A trumpeter swan. Photo by Sasata / Wikipedia

Members of Ojibwe tribes in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin have started hunting swans for the first time in decades.

The tribes have a right to hunt swans on territory that was ceded by treaties in 1837 and 1842. Since trumpeter swans have been brought back from the verge of extinction, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to oversee the hunt.

The season runs through December 31, or until 10 trumpeter swans are taken, whichever comes first. Tribal hunters can also take tundra swans, a similar species.

"It's going to be a very small number of swans that will be shot," Peter David, a wildlife biologist for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, told The St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Get the Story:
Tribes begin two-month swan hunting season - with restrictions (The St. Paul Pioneer Press 10/31)
Tundra swans can be hunted by some American Indian tribes in Minnesota (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 11/4)