Description

Complete with painted eyes, worn working paint, and exceptional form, thisdiminutiveduck decoy is attributed to the Ohio school of decoy carvers, likely used at the Winous Point Shooting Club. It has been shown to multiple experts of that region, and all believethat this is likely the place of origin for this decoy. It also has been dated to the late 1800\'s showing signs of many years of gunning use. Decoys fromthis era/region are both very rare and also verycollectible. One thing that helps confirm the region of origin is the addition an inletted lead weight on the bottom that is held in place by two nails. This is a common attribute of Porter rig birds and other Ohio-Blair school decoys as hunters/carvers in the area used this design. With worn paint it is difficult to determine what species this decoy started life as. Many believe it was a teal, and the size of the decoy backs that statement up along with the pulled back head, but the current paint scheme looks to be that of a hen bluebill. The decoy measures 12 1/2\" tip-to-tip, 5 5/8\" wide, and only 4\" tall. It has exceptional form and in addition to the inletted lead weight the bottom has old dual-leather line ties, one on each end. This is certainly a super-fine decoy.

Condition Report

An ancient working decoy, the paint seems to be mostly working repaint with perhaps some original showing through. There is some old chipping/roughness to the tail and underside of the bill and the head/body joint has cracked. See photos for a complete description. In hand, this decoy has that exceptional feel of an ultra-fine antique working decoy.

I have done my best to document this decoy through both the text above and the photographs. Please look over all the photos and if you have any questions or request any additional images, please just ask before offerding. I will do my best to accommodate any and all requests. The decoy you are seeing is the exact one you will be getting, therefore, there should be no surprises if you have taken the time to scroll through all the photos and read the text. While I do not generally take returns, I will accept a return if there is something blatant that I missed or failed to disclose. This doesn\'t happen often, in fact it never has to date, as I am generally diligent with my assessment of the decoy and provide detailed photographs, but something could get missed. I am human after all. Unless the decoy is listed in 100% original paint, expect some old hunter touch-up. Almost every single decoy I have for sale was in fact a working decoy part of a larger rig and subject to typical gunning wear including rubs that were typically touched-up between hunting seasons as a way to pass the time during the off-season. Some of these decoys are more than 100 years old and over the course of many hunting seasons it is bound to happen. Overall, I am easy to work with and more than willing to be helpful in any way possible.

Carver\'s Name/History

Thought to be from the Winous Point Shooting Club, this decoy is simply one of those exceptional working decoys that outshines others like it due to its exceptionalcraftsmanship. I can assure you that it has plenty of class and was carved by a very dignified decoy maker despite being able to point a name on it. Decoys from the Winous Point Shooting Club are highly sought after by decoy collectors. These include decoys form the Porter Rig, maybe the most famous, and also Ohio-Blair school decoys. Founded in 1856 the Winous Point Shooting club is the oldestcontinuously-operated duckhunting club in the Unites States. It is expansive covering 5000 acres of prime duckhunting habitat off of Muddy Creek Bay and Sandusky River. It is still in operation to this day and is one of the most elite hunting clubs in the region.

Shipping Information

Each decoy will be carefully packed to ensure no damage occurs in transit, under normal handling practices of course. I strive to ship all items within two business days, but sometimes life gets in the way and it may take an additional day to get the package shipped out to you. I don\'t want the decoy to arrive damaged and neither do you, so if I am short on packaging please understand that the third day, which occurs less than 2% of the time, is most likely due to having to purchase additional peanuts, bubble wrap, or a more adequately sized box. I will also gladly combine shipping typically for less than half of normal postage on the lowest priced shipping charge when two purchases are made, and shipped, at the same time. My shipping charges are as close to actual as I can adequately gauge. I don\'t like to use the shipping calculator as it is often incorrect. Be assured that I am not making money on shipping as supplies like tape, boxes, peanuts, and etc. all quickly add up. In fact, in most cases I am losing $ on shipping, but that is just part of the sellers experience. For international shipments buyers can use \'s Global Shipping Program or contact me for a quote. The choice is yours. In most cases I always ship USPS, but in certain scenarios where a package is heavy or being shipped to the west-coast, UPS may be used. All shipping charges are for the lower 48 states only, shipping to Hawaii or Alaska will incur additional charges.

Terms

Most of my decoys are for sale as a high-buyer gets it in a straight-laced no-reserve sale. I say most because as you see some decoys will have a modest/fair-market reserve. For the most part I am simply cleaning out my current collection and whittling it down to what I want to keep. Call it down-sizing if you will. So to that, I am not interested in taking a major hit and I am OK with keeping them for my own collection. I will also from time to time have a few fixed-price listing for items that I feel are better suited for potentially a singular buyer. I am easy to get along with. If a decoy doesn\'t meet reserve, let\'s talk. I am also always looking for select Ontario-carved decoys, so keep in touch.

*NOTE: As with most sporting collectibles, along with being a great addition to a game room or home decor, vintage decoys have shown to be a sound investment that seldom decrease in value. Each decoy is truly a One-Of-A-Kind item as no two hand-carved decoys are exactly alike and with so few available decoys from each carver, as time passes, they will surely only increase in value

*Be sure to add my to your favorite sellers/searches. I have many more decoys to add from all regions including the Chesapeake Bay, Ontario, Quebec, Michigan, New York, Illinois, the St. Lawrence River, region and the Maritimes in the coming days/weeks from various makers from Ben Schmidt to George Warin to Anger and will always hold shipments to combine shipping.