Delta Waterfowl Celebrates a ‘Big Win’ for Hunting Access
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reinstates waterfowl hunting at a popular National Wildlife Refuge
For immediate release
September 5, 2023
BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA — Gather your gear and get the decoys ready: Waterfowl hunting at Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge is back on this season.
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a reversal of its June 6 decision to close waterfowl hunting for the 2023-2024 season at the 10,795-acre refuge near Sumner, Missouri. Instead of complete closure of the refuge to waterfowling this fall, about 85% of the units where duck and goose hunting occurred in previous seasons will be open to hunters. Swan Lake is estimated to host 1,500 hunter days each season.
“We always wanted to have waterfowl hunting this season at Swan Lake if at all possible,” said Jason Wilson, project leader for the Big Muddy National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes Swan Lake NWR. “It’s a big win for everybody, and we’re glad to be able to make it happen.”
Three of the refuges 20 units—S2, S4, and T1—will remain closed this season for rehabilitation work, including tree and brush removal. In addition, the refuge will no longer backfill units for no-show hunters, and the check-in/check-out, as well as the hunt draws, will be done online.
Delta Waterfowl works tirelessly to maintain and enhance opportunities for duck and goose hunters throughout North America. Swan Lake is an excellent example of Delta’s impact for hunters, said Cyrus Baird, senior director of government affairs.
Through the Defending the Hunt Program, local chapter members can alert Delta staff of any threats to hunting access and opportunities. Baird said at least 15 people notified Delta about the USFWS June 6 notification to suspend waterfowl hunting at Swan Lake because of “staffing shortages and workload demands.”
Baird and Delta regional director Garrett Trentham immediately went to work on preserving the hunt for this season. Delta contacted refuge managers, USFWS directors, and Missouri Dept. of Conservation staff to propose solutions to allow hunting to continue at Swan Lake.
In a June 22 letter to Chuck Traxler, USFWS acting regional director, Delta Waterfowl stated, “We recognize and appreciate the staffing shortages that face the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as a whole, and the National Wildlife Refuge System in particular. This is an issue that Delta Waterfowl and a number of our partners have been working to address. Ensuring the Service has the capacity it needs to not only carry out their habitat management objectives, but to ensure situations like this don’t happen in other places is a top priority.”
Delta pitched practical solutions to allow waterfowl hunting access this season and beyond at Swan Lake while reducing the strain on USFWS staff.
“Delta presented a strong case to keep the refuge open for hunting,” Baird said. “Now instead of closing everything, the USFWS is just closing the units that need repairs and construction. Absent of us getting involved, there would be no waterfowl hunting at Swan Lake this season.”
Delta Waterfowl is The Duck Hunters Organization, a leading conservation group working to produce ducks and secure the future of waterfowl hunting in North America. Visit deltawaterfowl.org.
For more information, contact Cyrus Baird at (703) 254-6737 or cbaird@deltawaterfowl.org.
Delta spins this as a “Win”, but I hunt near Swan Lake and nothing has done more to ruin the the local duck hunting than allowing duck hunting inside the refuge.
There is NO cover in the part of the refuge that allows hunting. Ducks USED to rest / roost there by the thousands. Now, half of them leave after the first pre-dawn, public-access pickup rolls in…and the other half leave after the first shot is fired. They all fly off and don’t come back. And the refuge hunting is terrible! They average 0.85 ducks per hunter. The only thing hunting inside the refuge does is ruin the duck hunting for the entire neighborhood.
“Win”? This is a Lose-Lose-Lose.
Delta claims to be a hunter advocacy organization. They’ve just done more to screw up the hunting around Swan Lake than all the anti-hunting groups combined. Well done, Delta, well done.
Cyrus I am a land owner that owns duck hunting ground that butts up to Swan Lake Refuge. Ever since duck hunting was allowed on the REFUGE!!!! Our hunting has gone down hill because the ducks don’t have any where to rest because of the hunting pressure on the refuge. This was a very poor decision to open the hunting back up on the REFUGE!!!!because the hunters average less then 1 duck per hunter and the property owners have lost a considerable amount of value their property and the ducks have no place to stage and rest. It is a loser for the Ducks, property owners in the area and the hunters that shoot less than a 1 duck average in the REFUGE!!! Hope these points are considered.
