Banded percentage's.

[Blacktail135]

 Over the last 10 year's my dog has retreived a little over 1200+ duck's. Not all the duck's have been shot by me. Anyway out of those 1200+ duck's we have gotten 5 leg band's. Not gonna figure out the math but, how has everyone else been doing on their leg band count's?

[carpsniperg2]

to many birds to count ducks and geese since i was 10 i am 22 now 1 woodduck and 1 band very hard to come by on this coast

[Blacktail135]

 Agreed!

[carpsniperg2]

that's just not right h2ofowlr i shoot alot of ducks and have every year and my fair share of geese as well i have never killed a snow but i live in goldendale only seen a few ever i have shot i speckled belly goose 2 years ago. i have a buddy who is what i call lucky  like you i think he has 5 now darn him.

[DOUBLELUNG]

"Someone had mentioned at one time that for every hundred birds harvested you might get one banded one.  Don't know if that is fact or fiction.  Just hear say."

I know I am considerably below that.  I shot a redhead (banded in ID) over 10 years ago, only one for me, ever.

[h2ofowlr]

Bird Band – Duck Band – Goose Band
March 24, 2009 by admin   

By PJ Maguire

Traditionally one must harvest a lot of ducks and geese before shooting a banded bird. Therefore, it is assumed that if a waterfowl hunter has a lot of bands, he or she has shot a lot of birds. But most of the guys with lanyards full of bands on television will probably tell you they hunted them near banding sites. Some inside information will definately up your odds. Some people can hunt their entire life and never shoot a bird that is banded. Other waterfowl hunters have harvested dozens of banded birds. It all depends on where you hunt and how many birds get banded in your area. However, you could potentially shoot a banded bird anytime, in any location.

Each band has a unique number that identifies the species of bird which is tied to the life history. When you call in a band number, an operator will ask you a few simple questions like the date and location of where the bird was harvested. You will receive a certificate in the mail containing your name and information on the banded bird.

For most waterfowlers, checking for duck bands is the first thing on their mind when picking up a bird.
Along with regular bands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service puts ‘reward bands’ on some birds. Usually they put these leg bands on adult birds. Reward bands are typically worth any where from 25 to 100 dollars. The government sends you a check only after you report the information regarding the band. Getting paid to hunt, that would be a nice bonus for anyone.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service are not the only ones that band birds. Some hunt clubs put leg bands on birds they release. Pheasants Forever, an organization for the preservation of pheasants, sometimes bands pheasants that they release.

Nicknames for leg bands are a common place among my friends. They are often referred to as: jewelry, bling-bling, shine, hardware or leg irons. We refer to hunters who shoot a lot of banded birds as having “the force.”

Roughly 3.1 million leg bands have been reported to date. That is pretty small considering that since 1904 about 58 million birds have been banded in North America. Both of these numbers represent hundreds of different species of birds.

Across the nation hunters shoot banded birds every year, in just about every location. They make the hunt just a little bit more memorable and leave the hunter with a little souvenir. The first thing I do when I retrieve a harvested bird is check for a band. I encourage you to do the same. Band information should be reported to 1-800-327-BAND.

[DOUBLELUNG]

In 2009, approximately 200,000 ducks, 150,000 geese and 1000 swans were banded on breeding grounds.  With a north american population estimate of 42 million ducks (excluding seaducks), odds of a random banded duck are 1 in 210 this year. 

However, band recoveries are not randomly distributed either geographically or by species.  Mallards are far and away the most commonly banded duck. 

[andrew_12gauge]

* Someone had mentioned at one time that for every hundred birds harvested you might get one banded one.  Don't know if that is fact or fiction.  Just hear say.

ive shot a lot of ducks, had a couple seasons of over 200+ ducks and have still yet to get a band i think i have the worst luck of anyone, 3 seasons ago while i was living in washington, i had 5 buddies who each shot less than 100 birds the whole season get bands while hunting with me, i killed 250+ birds and still couldnt get one, i have bad luck

[h2ofowlr]

I had a mallard drake coming in from my lower left last year.  A guy that I took out for the first time wasn't hitting anything.  I switched spots with him and was going to back him up on the bird if he missed.  He nailed it on the first shot.  I was pretty excited he hit it.  When my dog brought it back he thought he had shot someones pet at it had been doubled banded.  Oh well.  He picked up a $25 reward band on the deal.  It happens.

[carpsniperg2]

2 bands omg what luck thats just crazy

[carpsniperg2]

wow those are some great pics thanks for posting them a leg and neck band wow

[teal101]

Been duck hunting since I was 10.  I average probably 100 ducks a year give or take depending how many days I'm in the field.  I got one banded mallard drake from Alberta about 6 years ago.  Then again I target divers mainly so my chances of bans are MUCH lower.