Crouching in the tall marsh grass, it was easy to hear the quacking sounds as the mallards flew in. Then, the subtle swish of wings and abrupt silence as the ducks settled down onto the pond near East Lansing.

Peering through the grass, Joe Belman, DNR wildlife assistant, squeezed the trigger on the net gun.

The loud explosion caused the ducks to leap off the water, but not before the net, carefully loaded into the canister at the end of the gun, flashed out and over the squad of ducks, settling over the flock, forcing them back down into the water.

Poised nearby for this very moment, Faye McNew, DNR waterfowl and wetlands specialist; Earl Flegler, a wildlife habitat biologist and a troop of eager boy scouts sprang into action. The net was slowly retrieved to shore and one by one, the struggling wild ducks were carefully extricated from the net. The young scouts carefully tucked the struggling mallards under their arms, trying to quiet the anxious birds. In all 41 mallards were caught this day and once pulled from the entangling net, every bird was treated to a new and very important piece of jewelry, a leg band.

"Every year, the Michigan DNR attempts to band ducks as part of a national survey," McNew said. "We always strive to achieve a quota, which this year was 2,000 mallards, 1,100 wood ducks and 150 black ducks."

Why the focus on those species?

"Those are the most commonly harvested ducks in Michigan," McNew said, "and our banding program here complements the national database, so the federal government can better determine survival, migration and harvest rates for those species."

One by one, the mallards were affixed with the aluminum bands; each with its own unique number, plus a phone number and address, and then the birds were released.

Hunters who later harvest a banded duck are encouraged to report the bird's band number to the telephone number or address printed on the band.

"The goal of this program is to engage hunters in the collection of data about ducks and to help us set quotas and establish hunting seasons that coincide with migration patterns,"McNew said. "It really is important that Michigan participates in this national effort, because we are fortunate to have such a strong breeding population of ducks."

It is estimated there are about 400,000 breeding ducks in Michigan, half of which are mallards. Recent analysis indicated that the extent of the mallard population, in particular, is directly related to the level of the Great Lakes in the previous year. Higher water levels produce more suitable duck habitat but recent low water levels have reduced the populations in Michigan.

Each spring, it seems that ducks exhibit intense foresight, because mallards start to slash down in Michigan's waters within one or two days of ice-out. Then, in fall, as if they sense the inevitable, the ducks pack up and leave, often beginning their migration within a few days of the first ice formation for the season.

Ducks banded in Michigan have been found to migrate south to the Gulf of Mexico where they feed and lounge in the warm coastal wetlands. Come spring, they take to the air and head north once more to nest, completing the ancient cycle.

But, sometimes, ducks stick around into the winter months even after lakes ice over. Why? It's often because well-intentioned people like to feed ducks for the pleasure of watching them and having them near.

"Regular feeding of any waterfowl may be harmful," McNew said, "because it can cause dependency on people for food, cause conflicts with people in some cases, and create a ready avenue for the spread of disease."

Feeding not only has great potential for causing harm to the birds, it also creates resident populations of ducks and geese, which must be controlled if they become too abundant. And it tends to skew the banding program population estimates.

Waterfowl hunting in Michigan is a time-honored tradition. Learning to identify various duck species can provide hours of bird-watching enjoyment. In addition, there is little to compare with enjoying a meal of succulent roasted duck served with fresh fall vegetables.

"Michigan is a wonderful waterfowl state and our banding program will help to ensure the long-term survival and health of our duck populations for many generations," McNew said. "Involving youth groups, such as the boy scouts and cub scouts, in the banding program gives them a hands-on experience that they will remember for a long time. It also might get them started in hunting."