The Shorebird Decoys

Temperatures in New Hampshire have been brutal the past few days but then we do live in the great Northeast!  Finished up my first two fish decoys-see pictures, looking for some wood to make up some new ones but right now looking to finish up some of the shorebirds that I cut out this summer.  They are  patterns out of the Hillman & Shourds Shore Bird Pattern book that I got a year ago; the book is autographed, one of the few that I have in my possession-but then collecting books is a whole new issue!

Autographed front page

 My goal is to go look for some bargains -decoys or books) as we get closer to spring-probably head over toward the coast-there is a road that has antique shops for 50 miles, maybe up into Maine on some back roads.  I have yet to see any trace of a fish decoy but surely  up in Maine there might be some to be found.

But I also want to mention about the passing of Stan Musial
in St. Louis; he was my hero growing up and made me learn
to bat from the left side and even try to adopt his stance but then I
could never learn to hit the curve ball so my career ended early!  Beyond baseball if there were ever a finer man to pattern my or any other kid's life after he was "the Man".  I remember at  Boy Scout camp getting sent to the sick bay so I could listen to the All Star game where Musial hit the home run to win the game.  I would recommend that you read the St. Louis Post Dispatch for some great memories about how he played and the number of people that he brought into his life.  He has set the standard for all of us, that go outside the rules of the game.


 I think when one starts talking about collecting there needs to be some thought put in before one starts even thinking about filling shelves and mantles with "stuff".  Probably need to know that permission has been granted before one starts or there is a "man cave" that is totally decorated by you!  I have talked about knowing the history of anything old that comes into my home and I think that knowing what that decoy did, where it was done, who did it and when, make it more valuable-but then the same thing can apply to any piece of wood that you sit in or eat on!  Here are a couple of pictures of the Santa carvings.

Santa with a tree in his beard

If we take the time to find out what we are buying or building we can provide the folks that follow us down the road.  I hope that the things that I create can be passed on to those who might want them; if you look at some of the prices of those decoys 100+ years ago, maybe I am leaving a "legacy" to someone!

Rainbow Trout

Minnesota Decoy

Cardinal Ready for Finish

The "Box" in the Closet

Trim the Bill and Finish

So here are the pictures of the unfinished decoys, some hiding in the closet in a box, so as you can see I have my work cut out for me over the next couple of months.  I threw is a picture of a Cardinal that I need to detail and paint and get out of the closet.  So need to get down the road, have a busy week and time is wasting (actually the bed is calling).  Much peace to everyone, hope you are safe and your world is at peace.  Remember to "Measure Twice and Cut Once" or if you have a line threw the ice some place.... "keep a tight line"!  Until next time.

Nelson

Papa R

Fish Decoys

It's a windy crisp Sunday afternoon, hockey on the television, cleaning up some carving work-even did some laundry!  Now have some time to talk more about decoys.... but this time decoys for fish.  I think that I have  talked about and posted enough pictures that everyone is familiar with hand carved duck decoys some of which set on our mantles and some still reside in the garage ready to be put out for hunting.  Some carvers compete, others sell their works as art and others, well, we just carve, trying to get better every time we complete a piece.   But in the upper midwest there is another breed of carver-those who craft fish decoys.  Just like duck decoys, fish decoys are designed to attract fish into range of the hunter.

The history of fish decoys dates back thousands of years when native Americans used them to attract fish within range of their spears, mostly through holes cut in ice.  When Europeans settled into the area in the northern states they quickly learned to use fish decoys to attract fish that could be speared in the winter months.  As these decoys are created they are designed to swim in a circle as the fisherman uses a light jerk or movement up and down; usually these decoys have no hooks attached to the body.  The decoy is attached to a short stick with no reel and on a short line.

The decoys are fished under tents or shacks with no windows, so the only light is the light coming in through the hole cut in the ice.  This sets up the ability of the fisherman to see into the hole but the fish cannot see the fisherman.  While the fisherman moves the fish with one hand he holds the spear in the other hand ready to impale any unsuspecting fish who comes to investigate the decoy.  Originally any fish of any length was fair game; today the fisherman is restricted by length limits-this means the fisherman must be able to look into the water and determine length before spearing the fish!

