54th Annual Long Island Decoy & Sporting Collectables Show (Images)

[Anthony Babich]

Hey All,

It's that time of year again for our annual show here on Long Island, New York. As with years past we will once again be hosting our 4th Annual Duck Boat Exhibition in conjunction with the 54th Annual Waterfowl Collectables Show. This is by far the largest showcase of duck boats in the northeast. The event will take place on SATURDAY MARCH 7th, 2026 at 370 Motor Parkway Hauppague, NY. Club website: www.LiDecoyCollectors.com

The show will include a feature on 150 Years of Long Island Goose Hunting. Model Duck Boat Competition and Exterior Duck Boat Showcase.
*If you are interested in bringing your duck boat please pre-register, this is appreciated in advance to estimate how much space we need. As many can remember the show gets filled up quick and boats may also be brought day of show as well. This includes boats for sale! All are welcome to join us as we continue to grow.

The following rates will be effective for this season:
General Admission: $10.00
Vendor Tables: $95.00
Duck Boat Registration: $20.00 Pre Registration Link: PRE-REGISTRATION 2026
Model Duck Boat Registration: $10.00

The official show flyer is below for additional information:

 

[don novicki]

Oh man I wish I lived closer but the 500 mile drive isn't as easy as it once was. Those miniatures are really something esp. the sink box. Looks like a lot of fun.

 

[Jeff Reardon]

New England needs one of these, but I just don't think we have the density of waterfowlers that Jersey/Long Island/Delaware area can muster.

 

[Steve Sanford]

Hey All,

It's that time of year again for our annual show here on Long Island, New York. As with years past we will once again be hosting our 4th Annual Duck Boat Exhibition in conjunction with the 54th Annual Waterfowl Collectables Show. This is by far the largest showcase of duck boats in the northeast. The event will take place on SATURDAY MARCH 7th, 2026 at 370 Motor Parkway Hauppague, NY. Club website: www.LiDecoyCollectors.com

The show will include a feature on 150 Years of Long Island Goose Hunting. Model Duck Boat Competition and Exterior Duck Boat Showcase.
*If you are interested in bringing your duck boat please pre-register, this is appreciated in advance to estimate how much space we need. As many can remember the show gets filled up quick and boats may also be brought day of show as well. This includes boats for sale! All are welcome to join us as we continue to grow.

The following rates will be effective for this season:
General Admission: $10.00
Vendor Tables: $95.00
Duck Boat Registration: $20.00 Pre Registration Link: PRE-REGISTRATION 2026
Model Duck Boat Registration: $10.00

The official show flyer is below for additional information:

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Good morning, Anthony~

Looks like I had better get going on our main exhibit - 150 Years of Long Island Goose Hunting. Craig and I met with Dick earlier this month - but health and family keep slowing us down. We will be including decoys and gear from the mid-1800s through 2000 - and recounting the profound changes that have taken place over that period regarding the natural history and pursuit of Branta canadensis. Most of the decoys will come from more accomplished collectors than I. However, I will show this bird (which you have seen previously) made by a friend of my Dad's - Charles "Zip" Zoubek from East Islip.

This was taken in 1958.



And this was staged in 2016 - after I restored it.



All the best,

SJS

 

[Anthony Babich]

Once again Jimmy Autin Jimmy Autin Boat Models has generously donated another beautiful craft for our 2026 Model Duck Boat Exhibition here on Long Island! Here's a look at some of Jimmy's current work and detail & special thanks for the continued support!

 

[Eric Patterson]

Those are so satisfying to look at. He is very talented.

 

[Tony hall]

Oh man I wish I lived closer but the 500 mile drive isn't as easy as it once was. Those miniatures are really something esp. the sink box. Looks like a lot of fun.

Yeah just looked out of curiosity. 625 miles from SE Michigan. Little too far for a quick weekend adventure probably .
Tony

 

[RM Anderson]

Yeah just looked out of curiosity. 625 miles from SE Michigan. Little too far for a quick weekend adventure probably .
Tony

We're from Minnesota so even further still. When I explained my dilemma to Dave Clark, he said that the Chicago show was as good or better and obviously much closer. Has anyone ever attended? RM

 

[Steve Sanford]

Once again Jimmy Autin Jimmy Autin Boat Models has generously donated another beautiful craft for our 2026 Model Duck Boat Exhibition here on Long Island! Here's a look at some of Jimmy's current work and detail & special thanks for the continued support!

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Anthony~

As you know, March 7 is running right at us. I got a big boost today when I met with your neighbor in Amityville. I met with Paul deQuillfeldt at the boatyard where he works. As I pulled in, I spied (of course!) a Seaford Skiff - one built by a Ketcham - a name all "up West" Great South Bay gunners should know.

A little paint...a little sandpaper....

Top


Paul was a kindred spirit - a passion for everything to do with the bay, gunning, decoys, duckboats - and history. His Great-Grandfather invented the deQuillfeldt Stopper - which we still use in our kitchen (for Almond Extract as recently as yesterday).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip-top




Paul's Grandfather hunted over live decoys. He showed me this 1922 letter from the Secretary of Agriculture (under Harding and Coolidge) granting him permission.



I knew of Henry A. Wallace from the FDR years; Henry C. was his father.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Cantwell_Wallace



I will save many of the photos for our exhibit. Here are the goslings - destined to become "tollers" - aka live decoys.



A rig on the ice....



Mixed bag of ducks and Canadas on a fine Scooter.



