# The Real Decoy



## Meanderer (Jan 3, 2022)

Duck decoys
ca. 400 BC–AD 100
Lovelock Cave, Humboldt County, Nevada
Tule rush, feathers, cordage, paint
31 x 12 cm







_"Envision a hunter crouched low amidst the tule marsh of centuries ago. The survival of his band depends on his skills as a hunter. In the early morning sky, flocks of ducks and geese fly by. His arrows cannot fly high enough into the sky to reach the flocks passing by, so he sets his best creative weapon on the water, the tule duck decoy. This is an ancient hunting tool used by his people from time immemorial. The floating tule duck brings the flock within reach, and his people survive another day"._

"The art of making this clever hunting tool is a tradition that has been passed down from hunter to hunter throughout the centuries. Duck skins from earlier kills were stretched over the decoys, making them very lifelike. In even earlier times, the waterfowl’s feathers were woven onto the decoy and tied on with hemp strings. The heads and necks of some were painted to match the colors of the duck species. In doing this, the hunter made the duck decoy appear very real, and the waterfowl would then fly into the zone within reach of his bow and arrow".

"The tule duck decoy is still being made and used today by Native hunters, especially at the Stillwater Marsh in western Nevada."


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## Meanderer (Jan 3, 2022)

American Indian Artistry: Tule Duck Decoys

Listen to expert tule duck artisan Mike Williams describe how Nevada's State Artifact is made, and his journey in learning how to master this lost art.


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## Meanderer (Jan 3, 2022)

A Paiute Tule Duck Decoy
(Based on a model made by Davin George)
(Read More)


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## Meanderer (Jan 3, 2022)

Mike Williams: Duck Decoys and Tule Work

"Native artist Mike Williams creates duck decoys in the ancient style that goes back to Nevada’s archaeological record. “The People of the Marsh” – ancestors of the Numu (Northern Paiute)—were resident in Nevada many thousands of years before they encountred Euro-Americans." 

"They lived in proximity to large lakes and wetlands where their lives were sustained by the native vegetation and wildlife. Fish and waterfowl were central to their diet, and the wetland reeds and grasses provided the materials for their housing and clothing, as well as their hunting, gathering, and fishing equipment."


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## Gary O' (Jan 3, 2022)

I wonder how old mine is


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## Meanderer (Jan 3, 2022)

On the day after Christmas, our son-law to be, was to go duck hunting with a cousin.  My daughter gave him 12 decoys for Christmas, and later in the day, found another dozen stored in the garage.
I can't imagine having 24 duck decoys!  It turned out that his cousin "ducked out" on him, and it was not to be.

I had one plastic decoy for a long while, decorating the cabin room floor....but recently, it flew to goodwill.  The closest thing I have to a boat and decoy is hanging on the cabin wall.

 
broomcorn duck?

The duck on the left has been made from an old straw broom, using the piece where the straw and the wooden handle come together.  The body is carved from the straw. The wooden head has been carved separately and attached somehow.  The straw broom has been shaved into a tail, on the left side.  The wire rings are original from the broom. The red string and ribbon tell me it is an old handmade Christmas ornament.  A real treasure. (it is 4" long)


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## Meanderer (Jan 3, 2022)

Old Wooden Decoys


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## Meanderer (Jan 3, 2022)

One response to “Egyptian Duck Hunting:  A Real Fling”    

"This limestone architectural element from the Egyptian New Kingdom (16th-11th centuries BCE) depicts two Egyptian men, Qar and Idu, hunting ducks with boomerangs. Most people think of Australia when they think of boomerangs, but “throwing sticks” have been used all over the world throughout human history, mainly by hunter gatherers." 

"What ancient Egyptians like Qar and Idu were doing was taking one of the oldest hunting methods in human history (throwing a stick at something) and turning it into a pass time. It was so popular, in fact, that several throwing sticks for bird hunting were discovered in Tutankhmun’s tomb when it was excavated by a team led by Howard Carter in 1923."


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## Gaer (Jan 3, 2022)

I carved a duck decoy once, years ago, and gave it to my Dad.  He didn't hunt, but I guess he liked it because I carved it.
My Dad was so cool!


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## Meanderer (Jan 3, 2022)

Duck hunter keeps it real with wood decoys

“I’m just as passionate about duck hunting at 63 as I was at 18,” said Vic Sutek of Columbiana County’s West Township. Only one thing has changed since then: He refuses to use plastic."

