Duck decoy (model)

Last updated

A duck decoy (or decoy duck) is a man-made object resembling a duck. Duck decoys are typically used in waterfowl hunting to attract real ducks, but they are also used as collectible art pieces. [1] Duck decoys were historically carved from wood, often Atlantic white cedar wood on the east coast of the United States, [2] or cork. Modern ones may also be made of canvas and plastic. They are often painted to resemble various kinds of waterfowl.

Contents

History

A prehistoric duck decoy found by archaeologists in Lovelock Cave in Nevada Lovelock Cave decoy Autry.jpg
A prehistoric duck decoy found by archaeologists in Lovelock Cave in Nevada

The earliest known use of duck decoys was by ancient Egyptians, who used decoys made of clay on the Nile to hunt ducks and geese around 2500 BCE. [3] Decoy ducks have been used in traditional hunting by Indigenous Australian peoples of the Murray River in South Australia. [4] Native American people have been crafting and using duck decoys for thousands of years. Archaeologists discovered several decoys made from tule plants and duck feathers, dating to about 300-100 BC in a cave near Lovelock, Nevada. [5] Many modern tribes have traditions of decoy crafting. [6] [7] Cree people traditionally make goose decoys out of tamarack twigs. [8] [9]

Wooden carved decoys arose in North America in the 19th and 20th centuries. [10] After World War II, manufacturers began to make decoys out of papier-mâché and eventually plastic, [11] and battery-powered moving decoys gained popularity in the 1990s. [12]

Use in hunting

An illustration of a duck decoy attracting real ducks Decoy (PSF).png
An illustration of a duck decoy attracting real ducks

Duck decoys are used in hunting to attract ducks to an area of water by giving the impression that other ducks are in the area, creating a false sense of security. Decoys are made in different forms designed to mimic different activities of ducks, including "feeders" and "sleepers". Decoys are weighted to keep them anchored in place when floating. [12]

Duck decoys may be colored to have a natural appearance, or they may be entirely black, as black decoys are more easily visible to passing ducks on overcast days. Hunters may also use decoys of different types of waterfowl, such as coots and geese. [12] In goose hunting, two-dimensional images of geese similar to standees are occasionally used because they are less expensive and less bulky than three-dimensional decoys. [13] [14]

Some modern decoys use batteries to move, which creates waves in the water, adding a sense of realism that may fool ducks more. One of the most popular forms of motion decoys is one that has spinning wings, creating the illusion of a duck in flight. Hunters may also create the illusion of movement without battery-powered decoys by using jerk-rigs, which are created with bungee cord and allow hunters to move decoys manually while inside their blind. [12]

As collectible art

A duck decoy created by Delbert Daisey Black duck decoy by Cigar Daisey 01.jpg
A duck decoy created by Delbert Daisey

Ever since Joel Barber, the first known decoy collector, started in 1918, decoys have become increasingly viewed as an important form of North American folk art. Barber's book Wild Fowl Decoys was the first book on decoys as collectible objects. It was followed in 1965 by folk art dealer Adele Earnest's The Art of the Decoy and American Bird Decoys by collector Wm. F. Mackey. [15] Collectors typically focus on particular categories of decoys, such as working, decorative, antique, or contemporary. In addition, collectors may focus on decoys from particular regions such as eastern North America, Louisiana, California, or the Upper Mississippi Flyway, which all have unique decoy-carving traditions. [16]

In 2007, a red-breasted merganser hen decoy created by Lothrop Holmes sold at auction for $856,000. [17] At the time, it was one of the highest prices ever paid for a duck decoy. [16] The first million-dollar price was achieved when two decoys (a Canada goose decoy and a preening Northern pintail drake decoy) created by A. Elmer Crowell were sold for $1.13 million each in a private sale in September 2007. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duck</span> Common name for many species of bird

Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form taxon; they do not represent a monophyletic group, since swans and geese are not considered ducks. Ducks are mostly aquatic birds, and may be found in both fresh water and sea water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow goose</span> Species of bird

The snow goose is a species of goose native to North America. Both white and dark morphs exist, the latter often known as blue goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The species was previously placed in the genus Chen, but is now typically included in the "gray goose" genus Anser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anatidae</span> Biological family of water birds

