Birds of a feather flock together. In this case, the cliché rings true, and Native Americans knew it. When the colonists first arrived in North America, they found that the natives were using mud, bulrushes, fowl carcasses, and other materials to create imitations of ducks and other fowl. These imitations attracted live birds, which the hunters would then kill or capture.

Native Americans had been successfully employing this practice for more than 1,000 years, so the colonists began to build on their techniques. Hunting had been rare among commoners in the Old World since most fields and pastures with game belonged to aristocrats, especially in England. Despite the novelty of hunting in the New World for the colonists, the word they eventually used to name their new lifelike lures—“decoys”—came from a Dutch word referring to the cages Old World hunters built to attract and tame wild birds.

By the mid-19th century, most decoys in the New World were made out of wood rather than mud, and commercial and sport hunters alike used them to help lure their prey. Although th...

A carver would craft the general shape of the decoy’s body using a hatchet and then fine-tune it with a long drawknife. He or she—a few carvers enlisted the help of their wives—would create the head separately from a smaller block of wood using an axe, rather than a hatchet; then, the carver would whittle the head down with a jackknife and attach it to the body using nails or long spikes.

Finally, the finished decoy would be sanded, primed, and painted in natural colors to lure fowl effectively. By the time of the Civil War, this technique had matured almost to an art form.

Commercial hunters often owned hundreds of decoys, which they would set out in large numbers to attract as many birds as possible. As sport hunting became more prominent among the wealthy, some carvers began making fewer decoys but of higher quality for this new clientele. Sport hunters wanted decoys that were beautiful, not just useful. Eventually, some carvers began making decoys for purely decorative reasons.

Decoys varied in style from region to region, as the environment and species of a given area dictated their design. Decoys in Maine, for example, were often tougher and more rugged in order to withstand the rough waters of the area.

Even within regions, decoys could take any one of a number of designs. Some were built to float, and these were generally intended to attract large fowl like ducks and geese. Within this group, some were hollowed out so they would be more buoyant, while others were solid.

Another group of decoys included the stationary “stickups,” which stood on legs in the ground. Still others were two-dimensional profiles that were also designed as stickups. Some of these stickups were nearly four feet tall; floating decoys could be just as long.

Although the carvers who made these decoys were considered craftsmen at the time, decoys have become collectible examples of folk art. The reasons for this change in perception range from the quality of the decoys to events that helped make them scarce.

By 1920, for example, Congress had passed the North American Wildlife Act and North American Migratory Bird Act, which limited hunting and banned commercial hunting of most species altogether. Overnight, the demand for decoys all but disappeared—commercial hunters had been by far the biggest decoy customers.

Decoys became even scarcer in the 1950s and 1960s when mass-produced plastic decoys became available. Because the plastic decoys were cheaper and lighter than wooden decoys (an important consideration when carrying many in a small boat), many hunters discarded or even burned their wooden decoys, which at the time seemed worthless. In recent decades, however, many of these vintage decoys have emerged as collectors’ items.

The value of a decoy depends on a variety of factors, including its condition (both of the paint and of the wood itself), its rarity, and the reputation of the carver. Decoys of some species—like wood ducks and teal—are rarer than others, as are decoys carved in unusual poses like sleeping, swimming, or feeding. Those never actually used for hunting, of course, tend to be in better condition and, thus, more valuable.

The list of carvers is literally endless, but some names stand out above the rest. Perhaps the most famous practitioner was Elmer Crowell (1862-1951), a masterful carver and painter who lived in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. His decoys generally have carved wings and glass eyes, and he often used a rasp to imitate feathers on the back of his decoys’ heads and on their breasts. In 2000, a preening Canada goose that he carved sold at an auction for $684,500, the current world record for a decoy.

Other notable carvers include Lathrop T. Holmes, who used a limited but expressive palette of colors. “Gus” Wilson’s attention to detail was almost unrivaled, while many of the approximately 10,000 decoys in 50 years made by the Ward Brothers of Maryland were purely decorative. Charles Perdew and his wife, Edna, were a team—he carved and she painted. And Ken Anger perfected the technique of using a rasp to make his decoys look soft and realistic.

In addition to hand-carved decoys, some of the high-quality decoys produced in late-19th-century factories are also highly collectible. The main factories included Mason, Victor, Dodge, Stevens, Peterson, Evans, and Reynolds. Most of these factories used either a duplicating lathe, an assembly line, or both.

Although many of the more successful companies’ decoys were quite similar to one another, some particularly innovative examples are valuable today. One, for example, flapped its wings—a terrible failure for a hunter, but a great find for a collector. Another prize is a factory-made rubber decoy from 1867.