"He became enamoured of waterfowl in first or second grade, drawing pictures to hang on the wall. His father, Ed, was an outdoorsman who “hunted everything but ducks, but he introduced me to it,” Sutek said."  (READ MORE)





Vic Sutek uses a rasp to shape the cedar body of a long-tailed hen decoy. The long-tailed duck, which seasoned hunters knew as the oldsquaw, breeds in the arctic tundra and sometimes winters in the Great Lakes. It can dive to 200 feet in search of crustaceans, invertebrates and even small fish. (Barbara Mudrak photo)


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## Meanderer (Jan 3, 2022)




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## Meanderer (Jan 3, 2022)

Duck Decoy Carving

One man, Steve Sanford of Cambridge, NY, handcrafts his own wooden decoys. Learn the process and watch him craft one in the span of a day.


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## Meanderer (Jan 3, 2022)




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## Meanderer (Jan 3, 2022)

HOW TO IDENTIFY VINTAGE DUCK DECOYS . with DREW -American Pickers watch California Pickin !


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## Meanderer (Jan 3, 2022)

A goose decoy made by Cree Indians on the Hudson Bay over 100 years ago.


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## ElCastor (Jan 3, 2022)

I was, quite a few years ago, a big time collector of West Coast decoys. Over a period of time I drove more than 3,000 miles hunting them down. More than once I went out in the sticks, door to door. Pleasant experience. Country folks seem to enjoy talking to strangers. Unfortunately, the collection began to take over the house, so I sold most when I retired, but retained a few. I'm looking at a hen mallard as I type. (-8


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## Meanderer (Jan 4, 2022)

@ElCastor  Thank you for your post.  It must have been hard to part with all your decoys!  How many have you kept &  How did you get started?  Are you able to post a few pictures?  Were you a duck hunter, as well as a decoy hunter?


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## Meanderer (Jan 4, 2022)

"Gust 'Gus' Nelow" was a prolific carver who made more made more decoys than anyone in the Omro./Oshkosh/Lake Winnebego area.  It is possible that he made up to 8000 decoys between 1900 and 1962."  (READ MORE)


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## Meanderer (Jan 4, 2022)

How Ducks See: The Science Behind Waterfowl Eyesight






"The mallards leap from their roost on the Susquehanna River, greeting the rising sun with an anxious chorus of beating wings and excited quacks. They’ve been on the move constantly since departing Ontario, and find themselves desperately hungry and eager to find other feeding ducks. They are the perfect birds to kill."

"According to Ducks Unlimited, waterfowl can see two to three times farther than humans, thanks to powerful muscles that control the curvature of their corneas and lenses. In the human eye, only the lens can adjust. This remarkable adaptation suggests that a duck’s vision is by far its most powerful sense. It can see a lot farther than it can hear."  (READ MORE)


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## Meanderer (Jan 4, 2022)

Sleuthing the Origins of Five Controversial Decoys at the Shelburne Museum    

"The snipe, a shorebird found all over the world, is attracted to marshes and their yummy invertebrates. Long legs facilitate wading around in the muck, and a skinny, elongated bill with highly sensitive nerve endings enables the bird to detect and slurp up dinner."

"This family of shorebirds also comes with handy plumage that helps camouflage it from predators. And, once airborne, the snipe tends to fly erratically, which makes it difficult for gun-toting humans to bring down. If you've ever wondered about the origin of the term "sniper," aka sharpshooter, now you know."

"Human hunters found an answer to the snipe's elusiveness: decoys. Lure a bunch of birds to a site, the thinking goes, and you have a better chance of bagging at least one."






"Artfully made decoys are prized by collectors. But their origins can be as elusive as the birds they depict, making their attribution a puzzle for curators. " (Read More)


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## Meanderer (Jan 4, 2022)

Decoy marketing: giving customers a little nudge.




"At the nexus between marketing, consumer behavior and good ol’ fashioned psychology, decoy marketing is a popular retail technique used to steer or “nudge” the consumer towards a targeted product."

"Say a customer is shopping for a new set of premium bed linen. Sheet set one is made from a 500 thread count Egyptian cotton-blend, and retails for $200. Sheet set two is made from 1200 thread count pure Egyptian cotton, and retails for $400. Faced with these two choices, many will purchase the cheaper option, feeling that the pricier set is too much of a splurge."

