We make lots of hunting decoys, mostly with hollowed wooden bodies, sometimes with cork bodies, and once in a great while ones that are canvas-bodied. White Cedar is the preferred body block and heads are Pine or Basswood because they hold detail and withstand abuse better. Cork decoys are fitted with bottom boards for longevity. Wooden hunters are painted with dead flat Japan Colors, and those that will be used for display purposes are waxed. Corks are painted with acrylics and are every bit as durable as those painted with oils.

BTW, that Oldsquaw decoy on our home page is also the cover photo for Basic Decoy Carving.

Note that not all "hunters" are intended for hunting. We also make a wide variety of decoys intended solely for display purposes. Most times wood, and sometimes cork, these are really what are called "slicks,"smooth bodied birds with details painted on. They may well have raised primary feathers, but they are not hollowed out and do not have ballast keels, and the paints used present a soft gloss. Otherwise, they look just like hunters. Here, have a look at this pair of Woodies...

Wood Duck pair

Yes, we really did use all those paints. The ones for the airbrushed base coats are on the left and the paints for the brush work are on the right. There is a lot of painting in a pair of Wood Ducks.

We always float test our gunning decoys, even in the dead of winter. These guys have just come back from testing and are about to be washed clean of salt water.

Canada Geese
wood bodies,
ballasted

Canada Geese decoys
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Common Eider Drake

Competition judges have always liked our Common Eiders. That green ribbon is a Hunter's Choice Award, which is Best of Show for all floaters.

Common Eider Drake
wood body, ballasted

Competition Quality US$325.
(This particular one sold for $450.)
Hunting Quality US$ 150.

What's the difference between hunting quality and competition quality? Quite a bit really. The anatomy of the decoys are the same; they differ in the details. Hunters are more simply painted and ballasted to ride right in your set. Our competition decoys have fully detailed bills, contoured and raised feather groups, airbrushed basecoats, and are fitted with varnished mahogany or oak ballast keels. The competition pieces are considerably more work to produce, but the ducks don't seem to favor them over our hunters...we know, we've tested them.

Mallard Drake decoy Black Duck decoy

Mallard and Black Duck...same decoy, different paint. These are both hunting quality pieces, finished with Japan colors. Heads are solidly fixed in place, not rotating, but you don't have to worry about having all your decoys look alike, because we vary the head position and attitude with each bird. Available in Semi-Alert (like these guys), Low Head (resting) and Turnback.

Mallards and Blacks
hollowed wooden bodies, ballasted, hunter quality painting @ US$125.

We make plenty of others; Buffleheads, Whistlers, Scoters, Bluebills, Mergansers, Harlequin, Grebes, Loons, Gulls, Razorbills. All are available in cork bodied as well as wood.

 

Contact us for details

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Duck Trap Decoys
P.O. Box 88
Lincolnville Beach, ME 04849

phone: 207-789-5363

© Duck Trap Decoys.