How many of you have actually shot a banded bird?

[Lungbustr]

10 of them. One also had a nasal saddle (duck), one goose had a tarsal band in addition to the regular band.

That's from about 30 years of waterfowling and thousands of birds killed.

Good luck getting some, they are out there.

[Lungbustr]

But how many are his holy grail spoonie bands?

My best hunting buddy shot a banded spoony to add to his other bands on his lanyard.

Its hilarious because he despises spoonies and divers. But when there isnt anything flying the standards get lowered.

[CTR0022]

The property owner decided to come hunt with us one morning. He was in his 60s and never really duck hunted. We shot a 5 man limit that morning and he shot a banded mallard hen. The next day I took a couple buddies out that dont get to hunt much. It was dead, we had a single widgeon drake come in and land in the decoys and my buddy and argued over who was going to shoot it. He told me to shoot, I said no you shoot, this went on for 30-45 seconds. He finally raised and to shoot, I raised up to back him up. He fired and knocked him down and sure enough he was banded. Banded in Maine.

Another time me and a buddy were hunting, had a pair of mallards come in. The drake was in my side and the hen was on his. We always shot the bird on our side when a pair comes in. At the last moment the hen and drake switched. He shot the drake I shot the hen and sure enough the drake was banded.

I've shot 2 banded snow geese. Yet to get a duck.

[R C]

I shot two banded Canada geese when I lived in South Dakota. I also shot a banded gadwall along with my only drake canvasback during the same hunt on the Guadalupe Delta. Probably the best duck hunt that I have ever been on.

[RWB]

I have a banded mallard drake shot on lake Conroe banded in Canada.

[Txtourist]

Hunting partners have gotten a couple up here in Minnesota. There’s a big goose refuge near Fergus Falls that’s known to have a large amount of banded geese.

Funny story, a few years back my cousin and I were at a sports show and the South Dakota tourism booth had a bucket of promotional bands they were handing out. We asked if we could take a few and they gave us a bag of them.
We kept quiet and loaded our lanyards up solid and took our other cousin with. This cousin is always talking about how badly he wants to get bands, but hadn’t been able to hunt the last couple seasons much as he was starting out as a pilot.
Fast forward, we both show up both looking like Mr T with duck bling. We had found a real honey hole the previous year and he knew we had done well, now he’s just fired up thinking he’s finally going to get some bands.
We both had a few bands in our pockets we’d pride open the night before. Every time the dog brought one of our birds back we’d sqeeze a band on their leg and exclaim-“BAND!!!” Unless it was a bird he shot. Then we started getting “double” banded birds.
We laughed ourselves stupid all morning, not letting on. Eventually we decided to “band” a lone bird he obviously shot. He was so excited we didn’t have the heart to break it to him. Pictures going up on Facebook, texts to friends, you name it.
Finally when we got back to the truck my bandless cousin pulls out his phone and calls the 1-800 number on what he believes is his first band and gets someone from the South Dakota department of tourism. At this point we’re laughing so hard we can’t breathe. He’s asking all kinds of questions about the duck and they don’t know what he’s talking about. He’s so fired up in his own little paradise he’s oblivious us wheezing and laughing. After a few confusing minutes on the phone with this person he finally hangs up and says he’ll have to call back during the week! We still break out our lanyards and laugh about that one.

[SwampRanger]

2 banded GW teal on 9-11-99 and one neck band leg band snow goose in 30 years.

[DEREKG22]

i was hunting with a fella once who shot a banded goose

[Black Ice]

Killed a lot of ducks growing up but never killed one. Been on hunts where they are killed but never been lucky enough to get one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DUKFVR]

I've got 13 duck bands 1 bwg being banded in southern Mexico,38 goose bands,with 2 having neck collars & 1 a tarsal band. 1 had like a plastic black band too, but never figured that one out. 1 whitewing & 1 mourning dove. 3 pigeons that had 2 bands each bands. What was funny was one was run over on a country backroad. I stopped to look for a band & my kids asked what I was doing. They laughed when I said why. Picked up the bird & said see, u never know. LOL!! It is funny how you get them. Just luck & good shooting. What could it be otherwise when you have a bunch of birds over you & pick one with a band?? Another thing is I never give up looking for a bird until I feel like there is no more chance of finding it. The 1st band I got was on a blue goose. Shot it & it sailed a couple hundred yards. I kept going back & forth on my line & couldn't find it. A buddy had already said forget it & went back to the spread. I made a couple more passes & said one more. There was one little patch of weeds out in a plowed field a little past were the grass ended. I decided WTH, I'll walk over to it. Dang if he hadn't fell in that little patch about 10 ft around. Another time I shot at a goose that jumped up sitting on an island in a reservoir. There were 3 of them. I saw 1 feather come off him. watched & he started sliding down.I had to go several hundred yards to where he went down. Finally caught up to it & it was banded. You never know. I tell everyone,If I get a spoony band I will retire from waterfowling. That is my holy Grail. LOL!

I have been on quite a few hunts where banded birds were killed by others or while guiding. I have never taken a band I didn't know I killed the bird. It means nothing to me, if I didn't kill it. Have passed a few times on bands that were being drawn for,because no one knew who killed it. While guiding never took a band that I knew customers killed. I was always so happy to see a hunter light up when I handed him or her a banded bird that they killed.

[Mule Skinner]

Two. Both were drake redheads down at the coast. The band on one was so worn that I sent it in so that it could be read. Turns out that bird was something like 10 years old. Originally banded in Alberta, Canada.

[SaltwaterSlick]

WOW, this has been a really interesting thread to read! Good stories!

[DPElite]

6 banded birds for me, mix of ducks and geese


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Quackerbox]

I have 7. Technically 9 since two birds had neck collars

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[CB_TxNole]

Used to duck hunt every weekend with my grandpa from about 1997 until about 6 years ago when work started getting in the way.

Ive killed 2 blue wings, a mottled duck, a mallard, and a pintail that were banded in that time frame. Oldest was the pintail. It was 12 years old. Mallard was 7. Those two were banded in Saskatchewan and South Dakota. Both killed in Anahuac.

Rest were killed within 3-4 years of banding.