Finished my blue bill decoy

[duramax]

I finally got around to painting this decoy I carved a long time ago. Body is cork with a wood head I carved.

[Bamawebfoot]

Looks good, I always wanted to try that but figured carving the heads would drive me nuts. I would had to have went with some "store bought" heads, I have no patience when doing that kind of stuff. Like I said, Good job now where are the other eleven???

[Rahoovie]

Looks great.

[duramax]

Looks good, I always wanted to try that but figured carving the heads would drive me nuts. I would had to have went with some "store bought" heads, I have no patience when doing that kind of stuff. Like I said, Good job now where are the other eleven???

I would never attempt it unless you go to a class or have someone teach you. I also finished another blue bill after this one, and I also have a canvasback and a redhead I did a while back. The 4 of them might sit on the edge of my mallard spread in some of my field hunts this year. Won't have a dozen for a while.

[fieldt76]

I'd like to see the others that you've done. The blue bill looks awesome, great work!

[duramax]

I'd like to see the others that you've done. The blue bill looks awesome, great work!

Here's the others. The can and the redhead are a bit dirty from the couple times I put them out last season.

[Bamawebfoot]

Sweet decoys. It would be cool pulling the trigger when you have some of your own homemade fakes in your spread.

[ACEINTHEHOLE]

Sure wish we could get the class together that was discussed on here a while back. I would love to learn.

[Blake Williamson]

Sure wish we could get the class together that was discussed on here a while back. I would love to learn.

ME and you both!!!!

[duramax]

I will say, and I'm sure Gator will agree, that divers are a whole easier than dabblers to carve/paint. Divers, as you can see from my picture, don't involve a lot of colors, and there isn't all that much to their bodies. I don't have a picture of the mallard I did, but getting the body lines right on a dabbler is harder. Plus the variety of colors involved (and getting the correct colors) is a another hurdle to overcome. My dad bought a dozen mallard cork bodies and heads from a guy he met, and he's now in the process of painting them. I painted my two blue bills in one evening, and he only finished a portion of a few he was working on. You have to take them in stages, and you can get really detailed on dabblers if you want. I used 3 colors for my blue bills. Black, Blue, and White. Mixed the black and white to make the grey, and the black and blue to make the dark blue for the head, and white and blue for the bill. Used a pencil to draw the color borders for the breast and tail sections. I'd love to do a class since it's been several years since I carved last. The initial investment isn't cheap though. Knives and rasps for carving can easily run over $200. I was tought by a non-dremel purist who wouldn't let me use anything but hand tools. Which helps a lot until you get the feel for what you are doing.

[gator]

not sure how i missed this earlier, but i think they look great! and, that dirty can and redhead are just getting RIGHT. a well worn decoy showing the "character" hunts can build are a thing of beauty.

i've been kicking the idea around about writing my opinion on what a decoy is and isn't....i may use this thread to kinda "springboard" that.

great decoys, get em wet.......gator

[novacaine]

Looks good, I always wanted to try that but figured carving the heads would drive me nuts. I would had to have went with some "store bought" heads, I have no patience when doing that kind of stuff. Like I said, Good job now where are the other eleven???

Don't ya'll know nothin......................decoys and landscaping plants are to be put out in ODD numbers! Dozen decoys, whoever heard of such.

[gator]

you've been reading an old book.............and, i think it dealt with market gunners.

been a while since i've read it, but i think it was the book "outlaw gunners" that talked about the odd number decoy superstition.

how close am i to what you're currently reading?

gator

[novacaine]

you've been reading an old book.............and, i think it dealt with market gunners.

been a while since i've read it, but i think it was the book "outlaw gunners" that talked about the odd number decoy superstition.

how close am i to what you're currently reading?

gator

I remember reading that book (Outlaw Gunners) back in the 70's. I guess it stuck cause i have always said that those SOB's could count and they know damn well there is always an odd man out! Only humans think matched pairs are normal.

I am still on my Nash kick. Rereading all the accounts of goose and duck hunting trips while at his camp on Ship Island which is west of Beaver Dam on the river. Found some cool old river maps (1880-1900/before mainline levee construction) that show Ship Island and the Indian mound where his camp was. This is all before Harberts cutoff was made on the river.
As soon as it cools off i am going to tip over to Ship Island to look around.

[champcaller]

yup, outlaw gunners.

awesome read.