Unusual Band Recovery-w/results

[Anatidae]

I had an older brother for the first 12 years of my life. He was 13 years older and loved to hunt and fish. He paid his way through college mounting Waterfowl and fish. I wanted to be just like him. His life was tragically cut short in 1965. Over the years since I've often thought about him while waterfowl hunting and how it would've been nice to share our passion for waterfowling with each other. He'd be almost 70 now. But we did share a few hunts that he allowed me to tag along. Those hunts are what got me into this crazy game.

I have often wondered if he ever killed and banded bird and what he might have done with the bands. His calls (what I remember of them) had a thick cotton cord (white) like we used to use for crabbin' - not like the lanyards folks wear nowadays. I didn't remember hearing stories about leg braclets or seeing evidence of anything unusual that ducks don't grow naturally - but I was just getting started and don't recall learing about bird banding until the late 60's.

My wife, niece, and nephew helped me go through the last remnants of family belongings at my parents' now-vacant house this weekend. They brought me an Old Spice box with some of his personal belongings in it. I just glanced at it's contents - mostly ROTC insignia, his wallet, some medals and award medalions on his watch chain, etc. I remembered that watch chain. We had other stuff to go through, so I put it under the back seat of the truck - until I got home.

You already know where this is going - I sat-down with the box and touched everything in it. I was getting near the last few shiney objects when I spotted a flat piece of aluminum. Of course it was face-down and slick on top.......but was about the width of a band. I tried not to get my hopes up, but it just HAD to be........My heart pounded as I got my fingertips under it and rolled it over.

"Well, here you go".........'Avice Fish & Wildlife Service, Write Washington, DC, USA.......587-XXXXX. I handed it to my wife.

She was just as surprised - we've talked about Perry several times while she and I have been hunting together over the last 33 years. It may have been she that asked me whether he had killed any banded birds. I don't remember any notations in his hunting log to that affect. I'll check again.

I've written the Bird Lab Data guy and hope to hear that recovery data was provided pre-'65. If not, they should be able to give me the banding data and I can just about guess within a 10-mile radius along the East Cal-Cam (Calcasieu or Cameron Parish) Ward line where it was killed. For the sake of nostalgia and a good story, I'll assume it was shot from the same pit he took me just across the North boundary of Lacassine NWR on Mr. Beresford's lease.......somewhere between 1960 and 1965.

I got a big drill bit and used it as a mandrel on a block of wood to form a curve, being careful not to aggrevate an obvious weak spot in the stamped type print. It's a little bigger diameter than a duck band - I've got a snow goose band I killed from the same vacinity in LA in 1973 and they look to be about the same dimensions.

Needless to say, it's now on my lanyard in honor of his memory.

I thought maybe some of you guys would be interested in this 'discovered treasure' story. I'll post results when I hear back from BBL.

Happy Hunting!

[Wingman]

Man, that is cool!

[novacaine]

What a treasure.

[gator]

that is AWESOME!!!

gator

[quack_a_tack]

Amazing!!!

[eSJay]

Awesome Randy!

[RedEyed Duck]

Needless to say, it's now on my lanyard in honor of his memory............

Happy Hunting!

And most definitely rightfully so! I suspect that band means more than any other on that lanyard. A buddy of mine has a jack miner band on his lanyard that is a duplicate of one of his deceased friends band that he shot many moons ago. It is much more important to him than any of the others. I am happy for ya Randy, as something like that is priceless!

[chevy01234]

Very cool! I was blessed my baby brother (16 years old now) was with me this past season when I killed my first two bands! He got excited even though he really didn't understand why he was getting excited! He still talks about that hunt and i'm sure he will for awhile.He said he's never seen me get that excited about anything. Funny thing is he thinks I was just excited about the bands, he has no idea how special those two bands are to me because we were hunting together. He will someday though!

Thanks Randy, great story and an emotion-inducing one for me!

[rawalley]

Thats a great story

[crackhead]

A piece of his love for the sport lives on with you every morning from here on out!

Thanks for sharing!

[bigwater]

Here here. That's a good story ..

[Trip]

That's a great find!

[Anatidae]

1965 - 2010.........45 years.

In his wallet was a license holder printed by Soutwestern Bell Telephone Co - the one that asked hunters to be careful about shooting around telephone lines.

He also had a photo section in his wallet like most had back then. The first leaf had photos of his new bride of one year.......then our family beagle and ace swamp-rabbit router ('Butch').......then my 5th grade school photo. That was pretty cool even if I WAS behind 'Butch' in the order. The fact that I was in there at all, was good enough.......especially since the last 2 leaves had pictures of him and his best hunting partners with big strings of specklebellies or bass.

Thanks for the nice acknowledgements and comments.

[Jeff]

That is truly a neat story Randy. I was hoping his old calls were going to be in the old spice box too. However sometimes thinking big gets the best of me. What a neat band, I hope to see it one day when we finally make a hunt together.

[hntrpat1]

Randy I always remember when you told me how your brother passed. I'm sure it is very hard. I'm very happy that you found something this significant of his to carry with you.