A duck decoy is a man-made object resembling a real duck

Duck

Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...

. Duck decoys are sometimes used in duck hunting

Duck hunting

Waterfowl hunting is the practice of hunting ducks, geese, or other waterfowl for food and sport...

 to attract real ducks.

Duck decoys were historically carved from wood

Wood carving

Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object...

, but more recently are also made of plastic

Plastic

A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...

. They are usually painted

Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...

, often elaborately and very accurately, to resemble various kinds of waterfowl.

History

Ever since Joel Barber

Joel Barber

Joel David Barber was an early 20th century architect from New York who is best known as an early collector and promoter of duck decoys as folk art....

, the first known decoy collector, started in 1918, decoys have become increasingly viewed as an important form of North American folk art

Folk art

Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic....

. Barber's book Wild Fowl Decoys

Wild Fowl Decoys

Wild Fowl Decoys is an art reference book by American collector Joel Barber, first published in 1934 by The Derrydale Press.This heavily illustrated book aimed to be a comprehensive guide to the carved wooden duck decoy. Used by early American waterfowl hunters, this type of decoy was promoted by...

, 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.

William F. Mackey made many trips to Chincoteague Island for the great flounder fishing as well as hunting for Chincoteague decoys. On his trips to the island he called Snug Harbor Marina home. He would send out locals to search for great finds of Chincoteague history. Cigar Daisey was one of the local Chincoteaguers that would help Mackey find all the best decoys that made his collection world famous. Cigar has told many stories of the many truck loads of decoys he rounded up for his good friend.

By that time a milestone in collecting had already occurred with the publication of "Decoy Collectors Guide", a small magazine created by hobbyists Hal & Barbara Sorenson of Burlington, Iowa. The 'Guide' helped foster a sense of community and provided a forum for collectors to share their research.

By the 1970s decoys were becoming big business, at least by previous standards. The death of Wm. F. Mackey brought his decoys to market in a series of auctions in 1973 and 1974, with the star of his collection, a Long-billed Curlew by Wm. 'Bill' Bowman selling for a record US$10,500.

Since the 1960s numerous collectors organizations have been created, specialist books and magazines published, with specialist dealers, and special interest shows around the US and Canada. Canadian decoys are still believed to be the "sleepers" in the world of decoy popularity and are often undervalued but are starting to gain recognition.

The current World Record price for an antique duck decoy at auction:
Red Breasted Merganser Hen by Lothrop Holmes for $856,000. Guyette & Schmidt and Christie's

Christie's

Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...

 New York. January 2007.

The first million dollar price was achieved when two decoys (Canadian goose and a preening pintail drake) by A. Elmer Crowell

A. Elmer Crowell

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 the finest and most desirable decoys ever made...

 of East Harwich, MA were said to have sold for US$1.13 million dollars each in a private sale, in September 2007. The record-setting decoys were sold in a larger collection of 31 decoys for $7.5 million in total so it remains for a single decoy to clearly break the $1 million mark.

One of the most famous decoy makers in recent times is Delbert Cigar Daisey from Chincoteague Va. Cigar decoys are in high demand all over the country. The best decoy he ever made was a pintail that he made for his wife in 1973. This decoy was featured in National Geographic in June 1980 on page 826. This decoy is estimated to be worth between $100,000 - $150,000.

Barnegat Bay/New Jersey Shore

New Jersey Shore decoys tend to be hollow bodied, have poured lead weighs and are more often made of Atlantic white cedar

White Cedar

White Cedar may refer to several different trees:* Cupressaceae:** Chamaecyparis thyoides – Atlantic White Cypress** Cupressus lusitanica – Mexican White Cedar** Thuja occidentalis – Eastern Arborvitae* Meliaceae:...

.

