[Matt Jones]

I decided to try to fill my swan tag today. I've been hunting them this past week in search of one with a neck collar. I found one but after hunting it two days I gave up. I went out today to try to get another crack at 'em but the lake was frozen over and all the swans had left. At this point I'm just hoping to fill my tag with any swan. I check another spot I had scouted swans and found that there was still some open water and about a dozen swans on it. It took me a half to sneak them and when I got up there I notice one is wearing a neck collar so I pull up and drop 'em. Here's a pic...

 

[Qwack]

Can't pull the photo up for some reason but congrats anyways. Now that you have your tag filled, let me know where I can go to fill mine! Saw tons in SoDak last week, saw a few in MN this weekend, but haven't seen any in NoDak for over a week.

 

[nodakoutdoors.com]

NICE WORK MATT!!!!!

Did you spot and stalk the swan? Or did you get lucky?

Qwack, there's still a bunch of swans around Alice. They were working the cornfields. We had them over us at about 5-10 feet high. Pretty cool, especially when the geese wouldn't come off.

 

[Matt Jones]

My goal this season was to shoot a neck collared one. I really put duck and goose hunting on hold this past week trying to fill my swan tag. I put on a ton of miles and don't have a clue to how many swans I checked for collars. I finally found one with a black collar and hunted it hard all day monday and tuesday. I ended up getting close to it a few times but it would sit on a point where the closest I could get in range was about 70 yds. Then everything froze up and I went out Friday just in hopes of filling my tag. The lake I had been hunting that had over a hundred swans on it had none (I was still hoping for a crack at the black collar). We scouted the area a little and ended up checking a spot I had seen some swans on a week ago. There was still an open pocket of water and about a dozen swans. I quickly glanced for collars with my binocs but didn't really care since I was going to go after them regardless. It took me half an hour to sneak them and I got right up on them before jumping up. I was just about to pull the trigger on the one I thought was the biggest when I notice a pair flying to the left. I glance over and see that one was collared and pull up and shoot that one. I couldn't even believe that I shot it. I worked pretty hard to shoot a collar and had to give up, only to have one land in my lap at the last minute.

I put in a lot of time hunting for a collar so it feels like I worked pretty hard for this one...even though I'll be the first to admit luck played the biggest part.

 

[Austin Bachmeier]

Jonesy IM gonna have to pay you to be my Swan guide next year!!! :wink: LOL (Kidding, but hell i'd drive out there for it)

 

[Dan Bueide]

Matt, you sound like my kind of hunter - get a burr under your saddle for something and don't give up 'till the last dog's standing. Couple of years ago a buddy of mine and I spent the better part of two days hunting HARD for our one sage hen - just cause we got a burr under our saddle to finally hunt them. The only ones we saw, closer than a quarter mile, were two that another pair of hunters who were working just as hard as us managed to harvest. Congrats on the swan, how sweet it is!