OLD DECOY SHACK BLOG

Chesapeake Old Decoy Shack BLOG is about Antique, Collectable, Folk Art Wood Decoys of  Maryland, and other things.  This blog comes to you from the Old Decoy Shack and is intended to be informational, hopefully provocative, insightful and entertaining.  So pull up a chair around  the old wood stove, smell the fresh wood shavings and relax.  I usually update this blog at least every 3 days, sometimes daily, at least hopefully !  Bookmark it in favorites !

6-8-08 toooo durn busy to post much.....Salmon fishing with a vengeance now... the runs are strong but late with a cold spring in the North Country.  Lost a 30 pounder because after he was hooked the line broke near the fly, because of abrasion from rocks on the bottom of the river.  When I get the time the boat proceeds nicely and is shaping up for some summer fishing and duck season in the fall.  Enjoying the high fuel prices ?  Has the SUV turned into a drug addict that needs desperate treatment, but we know will never kick the habit ?  Well, here at the shack we try not to worry about such matters.  The mortgage here was paid back when we milled the lumber and installed the wood stove.  A man at Waldens Pond told us quite some time ago, but most did not hear....simplicity, simplicity. simplicity !

5-28-08 Building a duck boat all of a sudden, just got the bug !  It will be super lightweight made out of Luan plywood.  Always march to a different drummer, that's the secret to life.  Gas prices high and probably going higher.  They want to see just how much pressure the US economy can take I believe and a lot of the spike is bogus !  Well, 20 years of the SUV and what did you expect !  I expected small cars all this time, like we HAD in the 80's after the last gas crisis, but reason and logic seldom rule in an ecomomy build upon constant growth that is ultimately unsustainable.  I believe that the facts of scarce resources is taught in economics 101 at most universities.  But I guess everyone was sleeping in class !

5-19-08 Been out on the marsh lately freighting in lumber and wood pallets fixing up the old duck blind and making it stronger.  This blind is in a shallow lake of sorts and I've been testing out the new mud motor.  This motor is very light and by far the smallest made and weights in at only about 15 pounds.  It is slow, (only 2 horsepower) but gives me time to really see waterfowl and wildlife as the small motor seems not to scare them much and lets me get very close before they spook.  With my light 13 ft. wide body aluminum canoe I can go anywhere but hardly more than a trotting pace and of course it hardly uses any gas !  Very unique item.  If you need to portage from river to lake or from lake to lake or swamp to marsh, this rig is the ticket.

5-13-08 "Where do the months go" the old carver said as he saw the next duck season hove into view as the past one just recently receded into memory.  "Well hell, I'll be darned" he exclaimed, "even though it's just a gettin' green, better think about carvin' a few blocks !"  As for me, I've been out on some property I own cutting logs for decoys.  I already hand cut, chop out and sand my own birds, so why not use my own trees too !  I have a hard time finding purchased wood for some of the various Ward designs I want to carve, so maybe I can find some trees with the proper attitude for some Wards.  Some collectors make too big of a deal on lower priced decoys about the various aspects of minutiae as concerns paint and condition.  Facts are that many Chesapeake bay decoys are turning to dust, many being eaten out from the inside from dry-rot.  It's very hard to detect on a 100 year old bird, the times it may have been touched up and at what times this may have occurred and also the degree of rotten wood present unless it is checked out in a proper manner.  A decoy that has had nothing done to it over the years is to be admired, but as time goes on this will be the case less and less as preservation will become more important than a pile of sawdust covered with paint that has flaked and shrunk into oblivion.

5-1-08 Spring is in the air at the ol' decoy shack and we are glad to see some green for a change.  To start the spring off right I am now offering thru an exclusive arrangement with the printer of A. Aubrey Bodine photography, fine art prints of the Ward Brothers and coming soon decoy carving and hunting scenes of the Chesapeake bay by Bodine.  Bodine was a truly great photographer who worked for the Baltimore Sun back in the heyday of the paper.  My Grandfather Frank Sweeney was a photojournalist during this period at the Sun also.  Over and out for now.

4-27-08 A couple collectors I have talked with say that the market is down due to the economy.  Not a good time to start a decoy business !  When carving decoys I find myself using the drawknife less and less and the spokeshave more.  By using three different ax sizes, although one would suffice, I find I can chop out a decoy fairly quick and then just go to the spokeshave.  My experience as a woodsman and logger gave me ability with the ax when logging, building cabins, snowshoes, sleds, canoe paddles and other stuff.  Once you have mastered these, a decoy is short work.

4-22-08 Put a real interesting decoy on the site that I made a while ago and finished lately.  Caught up with my sales as I sold some Hudson's.  Good Ira's are scarce these days anywhere and hard to find including up coming auctions.  Late spring in much of the North country has many waterfowl waiting for ice-out in the lakes and the snow to leave.  Late snows may make for a good brood year as there should be ample early water in abundance.  Won a rifle at the DU banquet a while ago.

4-17-08 Warming up at the ol' shack lately as spring makes the need for a fire in the stove not necessary !  Wor'kin on a decoy when time allows, but the fishing fever has taken over so much that I can only see the big ones lurking out there somewhere waiting for my fly.  Not seeing many interesting decoys in a nice price range anywhere on the net or at auction !  The economy seems to be part of the problem everywhere as bloat of the house flipping market wears down folk and the oil prices keep surging being played by Wall street investors like a fine fiddle.  Many are wondering just what might happen to decoys as many old collectors go to the spirit world and not that many new ones to replace them.  All I've really got anyway even if I lost all my decoys is my decoy heritage as a boy growing up in the now lost realm of a quickly passing Chesapeake water, decoy and hunting culture, and in the end, that's all that counts.

4-3-08 Been real busy with the fishing fever so have been scarce here.  The real fisherman feels spring coming on just the the dyed in the wool ducker get excited when he feels that fall chill in the air.  Spending much time at the old fly tying bench, dreaming up new patterns and making more of the old reliable ones.  Might just build a new or repair an old duck blind this spring too.  Working on a decoy or two when time allows, but this work will fall off when it gets time to be out camping and chasing finned rockets. Been digging thru the old fishing gear and buying some new since last year I left a pack full of equipment at a camp that was that.

3-24-08  The Wards were the kings of natural looking decoys with spirit, conformation and attitude.  One is left to wonder just how real their decoys could have been if they had built into the body muscle form that is seldom static for long, like in your typical rounded or oval decoy, but is usually constantly changing due to circumstances as the ducks head is moved and twisted to various locations.  In later decorative Wards, lifelike preening and other head/body/wing conformations were created, which made for great decorative waterfowl carvings, but if decoy realism in the early days was the big deal many say it was, body/muscle structure carved into the decoys would have been the ultimate.  Getting hot and heavy with wanting to be on the fishing grounds.  4o years ago I was bitten by the bug of ultra-lightweight fly fishing as practiced by the supreme master of the art, Lee Wulff.  I have built the Wulff 6 ft. rods, tied many innovative flies and fished famous waters.  In and out of the interest over the years, I feel the interest coming back as spring emerges in 2008.  When you catch a 20 pound Salmon on a size 20 fly, you will enter into the realm that few can follow.  Wulffs 20/20 club is hard to match in all of sport fishing and I feel that is what we need more of today in fishing. ie. Sport !

3-16-08 Growing up on the Chesapeake bay and hanging around the waterfront in the 1960's brings back a flooding spring tide of almost lost memories.  In those times there were many waterman still plying their trade.  Almost at any dock or pier or near to them, you would find a usually kind of fat Chesapeake bay dog of rusty reddish brown color.  Usually there were the ubiquitous floats for keeping crabs alive and there was almost sure to be a bay skiff with the ever reliable workhorse outboard motor, a Evinrude or Johnson 40 hoursepower.  At some place you would find a crab house, open to the hot muggy summer air and the smell of fried and steamed crabs will never leave you, no matter how far you roam from that land of pleasant but crowded living.

3-9-08 Can we hear any more pundits ask if we are in a recession or not ?  That is really getting old.  Recessions don't exist any more is the real truth in this writers opinion !  Just a lack of a "bubble" economy.  Yes, we live in a "bubble economy" economy now.  Remember the technology bubble ?  The housing bubble ?  There was and even continues to be (that is why we are not completely bursting) a war bubble.  Well, you heard it here of all places !  When is the next bubble coming ?  I hope it's a decoy bubble !!! When you don't produce a sustainable economy, but one build only on growth and not logic and reason, you invent and create a "bubble economy".  Cheers !

3-4-08 Another month comes to the ol' shack and it's warm enough that there is no need to fire up the wood stove.  Work' in on a block or two as time allows.  Seems the economy is slow lately.  Not long till the fishing season starts.  You won't find any mergansers here.  Not only do I consider them the most ugly duck species, but I don't like the way they are allowed to run wild in various parts of the country so that they can decimate the local small fish populations.  I've seen this out West and in Canada and Alaska where they clean up the streams of baby Trout and Salmon.  In the old days the wise folk who were close to nature realized this and there was a bounty on the ugly fish buzzards !  Here is one way (below) to get into the most impossible of places when wildfowling.This Set-up will take you where Angels fear to tread, where mud motors, jet motors and even airboats just won't do.  Modified kayak canoe weights only 27 pounds, and can be carried for miles if necessary on portages.  The larger kayak/canoe weights in at 35 pounds. Air cooled motor on large canoe is on motor lift that will almost take you as far as mudmotor as prop is only 6 inches below hull...then it's time to expend energy to paddle, pole, push, pull, carry small kayak/canoe.  I call it extreme wildfowling and it leaves everything else high and dry.

2-25-08 Kind of stuck in the doldrums with carving lately.  If anyone wants some insight into Ward attributes I have many photographs in my file not on this site.  Lately I've been think' in how I judge many things people do and relate it to the degree they are divorced from nature.  In our digital age we are going out on a limb to the degree we are separated from the natural world.  Come to think of it we are so far gone we are becoming divorced from the mechanical world.  How so ?  I used to work on my own machines like outboard motors, snowmobiles, cars, trucks, generators and etc.  I seldom do this anymore, but it was necessary when living a life of a commercial fisherman, professional trapper and guide and etc.  When I did this mechanical work I felt much more close to the machine and had an understanding with it not possible otherwise.  Now that I seldom do the work I an alienated from such things and machines.  How alienated from life are folk that only tap on a computer keyboard and all they know of life are digital 1 and 2 and some code !

2-20-08 Warm weather at the ol' shack lately, lots of water and that low barometer makes me lazy.  Seems I've come to an impasse with the decoy carving lately too.  I'm bored somewhat with it or I've burned out like a fiery meteor that rages with bright light for a time they went back to somnolence.  What more can I do with it I ask myself ?  What more can I carve that I have not already carved.  What new venues to explore ?  Should I get away from the reproduction interpretative style and go with a pretty painted style of my own.  What's the point ?  Would I sell them for cheap now or fill a room so that 20 years from now when they may be considered an investment they may fetch higher prices ?  Or maybe when I'm dead, there would be high demand which would have no value to me.  Ah, a classic lament of the decoy carver. 

2-18-08 I received a e-mail about a punt gun recently and forwarded it to a few possibly interested parties.  I guess it sold right away.  It had an 1837 Springfield lock.

2-17-08 Yes, Seeing thousands of Snow Geese reminds one of the glory days of Canvasback hunting on the Susquehanna flats or what it must have been like.  So, in effect, the glory days for Snow Geese is TODAY.  I'm tempted to hunt them, but to do so is mostly a guided private property hunt.  I'm not a group hunter kind of guy and the idea of hunting with a half dozen individuals hanging out of a pit blind or the newer style sleeping bag blinds all shooting at the same goose leaves me cold.  I'm afraid the hunting quest for me is a lonely one, where I'm best left to my own devices in a small canoe like the one above, back of beyond, where the land is not privately owned but is free for the energy one would expend on a hunt.  The reason the Snows are at an all time high is the high quality feed available in the worlds largest and most productive breadbasket of Americas farming belt - and the fact that in the remote Hudson's bay region of Canada, the Snows breeding ground - no one yet is building condos !  Turns out my wife is allergic to wood dust and even though I wear protective clothes when carving I bring microscopic dust into the house and she breaks out....this is not good for a decoy carver !