To announce in a banner style that the US Fish and Wildlife’s decision to reinstate waterfowl hunting on Swan Lake NWR was a WIN, WIN is a major Faux Pas. By opening up hunting again on the refuge you are eliminating the resting areas that are essential in a successful natural migration, especially during these times of heavily stressed waterfowl populations. As truly passionate waterfowl hunters we all must exercise the need for conservation to preserve our resources. Excessive hunting pressure pushes waterfowl out of any area but especially in so called REFUGE areas. To see a large amount of ducks or geese staging is sight to behold, which personally i have witnessed many times in my 50 years of hunting near Swan Lake refuge. But since duck hunting has been allowed in the refuge those sights of massive amounts of ducks and geese have been totally snuffed out of my life. WIN,WIN, I do not agree this is a major LOSS,LOSS. Realize the facts before pushing your weight around and effecting hundreds of private land owners, whom plant and flood wetlands which cost a bunch. Delta Waterfowl was in my opinion right there with DU , as a key conservation group, but now I really am worried. No thanks Delta Waterfowl.
As a private land hunter, I believe your choice to support hunting on Swan Lake was poor choice. As I’m sure you know, the govt. has what seems to be endless supplies of cash to do what they need to do. I would think that you would direct your efforts towards helping private landowners. When they started to allow hunting on Swan Lake it directly impacted our hunted. The birds that use to stack into the REFUGE, no longer do so, and that has an impact on the amount of birds that we see, and are able to harvest! Bad decision Delta, I hope the 15 people that complained enjoy their 0.85 bird per day hunt!
I have been waterfowl hunting in Sumner Mo on my dads hunt club across from Swanlake Refuge since I was 10years old. The Duck hunting was Great!!!! Then Swanlake has allowed hunting in the REFUGE for the past 8 years and the hunting has worsened significantly. My dad spent a lot of money to be an owner on this ground for us to continue something we enjoy for many years to come which is duck hunting. I am Sad to say I am 24 yrs
Old now and I have only been back to my dads property once in the past 8 years because the hunting has gone down hill due to the refuge getting hunted. I was a supporter of Delta waterfowl until I read this article. Delta you are making 15 strangers happy with this hunting in Swanlakes Refuge but you are hurting all of the surrounding land owners that have spent millions of dollars on their ground. Delta Stick to what you do best Protect the Refuges so Ducks have a place to Rest Eat and Migrate the natural way.
As a private land hunter, this hurts. This is supposed to be a “refuge”. All this will do is negatively impact the local hunting. Was any consideration given or input taken from the people that own property in the area and hunt the area? This is a bad idea for the ducks, for conservation, and for the local community. Really hope this idea is re-thought out.
A Big Mistake!
Allowing Swan Lake refuge to continuously be abused season after season has been a huge mistake for local conservation, our waterfowl community deserves better! Delta Waterfowl is a misleading organization of Conservation using our beloved Swan lake, as a shooting gallery, not a refuge! please reconsider this decision!
Swan lake is approximately 11,000 acres and has around 10 positions for waterfowl hunting. There is PLENTY of refuge available for the ducks to rest. If you are a private landowner and complaining about ten parties hunting only on selected days of the week, then maybe you need to rethink your private land strategy. There are plenty of birds that stage on Swan and it is a historical migration area. No reason private and public hunters should not be able to enjoy access in the area.
Do you consider 0.85 ducks per hunter “enjoying” the resource? When that hunting destroys the duck hunting for the rest of the neighborhood?
How would you like it if some out-of-state “hunter advocacy” organization ruined your favorite hunting spot?
Swan Lake may be 11,000 acres, but a lot of that is dry and they don’t spread the hunting over 11,000 acres. They just pound the same 20 acres right in front of our hole 5 days a week.
Ducks USED to refuge there by the thousands and the duck hunting was great. Now they get shot at and leave and the hunting sucks. That doesn’t sound like “hunter advocacy” to me. It sounds like a short-sighted decision by someone who has never been to or hunted near Swan Lake.
Great job restoring acess Delta Waterfowl. A bug win for hunting rights that seem to getting stripped away more and more these days.
All these complainers in the comments are failing to recognize that Swan is holding lots of birds every year even with the very limited hunting that has been allowed in recent years. The thousands of acres of flooded private corn is doing more to hurt hunting in the area then allowing limited hunting on our public lands.
I, for one, am not “failing to recognize” Swan Lake is holding thousands of birds. I’m well aware they hold thousands of birds – at times and I think most of the people opposed to this are also.
But they aren’t holding ANY in the area they allow hunting. And they USED to hold thousands there.
The refuge hunting isn’t spread out over the whole 11,000 acres. They pound the same 20 acres 5 days per week and the ducks that used to rest there by the thousands are gone. It’s sad.
I’m not a fan of all the flooded corn either. But rinsing the refuge 5 days per week has done more to ruin our hunting than flooded corn ever has.
If the guys making this call had ever hunted my neighborhood, there is no way they would support it. It’s one of the worst decisions I have ever seen. The title should be: “Hunter Advocacy” Organization Ruins Local Duck Hinting”.