Hunting the tundra swan

If people look at the lottery application deadlines on the North Dakota Game and Fish's Web site they'll find several familiar species.

Spring turkey, bighorn sheep, elk, moose, deer, fall turkey, pronghorn and swan are listed, all the regulars ... but wait, swan?

The annual swan season, which began almost 20 years ago, is one which might fall under the radar of the casual hunter, but it's one that has a definite following according to Game and Fish officials.

"I think it's kind of a unique opportunity for these folks to hunt these species because you don't have that opportunity in a lot of other state," Upland Game Management Supervisor Stan Kohn said. "... In North Dakota we're quite fortunate for the variety of wildlife that we have available to us."

Tundra swan season is relatively new to North Dakota. It began in 1988, when 400 tags were issued to help regulate the population. In 1989, the total was raised to 1,000 and again in 1991 to 2,000.

North Dakota's current total of 2,200 tags is a result of South Dakota gifting 200 of its permits to the state in 2003 because South Dakota was having a difficult time issuing all of its tags.

Issuing the tags hasn't been a problem for North Dakota, as several hunters see it as a trophy hunting opportunity.

"It is sort of a mystique thing," Game and Fish waterfowl biologist, Mike Szymanski said. "... A lot of people, they'll just put in and try to get their swan and it might take them a couple years and once they've shot their swan they just kind of leave it at that."

The swans migrate from Alaska each year. They stop in North Dakota on their way to the Great Lakes, where they stop over on their way to east coast states. The swans winter on the east coast from Maryland down to North Carolina.

The birds can be found in the North Dakota wetlands, typically east and north or the Missouri River.

During their time in North Dakota swans are easy to find, but the birds have become quite savvy at avoiding humans, Szymanski said. They will hide behind hills and other areas where they are not easily visible.

This is due in part to the swans having developed survival instincts that other species may not have the opportunity or lifespan to develop.

"They're a long-lived bird so they probably remember it to some extent and pass that behavior onto their young one that they need to avoid people," Szymanski said.

This developed instinct has created quite the challenge for hunters.

"It can vary quite a bit on a given year," Szymanski said. "It never gets to be really good, but some years it can be really bad."

Szymanski said typically the success rate for the tundra swan season falls under 50 percent, but that hasn't discouraged people from applying.

The only year in which the Game and Fish was unable to issue all of their available tags was 2004.

The swan season runs alongside the other waterfowl seasons in the state and Kohn said there's a good reason for that.

"It gives them the opportunity when they're out duck or goose hunting to have a swan tag in their billfold," Kohn said. "So, if the opportunity presents itself they can harvest one of these majestic birds."

The statewide tundra swan hunting season runs from Oct. 4 to Jan. 2, 2009. Applications, available now for resident and non-resident hunters are due Aug. 13.

Successful applicants will be issued one swan tag for use during the season. Nonresidents may only hunt swans during the period their nonresident waterfowl license is valid.

"It gives them a nice, kind of a bonus bird to work with," Kohn said.