2-14-08 Was down in the Illinois river county and lower Mississippi flyway recently this last week.  When you get out away from various populated areas there are many antique stores to be found and you never know what may be found there ?  I found a nice duckboat to be given away for only $25.00, but I had no way to carry it on a jet.  My first time to the huge Bass pro sporting goods store in Springfield, MO.  It is a major tourist attraction that brings in 4 million tourists annually.  They even have live Ruddy, Black and Wood ducks living on ponds full of large Rainbow trout.  Had a plan to go to the Mallard capital of the world, Stuttgard, Arkansas, but the nite before large thunderstorms left an inch of ice on the roads and everything else.  In Northwest Missouri we saw 10's of thousands of Snow Geese and many Canadas over in Kansas.  I've had the hankering to go on a spring snow hunt there in the past, but is all seems too much trouble with no guarantee of results. 

2-5-08 I get a number of requests about decoys outside of the Chesapeake bay region, even though my site states that it is about Bay birds only.  Go figure.  I'm really involved with Maryland decoys the most by far.  I don't really put a lot of time into Virginia decoys for example.  Virginia decoys are Chesapeake decoys though so I tend to follow them some, especially the Virginia master Ira Hudson.  I get requests a lot from the Mid-west for example, which I know not a lot about.  My most vibrant interest is the "art" of the decoy and I find that art most evident in the Maryland birds.

2-3-08 Worst crab year since 89 reports the Baltimore Sun !  or two many people and not enough crabs !  I don't think I will even understand certain aspects of decoy collecting.  One example is why a carver would put line ties and weights on a modern smoothie decoy or reproduction.  Some of these go for a thousand or more and won't be used for real decoys.  If they are for display, why the weight and leather line tie ?  They are not real decoys ?  I think only a small percentage of decoy buyers buy because they like the decoy.  Rather it is the investment potential and the carvers name that created the interest.  Real cold lately at the ol' carving shack, but nothing some good dry wood in the ol' wood stove won't cure !  We know that there are quite a few decoys carved as Wards, that are not Wards.  After viewing quite a few I have yet to see any that are not easy to I.D. as not.

1-29-08 Well, the best candidates that would make a real change in the country as president are already out of the race, so what's new ?  What's left ?  Just the same old rebublicrats or a 1 party internationalist corporate party masquerading as 2.  Will be putting 2 Hudson decoys on the site soon.  One real one and one reproduction.  Over and out !

1-27-08 Been real business busy lately and not a lot of time to post.  Keep your carving tools sharp as the harder the wood, the more they need frequent stropping.  Workin' on a block or two as time allows.  Economy and stock market may be affecting decoy sales in some price ranges ?

1-21-08 Tom Horton outlined much about the environmental concerns of the bay years ago in his book "Bay Country".  Well things have only gotten worse since then it seems on many fronts, waterfronts that is...read HERE

1-20-08 Someone e-mailed and asked why I don't have many Upper-bay birds anymore ?  The reason is that although I am still interested in them because of my heritage they just are not appreciating like other bay birds.  I have to think of this site as a business sometimes and overpainted (as most are) UB decoys just don't make it.  I have one exceptional Dye on the sell page, but it has superb form and that is why I acquired it.  Although the paint is gunning paint it is very old and blends in almost like original paint which is very rare.  UB decoys that are in OP are "priced to perfection" already and don't make the best investments and that is what many want...a good investment...otherwise some of the decoys in demand today that are nothing to get excited about... would not sell...but they do !

1-16-08 Well, I guess I'll be paying more tax this year and so will you, unless of course you are a large corporation that won't be paying much and you and I can pick up some of their their slack while they make the big profits in China from cheap slave labor and come back here for the tax advantage....and your children can pay the difference later when the deficit reaches a few more Trillion. Not too much going on here, just busy with business affairs.  Some CEO's are busy too, making a 1000 times the average worker !  Even Warren Buffet says the system is out of wack !

1-11-08 Snowey wind blowin' down the gut off the slough at the shack.  A mite chilly, but that ol' wood heater keeps it toasty and warm inside as a decoy or two comes to life.  No need to impress anyone here with three garages or who knows these days, maybe five. Were not trying to impress anyone here. No, we are content to keep our energy needs to a minimum as the wood smoke blows horizontal and the spokeshave works overtime into the long dark night.  A Coleman gas lamp is burning bright as the electric generator gave out recently, but what the hell, it was good enough for the carvers of old, so it's well enough now, too.  I am prone to much thought at such times as this and contemplate different decoy carvers and their skill and etc.  Been thinkin' about the differences between Crowell and Ward decoys and what I've come up with is that Crowell carvings could be considered as Taxidermy in wood as the Wards considered their decoys as Counterfeits in wood.  What I mean is that Crowell was looking for exact reproduction of birds, where as in effect the Wards were counterfeiting birds and they knew it as it is impossible to get an exact reproduction  With the Wards it was the spirit of the thing.  When I sit in the Ward Museum and look at all the award winning championship carvers decoys in the one room there, and look at all the exact decoys that even surpass Crowell's made by many different excellent carvers I get just a cold feeling.  But, when I view some of the original Ward decoys in the other rooms I detect a spirit there, a phantasmagoric feeling difficult to explain.  It's almost as God took a piece of wood and gave it life !

1-5-08 New Deal Island and St. Michaels page HERE

1-1-08 HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12-30-07 It seems unfortunate that duck hunting is in the midst of fad, like flyfishing was 10-15 years ago.  I see a complete disconnect between the environmental crowd and today's brash slob type duck shooter (notice I don't use the word hunter !) who seem to be everywhere with their Big pick-up truck rigs, the latest camo head to toe and every conceivable technological help to kill the ducks.  As we know many of the enviro-protect-animal rights people would just love to lock up ALL duck hunting grounds and waters if possible.  The "pretend men" wack em' and stack em', pound em' and ground em' boys will help with the lock up when they are held up as prime examples of the sport, possibly in the courtroom or documentary film. Just a few stooges on U-tube, acting up would not help. With today's portable video/digital camera everywhere, not to mention in poor taste the many duck and Goose hunting videos out there, there is ammo aplenty I'm sure to make many cases against the use of public land and waterways for those with a "kill em' and let God sort em' out" mentality. Maybe that is partly why so much of the sport seems to be moving private.  In all sports, what has happened to sportsmanship ?

12-29-07 Recovering from the holidays at the ol' decoy shack and carvin' a few when I get the urge.  Wards by far are the most complex form to carve correctly of any bay decoys.  Most others are fairly straightforward.  Recently paid the silly sum of $338 for a unused copy of the Ward Brothers Collectors Guide.  My only other copy I borrowed from the Smithsonian thru the lending library system.  I carved a number of Wards straight out of the guide.  I missed another copy because I was busy at the time, but fully intended to get this one.  One sly soul waited til' the last few seconds to bid on E-bay, but my years of internet stock trading experience paid off, but at a high price.

12-25-07 MERRY CHRISTMAS  read the Christmas Duck HERE

12-23-07 When you carve a recreation of a carvers decoy, you enter their world in a sense, that is not possible otherwise.  You are going thru the same motions of creation although the decoy design is not your own.  You can learn why they did things a certain way, such as for example why some decoys are square fronted (saves a lot of work) or why a particular design lends itself to a certain type of wood or sizes that may have been available. (like Wards)  It goes deeper than this at times and you seem to get a certain feeling or intuition about why or how a design feature found it's way into the decoy.  Logic dictates some things as I've found out recently like knowing that John Blair was a carriage maker by trade and had to be one good S.O.B. with a spokeshave.  His decoys follow this logic and you better be a fair hand yourself with the spokeshave if you want to follow in his footsteps when creating said re-creation of a Blair.  Why not get started !

12-20-07 Cold winds ablowin' at the ol' decoy shack and that old wood stove is workin' overtime !  Smoke can be seen for miles down the marsh as we stand out like a pimple on a fair maidens skin, the old shack like a lighthouse of sorts.  Frost covers everything all around and nothin' much goin' on so I sit at this glorified radar set tapping out code that only a fool would know how to decipher as modern man seems such when you cut to the quick of things. Seems that old carriage maker John Blair lived in Easton and had a farm.  He spent time on the flats no doubt and someone got a few decoy design ideas, either him or Jim Holly.  Oh, well, we will probably never know and I don't expect to see those guys anytime soon in these parts or elsewhere.  Need to put a few decoys on the site, but just tooooo lazy,,,,well, one of these days !

12-19-07 Much ado about nothing is often made by some about the "meticulous" and "exacting" and "wondrous" and "superlative" nature of the paint job on decoys.  Most of the time nothing could be further from the truth and most adjectives of such nature are wishful thinking and best left to the dust bin of other mystical and mythical thoughts.  Most paint on decoys is strictly utilitarian and primitive and is in reality often childlike.  And that is probably the way it should be.  I've put quite the extended study on the Blair school lately and find it and the paint schemes and technique, like many other highly vaunted makers - highly overrated !  Well, enough about the arcane world of decoy collecting.  Where everyone collects, but hardly anyone correctly recollects !

12-18-07 There is I believe a connection between Jim Holly and John Blair and it can be seen by the observant eye.  If you have the book THE GREAT BOOK OF WILDFOWL DECOYS check out page 124 and 125, Chapter 10 Delaware school.  Then skip the rest of the Delaware school and go to Chapter 11 page 137.  Hold the between pages while you look at the Blair and Holly's... I rest my case !  Look at the overall from of the body, the overall style. Although we are comparing Mallards and Canvasbacks the sameness can be seen !  Blair lived I believe in Northeast for a period of time and had a farm and this could be the explanation or part of it.  I'm not the first to notice the resemblance of the 2 decoy schools, but just adding my "2 cents" !  More here as concerns the "Queen of Waters" and pollution....HERE  remember save the bay ?  I do !

12-15-07 It's depressing to view some of the duck hunting forums out there on the net !  It's all wack em' and stack em' skybust how many you kill mentality.  Sad !  There is little talk of tradition or ducks except the token "Oh, that's a pretty bird" after the shoot.  They do the same constantly on the fishing shows.  It's all big laughs and shoot and talk like, "I love the sound of the thunk, when that bird hits the ground"  It all sounds like some violent video game and I'm sure that has some blame partially too.  Workin' on a decoy of two when possible.  Recently I tried smoking a decoy in the fish smoker for an aged look.  Did not care for it as it seemed not to have much effect and made the decoy smell like smoke !

12-10-07 Here is an article about the pollution of the Choptank River.  They try to put the blame on the Waterman who harvests a few crabs and oysters when the real problem is increasing population on the shore. HERE

12-6-07 Gettin' a little windy and cold at the ol' decoy shack.  Fired up the trusty wood stove and carvin' a little. Sold off quite a few of old stock and sold some at the Easton Waterfowl festival auction, mostly as a donation.  Some buyers said I have the best Ward reproduction decoys they have seen.  I'm kind of tired of them though and am going in another direction as I get bored quick.  One collector couple bought 4 or 5 and I was a little sad to see them go, but what can you do as there is not unlimited room at the shack for decoys.  I carve mostly by eye and use no patterns or such.  If I have a copy of a decoy it is great, but often I go by decoys in books and a few collectors have given me dimensions of decoys so that I could get the size and shape right.  A term I've coined and hope to expound upon is "Marker of Authenticity" which denotes a proven design feature of a given decoy that proves that it was carved by given carver.

12-1-07 SACKERTOWN ROAD is up.

