AM I THE ONLY ONE????

[ChadL03]

I have been at it for 14 years now and have seen 15 banded birds killed (2 double bands w/rewards and a neck collared ross). I have killed 2 mallards, 2 woodrows and a double banded blue goose myself. According to my log the ratio is about 1 in every hundred wood ducks and 1 in every 300 mallards. I was there for tuel2's band that ended his 30 year drought. He was happy happy happy to say the least

[Northbigmuddy]

So my question is...is it possible to collect hundreds of bands or are those guys with the loaded lanyards just frauds?

[Blake Williamson]

So my question is...is it possible to collect hundreds of bands or are those guys with the loaded lanyards just frauds?

Most of them are BS......

[jacksbuddy]

So my question is...is it possible to collect hundreds of bands or are those guys with the loaded lanyards just frauds?

ALMost ALL of them are BS......

Fixed it for ya.

[tobydawg]

20+ years for me with no jewelry nor have I ever been on a hunt when a banded duck was killed.

[Bonecollecter1111]

i got one banded greenhead, been 15 yrs (dang thats hard to say) i know guys that killm every year, and like alot of yall guys that may never see them. i believe its more where you hunt than anything.

[GulfCoast]

Dr. Williams that hunts with us has been hunting them hard for 40 something years, and has never killed a banded duck. And been vocal about it. Last year opening morning his son popped a banded mallard drake out of the blind with him. I told him "there went your chance." Our collective club has averaged one per year shot at the club for the last 5 years: 3 woodies, 2 greenheads, and a gadwall (first one I have ever seen banded). It's pure luck of the draw.

[Dux Be Us]

Been shootin' at dux since 1975...killed one banded woodrow drake about 15 miles from where he was banded in Iowa about 20 years ago

Have seen three banded mallards come off an un named wma...one double band with reward

[kris Schaumburg]

I started duck hunting in 1994. I have killed a couple thousand ducks and not a single band. Took my buddy on his first duck hunt in '97 and his first duck was a banded green head and he lost the band the same day.

some of it is def luck, a lot of it is odds. I'm not calling this guy in particular out, but his post says started duck hunting in 1994, and killed a couple thousand. Assuming he really started in 94, and given the fact that the 2012 season is just commencing, he has hunted 17 years. That would mean he killed an average of 118 birds a year. That is year in year out, good years or bad, and kill that many his first year as well. Let me tell you, 118 is a lot. that is limiting out for 20 hunts a year in big duck season. Yes, i do a lot of actuarial and statician type stuff for a living. Maybe ya'll really do kill that many, i don't know i'm not calling you out. I know chad that posted above you, is probably younger than you, he kills a lot of birds. see his odds, that looks right to me for someone that kills a lot. 120 birds a year is a lot.

[SWAG]

I am 41 and have killed 7 ducks with bands and witnessed another 10 or so when they were killed. 1 wood duck, 1 gwt, and 5 mallards. We killed them more when I was young (16-24 yrs old) than we do now. Used to you could about figure 1 band for every 100-150 mallards killed. Now it is more like one in every 250-300 mallards killed. Think it has ALOT to do with where you hunt too. Almost all the mallards killed in our little home area have been banded in the same place in Saskatchewan. Seems like the ducks from that particular area winter in our area each year. Just luck they are also the same ones that are from a site where bands are fixed. The banded gadwall that Mark spoke of is a real trophy. I would think the ratio for gadwalls has to be 1 band for every 1000 gadwall killed

[RiverDuck]

At one point 2 or 3 years ago our group of hunting buddies had killed close to 1200 birds between a season and a half without a band before the drought was broken. Not made up numbers, we kept daily logs. I could very easily see an individual going on extended periods without a band after seeing those numbers first hand...

[Blake Williamson]

Best yr I've ever had has been killing 87 birds and that was when I was in college and worked night shift at Wal-Mart was able to swing morning hunts 3-4 times a week.....Now I'm doing good to kill 30-40 a yr. Last yr it was only 27.

[SWAG]

Also killed a mallard with a band from an Oklahoma hunting club once. Gave the band away because I did not have a computer at the time and the guy I gave it to was going to look it up on the internet. Think they may have been banding some tamies or something. Do not remember the story behind the club and their banding. But was a neat harvest even if I do not have the band now.

[CL]

I was lucky enough to get 10 banded mallards in a 9 year period from '92-2001 and haven't gotten one since. I'm not too worried about it though because #10 was the "Holy Grail" of duck hunting, a Jack Miner band!!

[Blake Williamson]

I was lucky enough to get 10 banded mallards in a 9 year period from '92-2001 and haven't gotten one since. I'm not too worried about it though because #10 was the "Holy Grail" of duck hunting, a Jack Miner band!!

Yeah I got a buddy that hunts with me some that has killed three bands with a one being a Jack Miner.