Nodak Outdoors Hunting & Fishing Forums

[gooseslapper]

I have noticed alot of pictures on different waterfowl forums and noticed alot of guys younger than me or not much older that are supporting call lanyards with 10 plus bands on them. What are you guys thoughts on this are most legit or are they doing the majority of their hunting on ebay?

[tikkat3]

lol, i think they are probably shooting bands, just gotta hunt near and bandsite!

[slaughter house]

not many its only takes a few years to get some ive got 2 in two years and im only fifteen

[GooseWack'r]

it really depends on location, our conservation department bands about 1000 geese in our region and if you can get to them before they head south youll have a pretty good turn out with bands. I average 3 banded birds a season and i take about 60+ birds a yr

[Bloodyblinddoors]

I hunted with a kid once who had a ton of Bands on his lanyard. I think he was like 15. Turns out his father and pretty much all the other adults in his normal hunting party gives him all the bands.

Thats somthing to be proud of

[Chuck Smith]

I find nothing wrong with giving bands to kids that are hunting with a group.

I mean if 10 birds come into a spread and four hunters unleash on them and 5 hit the ground and one is banded......who killed it? So why not give it to the kid in the group. But that is just my 2 pennies.

[Scott LeDuc]

[shooteminthelips]

Anyone who hunts with me will gladly tell you that I have the biggest horseshoe up my butt you have ever seen. However the more you hunt the more chances you have to get bands.

Also you need to look for them. When you get birds in close and they put the landing gear down you need to look. It is the same thing with neck collars. But sometimes those are dumb luck also. Two of the neck collars I have shot I never even saw them when it all went down.

[GooseWack'r]

how do you not see neck collars?? i saw mine

[Bloodyblinddoors]

[shooteminthelips]

Well one ross goose with a collar I shot came in with a flock of about 1000. Only myself and brother were hunting. I tripled on the flock dog brought the one back and it had a neck collar.

Second goose came in the fog with another goose and we never saw it until we went out to pick it up. Dumb luck. I told you I have a horse shoe the size of Texas!

[aboller]

[barebackjack]

The real question here is not where the band came from, but who the hell really cares?



Waterfowlers is funny.

[Lqpvhonker]

I would have to say being only nineteen that I am probably one of the lucky ones. I have shot three banded birds so far this year. One mallard, one teal, and one goose. So far i have ten goose and two duck bands, not to mention the two bonus dove bands i have on my lanyard.


Good luck to guys this season

[MN goose killa]

It seems like around here one in about ten birds that I've seen get shot had a band for geese...

[Goose junky]

In our area we have shot over 200 geese the last couple seasons and not one has been banded.

I don't see what is special about getting a band by a banding site. Also do you guys think seeing bands on a lanyard means they are that much better of a hunter?

My day will come when I get one but until then I am going to judge my season on how much fun I had hunting with friends and family not on how many bands, or lack there of, I get.

[MuleyMan]

It's been 14 falls since I began hunting. Now I grew up in an area where waterfowl hunting was more opportunistic and good hunts were hard to come by but, my college days sure changed that! That being said I can't say how many bird harvests I've been a part of but, out of everything I've harvested in 14 years of hunting fowl I've seen only one banded honker and been very fortunate to see a neck collared rossie taken....Oh to live near a refuge where they band lots of birds!

[justund223]

its just all about luck, until this year the last banded bird i shot was 10 yrs ago. This year we have shot 5 and all were pretty cool. birds were banded in 93,98,99 02 and 03, and everyone was banded in different state or providence. Not to mention i have shot the fewest birds this fall compred to previous years

[dakotashooter2]

Location, Location, Location

I have hunted NE ND for nearly 35 years and have a grand total of 5 bands (all ducks) three of which came from the same flock. I just don't hunt in a band rich area and honestly am more interested in the info available on the bird than the band itself. I couldn't even tell you where my bands are at.

[wingaddict]

I theres a 18 year old kid whos only hunted ND and has a lanyard full of bands, somethings awfully fishy.

[Chuck Smith]

[teamshakeandbake]

does a band make you a better hunter or something ???? seems to be that bands are all people go waterfowl hunting for anymore

[Chris Hustad]

I like certificates that come with the bands. I frame them at my hunting house...it's interesting to see the history.

The bands themselves sit in my office drawer.

I think people put too much emphasis on them for sure....especially when I hear people fighting over them.

