johnch

Here is my $.02

Weather you kill ducks or geese with them depends more on where you live than anything else IMO

Looking at geese
I live in Ohio , close to Lake Erie and Ottawa National Refuge
We have a active banding program , they quit neck banding last year
Lots of local geese are banded every year at the golf courses and refuges

So I have a big pool of local birds that have bands
Also we have lots of James Bay and other Canadan birds that winter in the local area

Now move 100 miles to the west of me or south
They are still raising lots of local geese
But they don't band
And they don't seem to get as many migrator that winter over

So if I have a decent spot and so dose the other hunter a 100 miles away
I have a great chance to kill a or several banded gooseand the other hunter may not even see one all season
Even though we may both kill the same number of geese



When you see a guy on a TV show with a lanyard full of goose bands
I will bet he hunted local birds in a area where they band heavaly
Shoot I have hunted with some of them , and some of them can't shoot for SH!T



As for ducks
I have killed some
None this year

And I am still looking for a Jack Miner band

But again location is everything
Ohio isn't the place


Have fun and enjoy yourself

John

mike2355

well i got 3 miner bands this year. Im just across the lake from ohio, in the town of kingsville (town of jack miners). Ive got 3 miner duck bands and a federal goose band. Miners is full of geese right now. I was checking them out with the binocs and saw a few neck collard geese in the field and LOTS of banded geese. Only a few more days left for us to get a few more bands. We've got 11 bands this year so far, 9 of them being miners, with 1 federal duck and 1 federal goose.

Carpmaster

Congrats!!!

deerhunter518

i have only got 1 band this year and is the only band i know of out of all my huntin buddies, it was a goose band but i am still waiting for info on bird. it is only my 2nd band,my first being a goose as well. it goes to show that location could have abig part. i have benn hunting for a number of years now and only shot 2 banded birds in the post before mine the person shot 11 banded birds

Carpmaster

John - as far as miner bands go you should be sitting good for an opportunity for them since a LOT of ontario birds migrate across erie....

johnch

Yea but they don't seem to stop around me
Of all the guys I know and talk to , that hunt localy ( probely 30+ )
Only 1 has a Miner band , even though some of the guys are retired and have been hunting for decades with lots of bands

But of the guys that hunt on the Ohio river , they see Miner bands

So my guess ,when the birds migrate they make a 300 mile jump to the south

But this AM after working , I stoped and watched geese for a few min on the way home
Just stoping in till I get picked up to head out for a afternoon hunt

John