• Russell Allen - Galloway, NJ
• Applegate Family - Bayville, NJ
• Lou Barkelow - Forked River, NJ
• Jake Barrett - Somers Point, NJ
• Charles Birdsall - Point Pleasant, NJ
• Eugene Birdsall - Point Pleasant, NJ
• Jesse Birdsall (1852–1929) - Barnegat, NJ
• Harry Boice - Absecon, NJ
• J.W. Bowen - Atlantic City, NJ
• Bill Brown - Parkertown, NJ
• Rick Brown - Point Pleasant, NJ
• Walter Bush - Newark, NJ
• Cliff Cane
• Armand Carney - Tuckerton, NJ
• Hurley Conklin (1913–1991) - Manahawkin, NJ
• Lou Cramner - Manahawkin, NJ
• William Cramner - Spray Beach, NJ
• Robert Daley (died 2007)
• John Dorsett - Point Pleasant, NJ
• Amos Doughty - Absecon, NJ
• Mark English - Somers Point, NJ
• Sam Forsyth - Bay Head, NJ
• James A. Gale - Brigantine, NJ
• Henry Grant - Barnegat, NJ
• Stanley Grant - Barnegat, NJ
• Barry Griffiths - Cedar Run, NJ
  Stafford Township, New Jersey
  -Transportation:Stafford is served by a few major roads. CR 539 passes through in the western part. U.S. Route 9 passes north-south through the center of the township and Route 72 is the main artery that passes from the northwest to the southeast...
  
  
• Will Hall - West Mantoloking, NJ
• Bill Hammel - Absecon, NJ
• John Hamilton - Cedar Run, NJ
  Stafford Township, New Jersey
  -Transportation:Stafford is served by a few major roads. CR 539 passes through in the western part. U.S. Route 9 passes north-south through the center of the township and Route 72 is the main artery that passes from the northwest to the southeast...
  
  
• I.S. Hankins - Point Pleasant, NJ
• Gene Hendrickson - Lower Bank, NJ
  Washington Township, Burlington County, New Jersey
  Washington Township is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 621....
  
  
• Nathan Rowley Horner (1882–1942) - West Creek, NJ
• John Inman - Manahawkin, NJ
• Lloyd Johnson - Parkertown, NJ
• Taylor Johnson (1863–1929) - Point Pleasant, NJ
• Willis Johnson - Lakewood, NJ
• Mark Kear - Linwood, NJ
• Henry Kilpatrick (1868–1945)- Barnegat, NJ
• Joe King - Manahawkin, NJ
• Dan Kingsley - Point Pleasant, NJ
• Frank Lampson - Mayetta, NJ
  Stafford Township, New Jersey
  -Transportation:Stafford is served by a few major roads. CR 539 passes through in the western part. U.S. Route 9 passes north-south through the center of the township and Route 72 is the main artery that passes from the northwest to the southeast...
  
  
• Clark Madieri - Pitman, NJ
• Roy Maxwell - Wading River, NJ
  Washington Township, Burlington County, New Jersey
  Washington Township is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 621....
  
  
• Charles McCoy - Tuckerton, NJ
• Dipper Ortley - Point Pleasant, NJ
• Ellis Parker - Beach Haven, NJ
• Johnny Parker - Beach Haven, NJ - brother of Lloyd
• Lloyd Parker - Beach Haven, NJ - brother of Johnny
• Liberty Price - Parkertown, NJ
• Dominic Sabatini
• Brad Salmon - Manahawkin, NJ
• Robert Seabrook - Absecon, NJ
• Chris Sprague - Beach Haven, NJ
• Harry V. Shourds (1861–1920) - Tuckerton, NJ
• Harry M. Shourds - Ocean City, NJ
• Harry Shourds III - Seaview, NJ
• Ross E. Shourds I - Somers Point, NJ
• Alvin M. Shourds Sr. - Ocean City, NJ
• Garret M. L. R. E. Shourds II Fairfax, Virginia
  Fairfax, Virginia
  The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
  
  
• Rhodes Truex - Absecon, NJ
• John "Jack" Updike (1886–1955) - Green Bank, NJ
  Washington Township, Burlington County, New Jersey
  Washington Township is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 621....
  
  

There are also Barnegat-style decoys made by carvers of the Delaware River School.

Delaware River

Usually more diminutive than NJ Shore/Barnegat School, more often features flat or pad weights. Heads are positioned relative low, slight swooping up of tail feather (less so than a Barnegat), top tail feather raised on puddle duck species.

