Some readers might be interested in a post announcing hunting seasons
for trumpeter swans in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin
http://focusingonwildlife.com/news/poll-should-the-hunting-of-trumpeter-swans-in-the-mississippi-flyway-be-legalized/
A lot of effort has been expended in these states (and in Canada) to
introduce, propagate, and promote these birds. Quotes from the releases
follow:
---"Henderson said the goal was to ensure there would be about 30
nesting pairs of trumpeters by now. Instead, there are about 750, and
the population is roughly doubling every five years."
---"While swan lovers have been critical of the hunt, its approval shows
the trumpeter’s swan comeback from a population of nearly zero a few
decades ago to perhaps 10,000 in Minnesota today, the St. Paul Pioneer
Press reported."
---“Our speculation is that mostly trumpeters will be shot,” Gillette
said. “In most areas of Minnesota and Wisconsin right now, the only
swans around are trumpeters. And they’re going to stay here until the
water freezes. They’re easy to spot and they’re used to people, so they
won’t be gun shy.”---
Does this remind you of the history of Ohio's population of "giant"
Canada geese??
The season is timed to occur to spare migrating wild tundra
swans---which themselves have shown great population increases here and
on their Canadian breeding grounds--so that only unprotected mute
swans--themselves non-migratory--might be mistaken for the target
species. It seems unlikely a trumpeter season will be designated for
Ohio, where these largely non-migratory birds--beyond our much smaller
introduced population--seldom show up. The swans in Michigan, Minnesota,
and Wisconsin are basically curated pond ornaments who "migrate" south
only as far as necessary to avoid ice.
Ohio Wildlife folks have introduced a few trumpeter populations in
Ohio, but unlike their counterparts in Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario, and
Wisconsin have not gone overboard with feeding programs, elaborate
supports, and invitations to the public to approach these birds, so
their relatively small populations do not invite hunting seasons.
The introduced trumpeters in the Midwest don't undertake normal
migrations, and only very seldom do we see birds from states to our
north. So it seems unlikely that a swan season will be announced here.
Bill Whan
Columbus
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