The Anatidae are the biological family of water birds that includes ducks, geese, and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica. These birds are adapted for swimming, floating on the water surface, and in some cases diving in at least shallow water. The family contains around 174 species in 43 genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tadorninae</span> Subfamily of birds

The Tadorninae is the shelduck-sheldgoose subfamily of the Anatidae, the biological family that includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl such as the geese and swans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decoy</span> Person, device, or event designed as a distraction

A decoy is usually a person, device, or event which resembles what an individual or a group might be looking for, but it is only meant to lure them. Decoys have been used for centuries most notably in game hunting, but also in wartime and in the committing or resolving of crimes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magpie goose</span> Species of bird

The magpie goose is the sole living representative species of the family Anseranatidae. This common waterbird is found in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. As the species is prone to wandering, especially when not breeding, it is sometimes recorded outside its core range. The species was once also widespread in southern Australia but disappeared from there largely due to the drainage of the wetlands where the birds once bred. Due to their importance to Aboriginal people as a seasonal food source, as subjects of recreational hunting, and as a tourist attraction, their expansive and stable presence in northern Australia has been "ensured [by] protective management".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Duck Stamp</span>

The Federal Duck Stamp, formally known as the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, is an adhesive stamp issued by the United States federal government that must be purchased prior to hunting for migratory waterfowl such as ducks and geese. It is also used to gain entrance to National Wildlife Refuges that normally charge for admission. It is widely seen as a collectable and a means to raise funds for wetland conservation, with 98% of the proceeds of each sale going to the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian wood duck</span> Species of bird

The Australian wood duck, maned duck or maned goose is a dabbling duck found throughout much of Australia. It is the only living species in the genus Chenonetta. Traditionally placed in the subfamily Anatinae, it might belong to the subfamily Tadorninae (shelducks); the ringed teal may be its closest living relative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterfowl hunting</span> Practice of hunting waterfowl for food and sport

Waterfowl hunting is the practice of hunting aquatic birds such as ducks, geese and other waterfowls or shorebirds for food and sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinkbox</span>

A sinkbox is a specialized hunting blind used by waterfowl hunters. It consists of a weighted, partially submerged enclosure large enough to hold one or more hunters and suspended from a floating platform. It is placed into calm water so that the hunter may wait with the waterline at approximately shoulder height.

Wild Fowl Decoys is an art reference book by American collector Joel Barber. It was the first book that was published on decoys and decoy collecting. It was first published in 1934 by Eugene V. Connett III by the original Derrydale Press. As were almost all original Derrydale Press books, it was published as a limited edition. This first edition typically sells for thousands of dollars. A subsequent edition was published by Windward House. The book has been re-printed a number of times, notably two years after Barber's death in 1952, by Dover Books. More recently, the book has been reprinted in 1989 and 2000 by resurrections of the Derrydale Press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sneakbox</span> Small boat

A sneakbox is a small boat that can be sailed, rowed, poled or sculled. It is predominantly associated with the Barnegat Bay in New Jersey, just as the canoe-like Delaware Ducker is associated with the New Jersey marshes along the Delaware River near Philadelphia.

Anthony Elmer Crowell, also known as A. Elmer Crowell was a master decoy carver from East Harwich, Massachusetts. Crowell specialized in shorebirds, waterfowl, and miniatures. Crowell's decoys are consistently regarded as some of the finest and most desirable decoys ever made. Also created a fair amount of flat art in oils and watercolors. Acted as a hunting guide and caretaker of waterfowl gunning stands in Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duck call</span> Sound imitation to lure waterfowl

A duck call may be either the sound-imitation process used in waterfowl hunting, by which a hunter lures waterfowl, or the actual tool which the person uses to do so. Early duck call tools were basic woodwind instruments, while later innovations are constructed of rubber and plastic, and allow the hunter to adjust the volume and tone of the calls with reeds. Today's duck calls usually fall into three main categories: single, double, or triple reed call with many variations, although the triple reed is rare. The goal of a duck call is to sound like a realistic live duck, in attempts to decoy, or fool a duck into believing the decoys that are seen by a duck, and the sound that is heard appears lifelike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovelock Cave</span> Cave in United States of America