11-28-07 Got that ol' wood stove cherry red today as it's a mite chilly at the decoy shack. Some birds still hanging out up north though in places that have open water.  When collecting decoys it pays to specialize as much as possible to know the real scoop about authenticity.  Collect one region, then one carver, then one grouping ie. Divers, puddle ducks, shorebirds....then one species. Only then will you be on the road to becoming a so-called expert. The problem I see today is that there are too many decoy generalists.  Many sell antiques, paintings, fish decoys, gun items and pretty sooon.... who knows....and when it comes to decoy I.D. the same is often said...Who knows ! Here is a little something I picked up on E-bay under Mason decoys, actually it was passed on to me by a buyer... so take heed to all who sell decoys or want to sell them in the future or have a decoy collecting culture that anyone cares about except a handful...or as Steve Ward said in The Drifter..."Decoy fools" !!! "have collected Mason decoys for a few years and I am now bailing out. The money will go directly to my daughter's college. I briefly want to mention my gross dissapointment with the high end collectors I have met, conversed, went to auctions and realize the young upcoming collector will soon be a dinosaur. My dissapointment with the degree of arrogance and sense of false entitlement is extensive. This ongoing attitude will not encourage young collectors only discourage. I am done with my soap box, I hope someone enjoys these decoys as much as I did, GOOD Luck. I am sad but must move on. Many more birds will be listed in the coming months". 

11-24-06 I've found a use for some of those old overpaint Upper-bay decoys many of us have laying around that will never be worth much.  Also some of the many Susquehanna clone contemporary decoy.  What I'm working on is cutting some in half and hollowing out the inside to make some lightweight gunning decoys.  My have some photos up on the process if I get the chance.  I don't get why some are interested in smoothie contemporary decoys, but some are.  What is the sense of it when there are outstanding decorative decoys with every feather detailed and look almost real ?  Give me history or give me death ! 

11-21-07 That old wind is a blowin' at the old decoy shack, and a bit of a chill is a spur to remind us of what's really important in these small lives we all lead.  So here is a small story from last year about out 3 near do well's (who, if we are honest, are not that much unlike us) down at that old shack maybe near Deal, Crisfield or where ever those who love the gun and the wind may roam.  Happy Thanksgiving.  HERE

11-19-07 Lots of stuff to blog about lately after Easton.  One fact I can attest to without any reservations is this: Unless you have carved and painted reproductions of any famous carvers decoys, you can NEVER have the complete understanding of said decoys that comes from doing so.  Big statement, yes.  I don't care if ones greybeard hangs to the ground and one had written seminal books and held untold auctions, one can never have the true appreciation or knowledge of what went into the line, form and painting of classic decoys, until you make one ! (so why not get started!) This is why when questions are asked about decoy I.D, the answers usually run along the lines of "Well, that's my 2 cents, nobody really knows." or "Oh, I just have a gut feelin' "  or "It just don't look right." My 2 cents, and gut feelin' is that as we saunter down the trail of 21st century decoy collecting, something more concrete is needed beyond mere conjecture and guessing. To further the craft of collecting and gain adherents and new collectors to the hobby it will be best I believe to seek definitive truth as much as possible. (if possible)      

11-17-07 A classic hunting tome someone may want to read this dark winter is titled "Campfires in the Canadian Rockies".  God knows I've spent my time around said fires in Alaska with professional hunters and woodsman, old riverboat captains, trappers, and such.  Both Natives and Whites they were all the same to me, just folks, living out their life on the last frontier.  At the Easton G+S auction I heard at least twice statements such as " Well, there are only a few birds here that I'd be interested in " or "Not many birds here, I might bid on one " to hear these statements is absurd  and the the exponent all the more absurd, which is money - only.  Some of the lowly birds may have more value in more ways than the expensive birds.  But some unknown consensus built of plastic crumbing blocks of a falling dollar and supposed decoy expertise make suspect opinion dictates and statements as facts - when in reality they are not !

11-16-07 Close hauled on a brisk North wind back home from Easton with the hold filled with too many decoys. Tired of Airlines anymore with the rocky winds, the smell of the cabin and etc., but what can you do.  The smaller the plane, the more the pain is my new saying.  I'll take a 747 over the Pacific any day compared to the small regional hub liners, and don't get me started on the drifting Goose feather effect of a Cessna Super-cub.  Anyway, my study in decoy carving has been an interesting one to say the least.  One thing I've learned in life is that you cannot substitute experience for natural talent !  At this point in my short carving career I feel I could make any decoy I desire of my own design or copy any other decoy in existence, mostly by eye, without any patterns.  But what is the point as decoy carving seldom pays even today.  Once your dead, it can be a different story, but of what good is that to you ? To do it for fun, or to prove a point has merit though. These mythical stories of the apprentice that worked in such and such's shop are a lot of hooey.  If they lacked natural talent, and most did, what you end up with is a lot of everyday decoys worthy of the wood stove as are common everywhere.  Can the same possibly be said for decoy identification ?  Well, that is something we will explore in coming articles here.  I know for example the oldest photographer operating in my region is also the worst photographer.  They never were destined to be a photographer, like many, but went with it anyway.

11-14-07 Headed down with the birds going south to the Easton Decoy festival.  Saw some great and near great decoys at the G+S auction and put the petal to the metal cruising the Eastern Shore North to South.  Gorged on Seafood at St. Michael's and Crisfield and enjoyed great crabcakes, softcrabs, crab soup, crab imperial, oysters, rockfish and mounds of steamed crabs.  Chesapeake Landing just past St. Michaels seems to have great seafood for a nice price.  Holy Mackerel (just past the Best Western) had really GREAT crabcakes and crab soup...(the best) We beat down the road from Easton to St. Michaels many an evening and hove to into a seafood paradise.  Showed the "36" Ward cans to all the acknowledged experts and almost everyone had a different opinion that contradicted the other expert.  A jury of 12 had their say, and a judge, and I've never quite figured out yet, at whose mercy I'd rather be at if my fate hung in the lopsided balance of "just folks" or highwaymen.  DOWN ON SACKERTOWN ROAD will be a little photo essay you may want to catch here in your spare time when I get it up online.  Hung out for a time at the old Ward workshop and had a conversation with some extended Linton family.

11-2-07 Gotten reports from various parts of the country that the weather is abnormally warm.  We know for a fact at the ol' decoy shack that is the case as we have hardly has reason to fire up the old wood stove !  What Global warming has in store for waterfowl populations is yet to be seen, as you probably know bird count across the board accept for mid-west Mallard and regional Bluebills are UP.  Canvasback populations up on average 50% !  Of course counting waterfowl is still in the primitive stage, kind of like decoy collecting.  Instead of scientific reasoning and logic what we often get is decoy love affair baloney, wishful or un-wishful thinking and various forms of hero carver worship when it comes to collecting decoys.  It seems the whole decoy fraternity, if you can call it that, are obsessed with provenance, who collected what, what literature lists the given decoy and all other contrived exponents derived from what ? WHY ? Early collectors and books by so-called experts in the field have many mistakes as concerns decoy identification. Is the obsession with the above components and psudo-scientific x-ray's and etc., simply built upon the shifting sands of said components that have scant proof to begin with to ease and lull our fellow travelers minds on the decoy desert who try in vain to follow a long lost and windblown trail when there is none.  Now, lets see brother, who really painted that decoy ?

10-30-07 November almost here and no snow, just warm with no ice.  Went out yesterday and spent 3 hours without much action accept for a flight of Mallard that were wise enough to stay high milling around the decoy rig without coming into it.  Took 3 fast hope-full shots with no results.  My huntin' buddy, Mr. Bald eagle sat in a tree the whole time waiting for me to shoot a bird for him.  I thought to myself that he is out of luck today, but he in his Eagle wisdom must have known better as after I picked up the decoys and was headed out, gol darn if a Widgeon did happen to fly over and I bagged him.  I left the widgeon on the water as I know Mr. Eagle would soon make his swoop and get his meal.  This was a fitting end to the season.  I may start a section here soon called the EXTREME WILDFOWLER.  It will be about those of us who enjoy the pursuit of wildfowl with the less complicated and energy consuming methods which means the elimination of motors as much as possible.
 

10-24-07 From all accounts King George was in MD recently to have a crab cake or two, not catch a rockfish and have a photo-op.  His intent is to proclaim to the world that he is for protecting the environment (at least a little bit), but just a little too late !  Mr. Bush, as always, a tough sell to many Americans, seems to favor the sport fisherman (he is one) over the Waterman families who catch a certain amount of the Rockfish stocks.  It's a tough call.  I have been an avid sportsfisherman and commercial fisherman too.   In fact I once worked for a commercial fisherman newspaper.  I agree that the sports fisher produces more money out of the resource, but just does not produce the artistic ambiance of the folk and lifeways of the waterman, which the Baltimore Sun, for one, makes as much hay as possible more than a few times a year !  Well, Marylanders will choose eventually what is the more important.

10-22-07 Duck season is officially over, not really, but it may as well be as few birds are around since the last freeze of the last two nights.  The season is just getting underway in the Chesapeake country I know and it may be a good one.  I still think of myself as a tough customer when it comes to the water's and wood's but age is starting to say otherwise.  I always prided myself on the common old pump gun for various reasons, but have found that the kick on my face in the upper jaw area is not at all comfortable with a pump.  I still put out more BTU's and energy than the average duck hunter, but this recoil was just a little much.  My game is always to travel light and do with less and the less gentry-like my hunting outfit the better.  When younger I distained a tent, only a tarp would do.  A Spartan philosophy for camp, outfit, and clothing was the norm.  People like Tred Barta and Surivorman, were just duffers in my camp.  All a man needed in the North country was an ax, a teapail made from a coffee can and a .22 rifle according to the old trappers and I tried to follow that dictum.  But alas, time brings changes and recently I had to break down after 45 years of the pump gun and get an auto.  My new Super Black Eagle Benelli (with the comfort stock) does shoot easy and the golf ball size welt I had on opening day on my cheek is no more.  If you happen to call my business we have a new recording that states: WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.......... PRESS 1 for ENGLISH........  PRESS 2 TO DISCONNECT IF YOU DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH AND DON'T CALL BACK UNTIL YOU LEARN IT.

10-13-07 Though the ice would end the waterfowlin' at the old duck camp, but the weather got cloudy and warmer and melted much of the ice around the edges of the lake.  Last evening literally hundreds of Mallards were coming into the marsh from somewhere, possible up North.  As the camp fire spit and sputtered and flames danced to the heavens it seemed the Mallards used the fire as a lighthouse beacon to hone in on the marsh.  Quacks and Swan honks were heard until the late hours and Mallard ruckus work me up in the morn.  Got out early, but as happens many times, could have slept in and got the same amount of action.  One flight of Bluebills came out of nowhere, screamin' into the blocks with me standing up in plain sight having a cup of coffee.   Dropped two of them all in a tizzy with coffee flying all over the place.  Got a good mixed bag of Mallard, Widgeon, Bluebills and Teal.  Mountains skirt the valley floor with more majesty than the Grand Tetons.  Snow covers the tops half way down letting the confirmed waterfowler know that no mater how hard core they may be, it won't last long and after a time will only be a memory.  Fired up the ol' wood stove at the carving shack the other day, so you know it's time to carve a decoy or two, sooner or later.

