question on decoys

patrick mccarthy

patrick mccarthy

Well-known member
After watching the art of deception it left me with a question or two.
When is a decoy a decoy?
Can a decoy be a decoy if it is not hunted?
Is it a waterfowl sculpture if it only rides the mantel?
Being a rookie at decoy making I?d love to hear your opinions
 
my opinion - which is worth about as much as I have ever been paid for it-

is a working decoy is a decoy,

a decorative "decoy" is sculpture - and that is not meant to demean the art or artists - many of them are truly beautiful works of art - but you know the raised feathers and details would not survive the first trip to the marsh


so I guess the grey area is a decorative reproduction of a classic working decoy - which would probably only get wet if some one spills a drink on it
 
patrick mccarthy said:
After watching the art of deception it left me with a question or two.
When is a decoy a decoy?
Can a decoy be a decoy if it is not hunted?
Is it a waterfowl sculpture if it only rides the mantel?
Being a rookie at decoy making I?d love to hear your opinions
Click to expand...

My opinion is that it doesn't really matter. This debate is fine for coffee table discussion but some folks get quite enthusiastic about their view of the subject. If one consults a dictionary source, every source I've seen, describes decoy as any object that is USED to lure game into range. (or similar verbiage).

So the question remains, does this mean, only those objects actually "used" (working decoys) or does this include those objects which "can be" used. (shelf sitters)
It get really gray when you consider that some objects used by some folks would be mantle pieces for other folks. (and some objects used for decoys, would be trash for other folks, works both ways [sly])

Reminds me of something that has been said about furniture. Is it still a leather couch if it has a clear plastic seat cover? Most carvers use their decoys, while some of those same decoys are purchased and sitting on mantels.
 
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If u hunt over it, or its made so it can be hunted, it is a decoy no matter how fancy or plain.
If it cant be hunted its a duck/ bird sculpture. Pretty simple.
 
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I agree with Jode. if it was made to hunt it is a decoy. If it was made for a shelf it is a sculpture. Plus, there is no such thing as a miniature decoy.

Joe
 
Joe Daly said:
I agree with Jode. if it was made to hunt it is a decoy. If it was made for a shelf it is a sculpture. Plus, there is no such thing as a miniature decoy.

Joe
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Exactly, but I thought miniature decoys were to make the ducks think they were still far away from the water, crash land at full speed, no shooting needed, lol. Exactly opposite of oversized.....
 
patrick mccarthy said:
After watching the art of deception it left me with a question or two.
When is a decoy a decoy?
Can a decoy be a decoy if it is not hunted?
Is it a waterfowl sculpture if it only rides the mantel?
Being a rookie at decoy making I?d love to hear your opinions
Click to expand...

This is how I look at it. I have a two Victor decoys from the 60's on a shelf above my entryway into the living room. They have never seen water even though my dad bought them for his rig. I cherish them and they are decoys. On that same shelf there is a Wood duck Drake and a Mallard Drake. They are ceramic sculptures and can never be used as a decoy.
 
jode hillman said:
If u hunt over it, or its made so it can be hunted, it is a decoy no matter how fancy or plain.
If it cant be hunted its a duck/ bird sculpture. Pretty simple.
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Mr. Hillman
IMHO That?s spot on.
But MLBob?s is the funniest
 

What Jode wrote is spot on.


But to stir the pot....

Enter The Great Imposter, the 21st century "Contest Decoy."

May well be that more of these birds are made than any other type.

Made to act like a decoy, and look like a decoy/decorative. That during a contest can loose paint, split open and list, have keels & rigging that are totally impractical, gawd forbid not self right, so on, and so on.

Time was, mostly in the 20 century, contest birds were either gunning decoys, or decoratives. Many of the contest decoys at that time came from the carver/makers own rig.


Then all hell broke loose, and there are contests for everything, and anything, and definitions got very blurry.

This did bring many more folks into carving and making. That is a plus, and cannot be understated and under appreciated.

Fact is many of the contest birds of today are used as models, and moulds for modern plastic decoys. HUH?!


Like beauty, a modern carved/made decoy is in the eye of the beholder.
 
Joe Daly said:
Plus, there is no such thing as a miniature decoy.

Joe
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I beg to differ ,,,,,,,,, surely you do not expect the inhabitants of the island country of Lilliput to use anything but a miniature decoy.
 
Huntindave McCann said:
If one consults a dictionary source, every source I've seen, describes decoy as any object that is USED to lure game into range. [\quote]

What if the ?game? intended is drawing in the oooohhhhhing and aaaaahhhhhhhhhing of someone admiring your duck on the mantel?
Click to expand...
 
Dani said:
Huntindave McCann said:
If one consults a dictionary source, every source I've seen, describes decoy as any object that is USED to lure game into range. [\quote]

What if the ?game? intended is drawing in the oooohhhhhing and aaaaahhhhhhhhhing of someone admiring your duck on the mantel?
Click to expand...

Dani,
Given the female gender is usually the gender associated with seeking admiration, oooohhhhhing and aaaaaaahhhhhing,,,,,,,,,, you are asking the wrong guy. [w00t][ninja]
Click to expand...
 
Hahahahahahahahahahah

CLEARLY you have not met many of the men I have. They would give most women a run for their money in seeking admiration
 
Having Made all three TYPES, true shooting TO Hunt over,{ show } TYPE hunting unlimited paint shelf bird & full blown decorative very life like. PUT ON THE LIVING ROOM SHELF. There IS NOTHING LIKE HUNTING OVER YOUR OWN MADE PLAIN JANE TYPE HUNTING DECOY.& SEE THE Ducks Decoy well.
 
A decoy is something that has been or is going to be used to gun over if it is sitting on a shelf never head for the field or water it is Decor. Just my two cents
 
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