The King Can...

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Pat Gregory

Well-known member
In the classic read The Canvasback on a Prairie Marsh by the great Al Hochbaum, in the introduction, we find this great quote which epitomizes the King Canvasback...

"We offer no apology for thus elevating the lordly Canvasback to a classical role, for among duck-minded people he has long been the "gold standard" against which all lesser fry are weighed and measured."

Aldo Leopold, Miles D. Pirnie, William Rowan

Pretty hefty words from some pretty substantial people. And, thus began a significant focus on canvasbacks, specifically, the canvasbacks on the Delta Marsh.

Being a decoy carver, I love simple decoys that do the job. One prime example of this principle are the classic Canvasback Decoys of Duncan Ducharme of St. Ambroise, Manitoba. Here a medley of pictures of Ducharmes to enjoy. (All photos by Fred Greenslade/Delta Waterfowl.)

Enjoy!

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Great pictures Pat, the design of Ducharme decoy is really interesting , with the location of the head does it balance the decoy without needing any bottom board weight?
 
The first time I saw Ducharme canvasbacks was in a DU piece on a famous Delta marsh duck camp. I admit I am not a very big fan of stylized decoys. These immediately caught my eye, since they were likely formed to ride well in the heavy chop and wave conditions that prairie winds would generate on shallow inshore open water areas of Delta marsh- a testimony to the ingenuity of their maker to form a decoy that worked well.
 
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John - Still need some lead and a keel on the bottom of Ducharmes. The size of head is heavy and need some weight on the bottom to ballast.
Rick - Honestly, the Ducharme can hen looked as good as any can hen I've seen on the water at 20yds. She locked up cans at Delta for us.
Brad - Still working on it... Setting the books down to chase some scaup the next couple of weeks.
 
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My "read"on their head/neck design and location is that the "thin" frontal profile aids the decoy's ability to remain pointed into the wind. Locating the head back on the body, enables the frontal surface area do the same, as well as offsetting the lateral impacts of wind on the high head/neck. The extended neck profile also appears to be added to "steer" the body back into the wind. The hard chine helps stabilize the bird from marked rocking, too, just a well thought out, form-follows-function decoy.

Take care and stay safe!
 
What is your opinion of the sportboat in your post? I bought one just like it this past year , so far it has had little use. Hope to do better this year.
 
Loved it Bill. Very roomy and stable. Did everything we asked it to. Having a canoe bow, it was also easy to wedge into the cattails and doing so, we actually stood in the boat to shoot. It worked great! Very stable and solid. Nice craft. Not mine but, if I ran across one, I'd look hard at owning it.


Just my thought... Pat
 
Thanks Pat,
It will be used in protected waters or lee shores of the Ohio River for fishing or decoy placement or bird retrieving.

I have been employing your "chip brush" feather painting method with good results,works great,thanks.
 
Thanks for the update Bill! It's a handy little tool that simplifies painting. It has served me well in decoy painting for over 30 years. Keep up the good work! Pat
 
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