craig shire
Member
Jim Rehl’s post below about the Jim Foote painting and the museum he saw the original in inspired me to head on down there today for another look around. I usually go there a couple of times a year to look around. This time I took some photos so you can have a virtual tour of the museum. (sorry for the photo quality – it’s tough to get good pictures with a point and shoot through glass)
Lake Erie Metropark is located south of Detroit right where the Detroit River flows into Lake Erie. If you are in the area it is definitely worth stopping by.
http://www.metroparks.com/parks/pk_lake_erie.php
The Marshlands Museum and Nature Center has an extensive collection of waterfowling items including boats, decoys and mounted ducks. It is also a great area for seeing all kinds of puddlers and divers – however with strong SE winds today all I saw was a few swans.
They have every duck you are likely to se in Michigan mounted and on display. A great resource for up close duck identification or reference for decoy carving.
Mounted puddlers
Mounted divers
Mounted geese, swans and mergansers
Flying swan mount
Around the corner is a display of the traditional boats that were developed for the local duck hunting – layouts, sneak boats and marsh punts.
Layout boat – this looks like a pretty narrow boat for open water layout to me. I think they need to get a Kalash original up on the wall.
Sneak boats – These were used similar to scull boats. The hunters hid behind the raised screen and drifted or paddled into rafted divers in open waters. When they were close enough the screen was dropped and the shooting started as the birds took off in flight. While they may look like canoes they are wider and much more stable. Their double ends and high coamings make them relatively safe and stable in the open waters of Lake Erie.
Bag of hand carved decoys in one of the sneak boats
A punt boat for marsh hunting
Live size display of marsh hunters
Three paintings by Jim Foote of SE Michigan boats and hunting
Marsh punt painting
Layout hunting painting
Sneak hunting painting
Antique shotguns
The museum has more hand carved decoys in one place than I have ever seen before – and I want them all!
A display of carving tools and a deke in progress
Carved decoy heads
Decorative and miniature decoys
The old decoy area
Old decoys on display – divers
Old puddler decoys - check out the "magnum" mallard
Geese & coots
One Arm Kellie decoys with his actual pattern boards as well.
Quillen decoys
Big ol swan decoy – this decoy is easily over 3 feet long
Contemporary carved decoys by the late Frank Cummings
More Cummings decoys
Not a bad way to spend a gloomy mid winter Saturday afternoon.
Lake Erie Metropark is located south of Detroit right where the Detroit River flows into Lake Erie. If you are in the area it is definitely worth stopping by.
http://www.metroparks.com/parks/pk_lake_erie.php
The Marshlands Museum and Nature Center has an extensive collection of waterfowling items including boats, decoys and mounted ducks. It is also a great area for seeing all kinds of puddlers and divers – however with strong SE winds today all I saw was a few swans.
They have every duck you are likely to se in Michigan mounted and on display. A great resource for up close duck identification or reference for decoy carving.
Mounted puddlers
Mounted divers
Mounted geese, swans and mergansers
Flying swan mount
Around the corner is a display of the traditional boats that were developed for the local duck hunting – layouts, sneak boats and marsh punts.
Layout boat – this looks like a pretty narrow boat for open water layout to me. I think they need to get a Kalash original up on the wall.
Sneak boats – These were used similar to scull boats. The hunters hid behind the raised screen and drifted or paddled into rafted divers in open waters. When they were close enough the screen was dropped and the shooting started as the birds took off in flight. While they may look like canoes they are wider and much more stable. Their double ends and high coamings make them relatively safe and stable in the open waters of Lake Erie.
Bag of hand carved decoys in one of the sneak boats
A punt boat for marsh hunting
Live size display of marsh hunters
Three paintings by Jim Foote of SE Michigan boats and hunting
Marsh punt painting
Layout hunting painting
Sneak hunting painting
Antique shotguns
The museum has more hand carved decoys in one place than I have ever seen before – and I want them all!
A display of carving tools and a deke in progress
Carved decoy heads
Decorative and miniature decoys
The old decoy area
Old decoys on display – divers
Old puddler decoys - check out the "magnum" mallard
Geese & coots
One Arm Kellie decoys with his actual pattern boards as well.
Quillen decoys
Big ol swan decoy – this decoy is easily over 3 feet long
Contemporary carved decoys by the late Frank Cummings
More Cummings decoys
Not a bad way to spend a gloomy mid winter Saturday afternoon.
