Reed Thoma Outdoors
AH senior member
I have been going to college up in North Dakota for the last three years and have been doing a lot of hunting for deer, pheasants, and waterfowl. This year I decided to put in for a tundra swan license and ended up drawing one. I was really excited to get a swan license as it has been something I wanted to do since I have been up in ND. But since I was really focused on ducks for most of the season and deer season coming up for the next couple weeks, I figured that my dreams of shooting a swan this year was pretty low.
I decided I have to at least try to fill my tag otherwise I will be swan-less and disappointed. I found some time during the week that didn't conflict with my class and work schedule too much and was able to go out scouting on a Tuesday afternoon. I didn't find much until I found a small lake that had about 50 swans along with thousands of ducks and geese.
I look at my phone and decided that I had enough time to put a stalk on the birds and try and attempt a jump shoot. For the next hour and a half I was stalking through cattails trying to get close enough to make a good shot on one of the swans. I got within 80 yards and the swans started to get a little anxious. I was able to make it within 45 yards of the swans, but they started to swim as they knew something was up. I decided to make my move and jumped out from my hide and pulled the trigger. To my dismay, nothing happened until about a second later when my gun hang fired.
I was so disappointed and confused as this had never happen before and I have shot thousands of round out of this gun. I was so angry and figured I blew my only chance. I kept watching the swans and seen that they landed on the opposite side of the lake, so I decided I will be back in the morning to try and decoy a couple in. The next morning, I wake up super early and drive the two and a half hours to the lake to get set up. I have two swan decoys that I was planning to put out where I seen the swans the previous day and hope to get some to come in.
I go to crest the hill that was right before where the spot is, and I see that there are over 100 swans roosting there. I don't normally hunt the roost for waterfowl, but this is really difficult not to do when hunting swans and it is later season so most people don't care as much about birds being pushed out. I didn't really know what to do so I decided to keep going to the spot and set up. I figured if I spooked them they would fly to the other side of the lake and I would just hope they came back. I ended up spooking them and they did the very thing I thought.
I got all set up and was now prepared to wait. I waited for hours and had ducks flying all around me, but I didn't want to shoot thinking I might scare the swans. As time kept ticking away, I got more impatient and figured that the swans were not going to come back to this side of the lake so I decided to hunt some divers. I ended up shooting two redheads and a ringneck; I could have easily had a limit of ducks, but I was hunting for plumed out drakes. rggggggggggggggggggggggggg
After I shot a couple ducks, I heard shot coming from the other end of the lake. A bunch of the birds got up and headed towards me, so I was getting ready. The swans decided to go right between the other hunter and me and were too far away to shoot, go figures. After he was shooting for a while, the swans started to get off the water in small flocks. Each flock came within a hundred yards of me, but none wanted to get close. As I watched the last flock of swans get off the water, that common sense of disappointment I felt trying to hunt swans occurred again.
I figured my opportunity for that day was over, as the birds were gone and it was getting late. I was just about to start packing up when I looked across the lake and I saw a flock of five swans coming towards my decoys. I got down in my hide and watched them. They wanted to go to my decoys, but they were not quite sure about them, so they land about 60 yards to my right. I wanted them to be closer so I could get the best shot possible. I was in cattails so I couldn't really see the swans, so I peeked over the top of the cattails to see what they were going to do. I seen they were making their way towards my decoys, so I got down again. They are vocal birds, so they were calling and I heard them getting closer. As soon as I heard them get close enough, I figured it was time.
I popped over the cattails to see that the swans were probably 30 yards away and set up for a perfect shot. I picked out the biggest, whitest swan I saw and shot. Boom! First shot the swan was down, but it was still alive so I shot it again just so it didn't try to swim away. I waded out to the majestic bird, and it was even bigger than I thought it would be. I am 6'1" and over 250lbs for reference to its size.
I cannot explain how excited I was to get this opportunity and for it to work out. I have it in the freezer now, looking for a good taxidermist. I am thinking about doing a flying mount with its wings cupped. This is my first ever "trophy" and I could not be more ecstatic! 
I decided I have to at least try to fill my tag otherwise I will be swan-less and disappointed. I found some time during the week that didn't conflict with my class and work schedule too much and was able to go out scouting on a Tuesday afternoon. I didn't find much until I found a small lake that had about 50 swans along with thousands of ducks and geese.
I look at my phone and decided that I had enough time to put a stalk on the birds and try and attempt a jump shoot. For the next hour and a half I was stalking through cattails trying to get close enough to make a good shot on one of the swans. I got within 80 yards and the swans started to get a little anxious. I was able to make it within 45 yards of the swans, but they started to swim as they knew something was up. I decided to make my move and jumped out from my hide and pulled the trigger. To my dismay, nothing happened until about a second later when my gun hang fired.
I was so disappointed and confused as this had never happen before and I have shot thousands of round out of this gun. I was so angry and figured I blew my only chance. I kept watching the swans and seen that they landed on the opposite side of the lake, so I decided I will be back in the morning to try and decoy a couple in. The next morning, I wake up super early and drive the two and a half hours to the lake to get set up. I have two swan decoys that I was planning to put out where I seen the swans the previous day and hope to get some to come in.
I go to crest the hill that was right before where the spot is, and I see that there are over 100 swans roosting there. I don't normally hunt the roost for waterfowl, but this is really difficult not to do when hunting swans and it is later season so most people don't care as much about birds being pushed out. I didn't really know what to do so I decided to keep going to the spot and set up. I figured if I spooked them they would fly to the other side of the lake and I would just hope they came back. I ended up spooking them and they did the very thing I thought.
I got all set up and was now prepared to wait. I waited for hours and had ducks flying all around me, but I didn't want to shoot thinking I might scare the swans. As time kept ticking away, I got more impatient and figured that the swans were not going to come back to this side of the lake so I decided to hunt some divers. I ended up shooting two redheads and a ringneck; I could have easily had a limit of ducks, but I was hunting for plumed out drakes. rggggggggggggggggggggggggg
After I shot a couple ducks, I heard shot coming from the other end of the lake. A bunch of the birds got up and headed towards me, so I was getting ready. The swans decided to go right between the other hunter and me and were too far away to shoot, go figures. After he was shooting for a while, the swans started to get off the water in small flocks. Each flock came within a hundred yards of me, but none wanted to get close. As I watched the last flock of swans get off the water, that common sense of disappointment I felt trying to hunt swans occurred again.
I figured my opportunity for that day was over, as the birds were gone and it was getting late. I was just about to start packing up when I looked across the lake and I saw a flock of five swans coming towards my decoys. I got down in my hide and watched them. They wanted to go to my decoys, but they were not quite sure about them, so they land about 60 yards to my right. I wanted them to be closer so I could get the best shot possible. I was in cattails so I couldn't really see the swans, so I peeked over the top of the cattails to see what they were going to do. I seen they were making their way towards my decoys, so I got down again. They are vocal birds, so they were calling and I heard them getting closer. As soon as I heard them get close enough, I figured it was time.
I popped over the cattails to see that the swans were probably 30 yards away and set up for a perfect shot. I picked out the biggest, whitest swan I saw and shot. Boom! First shot the swan was down, but it was still alive so I shot it again just so it didn't try to swim away. I waded out to the majestic bird, and it was even bigger than I thought it would be. I am 6'1" and over 250lbs for reference to its size.
I cannot explain how excited I was to get this opportunity and for it to work out. I have it in the freezer now, looking for a good taxidermist. I am thinking about doing a flying mount with its wings cupped. This is my first ever "trophy" and I could not be more ecstatic! 
