Bands on hen mallards

Crooked Hook · 12-20-2005, 07:09 AM

I only have 5 bands for a number of years of duck hunting and all of them were on hen mallards. The obvious reason for this would be that more of them are banded as youngsters but my question is simply WHY? Anyone?

duckboy · 12-20-2005, 07:23 AM

becasue they were tracking Breeding Hens.

Quack Attack · 12-20-2005, 07:37 AM

good question, but I think you are just shooting too many susies!

I have about 12 or 13 (don't keep that close track) and only a couple have come from hens. I think it really has to do with how they are banded if there really is a difference. They usually catch them when they are flightless in the spring, babies would be random, then you have the mothers that would get included. When I photgraph birds in the spring or winter I usually notice more on drakes than hens as well. You're just unlucky

waterfowlin101 · 12-20-2005, 07:42 AM

Here is the real reason.

When banding takes place during the molting season, there are more hens present in the local breeding area. The bander will set a trap and band every bird that comes in. Because more hens are around, more hens have bands. It's not a drastic difference, but...

This info was given to me by the bird bander on SI.

Jon

snit · 12-20-2005, 08:00 AM

Good info! I too have over a dozen bands off of green heads, and my old man has more than that. Neither of us has got one on a suzy. I think the actual banding is just luck of the draw, what they catch gets banded.

IMO, there's got to be more suzies flying around with bands, because alot of hunters don't/won't shoot hens??? Just food for thought. My wifes first and only band was on a hen that 4 of us passed up, (we generally just shoot drakes) and she dumped the little gal

. LOL

urbslayer · 12-20-2005, 10:48 AM

I've seen twice as many banded birds shot this year than in previous years and actually shot 2 this last weekend, one drake and one suzy. Just an observation.

Crooked Hook · 12-20-2005, 12:15 PM

I think it goes without saying that we, duck hunters, target Drakes over hens but on days where I am having a hard time getting any action I resort to whacking a hen if she presents herself. All five I have were taken on the island and I have seen a number of photos of other guys with banded hens as opposed to drakes so I was just wondering.
What you said makes sense Jon and you got it from the source. Thanks for the responses guys and good hunting. Kris

billc_sbio · 12-20-2005, 01:11 PM

Funny this topic came up...

I just got a certificate yesterday on a banded Cackler, I shot at the end of Nov.

So I added it to my "collection" of certificates. Looks like I've got a pretty good "wad" of them from over the years.

Most of mine are from Ducks, as I shoot probably 10X more of them than Geese.

So I was looking through them, noting any trends. What I noticed is that almost ALL my Mallard bands are drakes! I think I have 1 Susie in there...

I have 2 banded Pintails, and they're both hens.

CMallardDrake · 12-20-2005, 01:50 PM

Speaking of "luck of the draw" when it comes to banded mallards and hens to boot.

Back in December of 1992, I hunted over decoys alone on the L&C Refuge above Astoria. In five hours, one lone bird came in and I dumped it and it ended up being a banded hen mallard. Only bird of the day.

The following day, I hunted with my nephew and after four hours we were fed up with the slowness of the hunt but just as we were getting ready to PU and leave, in came a lone bird. My nephew dropped it and once again...a banded hen mallard.

When I sent in the bands the results showed the two birds were two and six years old and banded, one near Orenco, OR (to this day, I'm still not sure I know where this is...near Hillsboro somebody told me) and the other down near Sacramento, CA.

I guess all the odds of such a kill and having that happen makes it not worth my while to play the lottery. My luck has been exhausted .

:tongue:

billc_sbio · 12-20-2005, 02:04 PM

Orenco=Oregon Nursery Co., a small "company" town established in the early 1900s E.N.E. of "Downtown" Hillsboro. Now part OF Hillsboro.

It's just a little bit to the S.W. of the Hillsboro G.I. Joe's and on the other side of the MAX tracks!

Your duck was probably banded by a volunteer or graduate student bander, working for the ODF&W...

My guess is that it was probably trapped/banded on the wetlands section of Ronler Acres, now home to the big Intel facility, which wasn't there when you shot that duck. The wetland's still partially intact, saved as a fenced off area of Intel's site.

CMallardDrake · 12-20-2005, 08:49 PM

Quote:

"Orenco=Oregon Nursery Co., a small "company" town established in the early 1900s E.N.E. of "Downtown" Hillsboro. Now part OF Hillsboro...

Your duck was probably banded by a volunteer or graduate student bander, working for the ODF&W..."

billc_sbio....

