Minnesota man charged with shooting trumpeter swan

justnorth posted on December 19, 2007 11:11 :: 1504 Views

A Lester Prairie, Minn., man faces a fine and restitution of $3,000 following his conviction for shooting and killing a trumpeter swan in Carver County on Oct. 13.
State conservation officers Steve Walter and Aaron Kahre received a tip that an individual using a canoe was chasing and shooting at a trumpeter swan on Swan Lake, near Waconia.

When the officers reached the scene they discovered Chad T. Woodall, 21, did not have a hunting license, was using a shotgun that held more than three shells at a time, was driving with a suspended license, and did not have any personal flotation devices in the canoe. He also did not possess a state or federal duck stamp, and wasn’t registered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Harvest Information Program that is designed to provide wildlife experts with better data for the management of migratory bird populations.

Every fall, officials with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources warn waterfowl hunters to avoid mistakenly shooting the federally protected swans. Notices are printed in Minnesota’s waterfowl hunting regulations and warning signs are posted on some lakes frequented by swans.

Despite those admonitions, a handful of swans still are shot each year.

“There’s really no excuse for shooting one because Minnesota hunters won’t encounter any other waterfowl as large as a trumpeter swan, one of the largest waterfowl in the world,” said Walter.

Walter said trumpeter swans weigh 28 to 30 pounds or more, are 59 to 72 inches long with wingspans up to eight feet.

Snow geese, in comparison, are smaller than the familiar Canada geese that populate the state. They average 25 to 31 inches long and weigh only 6 or 7 pounds.

“It’s like comparing a Volkswagen to a Cadillac,” Walter said.

Also, trumpeter swans are all white, while snow geese have distinct jet black tips on their wings.

Woodall’s sentencing is set for Jan. 11 in Carver County District Court.