Big White Birds and the Art of Swan Hunting

There are 9 states in the US that allow you to hunt swans. I happen to live in one of them- Utah. However, it hasn’t always been smooth sledding for this great pass-time. Between the anti-hunters buying tags during the early stages to keep the hunters from actually harvesting swans, to the hunt almost being shut down due to the trumpeter swans that would migrate through. Hunting swans here in the Beehive State has had its uphill battles; but man oh man, the reward of hunting North America’s largest waterfowl is one you won’t soon forget.

Swan hunting is different from other types of waterfowl hunting. You only get one tag, and you only are allowed one bird (at least that’s the case here in Utah). You are targeting a specific trophy. The goal? shooting a mature, pure white swan. Ideally a tundra swan. Most states that allow swan hunting strongly discourage the harvesting of trumpeter swans, but it happens. Some hunters target them, others happen to shoot them by accident. After years of guiding for swans, I’ve learned that they can be quite an addicting bird to chase. They aren’t the smartest bird in the world per-se, and I would imagine that’s due to the lack of hunting pressure they receive. However, they are magnificent birds to watch and chase. There’s something about seeing a bird with a 7-8’ wingspan, a head the size of a wigeon, feet the size of a teal, and a neck length the size of a giant Canada goose locked in on your decoys.

So how do you go about hunting swans? Unfortunately, not a lot of waterfowlers get to enjoy this treat of the waterfowl hunting world. Swans seem to migrate similarly to snow geese, in the sense that they tend to come in great big pushes, all at once, then leave in great big pushes- all at once. That means when word gets out that the swans are in the valley, hunters from all over the country with tags in their pockets make to the Great Salt Lake valley, hop in any sort of boat they can find, from airboats to long-tail motor Jon boats and set up for these big white 747’s.

Once you’re lucky enough to kill one, you can bet on the fact that your phone will be blown up with texts and DM’s and phone calls with people priming you for info. “Hey man, any hints on where you shot that bird?”, “Hey dude! Great looking swan, think you could tell me where you shot him?”. The nice thing is, you only have one tag to fill, and once it’s filled you can either focus your efforts on ducks and geese or help your friends fill their tags- or in my case, help your clients fill their tags.

The hunt itself is a pretty low-key event. I like to get there early in the morning to ensure I get my top spot. I set out my decoys, along with whatever duck decoys I can fit, and let the hunt begin. When you’re swan hunting, everything else comes second. Ducks can pass the time, but if you have ducks circling the decoys, and swans on the horizon, the ducks are getting a free pass while you focus your attention on the swans. Then the “hoo’s” break out. It’s almost comical. Especially when you’re hunting a high-pressure area. Mouth calling swans seems to be the choice of most hunters, and the sound made by everyone is a version of a very loud and very high pitched “HOOO”. The even funnier part? It works. It accurately mimics the call of a tundra swan, and they’ll turn and take a look when you’re giving them something to listen to. The more noise the better, it seems. The sound of a bunch of grown men with shotguns, hiding in camo, “hooo-ing” at swans is something you might read about in a science fiction novel, but here in Utah, it happens every day from the opener to the end of the swan hunt in early December (or when the season shuts down early by quota take of Trumpeter swans).

When the swans start to lock in on your decoys, that’s when the real fun begins. That’s when the “holy shit, here we go!” starts to settle in. Swans are huge, that’s been well established, but what people tend to forget is that with those giant wings, they may look big and clunky, and they may look like they are almost hanging right in the air, but they are covering a lot of ground, and they’re covering it fast! I’ve seen more hunters than I can think of shoot at swans and miss well behind them because they led by far too little distance. Or too many swans take BB’s to the body and fly off unharmed because underneath all those down feathers is a giant layer of fat that they use to keep warm in the cold Alaskan tundras. Those birds aren’t going down unless you hit them in the neck or higher. But once you do hit them, they come crashing down! It’s quite the spectacle to see a bird that big come falling out of the sky like that.

It’s pretty amazing to see these birds come flying in from so far off, then start lowering in elevation, then start to circle your spread. Except they don’t circle like ducks and geese. They’re too big for that. They look like they’re flying away as they circle, at first. They need that much room to break down in elevation. Then, they start gliding into the decoys and it’s go-time! When you shoot and see that big white bird fall out of the sky, it’s a special feeling that you have to experience to understand.

Swan hunting isn’t quite as cerebral as turkey hunting, nor as demanding as other types of waterfowling, but it’s addicting. It’s something that you look forward to all year. And then with one pull of the trigger, it’s over. But that one pull of the trigger is something that makes grown men jump and shout like little school girls. That’s why Utah becomes such a hot destination during the months of October through December. Everyone wants their chance at the big white birds, don’’t you?