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My buddy's friend shot this banded widgeon last week.

The band's very old and worn. Can't see one letter or number on the entire thing.

Hard to believe a duck could completely wear out the digits on a band.

Anyone ever seen one like this? Anyone ever heard of birds being banded with blanks...on accident possibly?

Giving it to our auto theft guy at work to see if he can lift any digits from it.

Jehler can tell you what to do.

Old school transfer paper would work.

All the pictures I've seen of bands that smooth the band is paper thin. Interesting deal for sure.

You need to unroll the band, get a flat steel table, talcum powder, and a sledge hammer.

Powder the table, hammer back side of band, then read the numbers

Thank you McGuyver but it's not my band to destroy. We'll try our way first.

Yeah, I think I'd let Grissom give it a whirl first.

assateague wrote:Yeah, I think I'd let Grissom give it a whirl first.

Ha!

Fake.

Redbeard wrote:Thank you McGuyver but it's not my band to destroy. We'll try our way first.

There is a thread where someone asked the exact same question Red. Jehler has shot a few old bands. Just sharing. I'm not MacGyver. ..I'm Rick Moranis.

You can send it to the band folks who'll do some sort of acid wash to read the numbers then send it back to you without buggering it.

Rick wrote:You can send it to the band folks who'll do some sort of acid wash to read the numbers then send it back to you without buggering it.

I think that's what our auto theft guy is gonna try and do. If not I'll suggest that to them.

You can send it to the U.S. Department of the Inferior and they will etch it. Problem is they don't send it back. They tell you the out come of their tests.
I've seen paper thin ones that others have gotten and the etching still showed the digits. Has something to do with the stress in the metal from being stamped.

Yep, I'm that slow, I didn't read the other replies before responding.

Very cool. Ive read its their habitat that's to blame for that. Think I read somewhere that pintails are one of the more common puddlers that will wreck a band.

3legged_lab wrote:Very cool. Ive read its their habitat that's to blame for that. Think I read somewhere that pintails are one of the more common puddlers that will wreck a band.

Good thing it's a wigeon then huh.

NuffDaddy wrote:

3legged_lab wrote:Very cool. Ive read its their habitat that's to blame for that. Think I read somewhere that pintails are one of the more common puddlers that will wreck a band.

Good thing it's a wigeon then huh.

NuffDaddy wrote:

3legged_lab wrote:Very cool. Ive read its their habitat that's to blame for that. Think I read somewhere that pintails are one of the more common puddlers that will wreck a band.

Good thing it's a wigeon then huh.

What's your point dipshit? I didn't say that that band was on a pintail.

Did someone say pintail?

But seriously I would bet with widgeon being grazers I bet they are hard on bands. I've got a 12 year old mallard band that was worn thin and several digits were very hard to read but nothing like that.

Bootlipkiller wrote:Did someone say pintail?

But seriously I would bet with widgeon being grazers I bet they are hard on bands. I've got a 12 year old mallard band that was worn thin and several digits were very hard to read but nothing like that.

I still think it is a blank band and not a advise band because of this. I cant see the band well but most of the old bands are really thin but numbers are still somewhat legible or you could tell that there was something there.

The Duck Hammer wrote:

Bootlipkiller wrote:Did someone say pintail?

But seriously I would bet with widgeon being grazers I bet they are hard on bands. I've got a 12 year old mallard band that was worn thin and several digits were very hard to read but nothing like that.

I still think it is a blank band and not a advise band because of this. I cant see the band well but most of the old bands are really thin but numbers are still somewhat legible or you could tell that there was something there.

You thinking maybe a band put on by a private individual with an aviary and released? Possibly something a lot softer like aluminum?

3legged_lab wrote:

The Duck Hammer wrote:

Bootlipkiller wrote:Did someone say pintail?

But seriously I would bet with widgeon being grazers I bet they are hard on bands. I've got a 12 year old mallard band that was worn thin and several digits were very hard to read but nothing like that.

I still think it is a blank band and not a advise band because of this. I cant see the band well but most of the old bands are really thin but numbers are still somewhat legible or you could tell that there was something there.

You thinking maybe a band put on by a private individual with an aviary and released? Possibly something a lot softer like aluminum?

Yes and No. I was thinking something harder. Cause that band looks perfectly round and uniformly thick from what I can see.

i have 2 that look that way now you got me wondering .i just put em on a nail in shop

The salt and sand in the bay up there have to be tough on bands. That thing looks all beat to shit.lol

GadwallGetter530 wrote:The salt and sand in the bay up there have to be tough on bands. That thing looks all beat to shit.lol

this was shot over near you guys in the Nelson area

Redbeard wrote:

GadwallGetter530 wrote:The salt and sand in the bay up there have to be tough on bands. That thing looks all beat to shit.lol

this was shot over near you guys in the Nelson area

Oh, well. I retract my previous statement.

Everybody knows that ducks stay in the same area all the time. It not like they migrate or anything.

NuffDaddy wrote:Everybody knows that ducks stay in the same area all the time. It not like they migrate or anything.

My thoughts too. It's like when people say they won't eat a salmon from such and such river. Hello, it spent most of it's life in the ocean, not where you caught it.
Now, if the duck was shot on a farm pond...........