Why this orientation class

Swan hunting has always been controversial to some degree. In recent years, however, the controversy has increased.

Most of the controversy is over the occasional harvest of Trumpeter Swans during fall swan hunting seasons. Neither the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service nor the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources believes the current level of Trumpeter harvest is significant, but this view is not shared by everyone. As a result, several court suits have been filed to eliminate the swan hunts, and the USFWS has been petitioned to list Trumpeter Swans under the Endangered Species Act. None of these legal challenges have been successful to date.

In 2001, the USFWS and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources entered into a cooperative agreement to improve our harvest monitoring program and to minimize the potential of incidental harvest of Trumpeter Swans.

As part of the cooperative agreement, Utah DWR requires each swan hunter to attend an orientation class (this class) to improve each hunters understanding of swan hunting issues, to help learn the physical differences between Tundra and Trumpeter Swans, and to clearly teach each hunter what they must do to fully comply with all the rules and regulations regarding swan hunting.