Carving Hen Decoy Size
- Thread starter John Ki
- Start date
Steve Sanford
Well-known member
Good morning, John~
I have thought of making Hens a bit smaller than Drakes - but never have. If I did, I would have my Drake plans reduced on a copy machine where you could dial in exactly which percentage you want (90 %, 95 %, 93.5 etc) to maintain proportions. I have thought, too, of making the Hens' bill a tad shorter than the Drakes.
Although the average (mean) Drake is indeed a bit larger than the average Hen in most species of ducks, there is overlap between young birds and adults, etc.
Bellrose Ducks, Geese and Swans of North America gives these average overall lengths:
adult male 24.7
adult female 23.1
juvenile male 22.3
juvenile female 20.4
Extremes run from 19.8 to 27.5
So, the adult Hens are 93.5 % of the adult Drakes - roughly one/sixteenth smaller.
Let us know if you follow through.
All the best,
SJS
I have thought of making Hens a bit smaller than Drakes - but never have. If I did, I would have my Drake plans reduced on a copy machine where you could dial in exactly which percentage you want (90 %, 95 %, 93.5 etc) to maintain proportions. I have thought, too, of making the Hens' bill a tad shorter than the Drakes.
Although the average (mean) Drake is indeed a bit larger than the average Hen in most species of ducks, there is overlap between young birds and adults, etc.
Bellrose Ducks, Geese and Swans of North America gives these average overall lengths:
adult male 24.7
adult female 23.1
juvenile male 22.3
juvenile female 20.4
Extremes run from 19.8 to 27.5
So, the adult Hens are 93.5 % of the adult Drakes - roughly one/sixteenth smaller.
Let us know if you follow through.
All the best,
SJS
Steve Sanford
Well-known member
John~
For Flat Black or Flat White, HD will mix them up with just the name - or, I usually keep pre-mixed quarts in the shop because they are needed for almost every species.
All the best,
SJS
For Flat Black or Flat White, HD will mix them up with just the name - or, I usually keep pre-mixed quarts in the shop because they are needed for almost every species.
All the best,
SJS
steve wheeler
Member
Steve
Iam not sure what total length actually means with respect to body length - bird measured from bill tip to tail length? While there some size variations between sexes with males being slightly larger I've never thought of making hen decoys slightly smaller. It might be fun to try and see if your hunting buddies even notice.
I use mostly black duck and mallard decoys made of cedar, pine or cork. For years now I've looked at black and mallard decoys in the major auction houses and old time carvers generally used a body length of around 17 or 18 inches for these species. Head length is around 6 inches or slightly smaller. So you have a ratio of roughly 3 to 1 for scale.
While I don't pretend to know what is right or wrong I do like the appearance of these proportions and apparently many of the carvers who made old gunning decoys for blacks and mallards also found general consensus.
I like Wildfowler decoys and over the years have made several small rigs of black or mallards decoys. While generally only around 15 inches in body length these work fine in small beaver ponds and are easy to carry when you have to walk in with gear.
Iam not sure what total length actually means with respect to body length - bird measured from bill tip to tail length? While there some size variations between sexes with males being slightly larger I've never thought of making hen decoys slightly smaller. It might be fun to try and see if your hunting buddies even notice.
I use mostly black duck and mallard decoys made of cedar, pine or cork. For years now I've looked at black and mallard decoys in the major auction houses and old time carvers generally used a body length of around 17 or 18 inches for these species. Head length is around 6 inches or slightly smaller. So you have a ratio of roughly 3 to 1 for scale.
While I don't pretend to know what is right or wrong I do like the appearance of these proportions and apparently many of the carvers who made old gunning decoys for blacks and mallards also found general consensus.
I like Wildfowler decoys and over the years have made several small rigs of black or mallards decoys. While generally only around 15 inches in body length these work fine in small beaver ponds and are easy to carry when you have to walk in with gear.
Vince Pagliaroli
Well-known member
From a ducks point of view the difference in hen to drake decoy size may not matter. Decoy carver/makers like to challenge themselves and their skills in various ways, so it's all good.
Wildfowler made some very good factory decoys. They were the first wooden decoys I hunted over in the 1960's.
Wildfowler made some very good factory decoys. They were the first wooden decoys I hunted over in the 1960's.
Andy Grant
Well-known member
I think size difference between hens and drake decoys is not uncommon. The patterns I have used include both hen and drake sizes. It makes the most sense when using wood. A block maybe too small for a drake, but just right for a hen pattern. With cork that isn't as much of an issue unless you can squeeze one more decoy out of a sheet by making hens smaller and lifesize.
As long as you work toward a consistency within the species you are making, all should work out fine for your rig. For example, mallards and blacks are going to be the largest of your dekes for puddlers, while greenwings will be the smallest. Your patterns will inevitably vary in size, depending upon species, UNLESS YOU desire a consistency of size. The whole shebang is kind of up to the maker and his/her sense of the aesthetic . Decoys are best observed as impressions of species. Enjoy the process. Have bodies in the freezer, develop your patterns from them and don't sweat the little stuff.