# Mallards with some Bling



## GTN (Dec 14, 2009)

Well my partner layed out on me sat morning so I decided to go solo. Only got to pull the trigger 4 times. Had a couple more groups of mallards work in and sit in deks after I limited on the greenheads. never senn anymore to finish the limit. First band I ever got. Hadn't called it in yet. I was pumped to finally get some bling.


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## GSURugger (Dec 14, 2009)

Nice!


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## PaulD (Dec 14, 2009)

Solid!


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## Nitro (Dec 14, 2009)

Short migration I bet. 

Nice work on the clip toes!


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## Swampagator (Dec 14, 2009)

I will have to try some ducks one day never had the chance to hunt them.  Love to eat them just never shot one.


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## DUhollywood1 (Dec 14, 2009)

hek yeah man! how much is that reward band worth?


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## Nitro (Dec 14, 2009)

DUhollywood1 said:


> hek yeah man! how much is that reward band worth?




That is not a reward band. It's a preserve band.........from someone's Mallard release program.


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## hogdawg (Dec 14, 2009)

congrats!!


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## Medicine Man (Dec 14, 2009)

Either a skeeter branch or reward band...Congrat.'s either way..You either got extra cash in your pocket or you cleaned up the gene pool. 
Sad thing is.... I think your going to find out, that's a pet duck that was banded 7 miles up the road 2 months ago. I hope I'm wrong.


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## Nitro (Dec 14, 2009)

This is what a real reward band looks like for comparison.


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## Ronbow (Dec 14, 2009)

*Congrats guys gotta love that jewelry. says ronbow*


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## GTN (Dec 14, 2009)

You guy's are correct. Just called the number on it and all I got was some guy named Greg. I left a message for them to call me back. Oh well. 

Just to clarify these birds were no where near any reserve that I know of.


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## MustangMAtt30 (Dec 14, 2009)

GTN said:


> You guy's are correct. Just called the number on it and all I got was some guy named Greg. I left a message for them to call me back. Oh well.
> 
> Just to clarify these birds were no where near any reserve that I know of.



Give us the number.


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## Nitro (Dec 14, 2009)

GTN said:


> You guy's are correct. Just called the number on it and all I got was some guy named Greg. I left a message for them to call me back. Oh well.
> 
> Just to clarify these birds were no where near any reserve that I know of.



Hey Sir, 

Congrats on a good hunt. You have no way of knowing if the birds are wild or release. You did your job- found the "X" , called them into gun range and killed em!!

Nice work.  (they will be tasty)!!!!!! Go kill some more!!


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## Medicine Man (Dec 14, 2009)

GTN said:


> I left a message for them to call me back.



Why???


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## georgiaboy (Dec 14, 2009)

Nitro said:


> This is what a real reward band looks like for comparison.



Like Nitro mentioned just below the reward band is the giveaway.   Notice how his has the "dew claw" and the first bird has his clipped.  I never knew that until a few years ago.  (Just FYI for anyone who didn't know what Nitro is referring too).

Either way, you killed a solo limit of mallard drakes and that is cool stuff man!  I wouldn't care if they were released or not, you obviously did it right considering you could have probably killed alot more. 

I bet your partner regrets laying out.


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## GTN (Dec 14, 2009)

Medicine Man said:


> Why???



Just to see where it came from. 

They called back. It is club call BRP stands for big rack plantation in Barnsville Ga. They guy said they released 500 in July. He also said they had some kills called in from VA and NC. I killed the bird about 100 miles north of Barnsville.


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## Nitro (Dec 14, 2009)

GTN said:


> Just to see where it came from.
> 
> They called back. It is club call BRP stands for big rack plantation in Barnsville Ga. They guy said they released 500 in July. He also said they had some kills called in from VA and NC. I killed the bird about 100 miles north of Barnsville.



Now I will modify my earlier statement- Great job!!!!!!!!

This is the inherent problem with release Mallards. They will pick up and migrate with wild birds. They are also breeding with wild hens and diluting the wild bird bloodlines. MRP birds are also breeding with wild Black Ducks which will probably be the end of that species eventually..

Anyone who actively releases Mallards cannot consider them self to be a Waterfowler...

GTN, be happy that you have done the resource and all of us a great service. Thank you!!!

We have killed so many of the Tamies in SC, that it would blow your mind. 20 years ago, all we killed  over there were wild Mallards. Now, it is a rare day when we don't kill at least some Tame ones.


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## GTN (Dec 14, 2009)

Thanks georgiaboy I had never even paid any attention to that. learn something new everyday. Now I will know when I'm killin some preserves released pets. LOL

Nitro so will all the released birds have the dew claw clipped?


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## Medicine Man (Dec 14, 2009)

I'm not sure about specifically having the dew claw clipped. 
I think they are required to have some type of marking that differentiates them from wild birds. I believe that's just what most places choose to do for that marking.


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## Nitro (Dec 14, 2009)

GTN said:


> Thanks georgiaboy I had never even paid any attention to that. learn something new everyday. Now I will know when I'm killin some preserves released pets. LOL
> 
> Nitro so will all the released birds have the dew claw clipped?



USFWS Regs state that they "SHALL" be marked with either a "seamless"  band or a clipped toe..

Many Mallard breeders (Frost) are circumventing the band requirement. The SCWA group are no longer banding their birds- in an attempt to skirt the law...

Release Mallards are a scourge on the planet- threatening Wild Ducks all over the U.S. - especially FL, MD and oddly Hawaii.......

