Duck, Duck, Goose Exhibit

The decoys in this exhibition have led double lives.

First, they were put to work. Thousands of them were carved with simple tools from whatever wood was available. Then they were painted, ballasted, and set into the Chesapeake Bay’s creeks, fields, and marshes to draw flights of migrating waterfowl into shooting range. The different bodies of water, target species, styles of hunting, and most importantly, the artistic skills of the carvers led to an incredible variety of decoys.

Waterfowl hunting on the Bay grew steadily between the 1860s and the 1930s. Increasing numbers of local watermen, market hunters, and visiting “sports”
took advantage of vast bird populations, improved guns and ammunition, camouflaged blinds and boats, and more lifelike decoys to harvest millions of
ducks and geese. Eventually, state and federal governments stepped in to restrict the “outlaw gunning” that had become uncontrolled and unsustainable. These
new hunting laws and regulations, along with the steadily declining health of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and the introduction of inexpensive, mass-produced
rubber and plastic decoys, reduced the demand for those carved out of wood.

By the 1950s, the working decoys that had been stored away in sheds and barns found a new life. The skilled work of the Bay’s carvers was now recognized as an
important part of its cultural heritage, worthy of study and preservation. Historic decoys became valuable examples of American folk art.

Some carvers continued to make miniature birds for gifts or sale, while others now turned their full attention to purely artistic carvings designed to be sold
or exhibited, not used for hunting. Today, both contemporary decorative bird carvings and vintage working decoys are highly valued and sought after by
individuals and museums alike.

A collection of images from the exhibit: