Mallard band...what the heck is this?

[yorgi]

One of my buddies shot a banded drake mallard this week. The band however was not the standard USGS/CWS professional-looking one but rather a cheap aluminum jobbie with a two-digit number, nothing else engraved on it. Does anyone what organization other than the CWS would place such a band on ducks, just curious. Sorry for crappy pic.

 

[bbobie]

You shot a banded bird I have some from geese also, you usually send the number or the bands in ,I can't remember , they will send you info on where and when The bird was banded
I'm sure you will get some more info here really soon
I haven't hunted birds for years

 

[yorgi]

You shot a banded bird I have some from geese also, you usually send the number or the bands in ,I can't remember , they will send you info on where and when The bird was banded
I'm sure you will get some more info here really soon
I haven't hunted birds for years

Yes, normally that's what happens but the band usually includes a logo, contact number and letter-number 8-digit code. Not so in this case, "68" is all that is etched on it.

 

[bbobie]

Ya that's different

 

[Nipigon Jack]

You shot my pet mallard "68".
It was just the other day that I was razing him about being my second favorite pet. I always told him that his brother, "69" was my favorite. And we would laugh and laugh.
And now he's gone. Good bye 68, I'll miss you. You made a great hunting partner.
I'll just have to buy some plastic decoys and hunt like everyone else.

 

[Arclight]

Weird looking band

 

[yorgi]

You shot my pet mallard "68".
It was just the other day that I was razing him about being my second favorite pet. I always told him that his brother, "69" was my favorite. And we would laugh and laugh.
And now he's gone. Good bye 68, I'll miss you. You made a great hunting partner.
I'll just have to buy some plastic decoys and hunt like everyone else.

Did not want to mention it on the original post but that's EXACTLY what the two other guys in the group said to my buddy after they saw it...LOL. "Nice going man, you just someone's pet duck..." Hilarious.

 

[the spank]

You can buy bands and have them numbered and lettered with whatever you want. I suspect you shot a bird from a private club or organization that releases pen raised captive birds to supplement low fall flights in areas of the US. It is very popular there to do that with the change in migration patterns when warm temps keep the ducks from heading further south than traditionally. I shot a mallard one season with a band that had on it I.V.D.F.F and a number, nothing else. It took alot of research but eventually I found a contact with an outfit called Illinois Valley Ducks For The Future. They did what I was describing. Long story short they were led to believe their pen raised released birds would not survive nor migrate and their experiment would prove to do nothing more than provide birds for locals to hunt. The bird I got was 3 years old and the only recovery they ever had in Canada. Most of their recoveries came from Illinois to Texas. The guy I spoke with was quite enthused I had recovered their bird in New Liskeard, Ontario after he looked it up on a map while on the phone with me. I can't print his words but you get the picture! Deerdr banded a few Canada geese that hung out at his place with homemade bands with his phone # on them in case they were harvested hoping he would know where they migrated each season.

 

[swinginberrys]

I'm guessing it is a hunt club bird out of the US. Cool memory! Congratulations

 

[yorgi]

You can buy bands and have them numbered and lettered with whatever you want. I suspect you shot a bird from a private club or organization that releases pen raised captive birds to supplement low fall flights in areas of the US. It is very popular there to do that with the change in migration patterns when warm temps keep the ducks from heading further south than traditionally. I shot a mallard one season with a band that had on it I.V.D.F.F and a number, nothing else. It took alot of research but eventually I found a contact with an outfit called Illinois Valley Ducks For The Future. They did what I was describing. Long story short they were led to believe their pen raised released birds would not survive nor migrate and their experiment would prove to do nothing more than provide birds for locals to hunt. The bird I got was 3 years old and the only recovery they ever had in Canada. Most of their recoveries came from Illinois to Texas. The guy I spoke with was quite enthused I had recovered their bird in New Liskeard, Ontario after he looked it up on a map while on the phone with me. I can't print his words but you get the picture! Deerdr banded a few Canada geese that hung out at his place with homemade bands with his phone # on them in case they were harvested hoping he would know where they migrated each season.

Thanks for solving the mystery, makes sense now.

I'm guessing it is a hunt club bird out of the US. Cool memory! Congratulations

Just trying to help a buddy by asking all the learned folks on CGN, nice story to tell everytime the lanyard comes out!

 

[the spank]

Yorgi, not trying to hijack your thread but you got me thinking how did I get the info on the IVDFF band I recovered? If memory serves I shot that bird around '93 so even though the band has been on my lanyard for 23 seasons I haven't looked at it forever. So I searched through the bands on my lanyard and took a picture of the band. There is a P.O. Box and town/state address to mail to on the band. Although I cannot recall if I wrote to that address I will assume I must have and that is how the fellow who phoned me acquired my number to call me and tell me about their release program.

 

[yorgi]

Are you kidding me? That's a huge collection of bands, very impressive!

I now see what you mentioned in your earlier post, quite a bit of info listed on your band and valuable information shared.

 

[the spank]

Are you kidding me? That's a huge collection of bands, very impressive!

I now see what you mentioned in your earlier post, quite a bit of info listed on your band and valuable information shared.

I think I have around 75 I have kept and easily half as many as that which I have given to fellow hunters whom I shared hunts with that have never shot a banded bird or seen a band. My oddball bands to date have been the IVDFF band, a clipring on one leg and tarsal band on the other from a Canada banded in Greenland by the Zoolog Museum of Copenhagen, Denmark, a neck collar from a Canada banded on James Bay and three duck reward bands ($100).

 

[Bluedevil25]

Are you kidding me? That's a huge collection of bands, very impressive!
I think I have around 75 I have kept and easily half as many as that which I have given to fellow hunters whom I shared hunts with that have never shot a banded bird or seen a band. My oddball bands to date have been the IVDFF band, a clipring on one leg and tarsal band on the other from a Canada banded in Greenland by the Zoolog Museum of Copenhagen, Denmark, a neck collar from a Canada banded on James Bay and three duck reward bands ($100).

During the off season Spank brings his air gun along when golfing and takes out banded golf course geese!

 

[the spank]

During the off season Spank brings his air gun along when golfing and takes out banded golf course geese!

I found it too hard trying to golf and band collect at the same time so now I just do it "Foiles style" and grab a bunch of wonder bread when it's on sale and my Stoeger X-20 and head for the town parks and conservation areas!!

 

[Superbrad]

I would just like to take this opportunity to congratulate my fellow nutz on the fact that we have gotten this far in the thread and nobody has argued that the tag actually says "89"........

 

[the spank]

I would just like to take this opportunity to congratulate my fellow nutz on the fact that we have gotten this far in the thread and nobody has argued that the tag actually says "89"........

Ok way to start an argument Brad!!

I turned my phone upside down and it reads like a "68" still. Top that SUPERBAD or BRAD, whatever you go by?!!