Jewelry- Duck Bands

[Guest]

It all depends on where you are hunting.

I have 6 bands. All but one was taken in the same year within a 20 mile radius.

It all comes down to where they have been banding birds and where those flocks are flying. The Southern boys get all the birds concentrated around them making it easier for them to get their bands.

Another thing....just because someone has a pile of bands on their lanyard does not nessesarily mean they shot em...you can get all kinds of em on ebay...lol

[SCCO9803]

Yeah Herman is right, just because one guy has 20 bands around his neck doesn't mean he shot them. I've seen several people who get them from other people, and as he said you can even buy them.

[superfish2]

My buddy and I were out hunting in the south metro and got one this oct. It was a big fat mallard, red legs, three curls on the tail. We're thinking it was banded was up in Maintoba or someplace somewhat exotic. Only to find out it was banded in shakopee.

[Bushwacker]

In 12 years of duck hunting I have seen one duck shot with a band. My buddy shot a big drake mallard that was banded in Bird Island, MN. There are a ton of them for sale on ebay if a person wants to hunt with an extra 5 pounds of metal clanging together around their neck. But if I shot a couple I would definitely have them on my lanyard.

[hanson]

I'm definitely NOT going to ebay to buy duck bands. Some people are getting extraordinary amounts of money for bands. There's definitely better hunting stuff to spend the money on, perhaps a new Super Black Eagle II. Anyway, I just thought it would be interesting to see who's getting them, or not getting them.

[smallies24]

No ducks or geese myself, but I've seen four geese and a couple ducks taken by my party in the past couple years just north of the metro. One goose had been banded in Illinois. I believe the rest were banded in MN.

[psegriz]

Have been hunting waterfowl lots and havn't had one banded. (Except for the woody that flew into my house in the middle of a blizzerd on dec.24th years ago.) A buddy of mine has gotten 15 w/bands last 4yrs. He hunts bigger water thatn I do, wonder if that has something to do w/it. I just mostly jump shoot.

GRIZ

[TV BOY]

It took 'till my 19th year to finally get one. A big fat greenhead in ND. I put it on my canvasback mount instead of wearing it around my neck. That way I have two stories to tell for one mount

[hanson]

I have yet to shoot a banded duck in my 10 years or so of hunting and my dad has yet to shoot a banded duck in 30+ years of duck hunting.

Are we the unluckiest guys in the world or do the banded birds happen to frequent other flyways more than our central flyway through NW Minnesota? All these ProStaff hunters in videos and on TV seem to have lanyards full of duck bands. How many thousands of birds have they had to shoot to accumulate that many? Makes me think that every other mallard in Arkansas is wearing a leg band.

Anybody out there getting luckier than us?

[jlm]

I have never harvested one with a band either and I hunt in an area where there are many banded birds. I have seen many geese taken that were banded but never a duck! Maybe this year!

[bdavid1157]

I was watching TV this winter. Some guy was hunting ducks down south in the timber he said he looks for bands on their legs before he shoots. It apppeared that the mallards were dropping straight down with there legs and flaps down through the timber making it possible to see them. Also some of these guys are guides and their clients might not even know they where banded. Most guide's provide cleaning services also.

[Ben1022]

I have a friend that lives in Ontario w/in 40 miles of the Jack Miner bird sanctuary. He says he can tell when they have recently banded birds because on some days, he and his buddies will shoot 2-3 banded birds, each. So, it is heavily dependent on where you hunt.
He's pretty gracious and has given me bands from ducks/geese that were banded in the 60's and 70's among recent bands. I'm planning on going up to hunt w/him this fall w/the hopes to shoot my first banded bird.

[FOOT]

I've gotten 5 banded ducks and 2 banded geese. One goose was shot North of Rochester (I'm from the Rochester area). The other goose was shot in North Dakota and it was also banded in Rochester.
3 of the ducks were banded North of the Twin Cities. The other two, Bluebills were banded in Canada. In fact they are 3 numbers off, kinda special. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to take them both out of the same flock with 2 shots. Makes me wonder if there were more banded ducks in the same flight, maybe from the same family.
If you get a band enjoy it. It doesn't mean the hunter who has a band is any better then the one who doesn't. I've hunted for 40+ years and a buddy of mine since high school has hunted with me and never got a band but I would consider him a better shot then me.
Enjoy them for what they are, a piece of the hunting experience.

[Dean Schellinger]

Getting a banded bird is very special. I have been waterfowling for only 6 years now and although i have yet to get a banded duck I managed to knock down a goose with a band, so I feel blessed. The amazing thing about the band is 3 years ago my friend/hunting partner shot a goose near St. Cloud on the Mississippi River. That was a pretty cool thing. Well then 2 years ago, following year, we were hunting maybe 500 yards from the location he shot his banded goose the previous year and I got a goose with a band. When we went back to his house to take pictures we notice the bands were consecutive! What are the chances of that. Before i even sent the info in i knew the goose was banded in Bemidji. Pretty remarkable, so it goes to show you that birds do fly along certain areas. Nothing like a little icing on bird, OH YEA Y Y peace JFP style.

