Bands

[William Reinicke]

There have been a collection of men hunting ducks out of our camp since the 60's. Thousands of birds taken. 2 bands.

The very first was a banded ringbill I shot one morning late in the season. I was excited to see where it came from. NWT? Northern Quebec? It had been banded about 15km away.. I felt cheated.

HAHAHAHA I KNOW THAT FEELING!!

My first band, so old, could only read 1 number. Thought it would be something special. NOPE 14 years old and banded 30 mi south from where I killed it.

Last year killed a really worn down pintail band. First four matched one of my buddies that was killed in Canada and even the final numbers weren't far apart. Figured it would be another Canada band... NOPE 10 year old band that was banded at our local refuge about 100 mi south.

Lots of our mallard bands, the biologist colored in the numbering with nail paint. I am guessing he would paint the band a color, let it dry and then go back over it with nail paint remover but the coloring stayed down in the number etching. So whenever you killed a band with numbers that were colored, we always knew exactly where it came from and who the biologist was. Pretty neat but defeated the purpose of ensuring they were reported. Have gold, blue, and green numbered bands.

 

[nebgoosehunter]

@Dr Duk I'm guessing that is a cackler based on the banding location? If so that is a lot cooler than a greater band from the front range where you are located. We had a goose pit for 17 years and never killed one goose band. The local guide that hunted near us killed a few every year, granted he hunted way more than us. We've shot a lot of ducks over the years and I've only killed one mallard band. But in a three year stretch we killed three mallard bands and a green wing band where I was there on the hunt. Sometimes it just doesn't make sense.

 

[Bluesclues]

~ 20 years hunting waterfowl.
At least a 1000 ducks and geese....zero bands. Maybe next season?

 

[blacktail]

How is this possible?
Our goose leas of over 25 years no bands.
Over 7500 geese taken.
Last week, the FIRST banded goose was taken.
1 every 7500.
Come on man!!

My neck of the woods we average 1 duck band every 3000 ducks.

 

[ARHHH4]

I shot a snow goose back in 03’. First band I’d ever taken. Shot another back in 2018. Shot a double banded mallard drake the last day of season two weeks ago. That’s been it for me in 23 years of fowlin. To my knowledge though, there aren’t any banding projects that go on around my area

 

[blacktail]

I shot a snow goose back in 03’. First band I’d ever taken. Shot another back in 2018. Shot a double banded mallard drake the last day of season two weeks ago. That’s been it for me in 23 years of fowlin. To my knowledge though, there aren’t any banding projects that go on around my area

Exactly. My birds are either local born or interior Alaska. Not a huge push to band unlike the PPR region.

 

[nobands]

Not a huge push to band unlike the PPR region.

Only matters if you're spending time in Kansas or Missouri. They all fly right over Iowa to go die there.

 

[orangelegs73]

Approximately 40 years of waterfowling under my belt and the vast majority of my straps have carried ducks. In all those years I’ve collected one band…a Canada that was banded locally. I can’t even recall hardly anyone else that I’ve hunted with harvesting a duck band before. Oh well. The breast meat eats a lot better than the bands anyway!

 

[2eagles]

The group I hunt with runs about 2% per year on goose bands. I see a lot of banded park geese and haven’t figured out where those stinkers hide during the season.

 

[bill cooksey]

My worst year ever in the blind, but I’ve seen four bands. Lost on the draw bands and gave the one that was mine to a young guy.