Sandhill crane shot in central Minnesota, 2 babies did not survive

Officials are investigating after a sandhill crane was shot and left for dead on Sunday afternoon in Todd County.

A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said an investigation is underway following a report from a nearby person at around 1 p.m. who said they heard two shots and later found the crane. The two eggs that the crane was sitting on were damaged and the babies did not survive.

DNR officials believe the crane was shot from the roadway northeast of Clarissa, in Germania Township.

If you have any information to share on this incident, contact the DNR’s Turn in Poachers (TIP) hotline at 800-652-9093 or send an anonymous tip via text. You can also text the keyword “MNTIP” and your tip to 847411.

A case under investigation is a good reminder of all the ways you can report potential natural resource violations. CO Keith Bertram responded to a report of a nesting sandhill crane being shot from the roadway northeast of Clarissa in Todd County. pic.twitter.com/L3C8Ct9FOA

— MN DNR Enforcement (@mndnr_ENF) May 6, 2024

Sandhill cranes are one of the state’s largest birds. DNR officials say that due to human expansion and settlement in the early 1900s, the birds were considered rare for many years, with just 10-25 pairs estimated to be in Minnesota in the 1940s.

Sandhill cranes have since recovered their population and are no longer considered rare. For a short period every year, trappers are permitted to hunt the sandhill crane.

This year’s hunting season falls from Sept. 21 to Oct. 19.