"Decoy marketing, however, introduces a third middle option – a decoy – whose sole purpose is to nudge the consumer away from the “competitor” (the cheapest option), towards the pricier “target” option. So, in the case of our bed linen example, we introduce a third sheet set made from 600 thread count pure Egyptian cotton that retails for $389. Suddenly, the $400 set seems like a steal!  Welcome to the decoy effect."  (Read More)


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## Meanderer (Jan 4, 2022)




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## Meanderer (Jan 7, 2022)

Where Duck Decoys Became High Art





"Though the design of decoys has transformed from rustic to artistic, the main tenets of construction have remained the same throughout the years. Each decoy is made from two pieces of wood (sometimes three, but it’s rare): one piece for the body and one for the head. The two pieces have historically been carved with whatever tools are on hand—be they hatchets and rasps or pocket knives and boat building tools. Earlier decoys were painted with whatever was on hand to create a loose interpretation of the desired bird type. They weren’t designed to be pretty; rather to simply attract ducks. According to Tinkham, a lot of the used material came from washed up shipwreck detritus. He still uses found materials to make his decoys, both wood and paint, which he makes from scratch."

_“For me, it’s just as much a thrill to find the stuff as it is to make something out of it,” he said. “I don’t know what I’ll be making. It all revolves around what nature gives me. I don’t really duck hunt. This is my duck hunting.”_





"Each decoy also has its own anchor and weight attached."

“Think of decoys as a mini boat,” Tinkham said. “They’re built like boats. They have to float. They have to be aerodynamic to cut through the waves. They have an anchor and an anchor line, and on the bottom they have weights. The weights pull them down to a realistic level and stop them from sitting on the water upside down.” (Read More)


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## Meanderer (Jan 7, 2022)




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## Meanderer (Jun 23, 2022)




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## Em in Ohio (Jun 23, 2022)

Meanderer said:


> Duck hunter keeps it real with wood decoys
> 
> “I’m just as passionate about duck hunting at 63 as I was at 18,” said Vic Sutek of Columbiana County’s West Township. Only one thing has changed since then: He refuses to use plastic."
> 
> ...


My late son was an animal lover, a strict vegetarian, and a duck fanatic.  Like this man, he drew so many pictures of ducks in his youth.  I carry an umbrella with a duck head handle in his memory.


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## Meanderer (Jun 25, 2022)




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## Meanderer (Jun 25, 2022)




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## Chueymorales (Jun 25, 2022)

Meanderer said:


> Duck decoys
> ca. 400 BC–AD 100
> Lovelock Cave, Humboldt County, Nevada
> Tule rush, feathers, cordage, paint
> ...





Meanderer said:


> Duck decoys
> ca. 400 BC–AD 100
> Lovelock Cave, Humboldt County, Nevada
> Tule rush, feathers, cordage, paint
> ...


Nice easily recognized  Bull Canvasback! I happen to collect Upper Chesapeake Bay decoys...Mostly the work of Madison Mitchell, but I like Joey Jobes work too, and a couple other carver's from that region. His dad, Harry Jobes worked in Mitchell's shop 30+ years. Joey's 2 older brother's worked in the shop too...Joey mostly played in the sawdust, but as he told me one day, even though he was the youngest and only did some minor work in the shop on decoys, through osmosis he absorbed the skills.

Harry (deceased) , Charlie and Bob Jobes are all accomplished carver's but for some reason, slight as it may be, I prefer and collect Joey's work.

Old "water time" Mitchell birds are what I latch onto.  Not many worked Joey Jobes decoys to be found, but he told me that he has customers in Canada who buy his decoys to float in spreads. Them Canucks gotta be hardcore duck hunters!

"Stillwater" in Nevada is a nice Federal Refuge. I, in my duck and goose chasing days hunted it, along with The Greenhead Club just down the road from Fallon, NV. Late in the season is when I prefer going to both locations as the late colder weather keeps lots of folks off those marshes.

Have been hunting both venues without anyone else to be seen or heard for the few days I was out.


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## Meanderer (Jun 25, 2022)

@Chueymorales Welcome to Senior Forums, and thanks for your post!


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## Chueymorales (Jun 25, 2022)

Meanderer said:


> @Chueymorales Welcome to Senior Forums, and thanks for your post!





Meanderer said:


> @Chueymorales Welcome to Senior Forums, and thanks for your post!