10-6-07 It's October and getting colder as the frost is on the pumpkin.  My old hunting buddie always hangs out in the marsh with me this time of year.  He and I wait for hours with steely patience as I scan the sky for ducks that are not that numerous this time as the migration is waning.  Yes, the old hunter with white on the head knows that when I do get the chance for a shot or two, that he too will share in the celebration of the most primordial urging that exists in animal or man.  All of a sudden very quick on the wind races a brace of Buffelheads that land out on the lake.  I leave the shore blind. climb in the kayak/canoe and creep out on the lake sneakboat style.  When the diver ducks dive I paddle a few strokes then stop so that when they re-surface, they will not detect movement, but just a semblance of driftwood headed their way.  As I approach ever closer I notice they stop diving as I get within gunning range.  I give a few quick strokes to give the advantage as they now see me anyway.  The Buffelheads take to the air and I drop the two.  My buddie who is hanging out literally in a dead snag tree is suddenly on the scene and scoops up one Buffie in the blink of an eye and is gone. This is his odd way of hunting, waiting for me to make the kill. Its as close as I ever will get to my hunting friend, probably a good 50 feet.  Although we share in this primitive dance of life and death, I can never really know my good friend, even though we have known each other for years now.  My friend is a Bald Eagle.

10-2-07 Yesterday found me in the wind out at the Wind Farm, hunting ducks once again.  Real blaster coming up the valley, but few ducks on the move as there seems to be a lull in the migration as it is not getting that cold yet.  It does not matter how many birds you count in your bag, but the quality of the hunt.  Just like collecting decoys eh ?  A mile or 2 out as it is hard to judge distance in the big open, I spotted a fresh northern flight of 4 birds.  Some tooting and quacking and highball screaching into the old reliable Faulk call turned the birds heads and soon they were on the way to my blocks.  A big swing around the back of my spread and I thought they were gone up the valley.  I counted them gone, after swiveling my neck to the breaking point, but ever so slowly, looking behind me when all of a sudden a few minutes later there they were sailing into the blocks with cupped wings.  This was a picture perfect shoot in everyway.  I took a Pintail and Mallard, a clean direct kill with steel # 3's, and although it was just one brace of wildfowl, it was a quality hunt that stays in the recess of a hunters memory, possibly forever.  In the Northern environs here, your duck decoys may as well all be painted brown as most of the fowl are not in their winter colors yet. There would not be much use of a point system as most times it is hard to tell species and male and female when the birds are on the wing, at least for many hunters much of the time.  A mallard, pintail or gadwall, will have a somewhat similar profile and shape, especially in dim light, when moving fast.  Pintails have a longer neck of course, but the tail feathers are either not fully developed or hard to see most times.  I find that when you are decked out in camo fully, there is hardly any use of a blind anymore.  I can be real close to the decoys and I notice ducks don't realize I'm there.

9-30-07 Last day of the month finds me overnite out at the old Duck camp again, along with a full moon, if only I could see it thru the clouds.  The "Termination dust" or new snow on the mountains along with every tree a shiny bright yellow makes for the most likely, most overpoweringly beautiful duck camp in North America.  During the day, when I view such a scene I can almost imagine that indeed there may be a maker, instead of volcanic and atomic forces that put this mire, muck and rock together in such sublime formation.  Mallards quack in the marsh as long trains of Tundra Swans head south, making their melancholy, lonesome wilderness sound as that is where they came from. My campfire throws sparks into the chill air as I contemplate my existence once again. The wealthy can't buy this place, but their California duck clubs will be full soon enough with northern Pintail, Widgeon, Gadwall, Spoonbills and other species that now fill my bag here, but still leaving plenty for the Flyway highway boys down south.  When it is raining all day long and the birds are not flying, I ask myself WHY I do this.  Also, why do I carve the silly decoys that no matter how good they may or may not be, still are never going to be worth my time compared to the money I make from my business.  The Gods must be crazy and me more crazy still.  But, then again, when all the toil and hard work is done, the shots fired and the birds in the bag, what is there that will be my legacy ?, what really matters ? Most of the so-called worldly would see this Spartan Duck marsh existence as terminally insane. But, this is closer to real life, than any Golf course, can ever be. You can only sleep in one bed at a time, no matter how large your mansion. A Bill Gates ?, A Warren Buffet ?, A King George Bush ? No, better still, just remember me as an old duck hunter, whose roots are in the Chesapeake bay country.

9-22-07 Out on the slough, back in the gut, in the old duck camp.  Quite a few birds to be found, Teal, Pintail, and Widgeon mostly.  Building a new platform for a blind out at the other place when time allows.  The places are almost a 100 miles from one another.  Concerning decoys, I almost can't believe the workmanship on the pair of Upper-Chesapeake Holly Cans that sit up on a shelf.  When I pick them up it is very hard to believe that my own hands made them.  It is easy to forget than I did make them in fact.  These birds have a "feel" that is hard to describe and evokes a heritage and a consciousness that is beyond words.  Something about them makes me remember why I hunt ducks.  My wife always asks me if I have "fun", but in fact it does not seem fun at most times, but more of a drive, a beckoning that I don't quite understand.  When the flights are on the move it seems primordial.  It makes me think of how far back ancestors did this hunting of waterfowl.

9-16-07 Spent last evening on a stream bank, cold and wet trying to start a fire with gas and wet wood in the rain.  Went for broke to make it for the ducking grounds before dark, to my camp in the Freight canoe with the hunting kayak inside.  Cruising along and lost control trying to shift the load of the kayak and before I could blink I hit the stream bank and flipped on the Freight canoe's side. Decided to make way back upstream in the dark paddling a heavy load that hardly seems to move against the current.  In my favor was a 29 ft. tide that helped, but so far up the slough it was minimal.  Thanks to one of those LED headlamps and 2 hours of constant poling and paddling I made it to the truck non the worst for wear, but dog tired.  The muskrats got a good laugh. This type of scenario is one which can kill.  I was tired to start with with weeks of a heavy work schedule while trying to fit in duck hunts.  I was wet, and a perfect situation for hypothermia was present. I was in a hurry...major mistake... If I would have slowed the 5 horse motor which pushed the canoe near 10 knots, or took it out of gear, I would not be telling this tale.  One mile an hour was the top speed I could make back to the truck, paddling, poling upstream, back of beyond, out of the sight of anyone, close to some of the best waterfowl country on God's green earth.  Here is an article about lost crab pots on the Chesapeake.  Seems to me that the "ghost traps" would create habitat for sea life, just like all the other things like sunken ships etc. have proven to be !  HERE

9-11-07

Been out at the old duck shack at the Wind Farm try' in to hit a duck with a wet Mossy 835 that fell in the water !  Birds on the move, especially on nasty days.  WINCHESTER FAST STEEL shot shells at 1550 fps. in 12 ga. with a 10 ga. barrel are hell on pass shooting and make clean kills with regular steel shot.  I've always been an advocate of high velocity shells over slower larger shot loads.  These shells pack a hell of a wallop and my right cheek has been swelled up for the last 10 days.  Slower shot loads like the 2 3/4 REMINGTON with 1 1/4 ounce # 4's is ok for over decoys.

9-2-07 If you were here last year you may recollect my fawning over the new Mossy shotgun with the 10 gage barrel, but 12 gage receiver. Well, I'm a believer !  Did real well the other day with it and it produced clean kills with regular steel shot out to 50 yards.  My face has a huge swell and bruise on the right cheek though as the 3 inch mags are a doozy.  I figured rather than getting ripped off by the major ammo manufactures for the heavy shot B.S. I'd go for a gun that excels with regular steel.  The Mossy 835 is the gun !  No time for decoys now, got the hunt' in bug in spades !  Got some heads and bodies and such sitt' in around the shack, but tooo busy at the duck shack out in the marsh to care !  Got an order to fill for a Ward style repo but it will have to wait !  We have no love for in-laid fine double guns here, it may get lost to a 32 foot tide or who knows what.  What we need is a reliable no frills tool for wildfowl !

9-1-07 Opening day found me at the marsh today !  Went to new place with quite a few hunters but more ducks than the old spot.  Saw a few Cans, but got none.  2 Blackheads, 2 Spoonbills, 1 Goldeneye, 1 Mallard and 2 more divers I can't remember completed the bag limit, No, excuse me, they were widgeon...  I'm tired as I have almost never been as tired as last few days and have not been sleeping well, possibly due to the excitement of the opener. Most wildfowl painting are illustration meaning that they try to depict real life, rather than give an impression of the life an ways of wildfowl. This is a rather simplistic way of painting or for that matter, carving waterfowl or anything else.  That's what impresses me about the Wards, which is that although they claimed to be "wildfowl counterfeiters in wood" meaning that they were carving as lifelike as possible, unconsciously maybe, their work went beyond that into the highest of the art realms, impressionism.  No other carvers that I know of hit this high note of decoy carving including Elmer Crowell.  It is especially evident in the early works of Lem Ward in particular.

8-25-07 Busy, Busy and more Busy, getting the duck hunting gear in shape.  Camo painting on watercraft, decoy getting ready, new equipment to buy and of course SCOUTING, which is of utmost importance.  Collecting decoys and hunting ducks is more of just a sport for me.  It is a continuation of a a Great American heritage as sacred as the country itself.  I could go hunt in other countries where there is probably more fowl, but the ambiance of the whole thing would not be the same, why not just shoot clay birds !  No, It's the smell of autumn dying marsh grass and the skies of the greatest of all continents, and thoughts of the sublime vastness of the North country, the primordial home of the wildfowl.  And more, which is hard to express.  The values of the true waterfowler run in tune with the great values of America.  Freedom, Independence, fair play and sportsmanship, values often not understood elsewhere.  International borders between countries are important to wildfowl management, such as the lines drawn on a map between Canada and Mexico.  As with waterfowl we need to keep and protect these sacred borders, for the ongoing future of our sovereign, and sacred country.  Hence one of the mottos on this site: Boarders, Language, Country...and Culture !

8-20-07 Real busy time of year and hard to post regular.  Got out the real shootin' decoys the other and put them into piles according to species, size, make etc.  Some have the water keel which is great for lightness.  In fact that is one of my considerations as to take less bigger decoys or more smaller one for weight savings.  That is a conundrum that no one has quite figured out yet.  Have 2 canoe/kayaks and a large canoe all ready to go.  Painted the large one camo and still have one smaller one to go.  Bought some new decoy weights.  Season opens September 1st here !  Our plan as usual is too put the hurt' in on as many as possible before they get down to you ! LOL  Don't worry, many get out of here before the opener, though some here don't believe it, but I have the facts, coz I've seen them on the move on a dusky August evening, high up, headed for the Sunny South.  I think some folk collect too many regional decoys and duck calls and who knows what else.  It's better to specialize so that you can know the real scoop on things and not just knee jerk reactions gotten from various questionable sources deduced over time to the point that few use logic to de-bug a given that is not a given at all.

8-12-07 Just like Upper-bay carvers, the Wards used friends and journeymen decoy carvers to help prime, sand, paint and carve decoys.  The brothers would stop carving at the drop of the hat when waterfowl season was in full swing and are known to have "put the hurry" on decoy orders in the winter, hence the name of "winter ducks" for said decoys that were often a little rough around the edges as to carving and paint compared to summer ducks.

8-10-07 Found a long lost lake full of fab chunky full of fight Rainbows.  If you have heard of the famous Kamloops rainbows of British Columbia these must be their cousins.  These lakes are right under the noses of thousands of fisherman making their way to the world famous Kenai river for the tens of thousands of Red salmon and monster King Salmon.  These Rainbows are totally unbelievable.  Many throw the hook as they instantly take to the air when hooked like mini-Tarpon.  I have actually had 2 jump in the canoe.  They average a few pounds and are well fed and buff.  Fishing is all relative according to the size of the tackle and on a medium weight rod I would match these fish to any that swim, fresh or salt water !  Many consider Lem Ward as the main man behind the Ward legacy.  He did produce the early fat jaw Bluebills and others it is believed.  So much controversy surrounds the Wards and many so-called (this so-called is one of our favorite expressions here) experts have such divergent opinions the pot gets very muddled at most times.

