SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 12, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Utah wildlife officials have banned the hunting of trumpeter swans.
The Utah Wildlife Board officially acted to end the trumpeter hunts at its June 8 board meeting, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said on social media.
“Utah is one of only nine states in the U.S. that allows hunting for swans,” the DWR said. “Due to the low population size of trumpeter swans in the Greater Yellowstone area, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sets the annual harvest quota (currently 20 birds) for the number of trumpeter swans that can be harvested in Utah.
“In an effort to prevent the swan hunting season from having to close early, the Utah Wildlife Board voted to prohibit the harvest of trumpeter swans in Utah. Only tundra swan hunting permits will be issued to hunters, and it will be illegal to harvest a trumpeter swan.
“Hunters will still be required to check in any harvested swans at a DWR office. Trumpeter swans will be seized, and the hunter may face a citation.”
Trumpeter swans and tundra swans are the largest birds in North America, according to numerous wildlife websites, but are difficult to tell apart.
“These are a notoriously hard species to tell apart,” Becky Abel wrote on trumpeterswansociety.org.
A board member and past director of the society, Abel said the easiest way to distinguish them is by voice.
“Trumpeters earned their name because of their deep, sonorous voice, likened to a brass instrument. In contrast, tundra swans have a much higher-pitched ‘woo” sounding call.”
Other characteristics to note
- Trumpeters are larger than tundra swans, up to 25 pounds vs. 20 pounds, with a longer neck. A male trumpeter swan’s wingspan can reach 10 feet.
- The trumpeters will have a slight red “lipstick” line on its lower mandible, while tundras can have a yellow spot near its eyes. Trumpeters tend to travel in small family groups and can turn up any time, while tundras move in large flocks and show up in the U.S. mainland in the winter. Both species are monogamous, mating for life.
“The Utah Wildlife Board approved some changes to upland game hunting and waterfowl hunting — including making it illegal to harvest trumpeter swans — as well as changes to a few other items during Thursday’s meeting,” the DWR said.
Learn more about these updates here.
