K.D. (Knock Down) Decoys

Eric Patterson

Eric Patterson

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I find these decoys appealing. They would work well in my Broadbill duckboat due to the small space required to store them. Anybody ever own any and have any thoughts on them? Their shape is so simple I think even a beginning carver could get it right.

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Those are pretty cool decoys!
Similar to the flatties John Bourbon makes.
 
I haven't seen those before. Clever way to make an effective, yet simple and easily stowed decoy. My only question is whether the anchor is sufficient anywhere but in a dead calm.
 
SJ

Good question. Perhaps the lack of a keel and low profile minimize current and wind tugging so a flat anchor is sufficient.
 
Also, I found one auction where a single decoy went for $130. The above pictures were pulled from another auction, but it didn't list the hammer price.
 
Here's some info right here in our own forum.

Decoy Ingenuity...

I've found waterfowlers to be some of the most creative and ingenious people I've met. We are the imperical "gadget guys". In our recent pick, we picked up a decoy made in the 1930's by William Stahl of Keithsburg, Illinois. What an ingenious design. Decoy and Decoy Carvers of Illinois said...
duckboats.net duckboats.net
 
Interesting decoys. A bit older than I thought. What people will pay for a very basic decoy is surprising. My father had quite a collection back in the day, I could never understand the attraction some rather crude decoys had over better finished birds by well known makers.
 
K-D Decoy Specialty Manufacturing Company St. Paul, Minnesota. 1920

Undersize decoys, body made from 2" White Pine. Made for small water and creeks. Mallard the most popular decoy model produced.


Do not let what appears to be Simplicity fool you. What one may think is easy to reproduce it is not. These are very well designed and crafted decoys for walk in, and small duck boat hunters. They are of the style that was called "Pocket Decoys". Meaning you could carry them in yer pockets for impromptu hunts before, during (lunch), and after work or on none hunting trips.

ALL decoys are vessels and as vessels had better be well thought out and created to be of good use. These decoys tolled many a duck and would still do the job. Pretty is over rated....

As a decoy carver these decoys make me Smile Big Time. As I've posted prior, these and most all other decoys were always somewhere in the rooms of dealers and collectors at the old Ohio Show. Price ranges varied but one could always find a deal that was satisfactory. Decoy history is very rich and rewarding.

my 2 cents
 
Do my eyes deceive me, or is the head held on by the same cord that the anchor is tied to, via that little hole? I don't see how it would otherwise be held on.
 
Vince

From a woodworker's point of view the bottom pocket is the most challenging aspect of these decoys. Not only is there a pocket but the anchor slips into and wedges in a channel in that pocket. In 1920 the machine to make those cuts was a pin router. Pin routers were widely abandoned starting twenty years ago and can be picked up at machinery auctions for scrap prices. I've never wanted one on my shop, until now :)

 
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" The anchor cord was wound around the anchor weight and the weight then slid into slots cut so that once the lead was in place, it held the head into it's cut-out."

"When the anchor cord was pulled through the hole, the head popped right into it's proper location and remained there as long as the line was somewhat taunt. A rather ingenious idea...."

AMERICAN FACTORY DECOYS - by Henry A. Fleckenstein, Jr. 1981
 
Why not keep it simple, make the body with just a hole to put a dowel through that is attached to the head. Bodies and heads stored in a bag seperately.
 
John

That's a darn good thought. Perhaps the string prevents the heads from getting separated, dropped, and lost. There are several plastic decoys in production today whose heads pop-off for separate storage. On those models you sometimes have to fight to get them back on and there are always a few whose heads come off too easily when tossed and float away.
 
Eric Patterson said:
Vince

From a woodworker's point of view the bottom pocket is the most challenging aspect of these decoys. Not only is there a pocket but the anchor slips into and wedges in a channel in that pocket. In 1920 the machine to make those cuts was a pin router. Pin routers were widely abandoned starting twenty years ago and can be picked up at machinery auctions for scrap prices. I've never wanted one on my shop, until now :)

Click to expand...
Eric, what sort of bit would be used to rout the channel that locked in the flat anchor after the cavity for the head was routed out ? I'd imagine it must be pretty shallow.
 
Bob

Something like this rabbet cutter. They come in all different dimensions. In this example you change the bearing with a different diameter to control the depth of cut.

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