Has anyone ever tried carving their own duck decoys?

I carved a few when I was a kid. They came out looking pretty good. They are sitting on my brother's mantle otherwise I would send a few pics. I took lessons from a guy around Houma named Gene Hebert.

LINK

Not sure where you are located, but I have a couple of books I bought on decoy carving when I wanted to carve my own. Never did, and now they sit on my book shelf taking up space. You're welcome to have them if you want to give them a look.

I had the same thought once...ended up dabbling a little in it, but never really had the time to get into it enough.

There are wood carving groups in most every decent sized town. They typically carve decoys using a light wood called tupelo gum.

Some folks like to use a lot of power tools (i.e. dremel tools) and some prefer strict hand-carving.

I still think it would be very cool to carve enough to hunt over, as they would become prized heirlooms for your descendants once you are gone.

One of the doctors I work with is a carver, literally knows every Louisiana carver by looking at a decoy from 1920. He may be president of the club in Nola. Anyway he uses Tupelo to carve. The part that sits under the water line. He pays like $40 for a block but says it’s a must for quality carving. He has some beautiful carvings. I can ask him for info for you