# Interesting hunt at Shiawassee - 10/25



## Duckman Racing (Oct 11, 2004)

Went to Shiawassee this past friday for the first time this season. We were unusually lucky and ended up with a top 5 pick in the draw. After discussing it we decided to head to the 40's. So far so good.

Well things got a little more interesting at the Hulien road launch. The river is down so far right now we backed the trailer damn near all the way across the river and still couldn't get the boat to float off.  Finally got the boat off the trailer and over to the first big ****, which was now even bigger/wider due to the extremely low water in the river. 

As we were getting ready to pull the boat over by hand, another hunter offered to pull our boat over with his winch. Of course we took him up on the offer. And the same guy was even nice enough to pull us over the **** going into the 40's as well. If you are on here, thanks again! You probably saved us 45 minutes of work. 

We got to our zone without too much trouble, although we did have to walk the boat quite a ways as there was not enough water in the north ditch for the outboard to make it all the way to our corn row. 

Got decoys set, and with about 10 minutes to go before LST we had a wigeon land in the decoys. I was watching the duck with one eye, and counting down the minutes on my watch with my other eye. About 6 minutes before LST the duck was still swimming somewhat nervously through the decoys when someone in another zone decided to start the day a little early. Their shooting of course caused "my" wigeon to fly away. :rant:

The morning was a little slow, we got buzzed by a few ducks but didn't have a lot of action. Had a flock of teal land about 40 yards down from our decoys, but they wouldn't come any closer. Sometime later we saw a couple of large birds heading over the zones in front of us, it took a second, but we identified them as swans. Well, apparently the group in 44 wasn't as quick to ID them, because a shot rang out and one of the swans folded and dropped into that zone. :yikes:

We could not believe what we had seen. After a while we made a call to the RAP line, and were told they had already recieved multiple calls on the swan shooting. A DNR officer showed up an hour or so later and made his way to that zone. We saw him walking the grass between 42 and 44 for a long time, but couldn't tell if he ever found the swan.

As we were returning our card after the hunt we ran into the CO coming out of the check station. We asked him about the swan, and he said he was not able to locate it. But apparently the shooter confessed, so he was still issued a ticket. That will cost him something like $1,500 restitution and up to $1,000 in fines. Turns out the swan was a Trumpeter.

We ended up with some mallards and a teal, and should have had a few more. Not bad for a pretty slow morning with no wind. I haven't hunted Shiawassee a lot, but I have never encountered any obvious violations out there before, and I was definitely surprised too see what happened on Friday.


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## Waz_51 (Jan 10, 2010)

I watched a guy fold a mute swan in zone 2 about 50 yards up one day...just shook my head and chuckled...


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Duckman Racing said:


> ... I haven't hunted Shiawassee a lot, but I have never encountered any obvious violations out there before, and I was definitely surprised too see what happened on Friday.


it does happen, as it does at all the managed areas. But ya know what? It happens outside of managed areas as well. I watched someone dust a swan out on the bay a few years ago, and called it in on the RAP line. 

I guess the good news is that the violator did confess and was cited. that isn't always the case obviously.


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## Socks (Jan 8, 2007)

Would it make a jerk if I volunteered to use my dog to look for the swan so it could be recovered?


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Socks said:


> Would it make a jerk if I volunteered to use my dog to look for the swan so it could be recovered?


Ask the DNR at the check station? 989-865-6211


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## Duckman Racing (Oct 11, 2004)

Socks said:


> Would it make a jerk if I volunteered to use my dog to look for the swan so it could be recovered?


The CO said a hunter from another zone did bring his dog over to help look, and they still couldn't find it. Not sure if those guys hid it or not, since the guy confessed, but either that or that swan was some sort of Houdini.


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## Duckman Racing (Oct 11, 2004)

Waz_51 said:


> I watched a guy fold a mute swan in zone 2 about 50 yards up one day...just shook my head and chuckled...


Yeah, I wouldn't have felt too bad if it was a mute swan. I was sure from the noise these two were making that they weren't mute, I just wasn't sure if they were Tundra Swans or Trumpeters. Given all the noise they were making I guess it makes since that they were trumpeters.


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## Shlwego (Sep 13, 2006)

So this begs the question: How do they know it was a Trumpeter Swan if it was never recovered? (I assume those of you who saw it know the difference and all, but if it wasn't recovered.....)