Thanks for the welcome. You hit on a subject that is dear to me, so I was compelled to post up. I had a wife years back who always said, thanks to my chasing all over the country for waterfowl, October to January:

"You have duck shi* for brains."

Never was clear to me if that was said in jest, or she believed it?

I quit hunting  everything as I lost the desire, but 1 of my son's took up the banner.


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## Meanderer (Jun 25, 2022)

Form Follows Function: Art of the Decoy

_*The Drifter*_





I’m just an old has-been decoy
No ribbons I have won.
My sides and head are full of shot
From many a blazing gun.
My home has been by the river,
Just drifting with the tide.
No roof have I had for shelter,
No one place where I could abide.
I’ve rocked to winter’s wild fury,
I’ve scorched in the heat of the sun,
I’ve drifted and drifted and drifted,
For tides never cease to run.
I was picked up by some fool collector
Who put me up here on a shelf.
But my place is out on the river,
Where I can drift all by myself.
I want to go back to the shoreline
Where flying clouds hang thick and low,
And get the touch of the rain drops
And the velvety soft touch of the snow.


—*Lem Ward *(1896-1984)
_Master Decoy Carver/Painter, Crisfield, Maryland_​


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## Chueymorales (Jun 25, 2022)

Meanderer said:


> Form Follows Function: Art of the Decoy
> 
> _*The Drifter*_
> 
> ...


One of The Ward Brother's! Never knew he wrote poetry.


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## Em in Ohio (Jun 25, 2022)

Meanderer said:


> Form Follows Function: Art of the Decoy
> 
> _*The Drifter*_
> 
> ...


Nice 'seeing you', Meanderer!  This anthropomorphized duck decoy poem is lovely!


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## Patricia (Jun 25, 2022)

Meanderer said:


> Duck decoys
> ca. 400 BC–AD 100
> Lovelock Cave, Humboldt County, Nevada
> Tule rush, feathers, cordage, paint
> ...


I'm learning so much on this site.


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## ElCastor (Jun 25, 2022)

Meanderer said:


> @ElCastor  Thank you for your post.  It must have been hard to part with all your decoys!  How many have you kept &  How did you get started?  Are you able to post a few pictures?  Were you a duck hunter, as well as a decoy hunter?


Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. My pics are pre-digital and hard to post. Got started browsing in a San Francisco antique shop and came on a Mason Premier canvasback. Mason was a Detroit factory manufacturer of Decoys -- the best factory decoys in the country. Got me interested. I liked to comb the California boondocks for unique collectibles at a reasonable price. One of the greatest California carvers was Fresh Air Dick, a retired seaman who got the name because he liked to sleep on deck -- in the fresh air. He is believed to have carved more than 20,000 -- few of which survive in mint condition. If you see a bottle of Decoy wine, the duck on the label is one of his drake pintails. The greatest California carver IMHO was Horace Crandall, a former art student who, as the Depression began, got a job in a Westwood lumber mill. Crandall carved decoys and miniature bird carvings to make a few bucks on the side. I kept a few decoys that had sentimental value, and I'm looking at one of his hen mallards. I got out of decoy collecting and sold the best of the collection to another collector. It was taking over the house and consuming my life. Never regretted it. Part of the fun of collecting is in the process as much or more than the possession. And no, I never hunted a duck, and never wanted to. (-8


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## Meanderer (Jun 26, 2022)

Honk If You Love Geese (link)
Bob McNally   12.15.13

"I’ve hunted geese for nearly a half century on three continents, in more places than I can remember. But never have I seen a spot so infested with Canada geese as Pierre, South Dakota, located near massive Lake Oahe on the sprawling Missouri River."

"Pierre is slap dab in the middle of the Mount Rushmore State, and smack in the heart of North America’s central flyway for waterfowl."

"With a human population of only about 15,000, Pierre is the second least populated state capital in America, but it’s one of the most populous for waterfowl. Fall through spring, geese outnumber people in the Pierre area by at least 8 to 1. And at times geese and ducks outnumber people 30 to 1."
READ MORE





Tyson Keller works distant geese from an Avery field blind near Pierre, South Dakota.


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## Chueymorales (Jun 26, 2022)

Honkers. I used to hunt Honkers in several of their sub-species hot and heavy, all over the map. Along with Snow Geese and Speckle Belly Geese. As well with ducks in general. Although, when I read Michener's "Chesapeake" I had an epiphany of sorts, more or less, whereas  I realized that short of a need for food, I didn't have a desire otherwise to kill Honkers.