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Heck Whittington Illinois Sleeper Hen Pintail Duck DecoyC1870 Benjamin Holmes "hollow" Black Duck Wood Decoy; Stratford ConnecticutKen Anger Black Duck DecoyTom Taber Original Designed Merganser Duck Decoy By Oregon Wildlife CarvingsWow 1927 Frank Coombs Long Neck Bluebill Wood Duck Decoy Alexandria Bay New YorkRare Vintage Herter's Cedar Model Perfect Canvasback Wood Duck DecoyKen Anger Mallard Hen Duck DecoyKen Anger Mallard Drake Duck DecoyVintage Illinois River Lashbrook Black Duck Decoy Tom Taber Decoy Duck's Unlimited Special Edition 1990-91Vintage Chris Smith Drake Bluebill Hollow Duck Decoy Michigan Nice PaintDucks Unlimited Jett Brunet Miniature Canvasback DecoyDu Ducks Unlimited 2013 Gadwall Decoy NibJake Barrett Somer Point,n.j.black Duck Decoy Ca.1920Evans Standard Grade Canvasback Drake Duck Decoy Circa 1930Miniature Ducks Unlimited Decoy Collection By Jett Brunet Vintage J.n. Dodge Factory Drake Redhead Duck Decoy Winous Pt. Rare Hand Carved Cock Pheasant Game Bird Signed Tom Taber DecoyEvans Mallard Drake Duck Decoy,,evans Stamp On Bottom,original PaintWow 1927 Frank Coombs Long Neck Bluebill Wood Duck Decoy Alexandria Bay New YorkAntique Mason Hen Duck Decoy Very Old Nice ConditionVintage Wooden Duck DecoyDuck Decoy Shooting Collection By Dick Rhode For Ducks UnlimitedMadison Mitchell Canvasback Drake Duck Decoy,,,all Original Paint,never UsedMarv Meyer Triple Head Duck Call ---decoyAntique Primitive Pine Wood Carved Duck Decoy Glass Eyes Chicago IllinoisTom Taber 1984 Corona Medallion Mallard Duck Decoy /beautiful Carved Wooden WoodExcellent Tom Taber Carved Wood Duck Decoy Male Wood Duck Glass Eyes SignedVintage Antique Evans? Glass Eye Duck Decoy Original Paint?Mason Premier Mallard Drake Hollow Wood Duck DecoyDu Ducks Unlimited 2010 Goldeneye Decoy NewRed Head Duck Decoy Pair Bill Schauber Chestertown, Upper Chesapeake Bay Md 2002Oversize Decoy Duck Madison Mitchell Signed 1957 Havre De Grace Red Head Hen OldHollow Wooden Bluebill Duck DecoyDecoy Paris-love On The Run Lp Rare Private Us Metal Paradoxx Leather NunnC1923 Chauncey Wheeler Hollow Bluebill Wood Duck Decoy Alexandria Bay, New YorkCanvasback Drake Duck Decoy Pair Jess Urie Rock Hall Chesapeake Bay MdVintage Zeke Mac Donald Drake Redhead Duck Decoy Michigan Hollow Original PaintNew In Box Ducks Unlimited Jett Brunet Miniature Duck Decoy ShelfVintage Charles Chas. Moore 16" Pintail Duck Decoy - No Reserve Mc3 Perdew StyleVintage Illinois River Mallard Duck Decoy By Perry WilcoxenCanvasback Hen Duck Decoy, Madison Mitchell, Original Very Good ConditionVintage Duck Decoy Wood Hand Carved Hand Painted BeautifulWildfowler Brandt Decoy Duck Point PleasantWildfowler Canada Goose Duck DecoyCanvasback Hen By Charlie Joiner. Signed/dated 1995. Minty! DecoyVintage William H. Bill Cranmer Beach Haven Nj Pintail Drake Duck DecoyMojo Shake'n Jake Turkey Decoy Hw2308 New!!Frank Finney Big Horned Owl The Creme De La Creme Of His Work DecoyAntique Wooden Canadian Goose Hunting Decoy With Glass Bead EyesByron E. Bruffee Shorebird Duck Decoy On Wood Base Middleboro, MassThe Boyds Collection 1986 Merganser Drake Special Edition Decorative Duck DecoyArmada 1/350 Hmcs Kootenay/hms Decoy (d Class Destroyer)Waterfowl Heritage North Carolina Gunning Lore William Conoley Jr Nc Duck DecoyTom Taber Wood Duck Decoy Ducks Gorgeous/flawlessMiniature Wood Carving Decoy DuckE. Burr Style Feeding Golden Plover Shorebird Decoy By Ken KirbyCork Decoy Oldsquaw Drake Winchester Repeater 2 Piece 12 Gauge Shotgun Shell Box Duck Decoy Shotshell BoxVintage Tory Ward / Charles Moore 16" Wood Duck Decoy No Reserve Mc3

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Alas, no competitors showed up Saturday — but they took to the water regardless, towing a duck decoy in their wake. Space Coast Waterfest is intended to teach residents about aquatic recreation and safety, said Matt Culver, Brevard County boating and...Read more

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bird (Mountain Bluebird), insect (Vivid Dancer Damselfly), reptile (Desert Tortoise), animal (Desert Bighorn Sheep), fish (Lahontan Cutthroat Trout), fossil (Ichthyosaur), artifact (tule duck decoy), metal (silver), precious gemstone (Virgin Valley...Read more

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Eastern Shore museum set to auction off $500000 worth of duck decoys
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Those names might not mean a lot to you, but in the duck decoy business, they are highly respected craftsmen. The Chincoteague museum closed in 2010 when the owner became too ill to maintain it. He died in 2011, and now his family is auctioning off the...Read more

Reluctant to leave home
The Advocate, May 5th

Advocate staff photo by ADAM LAU -- Bubbles flow up to the surface next to a duck decoy in a pond on Rhett Pipsair's property in the Bayou Corne community. Scientists say the chemical makeup of the bubbles might indicate gas from deep underground is...Read more

Co-workers to be united by a kidney
Press of Atlantic City, April 30th

The work of South Jersey renowned bird and duck decoy carver Harry V. Shourds II, of the Seaville section of Upper Township, will be featured in "Bayshore Traditions," which opens at May's Second Friday event 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. May 10 at the Bayshore...Read more

Calendar and FYI for April 28
Daily Herald, April 27th

Saturday. ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE: Learn about Utah's past, throw spear, grind corn, make duck decoy and more. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. May 4. Rio Grande Depot, 300 S. Rio Grande St., Salt Lake City. www.history.utah.gov. FAMILY HISTORY: Free classes...Read more