The whole band situation can be disappointing, just depends on where you hunt mostly. I have been hunting for 25 years, the last several years I have hunted around or more than 50 hunts per season, number wise my boat or groups kill from 500-800+ ducks per season, the last few seasons have been 700-800+. Out of those hunts there have been 6 bands, 3 for me and 3 for my buddy I hunt with mostly.

Out of those 3 for me, 2 of them were taken in other states, only one in Texas for me if that tells you anything.

Last band taken on our hunt was opening day 2012.

I have 5 bands.

I have been duck hunting for 9 years (I don't count years before I was 16 because my dad would only take us about 10 times a year). For the past 9 years I bet I averaged 30-40 hunts a year. Killed my first band when I was 9 on a blue winged teal and did not kill another until I was 22, a mallard in Oklahoma. The next year I shot a banded pintail and banded mottled duck. The next year I shot another banded mallard. I have a friend who has killed a banded mottled duck every year for 10 years in a row but has never killed any other banded bird. He also only hunts about 10 times a year. I have killed around 200 mottled ducks in my life and only one band. They say 1/10 are banded but it has to be higher than that.

been hunting/shooting on my own starting at age 12, so 22 years now.

1 mourning dove. hunt dove about 12-15 hunts a year, kill about 200 a season.
1 pigeon. oops.

When i killed the geese i was hunting them about 10 times a season, usually average 10-12 birds a hunt.
1 Ross, 2 Specklebelly, 1 with neck collar

hunt ducks about 25-30 days a season, but hunted as much as 50 days as a teenager.
1 Mallard, 1 bluewing, 1 pintail.

i consider myself lucky to have this many bands at my age

36 Years 22 bands. 15 Mallard, 3 BW teal, Canada Goose, Redhead, Pintail, Woodduck.

14yrs who knows how many birds.... no bands... I don't like shooting released birds anyway

I've shot a banded turkey - circa '95, a banded gator - circa '03, and a banded duck in '07. I'm looking for a banded dove to complete the grand slam.

I have caught a double banded paddlefish before (Oklahoma). My first paddlefish actually

I did catch a tagged bass before

Hunted 14 years.

3 BWT (a while back)
1 Wood Duck (08'-09')
1 Greater Canada (13'-14')
1 Cackler (14'-15')can't claim this one was definitely mine, we dropped 22 out of one group. I offered it to the guy that scouted the field but he said finders keepers.

BWT and WD bands were stolen with my lanyard out of my boat in college. Yes, still pissed.

I have killed 5 bands. I, like my brother, have been seriously hunting ducks since I was 16 years old because thats when I was able to start driving myself but have duck hunted my entire life. I have 4 mottled duck bands and a speckled belly. I too had a lanyard stolen out of my truck in college that had my first two bands on it.

Where is OK Rob when ya need him with his pics of 58 certificates?

I could be wrong but it looks like Rob's new handle might be Centurion78

more bands killed on public every year than on private, just something to think about

Wrong thread.... But damn funny

Been fortunate to pick up a few. Haven't added one in a few years though. I'm in a slump I guess.
Not even sure of the exact count but somewhere round 70.
My customers shoot 5-7 a year it's like they won the lottery it never gets old.

My group only hunts in S. Texas. We took just over 750 birds the last 3 seasons and have 1 banded pintail hen for the group. Shoot mostly teal, gadwall and pins but bag many others. Feels like we'll have to head to mallard country if we want to shoot bands, but likely don't care enough to do that.

I've been a pretty regular duck hunter 25 years and I'm going to guess about 5 or 6 bands. Mallards, Woodies and a Teal. Never kept any bands because I normally eat the birds and get the band information.
I told this same story the last time there was a banded bird thread...
A number of years ago I was hunting with several guys on my family's place. One morning one of the birds I got was a real pretty banded Mallard hen. One of the other guys got a nice big northern Mallard drake. He said his was the best Mallard he had ever seen and was going to get it mounted. Funny thing was his bird laying on the ground next to mine made the best looking pair you can imagine. He knew I was probably going to cook mine so before I started cleaning her he worked up the courage to ask if he could have her and mount them together. I said sure and left the band on her but I got the band info so I could run it.
A little over a year later I was down in Houston visiting friends and we went by the other guy's office and damn if they didn't make the prettiest mount set. I got him a copy of the certificate and he has it with the mounts. Mutual friends tell me that when he tells the story he sometimes forgets to mention that he didn't shoot them both.

I've got a banded pigeon. Guessing that bird did not win the race...

jajaja, shoulda been a little faster....

I was thinking the same thing^^^ Can't hide from us

Gosh, the guys on the big screen have lanyard's full of them. We must be shooting the wrong holes.

Our group got a banded teal couple of weeks ago. Some guys on the lease have lanyard with quite a few of them. The banded teal was in garwood