In time I came to the same conclusion on all the critters I once hunted for so called, "sport".

So now I just look at wildlife without the old  pressing desire to blow them into whatever after-life they may possess.

The  U.S. has 4 distinct waterfowl flyways which come into play for  waterfowl migration in the Fall. Where I sit is within The Pacific Flyway. The Colorado River is a migration  corridor on The Pacific Flyway, with early migrants, mostly Teal, beginning to show up flying the river heading to Mexico and South America in late  August. Along with Teal there are a few other surface feeding ducks, like Northern Pintails, sometimes seen flying south as early as late August.

Come duck season I kept an eye on weather in The Great Salt Lake region of Utah, The Bear River area specifically. Bear River (and The Salt Lake) are major waterfowl staging areas as birds from further north begin to head south for the winter. Early November I would check the local weather for that area daily,  and once there were at least 3 days of "hard freeze" I would get my butt down on The Colorado River for a truly spectacular Migration Show. If there was a full moon the show mostly went on day and night, where at night you could hear the rustle  of   wings and some duck talk overhead, but not see much until sun up. In day light, especially if there is a storm behind them, thousands upon thousands of ducks of pretty much every species will be seen in a headlong run south, in "levels".

Diver species, such  as Redheads, Scaup (Bluebills, Lesser and Greater Scaup), Ring Necks, Golden Eyes, etc. have a tendency to fly low over the  water with a storm on their tails,  whereas Canvasbacks stayed up higher. Puddle ducks, AKA: surface feeders,  such as Mallards, Gadwall, Pintail, and Teal would be on another level, sometimes in mixed flocks, but usually migrating with their own species.

Under just the right weather conditions, like with a hard freeze at Bear River, and a storm sweeping down from Alaska, a true weather related Migration can go on for a few days, 24-7. When there is no moon light come sunset the migrants fill backwaters and the main river itself with birds seeking refuge. I have actually had them landing within a few feet of where I sat watching the show.  One time I was sitting in a tight little backwater with my Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Chester, taking in the show when a flock of tired Mallards, a hundred or so strong, dropped into our "hole". It was getting too dark to see anything, and I was about to get up and go to our camp. Chester was a very experienced,  well trained, by me,  gun dog and knew to sit still. I had one hand on his back to reassure him, and he was trembling with anticipation as the birds settled in.

We had Mallards all around us, some near close enough to reach out and touch, and they were "dabbling and chuckling"  happily when all of a sudden at least one became suspicious of the 2 of us sitting there stock still. That suspicious bird muttered something and then had  his/her flockmates full attention, as they all clammed up and I could feel their eyes on us.

As if on cue, they all sprang verticle into the air, as only a puddle duck can do,  and were gone.

Honkers have a tendency to leave Bear River with a  hard freeze but will short stop where open water and food can be found.  Come December along The Colorado River corridor is when Honkers are seen migrating.  Many migrant Honkers  have shifted further east and veer off to The New Mexico/Arizona border area now.

There is much more to ducks and geese than meets the eye; I have  only scratched the surface  here but a little, regarding what I know of them.  They really are an interesting and worthwhile study. Leg banding, neck banding and body mounted  transmitter studies have really shed some light on the mysteries of migration.


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## Meanderer (Jun 26, 2022)

Chueymorales said:


> Under just the right weather conditions, like with a hard freeze at Bear River, and a storm sweeping down from Alaska, a true weather related Migration can go on for a few days, 24-7. When there is no moon light come sunset the migrants fill backwaters and the main river itself with birds seeking refuge. I have actually had them landing within a few feet of where I sat watching the show.  One time I was sitting in a tight little backwater with my Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Chester, taking in the show when a flock of tired Mallards, a hundred or so strong, dropped into our "hole". It was getting too dark to see anything, and I was about to get up and go to our camp. Chester was a very experienced,  well trained, by me,  gun dog and knew to sit still. I had one hand on his back to reassure him, and he was trembling with anticipation as the birds settled in.
> 
> We had Mallards all around us, some near close enough to reach out and touch, and they were "dabbling and chuckling"  happily when all of a sudden at least one became suspicious of the 2 of us sitting there stock still. That suspicious bird muttered something and then had  his/her flockmates full attention, as they all clammed up and I could feel their eyes on us.
> 
> As if on cue, they all sprang verticle into the air, as only a puddle duck can do,  and were gone.


