Banded Birds

[ASHQUACK]

13 plus year old drake Harliquen. Band was smooth, banded as an adult in Canada.

That’s like the trophy of all trophies. Wow!!!

Thanks! It has a very special place on my wall. And since its the only band I've ever got that I know I shot its very special.

[duckmen1]

Never shot any banded waterfowl. Many years waterfowl hunting with solid success. Only a spruce grouse from Conconully area.

[Feathernfurr]

Our group has about 15 in 10 years, gotta be out of thousands of birds. All mallards, most of them banded in the region we killed them within the 2 years prior to harvest and generally juveniles when banded.

[MackDaddy509]

Myself and many of my huntin partners have killed dozens of honker bands (many local to the Yakima Valley). I was lucky enough to get a double banded honker back in high school, bird was 11 years old from BC w/ a $50 reward. Also killed a 4 year old double banded drake mallard, banded in BC w/ a $50 reward.

Our group killed an 8 year old banded Pintail drake from Tokyo, Japan out of Moses Lake in 2022. 12 dudes in the corn, my close buddy from high school won the draw. The bird was banded on his birthday 8 years prior.

Pretty cool stuff.

[frazierw]

The Tokyo Pintail and the smooth Harlequen are absolute trophies.  So cool to find that stuff in our state.

[Feathernfurr]

I think the Tokyo pintail has to go on the wall even if it was absolutely destroyed, simply because of the story.

[KP-Skagit]

Tokyo... That is something else...

[Jpmiller]

I hate this thread, but only because of jealousy. I’ve never shot a banded bird. Used to waterfowl a couple times a week, guys in the group got them while I was there but never even on a bird there was a question if I could have shot it. Wanted one so bad, I envy you guys. One day…

[MackDaddy509]

Tokyo... That is something else...

It took me a couple weeks to get ahold of the imperial bird sanctuary over there. Finally a completely “normal” sounding man who spoke fluent English got on the phone. I gave him my info, and they sent the bird info within another week or so.

[KP-Skagit]

Tokyo... That is something else...

It took me a couple weeks to get ahold of the imperial bird sanctuary over there. Finally a completely “normal” sounding man who spoke fluent English got on the phone. I gave him my info, and they sent the bird info within another week or so.

I have heard pintail will get turned around in the breeding grounds and hop flyways, wondering if that was the case there. Doubt it traveled west to east!

[MackDaddy509]

Tokyo... That is something else...

It took me a couple weeks to get ahold of the imperial bird sanctuary over there. Finally a completely “normal” sounding man who spoke fluent English got on the phone. I gave him my info, and they sent the bird info within another week or so.

I have heard pintail will get turned around in the breeding grounds and hop flyways, wondering if that was the case there. Doubt it traveled west to east!

Correct, spoke with a USFWS waterfowl guru, I believe his name was Brad Borton, and he said likely scenario was since Northern Pintails breed in Siberia (both from North America and Japan), the drake followed a hen over to Alaska and down… he also told me that our bird was the first Japanese banded pintail ever reported in Eastern WA. Fourth to be reported in WA state since they started keeping track (I believe since the 1960s).

[CedarPants]

Tokyo... That is something else...

It took me a couple weeks to get ahold of the imperial bird sanctuary over there. Finally a completely “normal” sounding man who spoke fluent English got on the phone. I gave him my info, and they sent the bird info within another week or so.

I have heard pintail will get turned around in the breeding grounds and hop flyways, wondering if that was the case there. Doubt it traveled west to east!

Correct, spoke with a USFWS waterfowl guru, I believe his name was Brad Borton, and he said likely scenario was since Northern Pintails breed in Siberia (both from North America and Japan), the drake followed a hen over to Alaska and down… he also told me that our bird was the first Japanese banded pintail ever reported in Eastern WA. Fourth to be reported in WA state since they started keeping track (I believe since the 1960s).

That is really cool!!

[erronulvin]

I'd have to say we have killed a pile of snows over the last 10 years here in the columbia basin and have finally have gotten in the few bands that have came from NW territories and wrangle island russia. And out of all the snows this is the first year I've seen a collar in flight. The next coolest band I've killed is a aviary banded pintail

[MackDaddy509]

Not waterfowl, but I saw this girl in my front yard the other day.  I have never heard of tagging turkey before.

Killed a banded gobbler in the Blue Mountains back in 2015. Could never get in contact with the local Bio, but heard there was some Trap & Transplant nuisance town birds that were relocated.

[Dan-o]

Not waterfowl, but I saw this girl in my front yard the other day.  I have never heard of tagging turkey before.

Killed a banded gobbler in the Blue Mountains back in 2015. Could never get in contact with the local Bio, but heard there was some Trap & Transplant nuisance town birds that were relocated.

That would be cool!