Reward bands ($10) were placed on 2,122 hatching-year mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), and an additional 11,490 received conventional bands (controls) to estimate band reporting rates. An analysis of band recoveries indicated that the reporting rate was dependent primarily upon three factors: (1) the distance banded birds were recovered from the banding site, (2) band collecting activities of conservation agencies (usually near banding sites), and(3) the intensity of banding effort in the region (frequency of banded birds in the population of the region). Reporting rates were uniformly depressed near the banding sites, but they showed an east-west cline at distances greater than 80 km from the banding sites. The reporting rate was highest in the west. Limited data on historical band reporting rates were compiled. Recommendations are given for adjusting band recoveries to account for the nonreporting of bands for 1957-73. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 40(1):1-14 The importance of determining the proportion of waterfowl taken by hunters each year from populations in North America is widely recognized. For more than a decade we have used the first-year recovery rate of banded birds to estimate harvest rates. However, it also has been known for many years that hunters failed to report all the bands from birds they shot (Bellrose 1945, 1955); therefore, an adjustment for the band reporting rate (proportion of bands encountered that were reported to the Bird Banding Laboratory [BBL]) was needed. In more recent years, the band reporting rate was estimated by comparing estimates of banded waterfowl bagged (based on the Mail Questionnaire Survey) with numbers of bands reported to the BBL (Geis and Atwood 1961, Martinson 1966, Martinson and McCann 1966). The first-year recovery rate adjusted for band reporting rate yields the harvest rate, and the harvest rate adjusted for crippling loss yields the kill rate (proportion of population dying as a result of hunting). Th Mail Questionnaire Survey technique may be subject to several biases. Estimates based on the survey suggest that the band reporting rate declined from an estimated 50 percent in the 1950's to approximately 30 percent by 1969 (Anderson and Henny 1972:59), and to 23-25 percent in more recent years. Part of this change may have resulted from modifications in the survey. Two important questions remained unanswered: (1) is the estimate of the present reporting rate accurate, and (2) does the reporting rate vary among locations in North America? This reward band study was begun in 1972 to answer these questions. Band reporting rates that vary from area to area also can bias estimates of survival, distribution of the harvest, and indirect estimates of population size, in addition to nearly all other parameters derived from banding data. This study was a cooperative effort because waterfowl biologists and administrators in 16 states and 5 provinces assisted. 1Present address: Denver Wildlife Research Center, Building 16, Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225. 2 Present address: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521. J. Wildl. Manage. 40 (1):1976 1 This content downloaded from 207.46.13.126 on Sat, 24 Sep 2016 05:41:11 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 2 A REWARD BAND STUDY OF MALLARDS * Henny and Burnham Coordinators for the project included R. Allison, K. Bednarik, S. Browne, J. Chattin, B. Dawson, J. Ellis, H. Funk, C. Gruener, R. Hopper, R. Hunt, R. Jeffrey, R. Jessen, E. Mikula, T. Myers, H. Roberts, D. Sheffer, M. Smith, J. Wilson, and G. Wrakestraw. The efforts of these individuals in coordinating the study at a local or regional level and in making sure that the bands were applied in the proper place, time, and sequence are very much appreciated. Planning sessions with D. Anderson, W. Crissey, G. Cooch, E. Martin, R. Pospahala, H. Reeves, J. Rogers, and R. Smith improved the design of the study and led to better techniques for analyzing the results. B. Gillas and R. Perry also provided considerable assistance by recording all reward band recoveries and processing the letters for payment.