• Vincent Giannetto, III - Beverly, NJ
• Charles Allen - Bordentown, NJ
• Richard Anderson
• Samuel Archer - Bordentown, NJ
• J. Baker - Edgely, PA
• John Blair (1842–1928) - Philadelphia, PA - carriage manufacturer.
• Cooper Berkley
• John Dawson - Trenton, NJ
• Dan English - Florence, NJ
• Jack English
• John English (1848–1915) - Florence, NJ
• Tom Fitzpatrick - Delanco, NJ
• Paul Green - Yardville, NJ
• Joel Heisler - Bordentown, NJ
• Charles Huff - Shrewsbury, NJ
• J.S. King (1909-1992) - Edgely, PA
• Clark Madara (? - 1954?) - Pitman, NJ
• Reggie Marter - Delanco, NJ
• Lawrence McGlaughlin - Edgely, PA
• John McGlaughlin - Bordentown, NJ
• Paul Murray - Bristol, PA
• William Quinn (1915–1969) - Yardley, PA
• Al Reitz - Croydon, PA
• William "Sonny" Schnoor (1913- ) - Bordentown, NJ
• Jim West (1937–2000) - Bordentown, NJ

There also a number of decoy makers of the Barnegat school who have produced Delaware River Style decoys.

Susquehanna Flats

The Susquehanna Flats consists of the region from the mouth of the Susquehanna River

Susquehanna River

The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...

 where it enters the Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...

 at Havre de Grace and Perryville through the tidal areas and marshlands along the upper bays (Furnace Bay, North East Bay, Elkton Bay).

• Carroll "Wally" Algard
• Charles Nelson Barnard - Havre de Grace, MD
• George Washington Barnes - Carpenter Point, MD
• Samuel T. Barnes - Havre de Grace, MD
• Clarence "Titbird" Bauer (1924–2006) - Havre de Grace, MD
• Taylor Boyd - Perryville, MD
• Edward Cabot - Principio, MD
• James Currier - Havre de Grace, MD
• Ben Dye - Perryville, MD
• Joseph Dye - Havre de Grace, MD
• Columbus "Lum" Fletcher - Havre de Grace, MD
• Paul Gibson - Havre de Grace, MD
• John B. Graham - Charlestown, MD
• Miles Hancock
• August Heinefield - Rock Hall, MD
• William Heverin - Charlestown, MD
• James T. Holly - Havre de Grace, MD
• John "Daddy" Holly - (1819-1892) John "Daddy" and his sons are makers of some of the oldest and most historic of the Susquehanna flats decoys. Beautiful and precious these decoys are quickly becoming very rare and difficult to acquire for collectors. Havre de Grace, MD
• John Holly, Jr. - Havre de Grace, MD
• William Holly - Havre de Grace, MD
• Scott Jackson - Charlestown, MD
• Phil Kemp - Love Point, MD
• Henry Lockard - Elk Neck, MD
• Bob Litzenberg - Elkton, MD
• Robert F. McGaw - Havre de Grace, MD
• R. Madison Mitchell (1901–1993) - Havre de Grace, MD, "Dean of the Upper Chesapeake Bay decoy makers", owned his own funeral business, began making decoys in 1924 with Sam Barnes. Mitchell is believed to have produced over 100,000 decoys. Easily one of the most prolific and recognized decoy carvers in the United States.
• Ed Phillips - Cambridge, MD
• Leonard Pryor - Chesapeake City, MD
• Roberrt Sellers - Silver Spring, PA
• Al Thomas - Swan Creek, Aberdeen, MD
• Jesse Urie - Rock Hall, MD
• Milton Watson
• John Wesley Williams - Port Deposit, MD
• Charles T. Wilson - Havre de Grace, MD

Lower Chesapeake

• Ernie Mills decoys - Elkton, Maryland
  Elkton, Maryland
  The town of Elkton is the county seat of Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11,893 as of the 2000 census and 14,842 according to current July 2008 census estimates. It is the county seat of Cecil County...
  
  , Smyrna, Delaware
  Smyrna, Delaware
  Smyrna is a town in Kent and New Castle counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area...
  
  , Perry, Georgia
  Perry, Georgia
  Perry is a city in Houston county in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of the Warner Robins, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,600 at the 2000 census. This town is the county seat of Houston County...
  