8-5-7 Here we are at August already and one of my most busy months.  Been out in the Big North country checking out the supply of birds that are ready to head south soon.  Lousy cold summer here so it could be an early push south.  In late August a few years ago, I was out in the ol' boat in Prince William Sound and was coming in late in the evening and just happened to look up to see many thousands of birds headed out of dodge for an early vacation.  They were streaming out of a low mountain pass, hell bent for warmer climes down your way !  Put a thousand miles on the old truck this weekend visiting old stomp' in grounds and there seems to be plenty of birds still with young.  The internet is a very strong tool for many things.  Blogs are in the forefront of change in many realms, including the political.  The net has superceded many of the "old school" ways of delivering information and provided new and exciting personalities into the ether who previously had limited access to tools including money to make and deliver their presence, knowledge and creativity to a sometimes outmoded, pedestrian and boring power structure, especially the media.  In the air we hear rumors concerning the death of newspapers, which may be a little premature.  But the hard cold facts are that recently advertising dollars have exceeded all previous predictions as to historic divisions/allocations and have shifted to the internet to the loss of big urban newspaper chains. What may influence the next presidential political election is not so much talk radio...but the web !!!  LONG LIVE DEMOCRACY AND FREE SPEECH !

7-25-06 You just can't keep an ol' waterman down for long it seems !  Just as I swore off boats this spring and sold mine, i went down to the local boat shop to look for a mud motor for duck huntin and fell in love with a Dam beautiful sleek number by the name of Ranger 21......Dam !  Just might buy her...we shall see !  The thing about Ward decoys is the "spirit" of the bird they portray.  An Elmer Crowell may be more exact in paint, but for me, don't capture the real spirit of the bird, that is what makes the Wards so great as carvers !  I think it may have to do with the real difference between real decoy carvers and decorative bird carvers.

7-23-07 It's been off to the great North Woods again, chasing those not very elusive Arctic Grayling.  500 mile round trip and very high winds in the  mountains send one Northeast outfitters canoe sailing off the rack on top of the truck and dragging along the side at 65 MPH....A dent in the truck but little damage to the plastic canoe....tough as nails.  At least 10 hens with chicks on the lake, Widgeon and teal moms.  2 beaver round out the picture, a few Moose, an Eagle and Loons.  Caught enough Grayling to make it look silly.  They attack the lure or fly like frenzy blood crazed sharks and if you hold the fly at rods length over the water, one after another will jump out like Salmon, at a fly suspended a foot above the surface.  Wilderness fishing in the Greatest of the Great North Woods !

7-18-08 Well, Summer doldrums at the ol' decoy shack !  Tired of your "BIG" life yet.  You know the big house, the big SUV, the big HD TV with a million channels and nothing worth watching.  Then there is the big dept, the big wigs and the big lie.  Well, what can we do ?  I don't know, except carve or collect a Folk art decoy !  Someone asked me how I got such a real aged look to my own decoys.  The secret is deconstructing and back engineering the paint of old decoys.  That's all I can say.  Pretty simple really.  I bought a number of decoys in the past expressly for that purpose.  Ultraviolet light from the sun ages paint and wood faster than almost anything else.  Severe cold does a good job of drying the paint and moistness contributed to rotting the paint and wood.  I can get a well gunned over and aged look without any of these environmental factors though.  Should be some good Salmon fishing next week...get out the flyfishing gear.  Headed for the world famous Kenai river.

7-10-07 Been holed up in the old shack today, work' in on some decoys, boxing up some ( which is a boring chore) and tripping the light fantastic !  Too cloudy to get excited about fishing.  Lots of baby ducks about, should be a fair to good brood year.  Read this article if you are interested in a story about one of the last of the real Northwoodsman professional trappers.  I did not know a guy like this still existed.  He is 88 and still going strong trapping the Lynx cat, which is larger than a Bobcat, but not as large as a Mountain lion.  One year he and someone else trapped over 300, a real feat if you know anything about trapping and most don't. You could compare it to climbing Mt. Everest with you pants down 5 times in a week. A life in the out of doors can do this for you. Vibrant health, look at the dude, probably a low body fat count.  HERE  If you hunt Cans on the Chesapeake today, you may not be aware that some of them come from this area, the famed Yukon flats.  Ever notice how a real Hen Mallard looks so natural with the brown edged feathers on the back that are so real you don't notice them. On most Hen Mallard decoys you see the brown feathers always have a fake look that stands out. 

7-7-07 Wow...see those numbers ?! If you believe in numbers theory, it is your lucky day !  Al Gore is stumping with the EARTH concert and I think it will not be as popular as planned.  Too much green dope smoking will go on instead of Green environmental protection.  Oh, well, that has been the case for the last 30 years !  I was very sad after watching a program about Black inner city youth of Washington D.C. who joined a conservation program to clean up a major tributary of the Potomac.  They were really involved and it was sad to see how many of them were killed by gang violence...truly astounding.  Real madness and anarchy so close to the nations capital.  I guess those of you who belong to the Potomac decoy collectors know more about this than I do.  The Chesapeake is but a shell of it's former self according to a travel article I read.  They recommended going to the North Carolina shore instead.  I don't know how the bay will be saved with all the population, big vacation and residential developments etc. going full blast. 

7-5-06 Ward decoys display a similar evolution as Susquehanna decoys but it just happened about a generation later.  That is, that both the Upper and Lower bay decoys evolved from a rounded shape to a more elongated and refined shape over time.  Early Ward's had almost a football shape. but later developed into the unequaled beautiful artistic symmetry that define later Wards.  Back in the day when I used to make Snowshoes, Dogsleds, Canoe paddles, Ax handles, Boats and etc., Down north, I found the mini, tiny Stanley plane a super great tool.  I recently got hold of another and again find it greatly useful for decoys.  Stanley tools are an always available standard and have fairly good steel for the money.  Don't discount them.  The common spokeshave they make (contractors grade) is not all that bad and good for tight places.  Work' on a few decoys as time allows.....

7-4-06 HAPPY 4th to ALL !!! The freedom we enjoy, whatever exactly that is and how it is expressed can only be kept free by Borders. Language and Culture.  Don't ever forget it or we will join the ranks of Despotism, Aristocratic rule and Balkanization, the very things we escaped from and documented in 1776 for perpetuity for all future American generations.  Went out on a trip to the Interior for Arctic Grayling, which is a splendid fish.  Most of the time we were the only ones on the lake and the fishing was like you would fine elsewhere a hundred years ago.  Almost a fish on every cast and schools flashing by under the canoe.  If it was Canvasback ducks instead of fish, just imagine the Susquehanna flats in the early 1800's and you will get the picture.  Caught and released over a 100 in a few hours and could have got 200, but it just gets boring.  Released most of them except a few for the table....firm white flesh from icy waters...great !

6-30-06 Work' in on a few decoys lately. Fishing tooo ! Decoy world pretty quite ! 

6-28-06 ON IMMIGRATION AMNESTY........................WE THE PEOPLE..............HAVE SPOKEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   King George and cheap labor corporate lackys get no bill !!! 

6-24-06 The ol' wood stove is cold for the summer and although I work on carving at times, it's less often than not.  Thought of the coming season a few times and have a few new spots in mind where the birds fly often, the sky is overcast, the wind brisk and the shot hard.

6-19-06 Yes Mr. New World Order. it is NOT Amnesty, But trying to re-make us into a Third world country !  This is my reply to King George constantly screaming that it's not amnesty for the 12 to 20 ILLEGAL immigrants that are here.  Out in canoe a lot lately.  The last few weeks has seen the full spectrum of the survival of the fit as the many new hatchlings have been devoured by the strong.  I even witnessed a Magpie bird that had caught a baby Mallard out in the open somehow and was trying to peck and wound it, but by chance the duckling made it to water.  Proves that smaller predators than we think take on the young broods whenever they get the chance.  Cans are back in this area for real.  Spotted a hen with chicks and the chicks diving like experts.  A photo is on the Waterfowl photography page.

6-14-07 When all is said and done and you break it down to true reality, Decoy collecting is a pretty strange game !  The very things that many collectors look for in a given decoy work against the health and welfare of the decoy in the long run.  The paint many collectors desire for example, the dry, gatored, craquelured stuff is usually in a latter stage of disintegration that will only go downhill from the purchase point.  Maybe this is part and parcel of our individualistic "only me" society where we only think of our small moment in time and not what comes after.  Then they wonder after the aforementioned type of paint they like why the said decoy is not in total original paint ?  How can it be after all the use and abuse of the hunt and then the admiring hands that come after as collectors stroke and handle the decoy with loving hands that often cause a decoy to be loved to death as oils, abrasive dirt and sand do their work in minute amounts over time.  Nuff said !  Now, lets not pursue (right now) the subject of the interior of many Upper-bay decoys.

6-10-07 Out in the canoe yesterday trout fishing.  Caught a 10 inch one and a Loon that was close started chasing the fish while still on the line.  After I caught it I threw it to the Loon and sure enough he got it.  Pretty amazing being so close to this wilderness bird.  Loons are large beautiful birds with thick necks and strong beaks, I bet they are related to Cans.  I think some misguided folk think there is a living to be made selling duck decoys.  People who do are very few and far between if any exist at all except auction folk.  But, then, what is a living to some is not to another.  Put a 1918 Ward Can on the site.  One of the most interesting decoys out there.  A study of the evolution of carving and paint techniques of the Ward models is an interesting one indeed and this one gives a good starting point. 

6-6-07 Word on the Decoy street is that some fairly nice decoys have been found in parts of Lower Maryland and Virginia this spring.  Happens every year as folk clean out the old barn and boat shed.  Fewer all the time but still enough for a treasure hunt !  Been carv' in some lately and putting a few away for aging.  Restored an old Ward Redhead for a friend down the shore that had a lot of pain over the years from heavy hunting.  Been photographing a few birds that are latecomers because of cold spring.  Check them out on the waterfowl photography page.  Slow going for decoy sales.  Folk inquire though, looking for great bargains. Sold one this week anyway. Your tools for carving cannot never be sharp enough, and they seldom seem as sharp as the first day you used them !  Just may build a canoe this summer, have 3 already, but what the hell !  Build a small Sailboat one time and planned to build a 40 footer and sail the world...well, maybe next year !!!  Sometimes you just get the bug !  Must be summer com' in on !

6-5-07 Been out at the Salmon stream lately.  It's been a world of pools, riffles, and runs as the mighty King salmon runs upriver to continue the are old game of natural selection and the survival of the most fit as they head for the the spawning grounds.  On this 20 foot wide stream it was quite an experience to have a King of about 25 pounds make a leap like a torpedo going up stream right in front of me.  This type of thing could only happen once in a lifetime or less and was one outdoor experience I'll never forget.  The only thing more interesting and exciting could be a fresh flight of Cans on the Chesapeake in the old days.  It will always be embedded in my minds eye, the silvery flashing fish with water droplets and fume spraying off the fresh sea-run body like real diamonds almost it seems at my eyes height right in front of my face.  Flyfishing at its finest !

6-1-07 Been lay' in around the shack til the mail train comes back !  Not really a I have been Reaaal busy with spring cleaning and maintenance and a million other spring things.  Late arrivals, Bluebills came through yesterday, all tired and sleeping from long flights.  It seems to me that there are more diving ducks around these parts.  They say that there are less younger folk interested in hunting today and that can only be GOOD for diver populations.  I don't believe some of the Pap put out by the duck biologists and attendant political ramblings of special interest groups of all kinds.  I believe for example that many species of waterfowl are very adaptable to other environments than they are given credit for, they simply have not been giving a chance to populate many areas...because of tooo much hunting pressure over the years.  I bet that a 5 year moratorium on duck hunting would work wonders for the overall health of the stocks...never happen of course, so don't worry, too many $ interests at stake.  Global warming may be good for duck populations as there will probably be more water on the tundra lake country from melting permafrost ground and it may breed much bio matter that ducks can feed on.  Redheads seem real aggressive compared to other diver species and that probably has a lot to do with the nest parasites that they are as they probably drive other ducks off the nests.  Over and out !