These decoys are not made to imitate real fish but instead to attract fish.  Decoys are made from pine, basswood or any other easily carved wood. a cavity is carved into the underside of the wood, which is filled with poured lead or in my case, I used steel shot with poured glue holding them in place.  The fins can be either painted or kept plain using tin or copper and are there to allow the decoy to glide through the water in their little circles.  Here are a couple of pictures of a decoy that I have made looking to copy a Minnesota style decoy-I know there are no fish with a red nose, but remember these decoys are to make a fish come and look!

Just as with duck decoys there are different types of fish decoys-some are totally Folk Art reproductions, others are those that actually spent time in the water and are now hidden in some barn or shed, others are called whimsical creations, similar to that of that Budwieser Can Bass lure found in many tackle boxes (never saw or heard of a bass being caught on one).  The decoy below is patterned after a rainbow trout, will have copper fins, and has the gills carved and painted red.  These decoys are from pine, painted with acrylics and finished with a water proof clear coat.

So there you have it- a short history on another kind of decoy.  Most of the information I have found on these decoys indicate that they are better found in the upper midwest, so if you have family in Minnesota, Wisconsin Michigan,  go check out these sheds, garages and barns for those "mysterious" boxes under the steps.  If you find something perhaps we could make a deal.

These decoys are fun to make and as I always say, if we can't find the real thing then why not try to make a reproduction.  Not big money makers as most sell for some where between $50 and $75, unless they are old, then we are talking a little bit more money.  But either way, going to work on some shore birds and some of these cool decoys-next week some pictures of the shorebirds and the finished fish decoys.  Remember if you are working in wood, "measure twice, cut once" or if you are some place where there is open water-"Keep a tight line".

Much Peace in Your Life
Papa Richter

Examples of Some Antique Fish Decoys

A Michigan Style Decoy

An Old Perch Decoy

A Brook Trout Decoy

It's January-The Birthday Month

So here we are in New Hampshire with 8" of snow on the ground...and a forecast of 50's this weekend!  I am trying to wrap up the Christmas 2012 carvings with some Santa and nativity scene about done.  The nativity scene is done in Cherry and I think it looks good not painted but in the natural look with my "special" finish that brings out the grain.  The Santa projects were the last to be carved and didn't get finished in time for any viewing before Christmas-we seemed to have some "things' that got in the way of carving and painting!  I've got one that is a "squatty body" holding a Christmas tree that has gotten stuck in his beard, another has a beard that is so long he has to wrap it around his body,  you can also see the "Moses Santa" with his arms outspread-one hand will hold a lantern and the other will hold his walking staff.  Next in line is a box of shorebirds that need to be carved and painted so the change will be fun; they were cut out last summer and are patterned after some very respected carvers.  Look for those to come out in a week or two.

The Last Gaggle of Santa's

This is a big birthday month for the family-mom turned 98, Spencer and I turned ???? on the same day-he made it to 11,  and the youngest daughter has a birthday later in the month.  Our celebrations were muted partly because of the closeness to Christmas-you know, those gifts that say "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Birthday"!  The daughter is far enough away from  Christmas that her expectations are higher!  Having birthdays in January allow one to project what the new year will bring and have a some reflection on the year past-me, I am happy that I am still healthy and that the Richter family is still all together!  We also start getting the garden catalogues and there is something comforting about knowing that it is time to plan for spring planting and summer/fall harvesting.  I walked out to our plot last weekend when the snow has everything covered; Tuesday I laid out the plans for the new garden.

Back to some wood and carving stuff-have a ice fishing decoy finished and another ready for the fins to be attached.

A Minnesota style fish decoy

 Both are copies of decoys used in the 50's in the upper mid west, when fishermen cut holes in the ice, dropped the decoys into the water and speared the fish that were attracted to the decoys!  The decoys have a cavity in which lead was poured to help keep the decoy down-I use steel shot instead of the lead.  Both are painted with acrylics and finished with a matte spray.  One has fins made of tin while the other has fins of copper.

Unfinished trout decoy, will have copper fins

Busy weekend, taking the Christmas stuff down and put into storage, always sad in the fact that Christmas is done until next year.  As one gets older we never know what the year will bring; but as mom always says when she wakes up each morning-"happy for the day and intend to make the most of it"  (although you never start a new project on Friday, bad luck according to her grandmother) so we will look forward to celebrating the daughter's birthday in a couple of weeks, then look forward to tomorrow and intend to make the most of it.

So if you are building something, measure twice and cut once or if you are waist deep in water some place "keep a tight line".  Peace and Love from the snowy mountains of New Hampshire.