  

Crisfield, Maryland

• Elwood Dize
• Lloyd Tyler
• Lemuel T. Ward, Jr. (1896–1984) Collectively the Ward brothers were known as 'wildlife counterfeiters in wood'. Ironic, since in more recent times, their work is frequently counterfeited.
• Stephen Ward (1894-1976)

Long Island

• William Bowman - Lawrence, NY
  Lawrence, Nassau County, New York
  Lawrence is a village in Nassau County, New York in the USA. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 6,483.The Village of Lawrence is in the southwest corner of the Town of Hempstead, adjoining the border with the New York City borough of Queens to the west and near the...
  
   some believe that the decoys believed to have been made by Bill Bowman were actually made by Charles Sumner Bunn.
• Charles Sumner Bunn (1865–1952), a Shinnecock Native America who lived on a reservation
  Indian reservation
  An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
  
   on Shinnecock Bay (Southampton, NY
  Southampton (town), New York
  The Town of Southampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, U.S., partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town had a total population of 54,712...
  
  )
• Wilbur A. Corwin - Bellport, NY
• Wilbur R. Corwin - Bellport, NY
• John Dilley - Quogue, NY
• Thomas Gelston (1851–1924)
• Frank Kellum (1865–1935)
• James Ketcham
• Al Ketchum
• Jamie Reason
• William Southard - Bellmore, NY
• Andrew "Grubie" Verity (1881–1976)
• Obediah Verity (c.1850-c.1940)
• Smith Clinton Verity (1845–1920)
• William A. Verity (Southampton, NY)

Maine/Nova Scotia/New Brunswick

• Wendell Gilley - Southwest Harbor, ME
• Gerald Robinson
• Augustus Wilson - South Portland, ME
• Capt. Myles Wishart, Sr., Tabisintac, NB

Massachusetts

• George Boyd
• Keyes Chadwick (1865–1958) - Martha's Vineyard, MA
• A. Elmer Crowell
  A. Elmer Crowell
  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 the finest and most desirable decoys ever made...
  
  (1862–1951) - East Harwich, MA
• Joseph Lincoln - Accord, MA
• Greeney Noyes - Joppa Flats, Newburyport, MA
• Thomas Wilson - Ipswich, MA

Virginia Eastern Shore

• Charles Birch (1967-1956) - Willis Wharf
• Delbert "Cigar" Daisey
  Delbert Daisey
  Delbert Daisey , known as Cigar Daisey, is an American waterfowl wood carver. He lives and works in Chincoteague, Virginia and is the resident carver at the Refuge Waterfowl Museum. His decoy carvings are recognized for both their artist value and functionality as working pieces for waterfowl...
  
   (b. 1924) - Chincoteague
  Chincoteague, Virginia
  Chincoteague is a town on Chincoteague Island in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,317 at the 2000 census. The town is perhaps best known for the Chincoteague Ponies, although these are not actually on the island of Chincoteague but on nearby Assateague Island...
  
  
• Miles Hancock (1888–1974)
• Ira Hudson (1876–1949) - Chincoteague
• Dave "Umbrella" Watson (d. 1938) - Chincoteague

Toronto / Hamilton (SW Ontario)

• Ken Anger - Dunnville
  Dunnville, Ontario
  Dunnville is an unincorporated community of 6,000 people located near the mouth of the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada, near the historic Talbot Trail...
  
  
• James Barr - Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
  
• Tom Chambers - St. Clair Flats
• Les Drew - Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
  
• Ernie England - Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
  
• Les Fawcett - Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
  
• Ivar Fernlund - Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
  
• Merle Franklin - Dunnville
  Dunnville, Ontario
  Dunnville is an unincorporated community of 6,000 people located near the mouth of the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada, near the historic Talbot Trail...
  
  
• Willy Freeborn - Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
  
• John (Jack) Morris - Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
  
• Augie Norling - Burlington
  Burlington, Ontario
  Burlington , is a city located in Halton Region at the western end of Lake Ontario. Burlington is part of the Greater Toronto Area, and is also included in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Physically, Burlington lies between the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment...
  
  
• Graham Pilling - Hamilton Beach
• George "Chic" Poyton - Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
  
• Phineas Reeves and 3 sons and grandson Jack - Long Point
• Donnie Reid - Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
  
• Clarence "Clarey" Shaw - Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
  
• Bill Simmons - Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
  / Beamsville
  Beamsville, Ontario
  The community of Beamsville is part of the town of Lincoln in the province of Ontario in Canada. It is located along the southern shore of Lake Ontario and lies within the fruit belt of the Niagara Peninsula...
  