5-24-07 Took out the new Northeast Outfitters canoe on it's maiden voyage today.  Big canoe almost a boat and heavy.  Managed to get it up on my back a few times as it must weigh at least 80 pounds.  Square stern with motor bracket.  Would be a real bitch to portage any distance.  Hankering to carve a decoy but just don't have the time.  A loon came very close to the canoe but no camera.  After I sell of the remaining over paint decoys I have for sale I will only carry Original paint decoys.  That has always been my interest as long time readers will attest, even the viewers who never e-mail me, but lurk in the background like owls in the woods at midnight.  On a political note, What ever happened to the terror alerts ?  Funny how could they ever be real when we have an open border with 3rd world Mexico that threatens our country more than the U.S.S.R. ever did.  Again MR. BUSH (er...I mean King George) Put UP that Wall...( or fence ) Just as we have controlled OUR population, we will have baby factories brainwashed by the Catholic church to come in and within a few generations have a major population of a people who cannot understand what democracy and freedom are all about.  That is why their country is controlled by 18 wealthy families and is kept that way.  We do not even understand democracy fully and have a thousand year head start on Mexico.

5-22-07 The damper is down on the ol' wood stove this time of year at the old Decoy shack...just too much outdoor activities and other work going on.  Not much time for carving either.  Yesterday as the sun rose you could find me at the Salmon river walking among Eagles, crows and gulls that were so intent on eating fish that they hardly paid me any attention as I walked among them.  Ducks were on the wing, divers in the pools of the river and puddle ducks overhead.  Later in the day found me at some mountain lakes still with some ice, but with open water too.  Shorebirds make their home here as few would imagine. but true, also diving ducks.  Quite a few Hudsonian Godwits passed thru this general area lately which are becoming more rare and much studied.  We can put our faith in many things, but in the end, its all only nature that feeds the soul and gives you the only real and true view of reality on this watery realm called earth or elsewhere.

5-12-07 Just back from the Kachemak bay Shorebird festival in Homer.  Thousands of birds arriving daily.  Will post photos soon.  Met one of the last of a breed of old time style wood carvers.  He reminds me of a folky Ira Hudson and makes a similar folky decoy and also fish etc.  Very interesting and I will post photos soon.  At least 6 pairs of Cans on the local marsh lately.  This is good, especially if the increase is offspring.  Saw group of at least 100 Bluebills at Homer, plus Cranes, White front Geese, Pintails and many species of Shorebirds.  PHOTOS HERE

5-9-07 The same group of Cans have returned to the same pond as usual again this spring !  They some how escape the hunters again.  Went out in a used kayak I purchased in a local lake yesterday.  Got some good close shots of some Bluebills.  Decoy world pretty slow as of late.  Independence and freedom are the greatest gifts that we have here in the U.S.  Use them wisely !  Saw a show on the telly about Hunter S. Thompson who was said to be so independent and a free thinker, but bound his life up with drugs and booze.  How independent and free is That ?

5-03-07 May is here at the ol' Shack and birds are still com' in back home !  Lot of Pintails yesterday and a local told me she saw at least 300 Swans land on the slough.  Carv' in a few decoys as I get the chance, but time for carv' in will decrease with the return of the sun.  If you have an interest in West coast decoys go the links section and have a visit with KING QUACK.  Vince out on the coast of California has a very interesting article on Ward decoys at the White Mallard club.  Very interesting for us Ward-da-philes.  King George is at it again.  Does Congress exist in his mind ?  Let them eat cake !

4-27-07 In keeping with our ongoing research and study of the evolution of the Upper-bay Susquehanna working blocks I have been working on a project to determine the some of the parameters concerning the materials used for decoy heads, the reasons they were fastened to the body the way they were and the reasons for the infamous neck cracks.  Tune in as you will not find this type of research elsewhere.  I have been making heads out of various woods lately and putting them in a vise to determine the breaking point of the neck.  Thus far the major reason discovered for the cracks is fairly straightforward: ie. the weak nature of pine and cedar wood used in their manufacture.  Of course no one can be faulted in this as these were the main woods available on the bay.  I have found that pine and fir followed by slightly more flexible cedar all break very easy when pressure is applied.  Basswood is far superior in this regard and a superior wood in many other ways as many carvers know.  I believe that Basswood grows in the Great Lake region and I am not knowledgeable about weather the wood was used for decoys in the region.  The main reason for the nail thru the head must have surely to have been to hold the head and neck together when they were sure to break, which seems to be most of the time.  It is amazing the small amount of pressure that it takes to snap a neck in a vise.  I have no way to measure and am tired of carving heads to waste on this experiment, but I would hazard a guess that the pressure is under 20 pounds per square inch or probably much less.  If you tighten the vise where the head will not move another one half inch turn breaks the neck like like snapping a pencil.  Pine, Fir and Cedar have a high tensile strength but are very brittle and to help you picture this even more, pencils are usually made of the same woods, especially cedar.  The heads were set in the vise and pressure applied from top to bottom along the same line as the head nail was inserted.  As pressure is applied in the vise small hardly visible cracks would occur, often a cracking sound could be heard before any cracks would appear.  This leads me to believe that the process of pounding the nail into the body thru the head many have caused minute cracks undetected that later cracked when the decoy was in use.  This is one reason that I believe that the nail was more of a safeguard for head loss than a fastening method that had the ability to make a strong head/body connection.

4-26-07 Warming up at the ol' decoy shack as of late.  Workin' on a few decoys as time allows.  Wonder how many have noticed the sameness to the Ward "1925" raised wing Cans heads in the Ward decoy guide book and the Holly decorative pair in The Great Book of Waterfowl Decoys ? Very interesting to say the least !  I would have thunk that the Daddy Holly decorative were probably being carved about the same time as the Wards started carving.  Add that to the pot and also the fact that the Wards seemed to go in a decorative trend from the get-go and we have some gist for a Chesapeake bay decoy novel ! LOL I guess attendance at Easton was down and that seems to be a trend some say for decoys festivals in general in the bay country.  The internet has super-ceded almost everything these days, plus the fact that older folk seem to collect decoys as a rule and it seems younger ones are not replacing them.  I guess they are too busy living in a virtual fantasy world of video games.  Maybe I'll start a video game called: "Bustin' birds on the bay" with realistic Sinkbox set-ups and gunners hanging out the top with ice on the tip of their nose.

4-24-07 If you have ever watched the Jerry Springer show and hear "the talk" of a certain group of people and how their actions have been influenced by RAP music culture for the last 20 years, then you will understand the Virginia tech shooting.  It seems to this writer than indeed instead of progressing, we are headed in the opposite direction to to social degeneration across the board.  Well, what can you do ?  Collect or Carve a decoy, I guess. On one local lake a small number of Bluebills are there including on pair of Cans.  Been watching them intently lately !  At the upcoming G+S auction a few Southern Ruddies are in evidence that had overpaint that has been worn down to the original paint surface.  Expensive decoys and shows the importance of OP no matter how it is achieved either by wear or take-down. Of course that has always been my philosophy here.  I think the real difference between Chesapeake decoys and Mid-west decoys is that the Chesapeake waterman lived and worked the water and had a more refined experience with nature and the environment on an everyday basis.  I believe that the Mid-west decoy makers were mostly farmers and the difference and realism and real working decoy flavor shows.

4-19-07  Birds arriving in force now, Bluebills, ugly merganzers, Geese, you name it !  Ice leaving quick and the birds follow !  Check out the High head "36" Ward repro Can on the other decoys page.  Work' in on a Bluebill/Blackhead when I have the time.  Pretty warm at the ol' carv' in shack as of late.  Too bad about Virginia tech shooting for real !  As the college kids would say " He couldn't get laid" !

4-15-07

Birds are returning North in small numbers for some species and in force for others.  Quite a few Goldeneyes and Buffleheads on a local lake.  Saw a pair of Pintails yesterday and Snow geese are arriving in numbers or flying over at least.  Fishing is on the mind of many here and I took a drive to some new lake country today to check it out.  A local report says that wild rainbow trout inhabit one lake.  Working on a Ward style high head Can.  It will be hard to tell the difference between it and the real item.  Expect to make a her mate eventually.  East coast is getting a classic Nor'easter. but here it weather is fine and warm.  May take out the Kayak tomorrow to get some close up views of some new arrival waterfowl.  Keeping your carving tools sharp can mean the difference between struggle and ease and make all the difference in the world.  Looked up from the ol' carving shack yesterday and saw a gaggle of geese on the wing.  Spring is on the wing and in the air even though some snow is still on the ground.  I get the shovel and spread out the piles to make it disappear quicker ! 

4-11-09

Sold my Boat !  I don't care much for trailering boats and I need to get out in my new Canoe because as you get older you need to keep active and I notice a lot of boaters don't seem all that fit.  So...I'll be burn' in off calories do' in the big 5 this summer.  ie. Paddle, Push, Pole, Portage, Pull ! This way I'll be in top shape come waterfowl' in season for the duck kayak.  Saw a few Mallards the other day an gave my old rusty Indian/Eskimo duck call using my hand as the call.  To my surprise I turned them from about 500 yards out and they came pretty darn close but with no decoys to tune in on they flared about 50 yards away, still pretty good !  Quack, Quack, Quack !

4-9-07

Some goldeneyes have shown up recently and of course gulls.  Canada's are around too, but word on bird street is that some have went back South a ways because of lack of open water yet.  Trying to carve Ward decoy replicas is indeed a challenge.  It seems the old boys almost caved the birds on purpose to make exact reproductions hard to achieve.  Of course when all you have to go on is a one dimensional photo makes it a real dire proposition.  For Canvasbacks I did acquire some 36 Cans which seemed to reach perfection.  I can extrapolate backwards I believe and come up with fairly close approximations of Cans like the "28" Knot head and the "27" Raised wing.

4-6-07

The Big trumpeters are back so its a sure sign of no more snow and cold.  The Swans are some of the first arrivals and I will post a few notes in coming weeks on other arrivals.  Looking forward to seeing the divers, especially Cans. 

4-4-06

Not too much goin' on at the ol' shack lately !  Seems decoys are kind of in the doldrums right now.  Lowered the price on some as much as $100 dollars...check out the prices.  Well, it's spring and people have other things on the mind, like fishing.  It's much harder to reproduce some famous carvers decoy or shorebird than to make your own design,,,about 5 times harder in fact, that is if you want to get the exact lines and form right.  Warm here at the shack...about 45 degrees.  Shirtsleeve weather !  If anyone has the exact height at the center back of a Slotback Ward Bluebill (scaup/blackhead) would appreciate it !  It would be interesting if possible to dredge the mud of the Susquehanna for old brass shot shell cases, lost on purpose punt guns (when the game warden or duck police were on the prowl) and iron wing ducks...yea baby ! I bet iron wing ducks alone number in the hundreds. Favored spots for Sinkbox setups could possible be guessed by figuring out by GPS the intersection of triangles from Concord Point Light to Turkey Point to points along the Legal limit lines, along with study of old photos and local tales.  Well, just one of many wild thoughts.  Over and out...10/4 !

4-1-07

Got the wild urge today to slap on the snowshoes and go rabbit hunting.  It was great to walk up the huge snow drifts and gaze down on the willow bush country.  Sign of the old fox getting a hare as evidenced by tuffs of rabbit fun on the snow, and he must have beat me to it as I want home empty handed.  But who cares, it was just great to be out in the sun with no jacket as it was nice and warm.  Put a Goldeneye a la Ward style on the OTHER DECOYS section.  I surprise myself sometimes how I can get a great worn gunning look patina on the birds that looks real as hell.  The study and removal of old useless re-paint on Upper Chesapeake birds and the study involved didn't hurt in this quest, but in fact gave me a lot of insight to how weather and time affect paint !

