Should Utah hold a tundra swan hunt?
“The USFWS is defending a law suit in federal court that seeks to discontinue swan hunting,” Aldrich said. “The court decision could occur anytime this fall and there is some potential that swan hunting could be closed entirely.” Under that scenario, DWR Director Kevin Conway could use his authority to issue an emergency closure, to comply with federal law. “A more difficult circumstance would be if the legalized take of trumpeter swans was discontinued, but a general tundra swan hunt was allowed,” Aldrich said. “Currently, it’s legal to take all swan species in Utah’s hunt. We are also bound, under an agreement with the USFWS, to require all swan hunters to report their hunting activity, to have their swans examined to determine species and to enforce any violations in reporting requirements. “The question we have is should we offer a tundra swan hunt when hunters are obligated to report their harvest and the Division would be obligated to write them a ticket if the swan turns out to