[Gooseguy10]

[diver_sniper]

If there's one thing that has soured waterfowling for me over the last few years it's bands. Everyone seems to to think that a lanyard full of bands makes them something more than the guy who only has a few. What no one seems to understand is that BANDS ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A LITTLE BONUS when you pick up a bird. Having them doesn't mean you're good at anything. This fad of people feeling they need to build up their waterfowling resume by having X amount of bands and shooting X amount of birds is absolutely ridiculous. News flash for everyone: It's not a competition. You can not win or lose. This totem pole that people think they're climbing because of what they've accomplished doesn't really exist. We're all the same thing. Just a bunch of guys going out there trying to shoot a few birds. There is no score card. There are no rules as to what qualifies as a "legit band", or what makes someone a higher class hunter than the next guy. It's all just a bunch of stupid bull s*** that people make up in their heads. Waterfowling, like most leisure activities in life, is what you make of it. If a kid wants to have a bunch of bands that he didn't shoot, good for him if it makes him happy. If another kid wants to make a youtube video of himself throwing his next band into a pond just to watch all these "if it flies it dies, whack stack murder kill muder kill" hardcore waterfowlers get their panties up in a bunch, then good for him too.

Before anyone jumps me, I'm not saying don't enjoy shooting a banded bird. By all means, savor it. It's a special event and in most cases it doesn't happen very often. What I'm trying to say is don't make it out to be more than it is. Don't think that because you now have this band you're somehow different than you were before. And don't think that anyone else should look at you any differently either.

[MuleyMan]

Very well said Diver Sniper. Banded birds are really neat, but the little bit of aluminum doesn't make the bird taste any better...

[muskat]

I didnt even bother reading anything after the first post.

Who cares if people have bands on their lanyards. Hunting is about enjoying the outdoors, with good friends, family, and loved ones. Spend some time outdoors, enjoy the trips, the memories and don't worry about "bling." Success isnt measured by the number of birds or the number of bands, its measured by the quality of time spent away from the day to day life we live.

[Preds21]

When it comes to neck bands, thats good eyesite, as far as leg bands unless hunting by the band site or using binoculers in the birds at 50 yrds instead of shooting its one word LUCK. I have been hunting waterfowl for 12 yrs and kill my fair share of birds but have no goose bands and only 2 duck bands and the funny thing about that is i got those on back to back days. My dad however been goose hunting about 4 years has six i think. including one right in front of me in our front yard!!! only cause he was the only one with a gun in his hands. And remember these are just my opinins on the matter

[gooseslapper]

Only reason I brought this up is because I know a couple guys younger than me that both have 10+ bands on their call lanyard and hunt the same general area's I do. The DNR in my area bands a couple geese here and there. The two guys I know probably have more bands on their necks then the DNR has banded in the area. I want to call them out on it, but I just leave it be. Not really worth a fight as bands hold no significant value to me.
I just find it hard to believe that bands have become more popular than the sport itself. I'd rather shoot my limit of mallards and geese in one sitting anyday than get one goose with a band.

[shooteminthelips]

How old are you? And how many band have you shot?

[USAlx50]

[gooseslapper]

I'm in my mid twenties and I have shot 2 banded geese. Me and two buddies of mine shot 250 ducks one season and not one of them had a band. We shot 60 geese last year and not one had a band.

[Bloodyblinddoors]

[justund223]

[gooseslapper]

I'm not b*itching, like I said in my previous post bands don't mean that much to me. I just can't believe ppl actually buy them off ebay or from friends. Just a weird turn in the waterfowling world.

[matofsrud]

i cant believe how big of deal some people make of a kid with bands on his lanyard who cares.

[fishhook]

I'm 35 years old and have never shot a banded bird, nor been on a hunt where one was taken.

Granted i don't get out as much as i used too, kids, but when i was younger it wasn't uncommon for us to have a morning where we took 40-50 snow geese and a limit of ducks. wasn't much for canadas in those days in the area i typically hunt. if you took a canada it was a pretty special morning.

i think taking a banded bird is dumb luck and hunting the banding areas. i don't consider myself "less" of a hunter because i've never taken one that's for sure.

[JBB]

I have hunted for 40 seasons now and some years shot 75 plus birds, some years not so many. Not a band one. Still had a great time.

[diver_sniper]

[USAlx50]