3-30-06

Yahoo !  Spring is a comin' to the ol' decoy shack !  Warm as of last and no need for a far in that beat up rusty ol' wood stove !  If I was in MD, I just might saunter up to the natins copital and see dem cherry blossoms, got that hon....ha-ha, just a little bit of Mirlin talk there !  Well, ya never can tell when I may mosy down that way to eat a crab cake at ST. Michales or maybe a fried crab.  Got my wood supply in at the shack finally after 2 weeks and carvin' to beat the band when time allows.  Been workin' on some Ward bodies and heads.  The ol boys could sure turn a decoy out with symmetry that I believe you will not find from any other maker.  The 36 Canvasback seemed to reach the zenith of decoy design and is a challenge to copy though many have tried.  Man, I'm still thinkin' of that fried crab.  My father used to being home big Jimmy Fried Hard Crabs that don't exist any more.  I searched high and low in Md in the past and never can find any ?  Really great !  Tired of our world of plastic personalities, rubber microwave food and crabs from South-east Asia ?  Go carve or collects a WOOD decoy !

3-24-07

Shipment of decoy wood never came in, so I'm left carving shorebirds from scraps !  O well, things could be worse.  I can smell spring in the air although everything is still frozen.  Been told there are some large greater Canada geese down at Soldovia, Alaska.  This is rare anytime of year, but especially now.  Sure is another sign in the North of Global warming. These birds are off their flyway and Latitude ! I don't care even if GW is not totally caused by humans.  Any moron would know that emissions from cars and factories are a major cause of cancer.  And remember Acid rain ! And a million other toxic chemicals.  Why the hell do you think I live here.  Cleaner environment !  Well, It's nice and warm at the old carv'in shack.  A neighbor just returned from a 250 mile sno-mobil trip, says he lost weight from all the pounding on rough trails.  I want to carve some Ward Cans but don't have any wood that is deep enough.  I have some sticks that are wide enough and deep enough for Goldeneyes or Bluebills...may have to go that route !  See ya !

3-20-07

I have wondered in hindsight at the decoys I could have acquired if I had an early interest like someone like Henry F.  In the 60's I frequented all the most very best environs from the Upper-bay all the way down to Cape Hatteras, N.C. with my uncle.  We would go surf fishing at Chincoteague and various places on down the coast.  I remember renting a fishing skiff at Chincoteague and heading out of the small harbor there.  It's all about being in the right place at the right time and seeing an opportunity ! Speaking of Surf, Surfing is what I recently did in Hawaii again and I must convey that I am convinced it's more of an huge ego trip than anything else.  You spend most of the time waiting for waves getting chaffed on your arms and legs even when wearing a wetsuit all for a usual short ride if any only to start all over again and paddle back and start over.  Just give me a Canoe or Kayak and a load of decoys, It's more fun, and has a purpose !

3-19-07

I got the Shore bird bug recently when in Hawaii and spotted a Black Headed Stilt.  Beautiful bird.  These birds migrate from somewhere in North America to Hawaii.  Not known to many, Widgeon and Teal make the trip too.  I have never seen a Black Headed Stilt here, which is the Shorebird capital of the world, so I don't know where they come from.  Alaska has recorded 75 Shorebird species and has the worlds largest concentration of the birds on the Copper River flats in the spring.  Here is the Hawaii fishing trip at last.  HERE  The beauty and solitude of the North county this time of year has to be experienced to be believed !  There is still snow, the air is brisk, but during the day, with the sun, you seem warm.  Long daylight bright days are here now and soon in the old days we would be ready soon to tap the Birch trees for syrup.  The old trapper Morris might pay us a visit at the cabin with a red fox tail sticking out of his backpack with his tales of how "I love the woods" ! In town at the local only bar he would do the same, hoping that someone would notice the fox tail and offer him a free drink for his successful efforts.  Old Morris was there in the Tanana river Steamboat days and had a wealth of stories about traplines, hunting and trapping the Northland.  Out of good wood at the decoy shack and waiting for a shipment from Washington state.  Carved some Shorebirds with the duck decoy leftovers.

3-17-07

Congrats to Lance Mackey winner of the 2007 race to Nome and also the Yukon quest sled dog race.  I knew his brother years ago when I was racing sled dog teams.  No one has even won both 1000 miles races back to back.  A true test of endurance for dog and man if there ever was one.  Think extreme sports or extreme fighters are tough ? think again !  One of the greatest things about Chesapeake decoys is not just the history of the decoys, but the history of the United States and America as this area is the bedrock of the country's history.  I belong to the cult of individualism.  This means that I greatly favor independence and freedom, the things the country was founded upon !

3-15-07

Real chilly at the old decoy shack lately. Ummm, wonder what happened to that Global warming ?  I've been work' in on a few Ward type knot head Cans lately.  Been real busy with various things though, so not much time and good wood is hard to get here with the right sizes.  If anyone has photos of old Ward Cans and Divers It would be great if you could e-mail some or direct me to a site.  Looks like the stock market is headed South after congress is getting serious about ending the so-called war.  The connection is so obvious.  Tired of the everyday treadmill and the clarion call everyday by advertisements in your ear and clouding your eyes to buy something you don't need, that won't make you happy and in the end is depressing and silly on the face of it ?  Collect a Decoy !  I'll get those Hawaii Big game fishing photos on here sometime ! 

3-11-07

Been out to de islands of Hawaii as of late.  Finally got around to some deep sea fishing for Marlin and Mahi-Mahi dolphin.  Pretty boring as I expected it would be but we did get one Mahi, lost another and lost a Marlin too.  Surf, sand and the rest of it made for a good time.  Did a lot of advertising tourism photography and will post some soon.  Met some great Hawaiian waterman and wood carvers too.  Some of the worlds best all around waterman are the Kanakis of the islands.  Some of the old traditions live on even on the popular Waikiki beach, like the surf canoes.  Fisherman, divers, boat builders par excel lance are they.  Back at the old carv' in shack and the world is cold.  Need to fire up the ol stove a carve a few.  Honolulu is the only city in the world I like for some reason, even with the traffic, which I detest usually in all other cities. 

3-03-07

Actually the largest waterman's town in the U.S. is Anchorage, Alaska.  Commercial fishing is still the states largest employer.  Stocks of Crabs, Salmon, Halibut, Cod and many others still thrive, even today.  Put a new decoy I'm calling "HdG heritage" in the OTHER DECOYS section.  Check it out !  The wind is rattl'in the old shack lately.  Blow'in out of the North like a freight train day and night.  Had to batten down the cover on the boat a few times.  Cold too.  Near 0 lately at night, but the sun is rising a little more every day and soon old man winter will be beat into submission once again.  Later !

2-28-07

Superstock Inc. one of the worlds leading advertising stock photography agencies has accepted some of my decoy prints for worldwide distribution.  This is verryyy cool as it will promote them internationally.  You just might see a few on the cover of Field and Stream etc. 

2-26-07

It seems some collectors like to torture themselves with trying to explain away any and all nuances, and exact configurations of Upper bay decoys for no reason that I can determine.  Basically there are the known carvers that are very obvious and then there are the many that are close clones or unknowns and we can add to this partial known and unknowns.  Some of the seemingly unknowns are sometimes by known carvers and many times known carvers go unknowing by anyone simply because they are so focused on the known only ! The unknown at one time in the past were known, but all that has been lost to history.  Much of the real history may in fact be in the unknown that are in fact or at one time quite known, especially pre - 1850.  You can only learn so much from a book or from others reading the same books. (or magazines)  Better than books on decoys, that were written after the history had already faded into the past is a knowledge and heritage of the psycho-social aspects of the carvers and waterman's world.  A number of Carving family's still exist on the Chesapeake although no one may be carving anymore in any given family, though some do.  The people haven't changed that much since the good or bad old days depending on how you look at it. A world view has been established over the generations that may give clues as to why a given carver did what he did and carved what he carved. This is why the foremost authorities and historians on Susquehanna decoys for example live close to the Chesapeake.  They did not move there, but have an extended family history related to the region and have an understanding of the rich heritage and personalities of the bay.  John Sullivan comes to mind for example. 

2-22-07

My decoy "King Can" won 2nd at the Alaska Woodcarvers "Artistry in Wood" Exhibition recently.  I guess the unique nature of the bird beat out a nicely carved and finely painted shorebird, which is great as I'm not a big fan of shorebirds.  There was a fair Loon there, which I am a fan of Loons (you know the call of the Wilderness and all that !) but was kind of a little rough.  I've got more decoys made but they are quietly ageing so I'm not so sure when they will be ready.  One Can I'm calling "Lower Bay Folkie" already looks over 130 years old, so we will see what a little ageing will do.  Got another I'm calling the "Crisfield Kid" that I will get on the site shortly as it will not receive any aging, except a little built into the birds paint.

2-21-07

Got the old stove a blaz'in today as that February wind is fierce and cold.  The big Raven birds have lov'in on their minds already and are chasing each other around on the wind with aerobatics that no mechanical aircraft of man can ever match.  The ride the updraft coming off and over cliffs on Cook Inlet and fold wings and drop then extent them again, then shoot through tree branches without the aid of radar and never miss a beat.  Quite a show !  Here is an article about shipping decoys.  here

2-20-07

Cold front mov'in in both here an in the Chesapeake country I hear.  Time to far (how the old time waterman spoke it) up the old wood stove with some carving chips and shaving.  Work' in on a few birds lately when time allows.  Entered one in a woodcarving show here.  There are some wood carv'in SOB's in Alaska, let me tell ya.  They can carve where others fear to tread !  The Native Alaska carvers do to for a living and it shows.  Well, what did you expect, after all this is where Totem poles come from !  One guy on the net asked me why I carry only Canvasbacks and he said I must be "Mr. Canvasback" and I said that the main reason is that the Can is the greatest game bird in North America and where I come from on the Chesapeake, the bird is the stuff of song, story and religion !

2-16-07

Be sure to check out the OLD CHESAPEAKE CARVING TUTORIAL HERE We are always adding to the largest Upper-bay decoy site on the web and in fact the largest site on decoys period on the web.  We are the only site covering restoration of decoys and issues concerning preservation, heritage and conservation of Chesapeake bay proper and natural and folk art resources of the bay also.  It's a great time of the year to check out the extensive articles and links sections and waterman and carving photography too.  I will be increasingly adding more carving stories, links, and how-to articles on decoy carving in the near future.  Stay Tuned....Be here or be square ! Many collectors start from the body of decoys as a base for conjecture about the Who, What, When, Where and How of upper Chesapeake birds.  It is of use many times to start from the head as these were traded and bartered by the bushel crab basket full to various decoy body carvers around the flats.  This is a prime reason for much confusion !  I'm of the opinion that sometimes, some carvers got a new load of heads and built or changed their usual body configuration to fit the pattern or style of some new heads they got in trade for possibly a few dozen or more bodies. Real food for thought here ! 

2-13-07

Wellll... a little late in gett'in to the old shack this morn' in,,,about 20 outside, so I better take some of these carv'in chips and curls and fire up the old stove !  Word on the Decoy street is that things are mighty slowwwww right now.  Some tid- bits have been written about how various Susquehanna carvers talent waxed and waned over the years.  Some contend that as some carvers got older, their faculties and capacities diminished over the years and indeed this seems to ring true for such talent as Bob Mc Gaw who had extreme arthritis in his hands.  Other carvers seems to have perfected their art and improved nuances of their decoy designs.  One of these seems to be John Graham.  Others such as Ben Dye changed his style often and like the Wards of the lower Chesapeake maybe got a little tired of the same old design or possibly were more creative than many carvers.  Ira Hudson also changed his designs over the years and why not, he seems to have set a record for the most decoys produced from any one carver.

