G.Soule (L.L.Bean) decoy experts

Troy Fields

Troy Fields

Well-known member
Okay folks...I've had these for a while, curious of approximate vintage and if Soule era.

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I would guess late 1960's-1970's......just basing that from some old LL Bean Decoys that I have. Don't take that to the bank... There are some other members that are more knowledgeable about these decoys than I am.

Tim
 
feeder head is a hand done replacement head--Note where the ols head swivelled on the cork shelf. As to year, no se.
 
Troy- they look early to mid 80s to me, based on the paint jobs. You used to be able to buy pieces and parts outside of Bean's in the mid to late 80s at The Decoy Shop (??? I think that was the name)
 
I have one of these that was kicking around my dad's cabin in the early 60's and it was pretty well used at that time. I would guess 50's to early 60's
 
troy, in 1964 my wife gave me 6 mallard bean coastal decoys. in 1966 we moved to maine from nj,and black ducks were my game. i visited george soules shop in south freeport and he repainted my mallards to blacks. i still have these decoys today. they look exactly like yours. you can google george soule/ll bean and see the years he provided the coastal decoy for bean. in 1966 he was alive and well in his decoy shop, and died in 1996. the bean store was still original and was just adding a womans dept. ll bean died about then and they closed the store for the first time.
 
Hey Troy, I have the same blacks,stored new in an attic in Yarmouth since the early 70's . They were given to me by a friend's dad who stopped hunting and had bought them for his son hoping he would catch the passion. I send venison,duck and goose to him every christmas.
 
Picked up 6 black duck made in the late 60's, new in the box, never assembled. Three in each box, sent to a gun club but never used. Any idea of worth? I'm trying to build up a small E Allen rig for the duck boat.
 
The older soules I have did not have that spray paint pattern on the blacks or mallards, but my birds from the 80s did.
 
Thanks everyone. That's pretty much what I had I figured on the top three, wasn't so sure of era on the one I found, not sure if the head was Soule's craft or not. Perhaps I will redo the two blacks into drake mallards and add to the spread that I already have of Bean'ers.

Thanks again everyone, Happy Holidays!!!!

John...Those full body's really add to a floating cork spread!
 
I bought a dozen or so Bean Mallards in 82 or 83, when they went on sale for 12 or 15, bucks per decoy. Bought some Canada geese also, very cheap at the time.
The heads on my Bean Mallards are Stone UGLY! I believe the worst heads they ever put on their decoys....

That said - I believe your decoys are pre - early 1980's. Ugly heads and all, I killed lots of ducks over those decoys, on Big Water hunts.
Repainted them all. They are still rigged, with long lines and heavy anchors. Ready for Duty.

So, paint em up, and put em back to work & Good Luck!
 
I have an old Soule black duck and the head/back of neck does not "roll" smoothly down to the body. It actually has a wedge out of the back of the neck.

dc
 
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