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How to Identify Antique Duck Decoy Styles

Duck decoys have been used for thousands of years. Once made from mud and plants, hunters and woodworkers eventually started carving them out of wood. In the 1960s and 1970s, sporting goods companies began manufacturing plastic decoys, making the wood decoys antiquated. Antique wooden decoys are often difficult to find in 2011, as most hunters donated, sold, tossed or burned the heavy, unnecessary wooden ducks.

Things You'll Need

Decoy identification books
Internet

Instructions

- 1
  Visit a library, or purchase decoy identification books. This is a starting point, but finding your exact decoy in a reference book might be difficult. Many carvers made several different types and styles of decoys.
- 2
  Look for a logo or carving on the bottom or back of the decoy. Manufacturers often used a stamp or carving of their logo. Finding a sloppy carving -- or just a name -- might prove whether the carver was a professional or an amateur.
- 3
  Examine the paint. Colors often help identify the type of duck and the carver. Drakes tend to have dark faces and light bodies, Yellowlegs shorebirds are speckled in pale-ivory and black, with light heads and dark bodies. Shovelers feature greens, browns, yellows, oranges and blacks. Details help determine the manufacturer. Mergansers, teal and pintails are some of the most valuable wooden decoys, because these types of ducks were not hunted regularly.
- 4
  Look at the eyes. Some were painted, and some have tack eyes that stick out a bit.
- 5
  Study the shape of the duck. Certain manufacturers made unusual decoy styles and uncommon consignment pieces .

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