2-8-07

Who knows ? Some one here may remember a cousin by the name of Joe Burke, the "King of Conowingo" dam on the Susquehanna.  In the 60's Joe was known as the resident expert on catching the large channel catfish off the dam.  Now you are not even allowed to go near the dam because of terrorist fear to my knowledge.  Some collectors that are new to Upper-Chesapeake decoy culture become overly concerned and even nuts over Decoy ID when the real idea of collecting should be to enjoy the art. Considering Lower-bay such as Ward decoys are hard to get exact dates on but the general form allows collectors to come fairly close. But, even then its the art that counts, after all, these are not coins or stamps.

2-7-07

Be sure to check out "King Can" on the OTHER DECOYS page.  He's the Rambo of the flats. HERE  I'm always on the fly so you may have to excuse some of my spelling, grammar and punctuation sometimes, I should try spell check more,,,,but no TIME !!!! see ya !  You can do fairly complex research through many lending libraries, which at times tend to be my temples.  For more complex research Interlibrary loans are available here and I recently got hold of some good info and hard to find books from none other than the Smithsonian...this is cool !

2-4-07

Something you probably have never heard before that I've uncovered in my ongoing research is that the oft mentioned "shoot'in scows" used for accommodations for sports and market hunters on the Susquehanna were in fact called Arks by watermen and guides.  This at least is the case for barge type craft that were towed by another boat to be set up in a cove or gut for temporary portable housing.  There also were common on the Shad and Herring fishing grounds.  In fact these barges that were either self propelled or towed were used up and down the bay for all types of waterman activities.  Another boat that has much he same lines and tackle gear as a Skipjack was used in the Bahamas.  This makes one wonder what one came first as there is obvious ancestry there.  I would think the design originated in the bay.

2-3-07

Stay tuned as I have some really cool things coming in the next few weeks.  Real busy lately with various projects.  Still try'in to come up somehow with an early "flats" pancake model decoy, but not much luck and one may not exist.  These decoys did exist from the early 1800's to about mid century at least.  They were flatter than the Holly and Graham type decoys and probably had flat bottoms.  Daddy Holly may have made some and probably some unknown (now) early carvers.  The flatter decoys foreshadowed the later round keel decoys that came before the elongated hard chine Barnes type.  There were so many Cans in the early 1800's that all that was needed to lure them was a semblance or appearance of a Can and in fact just an old Can of paint if available, painted white or black would have done. ummm. Maybe that is partially how the Canvasback got it's name also....A paint CAN -vas- back....how knows ???  LOL  Trouble is that flat decoys don't ride the swells very good and what evolved was a more sophisticated decoy with a rounded bottom.  But after all , does not a flat decoys fit it for use on the "flats" ?  Well, enough banter and wood stove theory, time to sweep up some wood chips !

2-2-07

We got a new load of carving wood in at the ol' shack, so it's time to carve up a few birds.  Warm lately in the 40's, so we can smell spring a few months away.  Were the first kid on the block to have the new VISTA windows operating system go' in.  Seems a Big da-do over not much except increased security.  Big monitors are cheap now as I saw a 19 inch for only $138 at COMP USA, so I guess it's time to bias the site for larger monitors although at the present 17 inch is still king with quite a few 15's still out there.  Just got a new 22 inch that has real good resolution.  Anything over 22 is just plain overkill just like the huge HD TV's so popular ...for what ?  to view all the trash programming out there.  Well, why watch the garbage anyway ? Collect a decoy !

1-28-06

On the Decoy front, this site so far has done what the intended purpose is...to promote Chesapeake decoy to a wider audience !  A number of folk have been won over to collecting especially Upper-bay decoys and some have even sold out their decoys from other areas to buy BAY.  No wonder really as the Chesapeake is the most historic and interesting area for decoys in the country. 

1-25-06

As stated below, more brave Americans from Ft. Richardson, Alaska, just down the street have been captured by crazed rag-head freaks in Iraq and killed.  Lucky they were being chased by the U.S. military or I'm sure they would have been used as pawns for propaganda and tortured.  King George meanwhile says "I'm in Charge" and we know this is a fact, and that he will go down in history as one of the WORST presidents EVER !  (*^%*^#*$#($( !!!!!!!!!!  I say lets use nukes or get out, that's how I feel about this joke of a police action.  Hit the Mosques or what they really are: Witchdoctor cathedrals....they then will stop praising themselves, which they call..... Allaaaaaaaaa !!!!

1-24-06

Cold front come'in in !  Time to stoke up the ol' wood stove with some good hard Birch split last summer so this is the second time to get warmed with it.  Lots of wood chips and shaving from spoke shave and draw knife all over the floor, but it makes the floor more warm all the same.   Old Chump, that Canvasback head colored Chesapeake is over in the corner do' in what he does best.  Sleep.   Couple of good ol' boys stopped by to shoot the bull, and life goes on.  Lots of talk about King George and his "push".  His State of the Union was more of the same said last time.  There was never any plan to win, coz as ol' Billy sez, it's not a war, but just make' in money and mak' in bombs all over again, like thirty years ago.  Don't cha know there are more contractors there than soldiers, that's what we hear, but then we are so far away. Well, we do support the troops, lots from these parts have died lately.  We hope their aim is true.

1-20-06

Check out the new killer "36" Ward Decoy prints in...where else...the print section.  Due to the lack of quality old Upper-bay decoys on the market, I've been buying on the lower bay as of late.  If anyone has any lower bay decoys for sale, give me a buzz.  I know I've spent a few sheckles talking to some of you the last few weeks.  Probably not putting any more in the auction market this season, that seems already over.  Thanks to all who purchased over 20 decoys the last few months.  The extra sales were great too.  Sold some at bargain prices, some for fair value and some for good change.  Only ones that did not sell had fairly high reserves, but like I say, can't sell below price.  Probably one of the most astute persons ever to purchase bay decoys was none other than aircraft designer Glen L. Martin who designed aircraft.  His favorite designs seemed to be Wards and Barnes.  Very telling !

1-19-06

Really bored with lack of decoy action going on lately, so took a stroll over to the "Decoy Muslims" Hillbilly mirror site with the wacky message board.  If you got there is is hard to get out of and you almost have to shut down your computer.  MSN boards are like that a lot !  Same old thing over there, lots of newer bay decoys, you know, the kind made in semi-decoy production factories that had many workers, so that whoever made the decoy, is anybody's guess.  Well, then again, that is what goes on over there, a lot of guesswork, but no real evidence of any rational kind, that would excite any intelligent reader.  The Decoy Muslim just can't win trying to compete with this site so he looks for support and comfort from a few moonshine runners from Dollywood.  This would be funny except this decoy fool has on the front of his website: Consultation and Appraisal ???, and all I've even seen him do is run down other collectors (with more experience) decoys.  How can anyone do appraisal when they are divorced from reality and think that only they have the best decoys ?  Why is the biggest decoy criminal on E-bay and in general have a site reeking with garbage about x-rays, fraud, and outlaws??? Does this sophomoric reverse psychology make us believe he is legitimate, honest, and straightforward ?  Hardly !  At least this clown makes good fodder for entertainment in the dark days of winter.

1-17-06

Seems not to be a lot going on in the Decoy world right now as to buying and selling, at least on the Web.  Upper-Chesapeake birds of any quality are hard to find unless they are less than 50 years old.  I wonder how many Madison Mitchell decoys are out there ?  Since he had as many as a dozen workers in his shop at one time, it must be many thousands.  Quite the business man, that Madison ! 

1-14-06

Well, Sunday nite, can't think of a whole lot to say.  Got some killer stuff coming to the site in the next few months though.  Been re-reading the "Mad Trapper of Rat River" on these dark, cold nights.  There was a movie made about the Mad Trapper, that starred Charles Bronson. (called Death Hunt)  During the radio days of the 1930's citizens set spellbound at the exploits of the Canadian Mounties who tried for many weeks to catch the ole Trapper who outfoxed them at every turn and tired out men and dogs with superhuman stamina.  They had him cornered at his bunker cabin and blew it up, he escaped.  They had him cornered a few more times, but they could not get him and he always escaped, even crossing over the Northern Rockies in the Yukon in the dead of winter at 50 below on snowshoes.  The Mounties always claim they get their man, but if it was not for the then new radio and airplane in the Far North, they probably would never have got him.  He was finally killed by crossfire by Mounties on a frozen river after being tracked by a bi-plane.  For years they never even knew the identity of the trapper, but later research by Dick North discovered his true ID.  This true story puts most Old West bandit bunk to shame.  Here is an interesting story about Alaska trapping in the 50's/60's.  here

1-12-06

I guess it's flattering but yet quite pathetic how some who possess no creativity will copy my website.  First I have the only real Decoy site blog, then they go and get a message board.  I have connecting links in the text, they do the same.  I make the true statement that this is the largest decoy site for Chesapeake decoys, they follow and make an untrue claim that theirs is, even though they carry decoys from other areas and their title contains nothing about Upper Chesapeake decoys, although they added it to the sub-title after I made this remark once before.  So now, I claim this site is #1 for Upper-bay decoys.... which is true by traffic stats and common sense....watch what happens !    I did an photo essay of Cape Cod once  as I've always been interested in the place, mostly because of the Nat King Cole song probably.  Spend a nite close to East Harwich, the former home of Elmer Crowell, interesting area, romantic, and I was there with a new wife.  It was in the fall and we were headed to New England to photograph the fall colors.  I think Crowell got an early start and a "rep" not because he was better than say the Ward Brothers, but because he lived fairly close to artsy New York and Boston.  Traffic within 50 miles of Boston is pure murder.

1-10-07

There we go 07 !  Still getting used to the new year, but then what is the use when I see the news of the day like: Unbelievable as it seems the U.S. intends to import soldiers from other countries to fight our so-called wars.  They will be offered citizenship and green cards.  Boy, that's great, anything to avoid a draft so that people can have 0 participation in responsibility for the country.  Well, in the larger picture, that is exactly what many government internationalists want.  Cowardly, beat down sheep with no responsibility except to have a little comfort, a constant party and zone out on drugs and media entertainment.  Say good-by to Duty, Honor, Country, let alone Boarders, Language, Culture.  My mother told me a long time ago that I better become wealthy as I have "exotic" tastes.   I never have really tried to become wealthy, but the exotic tastes remain.  Nor, do I believe that to acquire exotic things or have exotic tastes requires wealth.  In fact, quite the contrary.  In fact, there is much evidence that wealth prevents you from seeing or getting what may be the really important or exotic pleasures that life offers.  This type of thing may even have some relevance to decoys ! Many knowledgeable writers on decoys have expressed that the most important thing in collecting is to collect what you like, and forget the name fetish.  But yet few heed this call.  I think in Chesapeake decoys especially, there are some really nice decoys that are overlooked in favor of "name" decoys that in many cases don't deserve the name to begin with.  A case in point is one Upper bay carver who reached high acclaim in the mid and later part of the 20th century who had as many as a dozen people working in his shop.  These de facto factory decoys are always attributed to the maker as though they are his carving creation, and I might add there seems to be nothing unique or earth or water shaking about them except to be copied by many other carvers.  Maybe I just don't get it, or want to.

1-7-07

Took my typical run yesterday at 0 degrees after some big snows we have had lately here.  Deep snow makes Moose stay on packed down trails and they won't hardly move so you have to go back the other ways sometimes.  It's been many years since I was on the trapline, but the fresh snow reminded me of many a day of harnessing up the dogs at God knows what hour to hit the trail so to be on the line by what small amount of daylight there is North of 60 degree latitude in the dead of winter at 40 degrees below 0.  But, it's one of the world's great adventures and that was my game then.  In the Alaska bush or outback, in these conditions there is a silence that is profound.  When you stop the dog team, all you can hear is the heavy breathing and it seems you can hear the breath of the dogs as it expels from their mouth.  You learn about dogs here and how much they can take physically and psychosocially.  If a fight ensues between them, you may end up in a tangle of ropes and harness and may even have to shoot one to save another if it comes to that and rarely it will.  Usually a kick or two will end the tussle and I guess although it's not nice to kick a dog when he is down, it is a bit better than what goes