How Utah became the nation's first swan hunting ground
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Tundra swans fly over Farmington Bay in the Great Salt Lake. Photo: Courtesy of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
So, it turns out swan hunting is a thing. And it started right here in Utah.
- This is Old News, where we raise a front paw and point our noses toward Utah's past.
The big picture: By 1962, a federal swan hunting ban had been in place for decades.
- Trumpeter swans were still recovering after being hunted to near extinction, but tundra swan populations were far more widespread and growing.
- Meanwhile, tundra swans were depleting waterfowl food sources, state biologist Rich Hansen told the "Duck Season Somewhere" podcast, prompting wildlife officials to seek permission for a swan hunt.
The intrigue: The permits were controversial. Tundra swans and trumpeter swans are hard to tell apart, so allowing any hunting would likely get some of the rare trumpeters killed.
- "Everybody sees those big white majestic birds and they want to fight tooth and nail to not allow hunting," Hansen said.
What happened: Hunting didn't have much effect on swan populations after the first decade, and other states began to allow it. Nine states now have swan hunting seasons.
Caveat: Starting in the 1990s, federal regulators required Utah to check all the fallen birds and shut down the season once 20 trumpeter swans were accidentally shot.
- After the state began issuing more swan permits in 2019, hunters repeatedly met that quota, forcing the season to end early.
The latest: The state Division of Wildlife Resources in 2023 banned trumpeter swan hunting altogether, threatening citations and fines for any accidental kills.
- Hunters have to complete swan ID training before they apply for a permit.
State of play: Utah now issues 2,750 permits for swan hunting each year — but most don't result in a kill, DWR spokesperson Faith Heaton Jolley told Axios.
- Hunters bagged 951 tundra swans last year.
Between the lines: We asked Heaton Jolley what people do with their dead swans.
- "Most hunters eat their swans, and preparation methods vary — some bake or roast them, while others make jerky, sausage or salami," she said.
- Others have them mounted by a taxidermist, she added.
Zoom in: Utah swans reportedly taste "nutty" thanks to their diet of sago pondweed — the food biologists said the birds were depleting in 1962.
- "They don't taste like mud or algae like geese or those sewer-pond-dwelling ducks do," one connoisseur posted to the Utah Wildlife Forum, where you can read several recipes.
My thought bubble: Swan confit sounds OK.
- I'll pass on the swan salami.
What's next: Swan hunting season continues until Dec. 14.