New here, and needing a little help

[pintail_drake2004]

Hello gents, Im new here and wanted to say HI. Ive been an outdoorsman my whole short 24 years of being here, and before I kick the bucket I want to say "I've done it all" so I got started many years ago. I am a professional trapper, seasoned hunter, and an expert woodsman. I have made the outdoors my life, even obtaining a B.S and M.S degree in a field that will let me get dirt under my nails. I have flintknapped my own arrowheads which I have used to harvest a deer with the osage bow I made, I have build muzzleloaders from scratch, and now it is time to carve a decoy. I enjoy the outdoors, but waterfowling is my passion-even guided for several years. Recently I was introduced to gunning for divers, a far cry from the puddlers i was chaseing for so long. I want to make a goldeneye drake deke-Ive got just about every wood working tool you can imagine (my father is a master cabinet maker, and I worked constructon throughout college) but i was needing help with a pattern, and some basic know how on where to get started.

I appreciate any help you can offer

[markken5889]

Hi pintail, and welcome!

You can always search on back issues of wildfowl carving magazine for a pattern, or buy a stiller pattern or something similar, or you can draw up your own by downloading images off sites like googe images, etc. There are lots of good reference books and magazine articles out there about drawing up your own patterns, which would be helpful. Books by folks like Burk, Matus, Costilow and Godin would be helpful to you too.

Good luck with your project. Show us how it's coming!

Mark

[Orygoner]

Welcome to the forum. I'm sure you're going to find lots of help from friendly folks around here. You don't indicate where you're located but in many places you can find local carvers who will give you a real boost when it comes to learning the art and craft of decoy making...either a club or individuals.

Next best is books. Tom Matus has a couple of good books...one on a contemporary Mallard and one on an antique Woodduck. Neither is particularly expensive and will give you a good start. There are several books with patterns of many species or you can buy a species pattern from some one like Stiller.

Here's another good internet resource that I frequent. Decoy Carving Forum. Here's another link to a specific carver's website that has an excellent tutorial on carving a decoy. DMDECOY When you get to his home page hit the link to his tutorial.

That should give you a start.