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I have been duck hunting since I was about 12 and I have had luck as to killing bands or being apart of killing a band, however this has been the craziest year ever. Early goose season band, then banded mallard, then another, then Wednesday banded goose, and Friday killed a banded shoveler. The only time I can think of anything like this happening is when we killed 2 bands back to back on two different groups of ducks.

Anyway here is the crazy part about all of this. I called the shoveler in and they told me it was banded in 1963. I asked her if she knew what she was saying and again she says 1963. So I wait around about an hour and I call them back. I talk to a different person and they tell me the same thing. I am waiting to here back if I have killed something that will or could change the way we think of waterfowl because I dang sure don't expect them to live 51 years. The band was not worn down at all, but it was an old federal AVISE BIRD BAND WASH DC. I think they may have made a mistake, because even 1993 seems unimaginable. I will report back when they call or send me my certificate.

That is crazy. Let us know what they say.

I have seen more bands killed this year than ever. My brother and his crew have killed 2 banded greenheads in a little puddle in the middle of a pine tree forest in Rankin County within a week. One banded in 2003.

Yea, we're gona need an update on this when you get one. That's crazy.

Clean livin...clean livin.

the doc

teul2 wrote:Yea, we're gona need an update on this when you get one. That's crazy.

^ This and congrats on one hell of a season, regardless as to how it ends!

I started duck hunting in 1995. The ducks I've killed number in the thousands, but I've never taken a band. Not once.

I've been waterfowling 15 years. I had a real good run in my early 20's when I lived in the Midwest and really laid the smack down, and got to do a good bit of guiding and saw a ton of birds die.

I harvested my second band two weeks ago. and that's only the 3rd band I have ever seen harvested.


its just the luck of the draw.

Its all in where you hunt and what kind of birds you kill. I grew up hunting west la and we killed thousands of birds shooting mostly divers and never saw a band killed. I move over here and kill bands usually every year. Two years ago I killed 4 wood duck two mallards and a teal. I've seen bluebills and redheads bands here. I don't know how many of those we shot on toledo bend over the 20 years I've hunted but i've never seen one until hunting here.

Well I received an email this morning stating that there is a discrepancy or potential error. There will be an investigation and the bander will be contacted to try and work out the error. The email states that this can be a very long process and may take months.

It will still be neat to see how old this band really is. I don't know if the information is placed into the system using a keyboard, but the number 1993 / 1963 are very close together when typing. Still 21 years seems pretty crazy to me, especially for an ole Miami mallard. If it is I might go on tour in the state of AL. I would be a legend there.

I didn't even know they banded shovelers.

They band everything

hntrpat1 wrote:They band everything

^^^ This

If it gets in the trap, they put a band on it.

I killed a banded greenhead this year. My first ever band I've killed, been duck hunting for 10+ years now (not saying thats long compared to some of you). It was hatched in 2008 or earlier, and banded in 2009.

And I thought my duck was fairly old

I FOUND a band on a duck that I had frozen to train my pooch with. It was a susie, and I got her out of the freezer and drove to the farm. Grabbed her by the neck to throw it, and heard a clink and looked down and a band was there! I always check up on the upper part of the leg in the feathers after that one.

sab316 wrote:I killed a banded greenhead this year. My first ever band I've killed, been duck hunting for 10+ years now (not saying thats long compared to some of you). It was hatched in 2008 or earlier, and banded in 2009.

And I thought my duck was fairly old

I FOUND a band on a duck that I had frozen to train my pooch with. It was a susie, and I got her out of the freezer and drove to the farm. Grabbed her by the neck to throw it, and heard a clink and looked down and a band was there! I always check up on the upper part of the leg in the feathers after that one.

I've wondered if I've done that myself at one time or another