing).
Still don't think I'd want to shoot one...
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I'm pretty certain trumpeters are federally protected under the endangered species act.
Anyone know what % of the population here is tundras -vs trumpeters? As opposed to states that do have seasons on swans? I could see identification issues as a reason for us not to have a season (look at the whole dusky thing).
Still don't think I'd want to shoot one...
I want one bad. Need one for the museum that I have made of my house.
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I have No need or desire to hunt buffalo... Should there be no season?
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Im not a big waterfowl guy as there's no where to hunt by oly, but I've done a bit and its a blast. I'd like to shoot a swan, only because ive heard they taste great! Not a big deal to me but I would if I could
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I would love to add one to the waterfowl collection. Eventually will probably go to Montana or SC to get one (after the King Eider hunt...). I would love to get all species.
2 weeks ago I was jump shooting a pond in NE oregon- I got a nice drake Widgeon, my daughters first duck was a hoodie, and my buddy got a hen shoveler and there were 4 swans on the pond, less than 10 yrds away and below me when I jumped the pond. Very cool, and very tempting. Beautiful to watch fly away. BTW, there were at least 3 other species of ducks on that one small pond. Pretty cool. That was the first shovelor I've seen killed in Wallowa Co ever, and only the 3rd or 4th Hoodie in 20+ yrs of hunting
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The prob in Sno, Skagit and Whatcon counties it the trumpeters and tundra fly together.
A swan season would be for tundras only. To many accidental trumpeters would be shot by gomers that can't tell the difference.
The anti backlash will be something that will end badly for hunters. Stupid look at me mounts, Is a poor excuse to ruin hunting in the long run.
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Stupid look at me mounts, Is a poor excuse to ruin hunting in the long run.
This is a crazy statement. They hunt swam in several states. Almost all of the birds end up on a wall. It hasn't stopped hunting in any state. I realize WA is full of tree hugging hippies, but I find it hard to believe a well run swan hunt would ruin hunting.
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Set up for snows in a field this morning and decoyed in about 30-40 swans! If you use your goose flute and just lightly feather a warble you can get them to answer you back.... And man do they make a hell of a thud when they land on the field! :yike: It was actually pretty cool watching them work and land... right were we wanted the Snows to! :o
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Set up for snows in a field this morning and decoyed in about 30-40 swans! If you use your goose flute and just lightly feather a warble you can get them to answer you back.... And man do they make a hell of a thud when they land on the field! :yike: It was actually pretty cool watching them work and land... right were we wanted the Snows to! :o
You should hear the thud when they get shot. I have been on a few hunts were they were taken, never lucky enough for a tag.
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Yet, another nail in the coffin of our hunting heritage from the I want to kill em crowd. Thanx guy's.
Perhaps some of you should take the time to see just how many swans there really are in Washington. The population can not handle any hunting pressure, period!
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Sorry, But history has proven that if you want to save a species all you have to do is make them hunt able, and people will be willing to spend the $$$ to get sustainable populations.
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Sorry, But history has proven that if you want to save a species all you have to do is make them hunt able, and people will be willing to spend the $$$ to get sustainable populations.
Close but, not quite correct. History as it currently stands shows that no managed species has ever went extinct. Pick up a current college level wildlife ecology book and you will find this is discussed well. That is if it is a good well rounded book and not written buy a bunny hugger. Swans are being managed by not allowing any hunting mortality at this time. I remember when a few dozen swans showed up in Skagit county it was news worthy!
Hunter are a very small percentage of the population. The zeal to kill a swan buy some hunters will be intolerable to the remaining and further others anti hunting agenda. When populations reach a point when human mortality is considered compensatory or is needed for additive mortality then it will be supported though scientific means. This will at least make it more difficult for the antis to mount a defense.
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Hunter are a very small percentage of the population. The zeal to kill a swan buy some hunters will be intolerable to the remaining and further others anti hunting agenda. When populations reach a point when human mortality is considered compensatory or is needed for additive mortality then it will be supported though scientific means. This will at least make it more difficult for the antis to mount a defense.
Anti hunters would be the last thing I would worry about if swans were legal game over here. its the non hunters that are not against us that we need to be concerned about keeping, of which there are many more than Antis. If we lose them were toast.
we also need to focus on the next generation of non hunters and educate them so they can make up their own mind about hunting.
if letting all those pesky swans live unhunted is the part of the price to keep non hunters on our, side then so be it.
many of us are far too preoccupied by the perceived threat of anti hunters, mean while were letting public relations with the rest of the world go down the crapper. we need more guest speakers in schools and programs like hunters helping the hungry instead of wasting so much energy on a bunch of radicals that aren't taken seriously by the non hunting community anyway.