@Chueymorales What a magnificent post!    You sound like someone who has written a book or two on the subject!  Chester sounds like a real comrade...do you have a picture of him?  Thanks so much for breathing new life into this thread!


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## ElCastor (Jun 26, 2022)

Chueymorales said:


> One time I was sitting in a tight little backwater with my Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Chester, taking in the show when a flock of tired Mallards, a hundred or so strong, dropped into our "hole". It was getting too dark to see anything, and I was about to get up and go to our camp. Chester was a very experienced,  well trained, by me,  gun dog and knew to sit still. I had one hand on his back to reassure him, and he was trembling with anticipation as the birds settled in.


Many years ago, looking for some leads in my decoy hunt, I paid a visit to a woman who trained retrievers. Very nice person, at least to me. While I was there she went about training a dog she was working with. She had a large cage full of pigeons, and to my dismay I got to see what they were for. She grabbed one, broke a wing, gave it a throw, and the dog she was working with retrieved it.  I probably should have turned her in to the SPCA or Humane Society, but she had been nice to me, so it didn't seem right. Still bothers me when I think about it. Oh well, when I eat a piece of chicken, a steak, or a lamb chop, that piece of meat probably had a history I wouldn't care to see.

BTW, the parrot whose picture you see in this post, will be 46 years old next month. Both wings are intact, but she's too old to fly. (-8


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## Chueymorales (Jun 26, 2022)

Meanderer said:


> @Chueymorales What a magnificent post!    You sound like someone who has written a book or two on the subject!  Chester sounds like a real comrade...do you have a picture of him?  Thanks so much for breathing new life into this thread!


I bred and trained Chesapeake Bay Retrievers years ago. My wife was actually THE very best obedience trainer I have ever encountered. She is gone now as is my desire to breed, train and hunt Chessie's. The C-Bay Retriever was bred specifically for the hardships awaiting gun dogs along The Chesapeake Bay. Real deal Market Hunters created them for those hardships. They were a combination of genetics from The Newfoundland,  for their heavy double  coats,  strength, stamina and water abilities. Curly Coat Retrievers or Water Spaniols added more  water abilities, along with double coats, and hound dogs added great nose to the mix.  Got a couple Chester,  "long distance, blind retrieve" stories that still astound me 25+ years later. I have little doubt that a hunter I met on a hunt who shared a goose pit with me at Cibola Wildlife Refuge is STILL sharing the story with anyone who will listen,  he was that  amazed by what he had witnessed Chester pull off.

I built a big  pond in my pasture just for training purposes, and would train with frozen wings saved from harvested birds previously, and now and then a frozen whole Northern Shoveler. Northern  Shoveler's (AKA: Spoonies thanks to their spatulate bill)  aren't much on the table  and usually were taken by hunters I hunted with "by accident", so rather then waste the bird, I always carried a few legs and toes cut from  panty hose to slip birds in, head first, for mounts  or
frozen trainers. Head first into that "nylon mesh tube" keeps the wings and  feathers in nice condition.

Chessie's are NOT for everyone as they are mighty obstinate and hard-headed. Once they recognize you as The Alpha, they are easy to work with, but if they do not accept you as "head of the pack", they can be difficult to put it mildly. Chester, the hunting  partner I spoke of earlier, was 110 pounds of solid muscle, and pure ornery. Early on when he wasn't fully mature I taught him "The Alpha Wolf Maneuver" when he would piss me off, as needed. I would simply grab him with both hands on his throat, flip him over on his back, and hold him down like that until I could feel him relax. I seriously believe  that even when he weighed 50 pounds or so, if a stranger tried that throat grab, they would pull back a couple bloody stumps. I had occasion only a few times  when he was full grown to "Alpha Wolf" him into submission.

I will look and see if I have some photos to share. Nothing in the system that I know of,  but I do have some in scrapbooks. Do not have a scanner anymore, but I have friends who do. My daughter probably has photos, so I will check with her. Chester had to be put down in January 2001 due to old age. Still comes to mind often, and I miss him. I had one Chessie after that, but like with some things in this life, when you have experienced the very best, be it in a human relationship, or animal pal, it can come to pass that the very best can never be replaced. I stopped hunting anyway, and having a true Retrieving  Machine like a fine Chesapeake Bay dog requires using them as designed just to be  fair to their genetic predispositions.

