year of firsts continue - my first band!

[mazzgolf]

This has been a banner year of hunting for me - I don't know how, but it just keeps getting better and better!   The year of firsts continues - November was my first deer, December was my first duck, and now January my very first banded bird (not to mention first time I got multiple ducks on a trip)!

 

Last time me and my buddy went to the duck blind, water was all iced over on all sides and in front and we didn't have any luck. He's away but since it's the last week of duck season here in the south zone, I wanted to try to get out one more time. So I headed out myself on a solo duck hunt. Conditions were good - complete cloud cover, low 20s temps, even had a small frozen rain/snow shower come through. The ice was still there on both sides of the blind, but right in front was about 50 yards of open water! All I did was put out 8 mallard dekes and did some really bad calling (well, OK, not that bad - Haydel's Deceiver mallard call is pretty good) and had a bunch fly in starting just after shooting time. Got two mallard drakes come in about 15 minutes apart landing into my set that I got - one was banded!

I had a bunch of other birds fly by but, damn, these birds are fast!! I really need to practice more - I missed a lot. Could have got more if I was able to shoot better.

 

Here's a story that happened. I shoot the one bird and he is still moving around. I don't like leaving animals mortally wounded like that, so I leave the blind to go out and retrieve the bird so I can put it down. I'm almost back to the blind and I'm busy putting the bird down when all of a sudden I hear a splash in the water behind me and then wings flapping!!! I quickly turn around and I don't see anything but the rear-end of a bird about 2 feet off the water flying away at warp speed!  A duck must have landed in my dekes, spotted me on the bank of the water and spooked and immediately flew away as soon as it landed!!! If I had just waited a few minutes before retrieving the bird, I would have been able to get another one (well, assuming I can shoot straight  )! Oh well... I thought that was funny anyway.

 

[Wallew]

Sweet!!!

[LPJR]

Getting better and better for you, well done Mazz! 

[Buck154]

cool 

[rackemup]

Very Cool!!!

[Bucksnbows]

You are on fire!  Congrats

[Zipper]

Congrats on the jewelry!

[A-5 Pemberton]

Awesome!!

[The Buschman]

Congrats!

[TDietz]

way to go that's awesome!!!

[Russ 11]

Congrats on the band and your stellar season .

[Rusty]

This was a great year indeed mazzgolf, congratulations.    

[ratherbhunting]

congrats. let us know where they were banded and when.

[mazzgolf]

congrats. let us know where they were banded and when.

 

Banded in the summer of 2013, hatched sometime in 2012. Bird was about 5 years old! Banded locally on the Delaware river. I don't want to give specific location away because this bird apparently didn't travel very far

[Buck154]

Banded in the summer of 2013, hatched sometime in 2012. Bird was about 5 years old! Banded locally on the Delaware river. I don't want to give specific location away because this bird apparently didn't travel very far

Always interesting how old and where they come from. I only got 2 bands