Winter/Spring 2000

Decoying Wildlife, Part II: The Duck
by James L. Cummins, Jr.

It's late. I'm tired. The last day of duck season is tomorrow - and it's January 30.

I set the alarm by my bed for 4:30 a.m. I set the second alarm for 4:35 because my left hand has become accustomed to hitting the snooze. This is not my usual time to get up.

Yes, I do love sleep. And, yes, I do love to chase ducks. An internal conflict I suppose. But, I would like to get about seven hours, not the five I'm going to get tonight.

I began to doze off and wake up. "What if the alarm doesn't go off?," I thought to myself. I set my wind-up clock for 4:30, too. Much better. What seemed like only a few minutes later, two alarms went off. I got up to turn off the alarm on the wind-up clock ­it makes a loud ticking sound, and I can't sleep with that noise.

As I leave my Leland home, caffeine in hand, I proceed toward Cleveland. The moon is full, and a much needed rain is nowhere to be seen. But nevertheless, I was pumped. I stopped at Wild Bill's for a caffeine refill. "Going huntin?" the clerk said. I thought briefly about saying, "No, I just like to get up early, put on my camo and ride around drinking coffee." But I didn't. He was just being polite ­which is kinda rare ­ and I respected that.
"Yeah, last day of the season. Couldn't miss it." I paid for the coffee and proceeded out the door.
"Preciate it," the clerk said.
"I think I need it," I replied.
I took a right on Highway 8 and proceeded to Dockery to the home of my friend, Bill Lester, for our annual duck hunt. I was getting worried that he wasn't going to call. But he did. Hunting with Bill is always great fun. I have never taken the limit with Bill, but we always hunt different areas, shoot different species of ducks and, most of all, have great conversation. I just like hunting with Bill.

I pulled into the driveway and parked my truck. He greeted me. Bill is not the type of duck hunter that has the latest make of 4-wheeler, the newest call, the warmest blind and a dog with a pedigree that can be traced back to Adam and Eve. He is more the type that hunts only in waders leaning next to a big-bottomed cypress in the middle of a beaver pond. He gets to his spot in his 1984 Ford Bronco and canoes in. He's the type that uses his great-grandfather¹s handed-down duck call and a Parker. Double. Twelve.

So, sit back, put another log on the fire, reacquaint yourself with Bill Lester and let¹s take a trip back in time. We'll not only go on an old-fashioned duck hunt, but explore a little history of duck decoys in Mississippi.

After we arrived at the 16th Section land southeast of Dockery, we unloaded the canoe and Bill parked the Bronco. As we canoed in, Bill described the habitat. "Should be a good hunt. I've only hunted it once this year with my college roommate, Paul Moak, and we did great."

After the 10-minute canoe ride, Bill began setting up the small spread, which consisted of about 7 hand-made decoys. They were, of course, made by Bill, who is also an art professor.

According to Bill, "The making of duck decoys in Mississippi came along at a time when decoy manufacturing on the East Coast and in New Orleans was booming. This occurred from about 1840 to 1870. After the Civil War, market hunting boomed. And as transportation methods improved, the demand for duck decoys increased."

A hand-carved hooded-merganser is proudly displayed by Bill. Note the confidence decoy, a great blue heron, in the background. Photo by R. Kim Rushing.

"There are not a lot of decoys left from this period. Many of these were burned in fireplaces and wood stoves for warmth. We also don't have many decoys from the period after the Civil War to around the turn of the century and, consequently, we don¹t know a lot about those. However, we do have a fair amount of history about the decoys made in Pascagoula, Mississippi." There were five decoy manufacturing companies in Pascagoula to include the Hudson Decoy Company, Pascagoula Decoy Company, Poitevin Brothers, Inc. and Animal Trap Company of Pascagoula, Inc. Poitevin Brothers started making decoys as early as 1927. They made what is known as the 'Singing River' brand of decoys. On or about 1942 Animal Trap Company of Lititz, Pennsylvania, purchased Poitevin Brothers, Inc. to manufacture wooden, lathe-turned decoys.

Animal Trap also purchased Hudson Decoy Company and produced birds under the Victor brand. They also produced 'Vac-Sta' decoys which were lighter and more stable. Herter's currently uses 'Vac-Sta' technology. In the 1960s, Animal Trap changed its name to Woodstream Corporation. In 1971, this famous decoy plant in Pascagoula closed its doors forever. At least the name of Victor, which originated in 1886 as the name of a steel trap, lives on.

The Pascagoula Decoy Company was in business from 1941 to 1956. In those 15 years, they produced thousands of decoys that were sold under the name 'PADCO'. These decoys were sold by jobbers, hardware dealers and sporting goods stores all over the United States.

According to Lester, "The area in and around Pascagoula, Mississippi, was nationally known for its abundance of tupelo gum, which is a wood that is extremely buoyant, light in weight and plentiful. These lathe-turned decoys were very crude and not very detailed. The lathe marks simulated feathers and for eyes, glass was used."

After my brief history lesson on decoy making in the Magnolia State, Bill topped off my coffee cup, and we continued to place decoys. "This is too easy," I told Bill. "Besides getting up early, this is a cake walk."

Although Bill likes to hunt afternoons best, I was not informed of this secret until I told him that getting up early was not my favorite form of entertainment.

We first put out a "confidence decoy" and then began placing the spread of carved decoys that Bill had made.

"Should be a good morning," Bill whispered. "It has been in the 20s for several days and we should have some new ducks in the area." After a short pause, I asked my friend about his decoys and how he hunts with them.

"I make decoys all year long. I really love duck hunting and it keeps me involved in the sport. These are not just pretty decoys, they are actual tools," Bill said as he placed another decoy. "I started making these (decoys) in the 70s out of cork. Cork is heavier than wood, but I usually go by boat, so it didn¹t matter that much."

Bill used a short lead for the ones he placed in the shallow flat of an old bend. He used a much longer one for the ones he set in the current. "I always like to place several (decoys) in the current. They appear to swim as they move back and forth in the moving water." His set contained several species to include woodies, bluebills and mallards, for a total of 7 decoys. We set up next to a tall cypress and brushed the boat in buttonbush. "We should get some pass shooting," he whispered, as "fog" emerged from his mouth. "As cold as it is, we might even get some Canada geese. I usually get flights of twos and threes and sometimes fours and fives."

Lester positions the canoe as he places a decoy in a flooded soybean field. Photo by R. Kim Rushing.

Between shooting, Bill continued to discuss his passion for making and using decoys. "My decoys do not work any better than manufactured ones. Making them is fulfilling and very interesting. If am going with friends, I will carry two-dozen or so plastic decoys. If I go by myself, I carry some of my handmade decoys. I like the way the handmade decoys sit on the water. I like diversity."

From our morning hunt, we were able to take 9 birds - 3 drake mallards, 2 wood ducks, 1 gadwall, 2 bluebills and 1 lone Canada goose.

As Bill took me back to his home, we passed two wood duck boxes he had placed. He said, "I don't go just for the ducks. I go for the sunrise and the beauty of the surroundings. I just love being out here." ...I think there is a little bit of Bill in all of us.

James L. Cummins, Jr. is Executive Director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation.