# Selling Unreported Bands



## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

As some of you know the E-bay trend of selling unreported bands trickled on to nodakoutdoors yesterday. Just curious on how some of you feel about this. I for one think it should be made illegal. A lot of money, time goes into catching birds and putting bands on them. If I shoot a bird here in ND and sell it to a guy in VA and he reports it as being shot there well you know the research data as just been screwed with. Now maybe one or two instances may not be earth shaking but if you have ever gone on e-bay you know its a growing trend and its bound to have negative impacts. Whats your thoughts/opinions on this subject?


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## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

I can't stand it. Like PC mentioned, it will screw up a lot of data. I am wondering if there is a way to make it illegal or a way hunters or researchers can bring it to Ebays attention.

One thing I am wondering is how many are just bands that are left over from a project or some people just bought.

Anyway I am against it.


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## Triple B (Mar 9, 2004)

I think its rediculous, not only does it mess up important migration data, its a pretty low thing to do. it would be like wearing your military uniform with a bunch of medals that you did not earn, you'd be a fake or a fraud, bands are not a good way to judge a hunters skills, however the better hunters usually have more bands, which is usually because they hunt more often, which means they are probably better hunters  , some places the odds are better, some people are just in teh right place at the right time. however if your ever lucky enough to shoot a few banded birds its nice to relive the days you got them, its something to be proud of, i know i wouldn't go around lying everytime someone asks where i got my bands, its pretty lame if you ask me. but its america, everyone wants to look good and impress others, even if it means being a fake.


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## justund223 (Aug 28, 2006)

I just can't understand why you would want to buy a band? To tell stories to your friends? I just can't figure it out, if anyone can tell me a good reason to buy one, please let me know. uke:


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

I don't like it because it screws up the data that is used to manage waterfowl populations.

Other than that I could give a crap less if people want to buy or sell them. I'm not disgusted or suprised by the practice. It's human nature for a certain segment of the population to want to look the part (whatever that means in this case) and if that means they have to pay to do it then that is what they are willing to do.

You have to give the guy selling the bands some credit. He is using that segment of the population to buy things that he feels are more important than a piece of aluminum with some numbers on it.

You want to know the true character of a waterfowler? Watch how they act when a band gets shot and there is a question on who shot it. Its the best test I've ever seen.


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## Sasha and Abby (May 11, 2004)

I'm with the Chop on this...

I believe that a LOT of those bands on eBay are FAKES... reproductions of real bands...

I killed a band three weeks ago. What is to stop me from manufacturing 10 copies of it and selling them on eBay over the next few weeks??? Nothing... no one would ever know, if I advertised it as already being reported.


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## indsport (Aug 29, 2003)

Will be interesting to see the response from FWS. As a news note, there should be a website up and running sometime this year that will allow you to report bands on line.


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

indsport said:


> Will be interesting to see the response from FWS. As a news note, there should be a website up and running sometime this year that will allow you to report bands on line.


I think its been up for a while. Just google bird band and I think the Fed page is the first one to come up? I used it this September.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

PorkChop, your absolutely right. Statistical analysis may pick up the outliers and give you a 95% confidence level, but a biologist is still going to look at that location as a legitimate movement of that individual bird. It may make some place absolutely worthless for wintering waterfowl look as if it has some value. Very poor behavior and should have some form of negative consequence for it.


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## Dak (Feb 28, 2005)

I hadn't ever heard of this until this thread. Strange thing to do in my mind. If it weren't for the screwing up of research data, I wouldn't care less. This MAY violate E-bay's selling rules but just like the selling of anything illegal on e-bay...you need to report it to them item by item.

:beer:


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

gandergrinder said:


> You want to know the true character of a waterfowler? Watch how they act when a band gets shot and there is a question on who shot it. Its the best test I've ever seen.


That is as good of a test as there is.I hunted with a guy a few years ago that claimed two bands in the same weekend.Both were shot during a barrage of gunfire and the guy swore that he shot them both.I did not care as I have allready shot several banded birds, but a few of the other guy's hunting have never shot one.A coin toss or drawing straws would have been better.I no longer hunt with him.
On the other hand ,many of the guys I hunt with now flip a quarter if it was shot in a barrage of gun fire.Myself,twice I have given the band back to the rightfull owner.After finding a different size shot in the bird it definately was not mine.Who would really want it if they did not shoot it.


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## Dak (Feb 28, 2005)

I don't mean to offend anyone. I no longer hhunt waterfowl. My wife loves to hunt upland so we compromised...we hunt upland. My dad and I used to hunt waterfowl A LOT. While shooting a banded bird was ok and it was fun to help in the research on a species, I didn't and still don't understand why some treat it as such a big deal. Enlighten me.