[Sartell Angler]

I've been hunting for about 6-7 seasons, and have yet to shoot a banded bird myself. My bro and a friend of ours each got one off of a goose within the last 2 seasons, and I saw my uncle shoot a banded woodduck about 4 years ago. I hope to get a band one of these years, and figure that I have a pretty decent chance. I try and refrain from shooting hens (of any species) so this might limit my chances somewhat...but thats not to say that if I have spent the whole day in the blind without a shot that I wouldn't shoot a hen.
Its a cool thing when a banded bird is shot though...has a way of making the day even sweeter.

S.A

[Borch]

I've only shot one banded duck. It was a Blackduck(the one one I've ever shot). I forget now where is was banded as I sent the info in.

I remember watching a duck hunting competition that took place in AR in flooded timber where hunters earned points based on what they shot. I remember banded birds being a bonus. Several were shot and the hunters where calling them out before the shot them. So I guess you can see them if you look for them.

Borch

[Autumnhunt]

Got my first banded bird two years ago in Wheaton, MN (SD/MN border)It was a big drake mallard and it was banded in SW Onterio and it was 2 years old. I called the #'s in and the agency sent interesting info about the bird. In 25 years of hunting duck and geese it was my one and only banded bird.

[B. Amish]

got a banded drake wood duck last fall, it was banded in illinois.

a few years back my buddies shot two banded geese with consecutive numbers, they were neck bands

[outdoor ran]

We have shot 3 banded mallards in the last 20 years of duck hunting by Lk Superior in Wi. in my blind. They were tagged in Thunder Bay, around Red lake and Ely. Theres just something special about dropping a banded bird. Haven't seen any geese with them yet, maybe this year.

[Howieroch]

In 26 years of duck hunting I have only shot one banded woodduck. It was a young hen that I shot the day after they banded her. The bird was shot by LaCrescent, MN and was banded in LaCrosse, WI so it didn't make it very far in that one day.

My dad has been duck hunting since the 1930's and he has yet to shoot a banded bird.

I did shoot two banded pigeons out of a flock that came in to check out our duck decoys one time.

[snowgoose]

I have to admit that getting a band is a wonderful thing. Nobody has mentioned (sp) what they are really for. Make sure you call the 1-800 number on the band if you are lucky enough to harvest a bird with a band. They use the info for studing flyways and average age of birds.
Yes I to have 1 band from a snow goose last year. My first one. Our group harvested 10 birds with bands last year. One of them had 2 bands. One was a $50.00 reward for calling it in.
I have to admit we were in Sask. Canada.

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Hunt Snow Geese, Save the tundra

[Sartell Angler]

Chuck that is cool...the mallard you shot on Marsh must have been quite the freelancer.

Looking forward to hunting Marsh/ LQP at least once this upcoming season.

S.A.

[Flipnripem]

To make it short and sweet, 2002 early goose season. 12 birds off the end of our boots 7 hit the beans. 5 bands and a lot of high fives. Somthing that will probably never happen again in mn. Flip

[hanson]

Snowgoose,
Congratulations on your group getting a reward band- the holy grail of bands! $50 is a pretty nice bonus for a day of goose hunting.

[ChuckN]

I've been serious into waterfowling for over 10 years and I have 4 bands. A drake goldeneye in Bemidji (banded there), a drake wood duck off our private slough north of Brainerd (banded in Kentucky) that I mounted w/ the band, and 2 drake Mallards. One mallard banded in Minnesota and the other Mallard was banded in New York State. I shot this one on Marsh Lake near Appleton. I am mounting this one as a flying mount with the feet down. I need to call on the taxidermist BTW.

[full force five]

I've been duck hunting for 20 years and have killed two bands: one mallard and one honk. Both were killed the same year 1993. I've been in a serious dry spell when it comes to bands. Right place right time when it comes to jewelry. Last few years I've been in the blind when bands were killed. Just not by me.

I think the key to killing bands would be hunt mallards, try and hunt during big migration days and be lucky.

[CornPirateKiller]

I've been hunting ducks and geese for 35 years. Taken a lot of birds in that time but only one had a band. In 1983, I shot a drake widgeon in the Weaver Bottoms that had been banded in Canada. Still wear that on my call. It's the best trophy I have.

Several years back, I was lucky enough to watch my nephew shoot his first duck, a drake woody, near LaCrosse. He was really tickled to find it had a band.

Bands are great. I would never buy one. Everyone I know that has taken a bird with a band can tell you every detail about the bird they got it from. Bands are a marker that help you remember, and appreciate, a hunt. Enjoy 'em!

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Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati (When all else fails, play dead)

[Coldwater Crappie Guy]

I have not shot any banded birds lately , but I do have 5 bands on my lanyard. 4 drake mallards and one blue winged teal.

One of the mallards was release in a town in Nevada and I shot it 18 days later in the Alexandria Mn area...What the heck was that duck thinking?? If I was going to fly that far in that few days, I am going south where it is warm!!!

[fwp]

I have hunted ducks every year for the last 45 years. I shot my first mallard at 11. I am lucky enough to have harvested 12 ducks that were banded, mallards, woodies, cans, ringbills, and bluebills. Although I am 56 and my memory seems to grow shorter as I get older I can remember each one like it was yesterday. One band I have was on a canvasback that was almost wore through and all the numbers were worn off completely. I can only imagine how old that duck was or where it was banded. I wear them proudly on my whistle lanyard and enjoy telling the stories to my nephews and other young hunters. Oh yea, the stories are embelished sometine for effect!

[Mark Christianson]

12 bands in one year. No way.