Now I will shut up.


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## Meanderer (Jun 27, 2022)

Chesapeake Bay Retriever dog breed. All breed characteristics & facts about Chesapeake Bay Retriever


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## Chueymorales (Jun 27, 2022)

That is pretty accurate, but from my experience with Chessie's I could argue a couple points made, in a minor kind of way. 80 lbs. is "the standard", but I have seen lots of Chessie's, males, tipping the scales well over 90 and 100 lbs.. 

They are extremely possessive and watchfull  over their home  property and human family. I have had lots of dogs over the years, Labs, Goldens, Springers, Shorthairs, Setters, a couple Rott's along with Mutts and  for MY $$$ the very best watchdogs have been Chessie's.

Quick anecdote:

Got a COLD call one evening from someone trying to sell home security. I let the person run through their selling points and just listened politely. 

Finally they ran out of steam, so I said, "Thank you, BUT, I already have the very best security system on God's Green Earth, and the monthly costs are acceptable in the long term."

So they said, they said, and a bit snotty too:

"Oh...REALLY??? And what kind of security system might that be, if I may ask?"

"Four Chesapeake Bay Retrievers."

They must have been familiar  with the breed, as there was no argument and the conversation abruptly ended.

That property was well out of town, with very few neighbors and we had  about 5 acres up close  to the house well fenced. That was the "dog-patrol area". I carried a pretty good liability policy on the place and since Chessie's were not, and probably still are not on the "dangerous dog list" I don't recall much of an add-on for the dogs, if any.

Once again, great dogs, especially for outdoors people, and waterfowl hunters. Chessie's will retrieve anything a hunter might knock down, pheasants, quail, dove,  etc., but they really love and shine brightest  at water-work, and the colder the better.


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## Meanderer (Jun 27, 2022)

@Chueymorales  I enjoyed reading your post, thank you!


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## Chueymorales (Jun 27, 2022)

Forgot to mention that when we were breeding and selling Chessie's that we were extra picky about just who they went to. We were not breeding for the money. Chessie's are not too common in CA where we had our facility. Some people who wanted one of our pups knew us and were friends, yet that did not guarantee a dog going to them. Real WaterFowler's were first choice. Still they had to pass muster on their canine knowledge, handling abilities, and their property. Other dogs in their household may have been  problematic since most ALL Chessie's rule the roost. 2nd Fiddle is NOT on their agenda, male of female.

Having several Chessie's living together can be a spOOky proposition, as yes, they will decide who is Top Dog among them, but those who are held low in the hiearchy will carry a grudge.

I had a bunch of large roofed and fenced in kennels since just ONE battle between males made for ongoing bad blood, and when problems were in the air, separation was very necessary for a while. From  a fight forward into forever, they had to be watched vigilantly when loosed together.

Females would duke  it out with the boys now and again, but those battles were not the brutal battles the boys could put together. Grudges were not common from M/F fights.

Certain things could set them off, so I kept my eye out for those flashpoint potentials. My kids learned very clearly what the flashpoints were, and avoided them. All they needed to witness was one male/male fight, and they became believers in watching their P's and Q's with food, treats and toys. All of which could set off a real problem .

Trust me, if I was still hunting I would be sharing my life with a "Curly Dawg".


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## Meanderer (Jun 28, 2022)

The Accidental Duck Dog
By Jack Ballard


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## Meanderer (Jun 28, 2022)

Yamaha Viking VI: The Ultimate Duck Hunting Machine


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## Meanderer (Jun 28, 2022)

Designated Decoy




"One night, a police officer was stalking out a particularly rowdy bar for possible violations of the driving under the influence laws. At closing time, he saw a fellow stumble out of the bar, trip on the curb, and try his keys on five different cars before he found his."

"Then, sat in the front seat fumbling around with his keys for several minutes. Everyone left the bar and drove off. Finally, he started his engine and began to pull away."

"The police officer was waiting for him. He stopped the driver, read him his rights and administered the Breathalyzer test. The results showed a reading of 0.0. The puzzled officer demanded to know how that could be. The driver replied, "Tonight, I'm the Designated Decoy."


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## Meanderer (Jul 14, 2022)

"One of the handiest items found at 221B Baker Street has to be the wax bust of Sherlock Holmes. More than once it played a role as a decoy for Sherlock Holmes."


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