Lovelock Cave (NV-Ch-18) is a North American archaeological site previously known as Sunset Guano Cave, Horseshoe Cave, and Loud Site 18. The cave is about 150 feet (46 m) long and 35 feet (11 m) wide. Lovelock Cave is one of the most important classic sites of the Great Basin region because the conditions of the cave are conducive to the preservation of organic and inorganic material. The cave was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 24, 1984. It was the first major cave in the Great Basin to be excavated, and the Lovelock Cave people are part of the University of California Archaeological Community's Lovelock Cave Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Layout hunting</span> Waterfowl hunting technique

Layout boat hunting is a sub specialty of traditional waterfowl hunting which is done in a low-profile un-motorized boat with a unique design that allows the hunter to maintain a close position to the water in order to conceal them in open water areas that are frequented by diver and ocean ducks. This is a sport with a long history going back to market hunters and boat-mounted punt guns. The main focus of the layout boat is to put the hunter very close to the decoys, or even among them, for additional concealment. This makes for dramatic hunting scenarios where a decoying bird comes extremely close to the hunter and boat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humboldt Wildlife Management Area</span>

The Humboldt Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a wildlife management area in the U.S. state of Nevada, encompassing the salt marshes at the terminus of the Humboldt River.

Australia has a population of about 26 million while the Commonwealth Government estimating there are 640,000 recreational hunters in the country. There are around 6 million legally owned guns in Australia, ranging from airguns to single-shot, bolt-action, pump-action, lever-action or semi-automatic firearms.

Duck hunting is an outdoor recreational activity practised under a permit system in the Australian state of South Australia. Hunters use shotguns and are provided with permits issued by the Department of Environment and Water. The activity is opposed by animal welfare groups who consider the practice to be unacceptably cruel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ira Hudson</span> American sculptor

Ira Hudson was an American boat builder and prolific decoy and shorebird carver from Chincoteague, Virginia. He created over 20,000 decoys during his lifetime, full sized and miniatures.

References

  1. Ballard, Doris (1984-05-27). "ANTIQUES; THE ART OF THE DECOY CARVER". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  2. Ward, Daniel (1989). "Commercial Utilization of Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides, Cuppressaceae)". Economic Botany. 43 (3): 386–415. Bibcode:1989EcBot..43..386W. doi:10.1007/bf02858736. JSTOR   4255181. S2CID   3200627.
  3. "The History Of The Waterfowl Decoy". mallardbay.com. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  4. King. Timu Decoy ducks return to First Nations owners after years in United States collection ABC News , 10 October 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  5. Tuohy, Donald R., and L. Kyle Napton. (1986). "Duck Decoys from Lovelock Cave, Nevada, Dated by 14C Accelerator Mass Spectrometry". American Antiquity: 51(4), pp. 81–816.
  6. "Duck Decoys - Infinity of Nations" . Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  7. "Native American Duck Decoys - NativeTech" . Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  8. "Cree Tamarack Geese or Tamarack Goose Decoy". www.chichesterinc.com. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  9. "NativeTech: Tamarack - Tamarack Stick Goose Decoys". www.nativetech.org. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  10. "Antique Duck Decoy: A Collector's Guide To Identification And Evaluation - VIP Art Fair". www.vipartfairs.com. 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  11. Rearick, David (11 December 2015). "The History Of Duck Decoys". Grand View Outdoors.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Neal, Jerry L. (2018-12-27). "Duck Decoy Basics". Colorado Outdoors Online. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  13. Bauserman, Jace (2022-04-08). "Do Silhouette Goose Decoys Really Work?". Wildfowl. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  14. Hetherington, Jennifer (2021-12-26). "Silhouette decoys: Everything you need to know". Slayer Calls. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  15. "Collecting Decoys: Getting Started | North American Decoy Collectors Association" . Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  16. 1 2 "Decoy Collecting Tips | Ducks Unlimited". www.ducks.org. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  17. "Bids for the birds - San Diego Union Tribune" . Retrieved 2007-08-11.
  18. "To tune of $1.13m, decoys are the real thing". The Boston Globe. 2007-09-21. Retrieved 2007-09-21.