  
• Barney Wanamaker - Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
  
• George Warin - Toronto
  Toronto
  Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
  
  
• James Warin - Toronto
  Toronto
  Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
  
  
• George "Red" Weir - Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
  
• Hugh Weir - Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
  
• John Rice Wells - Toronto
  Toronto
  Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
  
   / Long Point
• Duncan Ducharme - Manitoba
• Percy Bricknell - B.C.

North Carolina

• Lee Dudley - Knotts Island, NC
• Lem Dudley - Knotts Island, NC
• Mannie Haywood - Kill Devil Hills
• Ned Burgess
• Alvirah Wright
• Mitchell Fulcher
• John Fulcher - Corolla, NC
• Charlie Fulcher - Stacy, NC
• Bob Morse
• Percy Carawan
• Eldon Willis
• Ivey Stevens
• Avery Tillett
• Alphonso Tillett (1877 - 1952) - Kitty Hawk, NC
• Ike O'Neal - Ocracoke, NC
• Charlie Salter - Atlantic, NC
• Irwin Morris - Atlantic, NC
• Ralph Nelson - Atlantic, NC
• Roland Davis - Smyrna, NC
• Jack Gallop - Poplar Branch, NC

Connecticut

Stratford:

• Roswell Bliss
• Albert Laing
• Charles "Shang" Wheeler (1872–1949) - Stratford, CT

Old Saybrook:

• Wildfowler Decoys see also: Ted Mulliken

• Harris Decoys see also: Richard & Marion Harris

Ohio

• William T. Enright (1913–1979) - Toledo, OH. First place at the 1948 World Decoy Carving Competition
• Ned John Hauser
• Charles Klopping
• John Sharon

Louisiana

• Xavier Bourg (1901–1984) - Larose, LA
• Marc Alcide Comardelle (1880–1955)
• Charles Joefrau
• Reme Roussel - Raceland, LA
• Clovis (Cadice) Vizier - Galliano, LA
• Mark (Marc) McCool Whipple
• Mitchell Lafrance

Lake Michigan

• Floyd Joseph Bruce - Gaylord, MI
• Tom "Savvy" Kruse - Watton, MI
  Covington Township, Michigan
  Covington Township is a civil township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 569 at the 2000 census.-Communities:...
  
  
• Ben Schmidt - Detroit, MI
• Butch Schram
• Neil Smith
• Walter Strubling - Marine City, MI

Illinois River

• Fred Allen
• Charles Althoff
• George "Skippy" Barto
• Glen Cameron
• Frank Cassini
• Walter "Tube" Dawson
• Leonard Doren (1894–1965) - Pekin, IL
• Robert Elliston - Bureau, IL
• Otto Garren
• G. Bert Graves - Peoria, IL
• Henry Holmes
• Hiram Holtz
• George Kessler
• Stephen Lane
• Virgil Lashbrook - Pekin, IL
• William Lohrman
• Cline McAlpin
• J. Fred Mott, Sr.
• Charles Perdew
• William T. Shaw
• Richard Sheppard
• Charles Shoenheider Sr. - Peoria, IL
• Fred Traver
• Charles Walker - Princeton, IL
• Robert Weeks
• Hector Whittington
• Perry Wilcoxson

Wisconsin

• Warren Dettmann - Milwaukee - Taxidermist at the Milwaukee Public Museum. See biography in DECOY Magazine, Sept/Oct 1997.
• Joseph Gigl - Fremont, WI
• Owen J. Gromme - Milwaukee - Milwaukee Public Museum. Made the most complex mechanical decoy known to exist, now at the Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend, WI.
• Ned Hollister (1876–1924) - Delavan, WI - Made tin shorebird decoys in the 1890s.
• Howard Homer - Diamond Lake, WI
• Ferd Homme
• Mandt Homme
• August "Gus" Moak (1852–1942) - Tustin, WI
  Bloomfield, Waushara County, Wisconsin
  Bloomfield is a town in Waushara County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,018 at the 2000 census. The census-designated place of Tustin is located in the town. The unincorporated community of Brushville is also located in the town...
  
  
• Gustav "Gust" Nelow (1874–1961) - Oshkosh
  Oshkosh, Wisconsin
  As of the census of 2000, there were 62,916 people, 24,082 households, and 13,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,662.2 people per square mile . There were 25,420 housing units at an average density of 1,075.6 per square mile...
  
