Two Houghton men have been ticketed for illegally shooting trumpeter swans.
Conservation officers Cody Smith and Doug Hermanson went to the Sturgeon River Sloughs last Monday after a tip was called in to the Report All Poaching hotline. They found the men, who are identified only as brothers in their late 20s.
The men confessed that they had shot two trumpeter swans, and turned the bodies over to the officers.
The bodies will be maintained as evidence, and then used for research or educational purposes.
One of the men was also ticketed for using lead shot, which has been illegal for many years because of its toxic effect on animals and the environment.