Thanks for the info on Orenco. Seems I was driving in that area one time and thought I saw a population or welcome sign that said "Orenco" as I was trying to find my way back out to Hwy 26 so I could get back to the coast. This was back just after I shot the banded bird so maybe before it became a part of Hillsboro.

In looking at the certificate again this evening, it states it was banded by Brad Bales, waterfowl biologist. Mr. Bales was with ODF&W for along time, maybe still? Seems I've heard that name many times over the years but have never really known who he was.

Wonder if the Intel folk are still banding a few mals during coffee breaks in that area........ :shocked:

snit · 12-20-2005, 09:50 PM

Great story Cm!!! My dad and I had a similar experience hunting in the Yakima area. It was late morning, after a decent shoot and he spies a single that's way high. I highball and highball and I finally get the bugger into the deeks, dad shoots and it's a banded (greenhead). COOL!!!

A couple hours later (haven't fired a shot since his banded duck), we spot another loner, the old man then high balls and highballs and I shoot it. Yep, a banded drake, but successive numbers!!! And they weren't tagged that year either. I need to look and see the specifics, but they were't banded locally and not that year. Cool coincidence!!!

billc_sbio · 12-21-2005, 05:35 AM

Snit,

If I'm not mistaken, Brad Bales is currently the HEAD Biologist for the ODF&W.

Brad was instrumental in many programs and studies in cooperation with Graduate Wildlife Students from OSU, and often THEY banded ducks while Brad was the Banding "Agent" (bands issued to him).

Brad became a field Biologist for the Dept. after graduating from OSU during the 1980s and was stationed in the Boardman area, where he and his colleague, Mark Kirsch, both setup some really NICE Waterfowl and Upland Bird hunting opportunities by setting up some "Cooperative Hunt Management" areas with large agribusinesses in the Boardman area that offered some great Duck/Goose and Pheasant hunting opportunities.

I believe Brad was also a principal in getting the Columbia River opened up to hunting, where it was formerly a State Refuge from Arlington to Boardman.

Because of these efforts (I beleive) Brad was promoted to Head Bird Biologist at the ODF&W Hq. under the Head Biologist, Ken Durbin. When Ken retired in the 1990s, Brad was the "natural" to fill his position.

BTW, the "town" of Orenco, just a short block of houses and what was once their Grocery/General Store is quite interesting. That one building, "the Store" has a very "old West" look to it. I think it's currently a waggon shop, building old time waggons and carriages and restoring them!

If you'd like to see Orenco, go on Cornell Rd., past the Hillsboro G.I. Joe's, towards the Hillsboro Airport. Just past G.I. Joes, Cornell will bend left, then right. Turn left at the light at N.W. 231st (to your left, it's N.W. 229th on the right). Proceed to the MAX tracks then turn onto Alder St. which is right ACROSS the tracks and go up about 150 yards. You'll be right in front of the store!

CMallardDrake · 12-21-2005, 04:49 PM

billc...

I believe you wanted above to respond to me but most likely snit got some good information from your post too.

Back in 1978, while attending OSU, I volunteered one Saturday morn to help with the check-in and out of hunters at Baskett Slough refuge, there north of Corvallis. I remember the head guy who was doing detailed research on the geese taken, was from the university and may have been Brad Bales. Maybe that's why the name rings so familiar with me. Man that was a long time ago now.

(now that I re-read your information, BB is younger than I first thought)

Next trip across the coast range I'll make a little side jog into the Hillsboro area and look for this area you describe above. I'm into that old west look in store front buildings and the like.

CMallardDrake · 12-21-2005, 04:57 PM

Quote:

"... Yep, a banded drake, but successive numbers!!! And they weren't tagged that year either. I need to look and see the specifics, but they were't banded locally and not that year. Cool coincidence!!!"

My nephews and their boys who live down Eugene way, went for a hunt on the other side of the Cascades this past early season and they came home with four or five banded ducks. I believe they were all banded at the same time, same capture, and were all young and not wise of the dangers that lurk amongst floating decoys.

The odds of banded birds killed in succession, banded at different locations and at different years and not of the same family unit...man, that's gotta be rare indeed. Unless..."birds of bling, bling feather, flock together!"..........

That sounds like the situation with your two greenheads.

billc_sbio · 12-21-2005, 05:00 PM

CM,

Yeah, Brad's a lot younger than me! :shocked:

Hey, PM me your e-mail and I'll send you a pic of that neat old store!

If you like "old tyme" western places, you'd LOVE this place!

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...92908633UVwAnF

CMallardDrake · 12-21-2005, 05:12 PM

Nice photo at the link you posted. Those old CA gold rush towns are nice and get you to wondering how things used to be in those days.

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