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## h2ofwlr (Feb 6, 2004)

It is like buying and wearing a SuperBowl ring when you were not even there. It is PURE EGO to play the big shot---to prove to others that you are worthy to be called a duck or goose hunter. yeah riiiiight. :roll: The fact is those that buy them are so damned insecure with themselves that they must resort to buy one. As for the sellers, well I bet they'd sell their little sister for the right price too. 

What it is all about is ones character, or the lack there of.


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## MRN (Apr 1, 2002)

Imagine the happiness I create when I slip the band onto a client's bird. The tips and repeat business more than makes up for the cost of buying the band on Ebay. It's embarrassing when the client calls it in and its already reported... so I only go for the clean numbers. It's much less embarrassing when a BWT was banded, but a mallard hen was shot... no one is the wiser. Really, trust me...

Sorry - I was just channeling a bit....

M.


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## boondocks (Jan 27, 2006)

I must be missing something here. Whats the big thing about bands? And why the heck would you buy one on E-bay?


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## lesserlover1 (Nov 28, 2006)

MRN.... so you are telling us that you buy bands on e-bay. to make more money.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

lesserlover1 said:


> MRN.... so you are telling us that you buy bands on e-bay. to make more money.


I think he was just being sarcastic.


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## lesserlover1 (Nov 28, 2006)

ya. ok.. i see what he is trying to say. but sumthing needs to be done about buying bands on e-bay.is this what sum waterfowlers have to do to get a band. sad very sad.


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## MRN (Apr 1, 2002)

Lesser - I'm with you. I was just trying to illustrate why the bands must be unreported (e.g., clean), and link all evil in the world to the g/o's.

M.


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## ADN (Sep 27, 2005)

I have seen several hundred geese get shot in the last two years hunting. In that same time, I have seen 5 bands get shot. I usually hunt with between 3-5 people. I get my fair share when birds are shot. Out of the 5 bands, I didn't shoot a single one.

Getting a band is getting lucky. As you get more birds, your odds of getting a band increase. The emphasis put on bands in pop culture hunting (look at lanyards on videos) is damaging to hunting and to research.

Hunting isn't about how good you are at it. It is about experiencing a natural environment and enjoying being outside.


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## lesserlover1 (Nov 28, 2006)

ya. but you have to look at how much people like zink or foiles hunt. and sum hunters need to stop and say to them self i'm never going to make a move or be on tv.and most poeple can't hunt 100 days out of the year.just think if you could hunt that much and be by a place were they band birds.i guess what i'm trying to say is it needs to stop and it is crap.and if you do buy bands on e-bay.you are not a true waterfowler.


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## Azman (Mar 1, 2005)

It's simple. If everyone who feels the need to buy bands requires the original certificate as part of the transaction the data remains pure. If the certificate isn't available let the buyer beware.


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

Azman said:


> It's simple. If everyone who feels the need to buy bands requires the original certificate as part of the transaction the data remains pure. If the certificate isn't available let the buyer beware.


If the band was unreported there will be no cert. If a guy feels the need to buy someone else's bands then I guess thats their problem. But when you buy unreported bands and report them as being shot somewhere they were not well that just messes with the whole intent of the banding system. It should be made illegal. If tax dollars are being used to fund banding projects and the data is being tamperred with then I don't want my money going there. I am honestly surprised the feds have not done something about this. It confuses me!


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## Old Hunter (Mar 8, 2002)

ADN The last sentance in your post says it best.


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## DJRooster (Nov 4, 2002)

A guide slips a band on one of his clients birds????? Some of you guys are way, way out there!!


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## MRN (Apr 1, 2002)

So what you're saying is you're a little less proud of that banded mallard drake the guide retrieved for you that the FWS somehow got confused with BWT hen banded in California? Ya, I can see that.

M.


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## nickwesterholm (Nov 16, 2006)

i ebay a lot looking for different hunting things and w/o fail every time i look up anything in regards to hunting bands pop up. a lot of times i see sets of matching collars, tarsus, and leg bands all in one. i hate it. i just went onto ebay and searched goose bands and it turned up 120 results. they range in price from a 5 dollar avise goose band to a swan collar going for a 154 dollars right now. it's stupid. i agree, i wish there was some way to stop it


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

I guess I've just never seen the attraction. I've shot a few birds with bands and it was an interesting novelty but nothing I found noteworthy as a "trophy". As a matter of fact the instances when I did shoot banded birds it usually happened that several were shot from the same group which makes sense when you think about it, as it is likely that birds were banded together as a group probably frequent the same areas and fly in the same flocks. Nothing peculiar or special about that. It's not like they are more difficult to hunt or have some physical features that make them a trophy. It may take a bit more skill to specifically identify banded birds on the wing and shoot them but their appearance is just for the most part random. It is likely that some specific areas may be frequented by more banded birds but again just due to the birds already having the common connection of being hatched or banded in the same area. The data available from the band is far more interesting to me.


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