That number dropped to as few as 1,000 during the flood years of the 1980s. Once the marshes came back from the floods, so did the swans. In 1999, peak numbers on the Great Salt Lake marshes reached almost 33,000. Hunting Tips With the fall migration in full swing, now is a great time for the 2,000 hunters with swan permits to visit the marshes. For increased success, Aldrich advises swan hunters to spend time watching the birds and learning their patterns.
Tundra swans are very consistent in the times of day they fly and the routes they take.
Hunters who learn these patterns will have the most success. Swan activity also increases during the first ice-up, as swans search for new open water areas. Factors that can change a swan's pattern include hunting pressure, weather changes and food availability, Aldrich said. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is restricting tundra swan hunting to try and help less abundant trumpeter swans increase their range into Utah by reducing the incidental take of trumpeters during the swan season, Aldrich said. Eight trumpeter swans have been taken by hunters in the last six seasons.