Waterfowl banding efforts help provide critical monitoring data

Thousands of ducks and geese are banded across Idaho each year as part of a federal waterfowl monitoring program. This June, Fish and Game staff led banding efforts at two locations within the Clearwater Region- Winchester Lake State Park and Lewiston Country Club. A total of 75 geese were processed this year (50 females and 25 males) including 64 newly banded geese and 11 geese that had previously been captured and banded by IDFG. Over the last two years, a total of 163 geese have been banded in the Clearwater Region.

You may be wondering, how does Fish and Game capture wild geese and handle them while carefully placing a metal band on their leg? Well, that is a good question. It can be a tricky endeavor. 

Several staff members are required for a successful goose round-up. Also, timing is a crucial component of a successful round-up. Biologists take advantage of the molting period, when geese are replacing their feathers, so that geese are less prone to flying and evading capture. During the capture event, a few staff are assigned to watercrafts to push geese toward a temporary pen set up on the bank. The remaining staff are spread out on the shore to help funnel geese to the pen. As the geese move onto the bank and into the pen, staff surround the pen to contain geese. One to two people enter the pen to catch geese and hand them to others for processing and banding. Experienced staff carefully age, sex and securely attach a band to each goose prior to their release. This process tends to go smoothly, and staff members are cautious to make sure that birds are handled with minimal disturbance. 

Waterfowl bands hold an important place in waterfowl hunting to track migrations and populations. As banded birds migrate, they are frequently harvested by hunters, recaptured by researchers or eventually found dead from other causes, and the information on the band is relayed back to the U.S. Geological Survey and entered into a database. This banding data, in addition to breeding population estimates and harvest data, are the core purpose of this study.

‘Banding efforts provide biologists with numerous insights into waterfowl biology, including migrations, survival, harvest and reproduction, says Kenny Randall, Clearwater Region wildlife biologist. "When considering the distances some waterfowl may travel throughout the year, gaining this sort of information can otherwise be incredibly difficult."

Randall also explains that information gleaned from reported bands provides the basis for wildlife biologists and managers to make informed decisions when it comes to designing hunting regulations for waterfowl. "It also provides an important avenue for hunters to contribute information that steers the management of the resource.’

If you harvest a duck or goose with a band, please remember to report it to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) - report a band webpage as soon as possible. By reporting your banded harvest, you become part of a larger citizen science research effort which ensures healthy populations of waterfowl into the future. After reporting, hunters receive a certificate of appreciation that includes where the bird was banded and how old it was at the time of banding.

For more information on waterfowl hunting in Idaho, hunters can pick up a 2024-2025 Migratory Game Bird brochure from a licensed vendor or from your local Fish and Game regional office. Hunters may also download season and regulations info for free, as well as licenses and permits, on the Go Outdoors Idaho app available on the App Store or Google Play store.