Carving sleepers

[Kevin Puls]

I did a search and found some info but am curious with everyone’s experience with carving sleeper decoys. Do I just knock out a normal body and carve the head as a sleeper or is there more to it?


I bet I’m overthinking it.

 

[Brad F]

You can make them simple or like shelf birds. Depends on you needs. Here is a simple system that I used to put a bunch I. My RH rig

 

[Nick Papavasiliou]

I like making them. I keep the body pattern normal, I messed up one or two sleeper bodies by pushing the shoulders weirdly far back.
In a way, the hard part for me was setting the head at the right angle, made a few where the head is simply backwards.
So I liked to carve a normal resting head and mortise out the body to fit half of it (easier to hold onto a full head than half when carving too).
But I was able to get a cleaner glueup cutting the curve into the bottom of the head with the bandsaw at an angle. Wish I had more pictures of the rough outs, but hope this gives an idea.

Here’s my progression from the bufflehead, to bluebills, to canvasback, and the oldsquaw is the last one I tried.

 

[Carl]

Yall do amazing work!!

 

[Don Mintz]

I made this cork mallard hen in the same manner Brad described. only the top of the head down to about where the eyes are is a separate piece of cork, the rest of the head was carved into the body block. A cork body with a basswood tail board. I painted it with acrylic since I figured it would be unlikely to be hunted. I've never bought any cork, but have been given a few blocks over the years.

 

[Steve Sanford]

I did a search and found some info but am curious with everyone’s experience with carving sleeper decoys. Do I just knock out a normal body and carve the head as a sleeper or is there more to it?


I bet I’m overthinking it.

Kevin~

I really enjoy carving sleepers. I exaggerate the forward body contours a bit - with the head side lower and the other side higher - and almost no bill shows.


Here is a Black made from Wliey Cork - with Pine head.

Hollow Blue-wing - from "high-side"

The "low-side"

Hollow Drake Broadbill....


The real thing - not much bump on the high side....


Note how low the chest is ahead of her tucked head. And, her "shoulders" are fluffed up much higher than the Drake's.



On land....no bill at all showing.



Hope this helps!

SJS

 

[Kevin Puls]

Kevin~

I really enjoy carving sleepers. I exaggerate the forward body contours a bit - with the head side lower and the other side higher - and almost no bill shows.

View attachment 77968
Here is a Black made from Wliey Cork - with Pine head.
View attachment 77969
Hollow Blue-wing - from "high-side"
View attachment 77970
The "low-side"
View attachment 77971
Hollow Drake Broadbill....
View attachment 77972

The real thing - not much bump on the high side....
View attachment 77973

Note how low the chest is ahead of her tucked head. And, her "shoulders" are fluffed up much higher than the Drake's.

View attachment 77974

On land....no bill at all showing.

View attachment 77975

Hope this helps!

SJS

Very good info thank you all.