  /Omro, WI
• Walter Pelzer - Milwaukee - Taxidermist at the Milwaukee Public Museum. See biography in DECOY Magazine, Nov/Dec 2001.
• Enoch Reindahl - (1904–2000) - Stoughton, WI - Obituary in DECOY Magazine, Nov/Dec. 2000.
• C.C. Roberts & J.J. Rheinschmidt
• William Schultz - Milwaukee - Artist at the Milwaukee Public Museum. Also a major maker of carved and painted bird sculpture.
• Joseph Sieger
• Frank Strey - Oshkosh, WI
• James Walton - Milwaukee

California

• Horace "Hie" Crandall (1892–1969) - San Francisco, CA
• Richard Ludwig "Fresh Air Dick" Janson (1872–1951) Sonoma, CA

PetersEn Decoy Factory

Began in 1873 by George Peterson in Detroit, MI. Sold factory to Jasper Dodge in 1883.

J.N. Dodge

Jasper N. Dodge (1829–1909) began his decoy production ca. 1883 after purchasing the George Peterson Decoy Factory. Production ceased in 1905 and closed permanently in 1908.

Mason's Decoy Factory

The most famous of all factory made decoys. Operated in Detroit, MI, from 1896 to 1924. Produced decoys in the same style as Peterson and Dodge. Produced five grades of decoys:

• Premier Grade - two-piece, hollow body, flat bottoms, glass eyes, swirl paint on breast, notch carved bill, carved nostrils, carved nail.
• Challenge - both one piece solid and two-piece hollow bodies, flat bottoms, glass eyes, less elaborate paint on breast, no notch carved bill, lesser carved nostrils, painted black nail.
• Standard #1 or "Detroit"(glass eye) - smaller in stature, less carving, more paint detail, glass eyes.
• Standard #2 (tack eye) - smaller in stature, less carving, somewhat less paint detail, tack eyes.
• Standard #3 (painted eye) - smaller in stature, less carving, even less paint detail, painted eyes.

William E. Pratt Manufacturing Co.

Established in 1893 in Joliet, IL, did not begin to produce decoys until 1921. Eventually bought out by the Animal Trap Company of America which became Victor.

H.A. Stevens

Harvey A. Stevens (d. 1894) began this factory in Weedsport, NY from 1880 to 1902.
Harvey had several brothers that helped out at the shop, but George was the only one that would carve and paint decoys under his own label. So, the two brothers made commercial decoys and they made them during two time periods. First, the tackeye decoy made between 1870 and about 1890 and then the improved glasseye decoy made thereafter until George retired in the early 1900s. The Stevens brothers made two models, the standard decoy and the sleeper “humpback” decoy.

Evans Factory

Walter Evans (1872–1948) was a large scale producer of fine hollow body duck decoys in Ladysmith, WI from the 1921 to 1932. Similar in appearance to the Mason Factory decoy.

Wildfowler Decoys, Inc

Began in 1939, in Old Saybrook, CT.
In 1957the company had a tragic fire that destroyed the building and most of its contents, the company was sold and moved to Quogue, NY.
The company was bought by Charlie Birdsall in 1961, and moved to Point Pleasant, NJ.
The company was relocated in to Babylon, NY

Babylon (village), New York

Babylon is a village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 12,615 at the 2000 census.Its official name is The Incorporated Village of Babylon...

 in the mid-1970s.
Occasionally, Wildfowler were contracted to produce decoys for the Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch is an American retailer that focuses on casual wear for consumers aged 18 to 22. It has over 300 locations in the United States, and is expanding internationally....

 catalog.

The story of Wildfowler Decoys from Decoy Magazine (2001)

Herter's Inc

Popular sporting goods catalog company founded by George Leonard Herter

George Leonard Herter

George Leonard Herter of Waseca, Minnesota was the heir to the Herter's outdoor goods business and an author. His best known books are the Bull Cook and Authentic Historical Recipes and Practices series , which have a cult following today.In 1937 Herter took his father's dry goods store and...

 in Waseca, MN from the 1930s through 1970s.

L.L. Bean

Sporting goods mail order company based out of Freeport, ME produced factory decoys for a few years.