Another exciting connection was Ralph Cranford - a good friend and neighbor of the deQuillfeldts. Here is a notecard.



You may recognize Ralph's name from Joel Barber's WILD-FOWL DECOYS. Here is an actual Cranford Black Duck.



All the best!

SJS

 

[Eric Patterson]

Steve

Those are amazing photos. I bet your "150 Years of Long Island Goose Hunting" presentation has all kinds of interesting information and stories. Hopefully those of us not able to attend will get to see some of the photos.

 

[Anthony Babich]

Don’t forget! Our 54th Annual Sporting Collectables Show Event is SATURDAY March 7th! 9:00AM-4:00pm Join us for an action packed day of fun for all ages! Featuring decoy collectables, antiques, exhibitions, duck boats, raffles & more! Visit us: LIDecoyCollectors.com #LIDecoyCollectors 370 Motor Parkway Hauppauge, NY

 

[Steve Sanford]

Good morning, Anthony~

I need to finish everything for the Show today - a couple of banners, the main display panel, one McCormick goose - and load up the JackieBaru (named after my grandson). I am driving down to East Islip early Thursday. We have 33 fine old Goose decoys lined up for the main exhibit. I have printed out all the materials - including a batch of "table cards". This one will accompany an old box of #2s - goose loads from back when we used lead.



See you soon!

SJS

 

[Anthony Babich]

Our 54th Annual show event was a great success! Special thanks to all who turned out to make this another memorable showcase for the LIDCA! We had a wide variety of decoys, boats, gear & more! This year's focus as mentioned was 150 Years of Long Island Goose Hunting with some fantastic pieces from a variety of members. I brought along the 1928 Hallock Scooter for display with the 1962 Evinrude Duck Twin. Also in attendance was a sailing sneakbox beautifully restored by David Clark and a 14' Custom Sneakbox by the Kopp family.
Great time for all, pleasure seeing everyone & here's a few images..enjoy!

 

[Anthony Babich]

 

[Steve Sanford]

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Good morning, Anthony~

I was in bed by 8:00 last night - so got up early to look at my own photos and do a bit of editing. So, here are some more images from yesterday's Show - with just a couple that duplicate yours.
Since 2012, Craig Kessler and I have had responsibility for the Show Main/Theme Exhibit. Of course, you Anthony have played a major role as well, especially with our more ambitious projects. This year's theme was 150 Years Hunting the Canada Goose on Long Island. We covered the period from the mid-19th century to the end of the 20th.
The main exhibit featured: a Narrative - with lots of vintage images; 3 dozen selected Canada Goose decoys; and some "paraphernalia". We also featured another Vintage Vessel. Bernie Schumejda spoke about the history of gunning on Long Island - and was joined by Craig Kessler and Dick Richardson.


A bow on view of this grassboat - the Vintage Vessel this year. It is a fine craft - with exceptional craftsmanship - but unusual in that the bottom has a shallow vee (deadrise), a full - length keel, and a skeg.

It is "maker unknown". It had been owned - in the 1940s - by George Combs, Sr. - but the original builder is a mystery. Richard Kopp salvaged it a while ago - and fully restored/transformed over the past 2 years.

Anthony - here's a candid I snapped of you with a couple of youngsters....

The main exhibit was a large vee - with port and starboard table rows.

The Narrative covers some biology, live decoys, modes of gunning, and even DEC's "trap & transfer" (late '70s-early 80s) in concert with some southern states.

The crew wanted no escapees. The resident Geese were trapped in July - when adults hade molted their flight feathers and the young could not yet fly. We herded the geese from a pond into a temporary (portable) corral supplied by the USFWS. While almost all of the Geese were flightless, there was commonly one or two that could flap their way up and over the corral - but not really fly. Driven by professionalism - and inspired by Marlin Perkins and Wild Kingdom - the landing net secured this renegade after a short sprint. Years later, the biologist was able to buy himself a pair of shoes....



Paraphernalia and "table cards" found space amongst the decoys on the tables.


Some of our guides Out East use "stuffers" in their rigs.

These folding decoys date from the 1920s.

Most of the decoys on display were made by individual Long Island carvers - but we also included some commonly-used factory decoys: Herter's, LL Bean - and this Wildfowler - from the Quogue factory on Long Island around 1960.

The LL Bean (George Soule) Coastal Feeder found a spot amongst some local birds.


This fine decoy was a "walk-in" brought by the youngest generation of an East End gunning family. There is no information about the maker - or where it was made. It is an exquisite decoy to my eye - so I took a bunch of "bench" photos to help me render it in watercolors someday.



This pair of solid wooden stool were secured to a bent steel rod - for stability, I believe.

Here's a variety of types. The photo is of renowned boat builder Gil Smith - of Patchogue (1843 - 1940). He made decoys and gunning boats as well as fine catboats - for both baymen and the yacht trade.

Here is another view of the astonishing carving. I do not know the name of the carver - but it was made by the father of Duane Arnister, one of the premier goose guides Out East.

A pleasant surprise was to see this Hen for sale. I made it back in 1985 - hollow Pine.


Finally,I gave this "hood ornament" back to owner Greg Nalbone. I had carved it for his South Bay Duckboat years ago - and he later sold it. He removed the bow handle before the sale - and asked me to restore it and mount it for his mantelpiece.


Here it is ready for retirement....on a piece of Sycamore.

All the best,
SJS

 

[Hal Truhn]

I picked up a pair of Frank Dobbins decoys to complete my display. Great show as always. Thank you LIDCA