# First Banded Duck



## toasty (May 15, 2008)

After many years and a few hundred ducks, I got my first duck band. Hit a small river and within 10 minutes of shooting time, I had 7 mallards down. Having collected all of my birds, but 2, I proceeded to search the brush where I marked them going down. After spending 30 minutes I switched gears and went for a walk trying to locate a bird that sailed on me. After no luck finding him, I went back to original spot I shot and marked the bird and started searching again. After another 30 minutes, nothing. Thought, It's only 9:00Am and nothing to get back for I continued to go back to the location I took the shot and mark the bird again. This time I worked about 20 yards around where I had him marked. At about 9:30 I found the drake mallard alive and hidden tight in some brush. I quickly grabbed him and dispatched him. Flipped him upside down along with the rest of the pile and lo a behold a band! Shot him with my favorite shotgun as well, the engravings are very fitting.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Hey congrats man... thats absolutely awesome. It makes it even better that you got him jumpshooting.


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## shaner (Nov 30, 2007)

That band is your priceless reward for not shrugging your shoulders and just saying" losing that bird let's me shoot another one". I was lucky enough to get my first goose band off of a goose I sailed 4 or 500 yards and not giving up on until I found it. My 1st band is as precious as my first set of archery kill elk ivories.
Congrats to you! The next one comes easier!


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

Yes, I'm a member of the Jump Shooter's club and as much as I like a big greenheads gliding into decoys, I really enjoy the chaos of kicking up big flocks of mallards off of a bend in a river. This bird was actually passing about 2 minutes after I shot on the ducks I jumped. 

I usually will give a solid 30 minutes looking for a lost bird. If I can't find it in 30 minutes, I usually continue hunting. Having already shot 7 birds, there was no need to shoot more ducks so nothing left to do, but search for the duck. The only other time I've looked that hard and long for a bird is when I shot a late season cinnimon teal. I'll bet I spent near 4 hours looking for that duck and never found him. I was just lucky I had a great shoot and had the time to find the duck.


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## BugBuilder (Oct 17, 2007)

Congrats on the band. It is a bad addiction now! I have gotten 2 over the years and can not pick up a duck without looking for a band immediately. Good looking shotgun as well. 

BugBuilder


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## MB (Sep 7, 2007)

Nice job bud! You need a dog!


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## duck jerky (Sep 8, 2007)

congrat's.


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

MB said:


> Nice job bud! You need a dog!


I agree, hopefully it will happen this spring.


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## Jonny Utah (Jul 4, 2008)

Well done toasty!


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## Artoxx (Nov 12, 2008)

Good job, I finally got my first band exactly one year ago tomorrow. 01/01/08 After nearly 20 years of waterfowling.
Ruddy duck of all things. :mrgreen:


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## Ryfly (Sep 13, 2007)

Fantastic! Serves you right for doing the right thing and finding that bird. I wonder how many banded birds have been shot and never recovered? That's one reason I try to get all the birds I shoot. Now get a dog! A good dog would find that bird in 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes or never.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

Congrats to you on the band.


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## deadicated1 (Mar 17, 2008)

my uncle's dog found two dead banded birds back in his day. its too bad when people dont make an effort to find their birds, so good for you for earning your band. its frustrating to lose birds, whatever the reason, especially cuz ALL the birds i have ever lost were banded :!:


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