From the USFWS website- 

Dealing with nuisance mallards is more complicated than controlling muscovies. If mallards are obvious hybrids with muscovies or other domestic ducks (see photo above), then no federal or state wildlife laws protect them from capture or direct population control. These hybrids may be moved to a captive situation where they would not come into contact with wild birds, or humanely euthanized as a last resort. If, on the other hand, the mallards have plumage similar to true, wild-strain mallards, and the birds are not marked as captive reared (generally, either marked with a clipped hind toe or a seamless metal leg band), then the birds are protected under federal migratory bird regulations. Destroying eggs or directly controlling populations requires appropriate mallard control permits

Clear as Mud..


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## Coach N (Dec 14, 2009)

So, do I understand it right?  Clipped toe or seamless band = not counted against a limit?  Not that I often have the problem of killing to many.


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## Nitro (Dec 14, 2009)

Coach N said:


> So, do I understand it right?  Clipped toe or seamless band = not counted against a limit?  Not that I often have the problem of killing to many.



I believe that would be a sticky wicket to get into with a Game Warden. Safer to reduce them to possession and stay at or under the 4 Mallard daily limit.

I know several folks who have tried that and lost the battle. The only way I know to legally go over four is to be on a "Preserve"........

(This information is purely for general informative purposes and is no way intended to be legal opinion or to be viewed as such)..... Take it for what it's worth.

Now from the "Experts".............

Skeeter Branch operates under shooting preserve commercial  license # 30034,  therefore it is not
necessary for you to have any other  license.

We insist that our birds be hunted with respect, requiring that hunters limit themselves to one box of
ammunition (25 count). This box limit applies regardless of bird limit package.

We also require  # 5 shot or larger in tungsten, bismuth, heavy shot or lead.

Absolutely no steel!


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## LOVEMYLABXS (Dec 14, 2009)

Nitro said:


> Hey Sir,
> 
> Congrats on a good hunt. You have no way of knowing if the birds are wild or release. You did your job- found the "X" , called them into gun range and killed em!!
> Nice work.  (they will be tasty)!!!!!! Go kill some more!!




X a bunch ya done good on the green that for sure


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## GTN (Dec 14, 2009)

Thats good info Nitro. I wish I knew if the others were released or not. I will be lookin for this from now on. I can see where your frustration is coming from after reading up on the situation.


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## georgiaboy (Dec 14, 2009)

GTN said:


> Thats good info Nitro. I wish I knew if the others were released or not. I will be lookin for this from now on. I can see where your frustration is coming from after reading up on the situation.



Call me and I will help you kill some more so we can check!  Matter of fact lets get 4 or 5 of us in there and make a dent with 20 birds!


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## Nitro (Dec 14, 2009)

GTN said:


> Thats good info Nitro. I wish I knew if the others were released or not. I will be lookin for this from now on. I can see where your frustration is coming from after reading up on the situation.



Shoot Man, 

Just keep chopping em out of the gene pool. They will be good on the grill or in the Dutch Oven.


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## Timber Cruiser (Dec 14, 2009)

So SCWA releases tamies?!  I did not know that.  I've got 3 SCWA bands on my lanyard from 96, 97.  Just assumed they were captured and released wild birds.


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## Public Land Prowler (Dec 14, 2009)

talk about bustin a fellas bubble...congrats on your first band man..I had heard the waterfowlers here were grumpy,and over opinionated...


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## Nitro (Dec 14, 2009)

Timber Cruiser said:


> So SCWA releases tamies?!  I did not know that.  I've got 3 SCWA bands on my lanyard from 96, 97.  Just assumed they were captured and released wild birds.



SCWA never had a trap, band and release program to my knowledge on Wild Mallards. They were totally a Frost buy and release organization. Quite a revenue creator for them...

David Weilicki preferred to truck in his Mallards.....If they were wild mallards that had been trapped and banded, they would have had to band them with USFWS AVISE bands.....by law.

FWIW, I have at least 30 SCWA Bands in a box off Tamies I have exterminated over in SC.......we call it "costume jewelry" (no offense intended).......

PLP, sorry to appear "Grumpy and over opinionated"....

I am happy that the OP had a great hunt and got a band- he has done all of us a great service... Trust me!


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## ssm (Dec 14, 2009)

In 1999 I killed three banded ducks from a preserve in SC, while hunting here in south Alabama.  All were on differnt days on the same lake.   There are several wildfowl preserves here in Bama that have release-pay hunts.  

There is another group that I believe is called Alabama Wildfowl, that sells pen raised ducks for release.  They are all banded as well, never killed one but have seen bands from them.

Congrats on killing the banded mallard!


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## JDAWG (Dec 14, 2009)

too much to read congrats on the bands


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## kscoggins (Dec 14, 2009)

congrats bud, good limit of birds and some bling regardless of the type.  Lets reduce that population by at least 8 in a few days...


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## MudDucker (Dec 15, 2009)

Public Land Prowler said:


> talk about bustin a fellas bubble...congrats on your first band man..I had heard the waterfowlers here were grumpy,and over opinionated...



Hmmm, at which preserve do you "guide"?

Would you rather here about it here or have a bunch of guys laugh at you when you show up with a tamie band on your lanyard?

Education is a good thing.  Oh btw, bambi really doesn't talk either.


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## Coach N (Dec 15, 2009)

That is what I thought.


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## jkade72 (Jan 20, 2011)

I killed a mallard with the same band this morning. I had never killed a banded duck in 13 years of duck hunting until this year, I killed a banded drake about 2 weeks ago and the banded hen this morning. Sorry to bring up an old thread. The one I killed a few weeks ago had a federal band on it, still waiting on the info.


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## wingding (Jan 20, 2011)

Congrats on the bling


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