Decoy Carving Students...

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Pat Gregory

Well-known member
I have been blessed with many great decoy carving students over the years. Dave Ludington is the latest addition to our team. Dave has a real eye and talent for decoys. He is also a great hunting/shooting partner, an outstanding camera man and, most of all, a great friend. Here is a sequence of Dave using my great grandpa's pintail pattern, over 100 years old, to make his first pintail. Dave did an outstanding job! I can't wait to hunt over it...
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Hey everyone,

What a very cool, historical experience. For those who may not know, Pat is the great-grandson of George "Home Run" Barto. Mr. Barto was a renown carver from Joliet, Illinois and carved thousands of decoys from the 1920's through the late 1950's. As Pat indicated, the head, body and paint patterns used were Mr. Barto's from a century ago. I wanted to use Mr. Barto's traditional paint pattern for several reasons, but the main reason was historical.

While painting the block Pat and I mused over the question of how many thousands of Sprigs must have been gunned over blocks like these, and how cool it will be to lure another one in to that pattern. Another reason was, it keeps the history of carving alive. Imagine, in between birds, anyone hunting over this decoy can have a conversation about Illinois River style decoys, Mr. Barto, and all his contemporary carvers.

A huge thank you to Pat for his tutelage and friendship during this project and hope it inspires everyone out there on DUCKBOATS to chose a bird pattern from a carver from the past. Then carve and hunt over the block. Maybe next fall a new thread of "Modern Hunts Over Historical Tribute Birds" can get started. Just a thought.

Thanks again Pat.

Dave
 
Pat and David, Very cool project. Pat after reading about David's reasons for carving what he has I am quite sure you have yourself a very good student. Someone that will certainly promote and keep our traditions alive.
 
Nice looking decoy! Pat is definitely a good guy to get you started in making decoys, a very talented decoy maker who has a passion to pass the tradition along.

Tim
 
and hope it inspires everyone out there on DUCKBOATS to chose a bird pattern from a carver from the past. Then carve and hunt over the block. Maybe next fall a new thread of "Modern Hunts Over Historical Tribute Birds" can get started. Just a thought.
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First, Pat and Dave, thanks for sharing that great sequence. I always love to see the steps along the way, not just the finished product.

As you may have noticed, I have been working on a copious number of coot decoys lately. That pattern was heavily influenced by a coot decoy I got from Mike Trudel a few year ago, and that decoy was (paraphrasing Mike) heavily Winnabago styled, primarly after the two Gus'. Well, as I have been working on these, I have been thinking about an old Gus Moak Canvasback that my dad kept on the top shelf in our living room while I was growing up. That decoy was really the starting point of my exposure to handmade decoys. While working on these coot decoys, I've been planning on getting upclose and personal with that old decoy, and getting measurements and close up photos of it to make a pattern and (hopefully) a half a dozen Gus Moak inspired cork Cans by October.

I've not been really into copying old decoys in my adventures in decoy making thus far, but these coots and that old Gus Moak can had me inspired, I think this post might have given me that last little push I needed. Will be off to visit my parents tomorrow, I'll have to get a look at that old decoy then.

Best
Chuck
 
Chuck,

Thank you and everyone for the kind responses. I would love to see photos of that old can on the shelve.

Pat has been a huge influence on my interest in carving and realizing the vast amount of American history in old birds. From the comments I have received on this site and by phone it is obvious that he is influencing more people out there than just me. I can't help thinking how awesome it would be to have an entire rig of "Tribute" blocks out on the water, hunting over them. Maybe he is right, I should carve five more of those :).

Dave
 
Chuck - You are right on point and, I too am excited to see the cans. Think of it this way, you get to see what Gus Moak saw on the water 75 years ago. There is no shame in copying. Back in the day, all the decoy carvers swapped patterns, ideas and techniques. It's what they did, they helped each other. Back then, they too had a decoy carver and waterfowling brotherhood much like we share today. It's the spirit I love about this group. We don't always agree but, we encourage and help each other.

Maybe you can bring your Moak style cans and coots and see how they look in our layout rig this fall???

We can only hope...

Jode - Thanks abunch. I hope you and your family are doing well.

Chris - Anytime. My shop is always open.

Pat
 
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Dave...sorry for the hijack...oh, who am I kidding, I love a good hijacked thread!

Chuck -
Maybe you can bring your Moak style cans and coots and see how they look in our layout rig this fall???
We can only hope...
Pat
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Pat, that sounds like a plan, other than I am also hoping to bring enough big white decoys to convince you guys to leave a certain abomination at home...hehe. Got my hands on that can, I don't think I had seen it since my folks moved back to the farm, which has been over 20 years...funny how the mind sometimes remembers things the way we want to.

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I believe this decoy was in the collection of Paul Mercert (sp) of Milwalkee starting in '78, he had it repainted in '80, and I believe my dad bought it shortly thereafter. He has the orignial weight too, took it off so it sat on the shelf nicer.

Chuck
 
Chuck,

Highjack away....very cool can. So the question is, how many tribute cans will you be making? Very cool background information on that bird, thanks for sharing the photo and history with us.

Dave
 
Dave

I'm thinking a half dozen, but then I have to get these coot out of the way first...then there is a the backlog of household projects...then there is the "project" Tim and I were discussing...then there is inevitably something else that will come up...we'll see.

Chuck
 
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