Duck Baiting Season

[Treeshark]

The first shot I ever took on my first ever duck hunt resulted in a band- hen mallard that was banded locally.

Hundreds of ducks and 25 years later, I’ve only got one more since then (locally banded wood duck).

 

[Hatchie Dawg]

I think I see one coot in there. Did he get a band?
HD

 

[KipCarson]

I think I see one coot in there. Did he get a band?
HD

Believe it or not I have banded some coots. I don’t do it very often, they are hateful vicious little birds!

 

[Elk247]

Not one of yours, from Canada Saskatchewan. Always neat to see where they are from and when they were banded.

I shot a pair of Canadian geese once that were banded and also had neck bands. They were both banded on the same day eight years prior.

 

[Nick87]

I shot a pair of Canadian geese once that were banded and also had neck bands. They were both banded on the same day eight years prior.

That is awesome

 

[Northwoods Labs]

Have yet to shoot a banded bird. My dad got two drake mallards this year that were banded locally.

Interesting trap you have and pictures

 

[jrabq]

Duck season has closed and for me that means that the work has begun. I am unashamed to admit that I am a duck baiter. While that is a high crime most of the time, for me it’s just another day on the job. The day after season ends I load up the ATV with as much corn and hen scratch as can be carried and head out with a plan to feed and capture as many of the wintering waterfowl as I can get my hands on! I don’t have any intention of harming them though, I just give them some jewelry and let them go while creating many happy hunters in the process. As part of my job we have a federal banding permit and we band anywhere from a few hundred to thousands every season. The main target we band is green winged teal, but we catch and band a mix of mallard, pintail, ringneck, wood ducks, gadwall etc. If you shoot a banded duck from north west Louisiana there is a high chance that it was me or one of our guys who are responsible. Last time I looked at the numbers we band more green wings on average than any other single place in the U.S. This season it’s shaping up to be pretty slim pickings and the landowner/employer has chosen to drain a large portion of where we usually band early this year for agricultural purposes but I’m sure I’ll be getting my hands on quite a few regardless! Everyone always asks about the rocket net but we don’t hardly ever use one anymore. We made some large swim in cage traps with one-way funnels that are easier to deal with. They’re harder to set up in the beginning but easier to use repeatedly and in the long run catch more from one spot. They’re also easier on the ducks. I’ll try to post a few pics here as I go through the season baiting, catching, and banding. Currently the bait is put out and I’ll spend the next week monitoring the sites and when the bait starts getting hit hard I’ll deploy a trap. Here is one of a trap full of ducks from a few seasons ago to get it started. I tried to upload a few more but it’s was saying the files were to large.View attachment 126774

Wow that is a pile of birds! And what a cool job!

I grew up in NW La in the 60's and 70's, bands were very rare. I never shot a banded bird there, and only knew of a couple of friends who did. Since moving to NM it is much more common, I think because I hunt "downstream" and "upstream" of some high volume banding sites. Typically shoot about 1 banded bird a year, sometimes a couple. Probably have a few dozen duck bands but only one goose band. I keep all but one in a drawer, still wonder about those guys with lanyards so full I'd be afraid to fall overboard. I guess aluminum is not that heavy so maybe they are safe.

OK I'll show off my Nirvana duck hunt from 2015, banded mallard and a pin X mal hybrid. I posted the hunt details here long time ago; I'll certainly never top that experience.

Have you ever banded a hybrid duck?

 

[KipCarson]

Since moving to NM it is much more common, I think because I hunt "downstream" and "upstream" of some high volume banding sites.


Have you ever banded a hybrid duck?

Your theory about being downstream of a high-volume banding site I would think is spot on. Certain localities just turn out more bands due to proximity from banding sites is all it is.

We have banded five or six hybrids over the last 10 years. I don’t have any pictures of them unfortunately.

 

[F250]

I have banded thousands of ducks and Canada Geese. I have used portable swim-in traps and rocket nets. Assisting our biologists, when time allowed, was always one of my favorite late summer/early fall jobs. I have shot quite a few banded birds : Mallards, Teal, Wood Ducks, Canada Geese. I have shot two banded Redheads : one in Ontario and one in Saskatchewan. My most unusual banded bird was a Ross Goose.

 

[SO7mm]

I catch a lot that are previously banded. Those bands are added to the record which is turned into the bird banding lab if they were foreign encounters, meaning banded from somewhere else besides here. If it’s one we banded that just shows back up here, which is a lot, we make a note of it for our records. Double banding as far as I know only happens by accident, not common practice.

Great picture and work your doing. We get quite a few banded mallards in CA. I got one 10 to 12 years ago with a second blue band that was a $100 reward. I called in the numbers and was sent the report of the two captures and $100. I had a friend get a similar band several years prior. We've gotten banded gadwall, redhead, cinnamon, pintail and many mallards but not a green wing. Maybe one of yours will make it out our way.

 

[KipCarson]

I banded the first batch this morning, it was terrible… I only captured 12 ducks total, nine Pintail and three mallards. But I really am not surprised, it is unseasonably hot here and when the temperatures rise ducks do not hit the grain very much. Most people would be surprised at how hard it actually can be to bait ducks lol! Over the years I have dumped out a lot of grain that has just rotted without the ducks ever touching it. If it’s not in the right location and the right conditions a bag of corn is not the magic bullet that most rednecks think that it is. This far south you had better have some cool temps before ducks really want all those carbs in their furnace. Overall with the weather pattern looking like it does I suspect my catches will be pretty low this season overall. I will do what I can but in the end most of the factors that come together for a good banding season are beyond my control.

Here is a picture of the fully set up trap.

And a few more pics one of my helpers took for me this morning.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Very cool ! That would be a blast to do!

I wanna just see a hybrid at some point!

Personally have shot 7 bands, none from LA though, got a redhead hen that was banded in MT thou....

Keep at the great work!
Matt

 

[KipCarson]

Finally caught some green wings, about 40 today. The first blue wings showed up heading back north also. They’re absent all duck season here until they start coming back through mid February. 60 bands handed out total this week so far. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

 

[Nick87]

Blue wing is beautiful!

 

[Duck-Slayer]

I’ll take one those blue wings for the wall!
Matt

 

[KipCarson]

@Duck-Slayer they do look pretty sharp this time of year in full breeding plumage! I’d like to get my hands on a cinnamon, we don’t get them here.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

@Duck-Slayer they do look pretty sharp this time of year in full breeding plumage! I’d like to get my hands on a cinnamon, we don’t get them here.

If you wanna come up to Idaho, we sometimes run into them early in Oct or late January if it’s nice.
Matt

 

[Nick87]

I had no idea that cinnamon were around SE idaho. Good to know!

 

[cgarner]

I was lucky this year and got a GWT banded in Alaska.

 

[cgarner]

I had no idea that cinnamon were around SE idaho. Good to know!

A ton of Cinnamon Teal migrate through that area down the the Great Salt Lake.