Peterborough Canoe Company

Famed canoe manufacturer out of Peterborough, Ontario

Peterborough, Ontario

Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...

 known to make solid body decoys during 'lean' canoe production seasons."

Contemporary Decoys

Contemporary decoys are generally thought of as more recent (post 1960s) decoys which were carved for aesthetic and decorative appeal and were never considered to be utilized as a working decoy. Modern decorative markets have been driving up the cost of master carvers into the prices one would consider reserved for antiques.

• Mark S. McNair and sons Ian and Colin - Craddockville, VA
• Ken Harris (d. 1981) - Woodville, NY
• Robert Biddle - Media, PA
• Alex Russell located in Wachapreague Virginia
• Merle Franklin - Dunnville, Ontario
• William "Obediah" Verity (1961- ) Southampton NY. Multiple US Nationals winner, traditional shore bird carver in traditional methods. Known for details geared to preserving the “Verity Heritage”
• Fred Schieber - Michigan
• J.D. Souza
• Bruce Emerson - Morrisville, Vermont www.bedecoys.com

Resellers & Enthusiast Websites

• Old-Decoys
• Current Classic Decoys
• Hunting & Fishing Collectibles Magazine
• Holden Creek Gun Club
• George Strunk Decoys
• Decoy Magazine
• Frank & Frank Sporting Collectibles
• Decoy Collector's Resource

Decoy Museums & Collections

• American Museum of Folk Art - New York, New York
• Barnegat Bay Decoy and Bayman's Museum - Tuckerton, New Jersey
  Tuckerton, New Jersey
  Tuckerton is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, named for founder Ebenezer Tucker , and was a port of entry, but not the third Port of Entry as commonly believed, in the United States As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 3,517.Tuckerton was incorporated as a borough...
  
  
• Birds of Vermont Museum
  Birds of Vermont Museum
  The Birds of Vermont Museum is a non-profit institution established in 1987 in Huntington, Vermont USA. It was created to preserve and exhibit a collection of life-like bird carvings for the purpose of educating people about the role of birds in the ecosystem...
  
   - Huntington, Vermont
  Huntington, Vermont
  Huntington is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,861 at the 2000 census.The town was originally called New Huntington but the name was changed to Huntington in 1795...
  
  
• Centerville Historical Society - Centerville, Massachusetts
  Centerville, Massachusetts
  Centerville is a village in the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. Located on the south side of Barnstable, Centerville is primarily residential, includes a small business district, notable beaches, and a school . Centerville contains the neighborhood of Craigville, which includes...
  
   Elmer Crowell Collection (website)
• Charles Perdew Museum - Henry, Illinois
  Henry, Illinois
  Henry is a city in Marshall County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,540 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Henry is located at ....
  
   (website)
• Core Sound Waterfowl Museum - Harker's Island, North Carolina (website)
• Havre de Grace Decoy Museum - Havre de Grace, Maryland
  Havre de Grace, Maryland
  Havre de Grace is a city in Harford County, Maryland, United States. Located at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of the Chesapeake Bay, Havre de Grace is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which was first named Le Havre de Grâce, meaning in French "Harbor of Grace." As...
  
   (website)
• Lakeview Museum of Arts & Sciences - Peoria, Illinois (website)
• Milwaukee Public Museum
  Milwaukee Public Museum
  The Milwaukee Public Museum is a natural and human history museum located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The museum was chartered in 1882 and opened to the public in 1884; it is a not-for-profit organization operated by the Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc. MPM has three floors of exhibits...
  
   - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
  
  
• Refuge Waterfowl Museum
  Refuge Waterfowl Museum
  The Refuge Waterfowl Museum is located at 7059 Maddox Boulevard, Chincoteague, Virginia, United States. The museum contains an extensive collection of wildfowl wood carvings by renowned decoy crafters. The museum also exhibits murals, wildlife paintings and skipjack models. The museum also...
  
   - Chincoteague, Virginia
  Chincoteague, Virginia
  Chincoteague is a town on Chincoteague Island in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,317 at the 2000 census. The town is perhaps best known for the Chincoteague Ponies, although these are not actually on the island of Chincoteague but on nearby Assateague Island...
  
  
• The Dorset House
  The Dorset House
  The Dorset House is an exhibit building at Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont; it houses the museum's collection of 900 wildfowl decoys.In 1953, Shelburne Museum purchased Dorset House, dismantled it, and reconstructed it on the Museum grounds to house the collection of decoys, punt guns, and...
  
