I have just started ducking hunting. I was invited on a teal hunt this past weekend, my 3rd real duck hunt. The talk of bands came up in the duck blind during a slow time. My question is what are the odds of getting a bird with a band and that goes for any migratory bird. Thanks

I calculate it at 847.835 to 1

Iv been hunting for 16 years and havnt got one lol... got a buddy that shot a double banded green head as his first duck... and another shot a banded wood duck hen on his second hunt

I'm sure somebody will pop up with some real numbers but for your average hunter, I'd say 1/1000 birds for my wild guess. Personally, I've shot 1 wood duck, 2 teal, and a Canada.

Goes up significantly if you hunt mallards up north (They band a whole lot more of them)or if you're like some facebook posting decoy manufacturers who hunt the fields they banded them in and you shoot 14 banded Canadas in a hunt.

I did in my post utilizing a Poisson distribution.

Well I was just wondering. The guy who invited me has been hunting ducks for many years and finally got a blue wing teals with a band.

But and here it comes. 30 minutes later I shoot one with a band also. And if i can figure out how to put pictures up i will show you both teal side by side.

And forgot to mention I did get a white wing dove in 2009 with a band.

I'm due for one this year.

Couldn't tell you a number, but it's all luck. I know people who have been hunting a looooooong time and haven't gotten one.

I know people who just started and got one...like yourself.

If you hunt near places that they band birds, your chances increase.

If you stay south like us, it becomes a lot tougher.

It's simply all luck

Featherduster. Do u know where Garwood Texas? Small place south of there.

Each year around 350,000 ducks and geese are banded across the United States and Canada. Of those 350,000 only about 88,000 are recovered each year. This means that each year less than 0.8% of all ducks and geese are banded and less than 0.2% are recovered. "

You see banded geese get killed all at once like that because they usually stay together more than ducks... Band a flock turn um loose and lucky group gets most of them

I've killed just over 1,000 ducks in 38 seasons and have killed only four banded ducks. Three were in the exact same spot over a four year period (three different species). Never killed a banded goose but have killed many fewer geese.

Had 2 bands- both mallards since 94

Played competitive golf for over 20 years, never had hole in one. Hunted over 30 years, never shot a banded bird. Have a buddy who plays golf once every 2 years and hunts once every 4. He has 3 holes in one and 2 banded birds.

Has a lot to do with where you hunt. I've killed a mallard with a band. He was 11 years old.

If you are a new hunter and I'm introducing you to the sport on your first hunt the odds are 3 to 1 in your favor.

If you are me and average 3 days a week in the blind every season for years the odds are about 800 to 0. Ain't got one yet.

Between me and the guy I normally hunt with and people we take from time to time we have killed anywhere from 450-850 ducks per season for over 20 years. You can do the math on that, with those numbers 6 bands have been recovered if that tells you anything.
Of those 6 bands two of mine came from different states, only one in Texas and not in an area I normally hunt. My buddy got one opening day 2012 on a lake we normally hunt but that would be the last one.

This will be season number 21 for me keeping a detailed log. I've personally shot 1600 birds in 20 years.550 of those were mallards with 3 being banded. No bands from the other 1050 non-mallards. In total my group has 8 bands from 1650 mallards over the years and zero from the 3300 non-mallards.

Interesting, I have a teal, wood duck, and a Mallard.

Yea, I'm kinda surprised by that also. We have killed about 200 BWT and 380 pintails without any jewelry to show for it.

2nd duck I ever killed at 8 years old was a banded BWT. After that it took another 13 years to kill my next one at age 21 and now I am 24 and have a total of 5. 2 mallards, 1 pintail, 1 bwt, and 1 mottled duck. I have seen dozens of others killed. Mainly mottled ducks. I have friends that kill at least one banded mottled duck a year and it took me 16 years of hunting in southeast texas to kill my first one. Funny how it all works.

It really varies from location to location, and luck has a lot to do with it as well. If I recall correctly, I would say in the past 12 years as a group we have shot 4500-5000 or so ducks/geese, of those we have shot 23 banded birds I believe. However, there's been periods where we don't see one for 500+ birds, and then will kill 2 or 3 in a two week or so period. I do think it would be very cool to see something showing the percent of birds banded each year, couples with survival rate of those birds banded in previous years, to get a tough estimate of % of total waterfowl population that is banded. The population distribution would be pretty skewed though, as I know plenty of places you can go see 20+ bands in one sitting.

Marcstar shot a banded BWT last year, I've personally seen him claim at least 50 birds per hunt so my guess is it's like 1 in 20,000 birds.

I have killed I believe 4 mottled ducks and one specklebelly and have been "seriously" duck hunting (3-4 days a week) since I was 14 and I'm 27 now. I guided hunts up in Lubbock throughout college and we killed thousands of dove, ducks, geese and cranes every year. In my 4 years up there guiding I only was witness to 3 bands being killed in my personal group, 2 whitewing dove and one pigeon. Yes not one duck or goose. However I did have spots that I would allow some buddies to hunt if I had more spots than I needed at the time. I had a shallow playa lake that with a little rain, would flood the edge of a millet field. One buddy of mine hunted that place 3 times over a 2 week period during teal season and killed 3 banded greenwing, one on each hunt. I also had permission on a pond right on the city limits that the geese would rest in after their morning feed, had some guys I was acquainted with if I would mind if they asked permission from the owner to hunt it as well, I said no because I had plenty of other spots and it was hard to hide for that spot, In 2 hunts they killed a banded Ross and 2 banded Canadas. Just luck of the draw, some guys go on a hot streak.

I keep a log also of my total duck and goose kills, I've killed about 1150 ducks and 53 geese in the past 9 seasons, one banded mallard drake two seasons ago and a double banded pigeon several years ago.

Think about how many birds have came in and you've missed or lost that might have been banded... stuff like that drive me but I cant help but think about it!