Why Winter Banding?
Winter waterfowl banding is a relatively new pursuit that has grown in recent years, allowing us to identify the wintering areas and migration routes used by ducks. Researchers can estimate everything from more basic information like age and sex to complex data like species-specific survival probability, crippling loss, and recovery rate. All of these parameters help wildlife professionals set seasons and bag limits more effectively, which ensures healthy duck populations for the future.
Did you know: Harvest reports from banded waterfowl provided the data upon which researchers determined the North American Waterfowl Flyways.
GUNNER’s Partnership
To support winter waterfowl banding, we partnered with Dr. Osborne at the University of Arkansas in Monticello. In just a few short weeks, Dr. Osborne and his team are responsible for banding thousands of Mallards at more than six locations across the state of Arkansas. This past winter, some GUNNER team members and their families volunteered their time to join Dr. Osborne’s team in their winter banding efforts.
GUNNER was also able to sponsor two Telemetry backpacks that provide real-time data for their team. These have become a critical component for researchers during the Covid-era due to some studies being put on hold.
We’re thankful for the opportunity to partner with Dr. Osborne and for all of the conservation and research efforts conducted throughout the country. Check out GUNNER Gives to learn more about our support for outdoors + conservation and local non-profits.