  , Shelburne Museum
  Shelburne Museum
  Shelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds...
  
   - Shelburne, Vermont
  Shelburne, Vermont
  Shelburne is a town in southwestern Chittenden County, Vermont, United States, along the shores of Lake Champlain. The population was 7,144 at the 2010 census.-History:...
  
  
• Tuckerton Seaport
  Tuckerton Seaport
  The Tuckerton Seaport is a working maritime village and museum located in Tuckerton, New Jersey, United States. The site, which opened in May 2000, features 17 historic and recreated buildings connected by a boardwalk, a maritime forest and wetlands nature trail...
  
   - Tuckerton, New Jersey
  Tuckerton, New Jersey
  Tuckerton is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, named for founder Ebenezer Tucker , and was a port of entry, but not the third Port of Entry as commonly believed, in the United States As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 3,517.Tuckerton was incorporated as a borough...
  
  
• Upper Bay Museum - North East, Maryland
  North East, Maryland
  North East is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,733 at the 2000 census.-History:The Turkey Point Light Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002...
  
  , information
• Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art
  Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art
  The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art is located at 909 South Schumaker Drive, Salisbury, Maryland, United States. This museum has the most comprehensive collection of wildfowl carvings in the world, ranging from art sculptures to working decoys used by hunters...
  
   - Salisbury, Maryland
  Salisbury, Maryland
  -Demographics:Salisbury is the principal city of the Salisbury-Ocean Pines CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Salisbury metropolitan area and the Ocean Pines micropolitan area , which had a combined population of 176,657 at the 2010 census.As of the census of 2000, there were...
  
  
• Wendell Gilley Museum - Southwest Harbor, Maine
  Southwest Harbor, Maine
  Southwest Harbor is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. Located on Mount Desert Island, the population was 1,966 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
  
   (website)

Decoy Festivals

• Core Sound Decoy Festival - Harkers Island, NC http://www.decoyguild.com
• Easton Waterfowl Festival - Easton, MD http://www.waterfowlfestival.org/
• Ward World Championship - Ocean City, MD http://www.wardmuseum.org/worlds.asp
• Havre de Grace's Annual Decoy & Wildlife Art Festival - Havre de Grace, MD http://www.decoymuseum.com/special.html
• Ocean County Decoy & Gunning Show - Tuckerton, NJ http://www.tuckertonseaport.org
• Thousand Islands Museum: Decoy & Wildlife Art Show - Clayton, NY http://www.timuseum.org/1000islandshistory/decoyshow.htm

Collectors Associations

• Midwest Decoy Collectors Association MDCA
• Thousand Island Decoy Collectors Association TIDCA
• Potomac Decoy Collectors Association
• Long Island Decoy Collectors Association LIDCA
• Ohio Decoy Collectors and Carvers Association ODCCA
• New Jersey Decoy Collectors Association NJDCA
• Minnesota Decoy Collectors Association MnDCA
• East Coast Decoy Collectors Association (Maryland and Virginia area)
• Northwest Decoy Collectors Association
• Canadian Decoy & Outdoor Collectables Assoc.http://www.canadiandecoy.com

General references

• Earnest, Adele (---) The Art of the Decoy: American Bird Carvings. Bramhall House, New York, NY
• Waterfowl Decoys of Southwestern Ontario and the Men Who Made Them (Brisco, Paul 1986)
• Decoying St. Clair to St. Lawrence (Crandell, Barney 1986)
• Fleckenstein, Henry A. Jr (1979) Decoys of the Mid-Atlantic Region. Schiffer, Exton, PA ISBN 0916838242
• Fleckenstein, Henry A. Jr (1983) New Jersey Decoys. Schiffer, Exton, PA ISBN 0916838757
• Starr, George Ross, Jr. (1974) Decoys of The Atlantic Flyway. Winchester, New York, NY ISBN 0876911416
• Goldberger, Russ J. and Haid, Alan G. (2003) Mason Decoys-A Complete Pictorial Guide: Expanded Edition. Decoy Magazine, Lewes, DE ISBN 0-9724423-0-8
• Frank & Frank Sporting Collectibles October 26, 2008 Catalog. full text
• Country Home (June 1992 p. 86)