Don't Shoot Swans

With flights of waterfowl from the north country due any time now, hunters are reminded to be careful about swans. If it's bigger than a snow goose, has no black wingtips like a snow goose does, it's a swan. Shooting swans is illegal in Idaho and the result can be a sizeable fine and possible loss of hunting privileges. Two kinds of swans are seen in Idaho: tundra swans (previously called whistling swans) and the much larger trumpeter swans. Trumpeter swans are not as common, except in some parts of eastern Idaho where they reside year round. Both kinds of swans travel in large V formations and use the same areas as other waterfowl including snow geese. Snow geese all have pronounced black wingtips.