USA: Tundra Swan... In The Salt

[Firebird]

Lucked into drawing a tag for tundra swan again this season. Started in the marshes of the Great Salt Lake on November 1st. Plenty of birds on the refuge and late in the day they passed through the dikes toward their feeding areas. My brother and myself did not have a clean opportunity that trip and I only got one duck, a nice gadwall drake. The guys with boats and mud motors and decoys filled their tags regularly on uneducated birds fresh from the Yukon and new to this area and the human hunters within.

 

[Firebird]

On a solo trip I got several long overhead shots and killed a nice
Pintail drake. Where I normally hunt there aren’t many pintails so this was a fun bonus. The bird was crippled and it was fun to watch my chessie run him down in shallow water. One of my favorite things is when the flights are slow in mid afternoon, pulling out a little stove and some mountain house and having a hot lunch. One trip to the hunting area I was flying along in my truck at 75 mph and suddenly the road was covered in new snow. Mine were the first tracks on the freeway and thankfully I was able to slow and remain in control. It was a pretty morning with the storm rolling through-had some trumpeter swans fly over this trip. They are protected and not to be shot, thankfully they sound very different and I did not shoot at them.

 

[Firebird]

Moved to my old area after a fruitless morning. Middle of the day standing there with binoculars in hand. I use a single trigger stick to support the binos while I watch for birds. Takes the pressure off my back and steadies the glasses. Looked up from the binos and three swans crossed right over me. I hit one and all three flew low into another hunters decoys. They killed the one I had hit and one of the other two. Later I had another three fly by in a similar fashion. I knocked one down behind me in a large shallow lake. Me and the dog gave chase but the swan could swam much faster than I could wade in the mud and chest waders I was wearing. That’s when my waders failed and I finally made it to shore with a soaked right leg and burning lungs. My mouth felt like I was chewing on a penny. There is no penalty for losing a swan-just a shitty feeling and the knowledge that the racoons, foxes and eagles will eat will. I saw three bald eagles cruising looking for easy meals. We
Killed a common merganser that evening which was a weak consolation prize.
One trip my chessie was hunting along in the cattails and frag looking for cripples or pheasants. He came back with something odd in his mouth which held my attention. It was a full box of 20 gauge steel sixes which I kept to give to my daughter. My dogs are very average But once in awhile they really amaze me.
There were many thousands of snow geese migrated in that trip. Some hunters got them but I did not have a chance. I did kill some ducks tho, more Mallards and gadwalls.

 

[Firebird]

Finally on the fifth attempt-left
My house at 0400 on a Thursday. Packed my decoys and my gear in my bucket and on my external pack frame. Two hour drive then walk thirty minutes along the dike. Two trucks ahead of Me but they are hunting together and around the corner from where I want to be. My waders are still damp and setting out the decoys is wet and cold. Sitting on the dike I ordered a new pair from cabelas and a couple boxes of federal 3.5 number twos, just because they were in stock. Some birds flew by in the morning but I couldn’t tell grey from white in the pre dawn light. This dike is like being at a large sporting event-thousands of tundra swans being very vocal so it is noisy most of the day. I love it and spend hours behind the binos watching birds out on the safe zone. There is a lot of marsh life and fascinating birds to watch all day. Most the swans fly in a safe pattern but starting early afternoon birds started moving all around. Late in the day I got a good shot at low birds and knocked down a good white bird. It wasn’t dead and I had to do some chasing. The dog that has retrieved plenty of geese was mortified when he caught the swan and it went about beating him with its wings. I finally got it caught and quickly put down. A nice older fellow on the dike

took some pix for me and had lots of poses to try. The guys around the corner were super helpful and caught up to me just as I finished picking up decoys. They offered to carry my gun and stick. Mostly I just needed help getting my backpack with decoys and shells and stuff including a swan up onto my back. Fish and Game officer met me in the parking lot and measured, documented my bird and sent me on my way. Everyone I dealt with that day was pleasant and friendly. In the afternoon lull I had walked the entire dike. Mostly to warm my feet back up. I really love ON X maps for these exploratory walks.
Swan hunt over, time to get serious about ducks and maybe some geese.