I'm all for citing/fining someone who kills a Trumpeter or even a Tundra Swan, but I'm much more ambivalent about Mute Swans (they should be legal year round with any hunting license far as I'm concerned). I'd hate to see someone have to pay $1500 in restitution for a Mute... a fine for shooting it at a managed area when it's "officially" prohibited I guess I can live with. 

Not exactly trying to stir the pot here, but I'd just prefer that they were 100% sure it was a Trumpeter, and with no evidence in hand.....


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## Matthuntsall (Feb 21, 2013)

Duckman Racing said:


> The CO said a hunter from another zone did bring his dog over to help look, and they still couldn't find it. Not sure if those guys hid it or not, since the guy confessed, but either that or that swan was some sort of Houdini.


 
I hunted 42 Sat morning. we heard splashing in the corn behind us constantly! We saw the C.O. there in the morning and figured he was going to pay us a visit. He never showed but we still heard the splashing, we walked around and never saw anything.


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## Sampsons_owner (Dec 30, 2005)

Socks said:


> Would it make a jerk if I volunteered to use my dog to look for the swan so it could be recovered?


 
You can actually get a permit to walk the dikes from 12 until 1pm to look for cripples with your dog. Saw a guy at NQP doing this once. His dog had found 2 ducks. Steve


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Matthuntsall said:


> I hunted 42 Sat morning. we heard splashing in the corn behind us constantly! We saw the C.O. there in the morning and figured he was going to pay us a visit. He never showed but we still heard the splashing, we walked around and never saw anything.


coots and/or cripples most likely. quite often we have coots splashing around in the corn behind us.


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## smoke (Jun 3, 2006)

I just wonder what the he11 they thought it was? One big azzed snow goose or just don't know sheet? Obviously it wasn't a duck or goose? If they thought it was something you could legally shoot why did they ss and then didn't do the third S? 

You can't fix stupid. :lol:  

Smoke


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

smoke said:


> I just wonder what the he11 they thought it was? One big azzed snow goose or just don't know sheet? Obviously it wasn't a duck or goose? If they thought it was something you could legally shoot why did they ss and then didn't do the third S?
> 
> You can't fix stupid. :lol:
> 
> Smoke


Thought the same when I saw the one get dusted on the bay! What the... my buddy and I just shook our heads, then I realized...CELL PHONE :idea: So I called the RAP line.


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## BAY CREEPER (Jan 11, 2009)

just ducky said:


> Thought the same when I saw the one get dusted on the bay! What the... my buddy and I just shook our heads, then I realized...CELL PHONE :idea: So I called the RAP line.


Some people are too attached to their cell phones these days...



Im kidding


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

BAY CREEPER said:


> Some people are too attached to their cell phones these days...
> 
> 
> 
> Im kidding


ha ha...touche'! good one man


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## SBE II (Jan 13, 2009)

Duckman Racing said:


> We saw him walking the grass between 42 and 44 for a long time, but couldn't tell if he ever found the swan.
> 
> As we were returning our card after the hunt we ran into the CO coming out of the check station. We asked him about the swan, and he said he was not able to locate it. But apparently the shooter confessed, so he was still issued a ticket. That will cost him something like $1,500 restitution and up to $1,000 in fines. Turns out the swan was a Trumpeter.


So how does he know it was a Trumpeter if it was never identified? The guy flat out said it was a trumpeter?


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## N M Mechanical (Feb 7, 2008)

We where in the zone next them and the one that flew over our heads I am 90% positive it was a trumpeter


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## Duckman Racing (Oct 11, 2004)

SBE II said:


> So how does he know it was a Trumpeter if it was never identified? The guy flat out said it was a trumpeter?


Guessing that other witnesses were able to verify the species. Also, there was a pair, and after the one was shot a lone swan flew over the field several times making some very distinctive calls. Most likely looking for its lost mate.


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

99.999% of hunters could not tell the difference between a trump on the wing or in hand vs a tundra.


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## SBE II (Jan 13, 2009)

TSS Caddis said:


> 99.999% of hunters could not tell the difference between a trump on the wing or in hand vs a tundra.


Was thinking the same...Unless the bird physically looked down at them..


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## BowHunter222 (Oct 9, 2008)

We were headed to 42 Friday morn when my mud more broke..... Luckily Dave I beleive his name was gave us a tow back to the launch and I ran back to the check station and was able to paddle into the flooded woods..... Would have been interesting watching a swan dump out of the sky tho!


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## BowHunter222 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ops should have read a little better we hunted 11-1


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