BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - It might seem as though it’s a long way between South Carolina and North Dakota.
Unless you’re a duck.
Tom and Katie Hutchens migrated to Bismarck from South Carolina via the United States Air Force.
After Tom Hutchens was discharged in 1983, they moved to Bismarck where he began his practice in medicine as an ob-gyn at Mid Dakota Clinic.
One of the things the couple brought with them from the “Palmetto State” was their love of duck hunting.
More than 30 years in the making, they amassed a collection of duck and goose decoys, along with numerous decoys of other shorebirds.
Through November, the Hutchens’ collection is on display in the lobby of the Bismarck Public Library.
Tom Hutchens said there are roughly 50 pieces on display at the library, maybe about one-quarter of the number of decoys he and Katie have collected since they bought their first decoy in 1987.
Both avid duck hunters, they may know as much about the history of decoys as anyone in the state, the Bismarck Tribune (https://bit.ly/1vi5uUI ) reported.
“I’ve always just been a nut when it comes to ducks and duck hunting,” Tom Hutchens said.
Without hesitation, he rattled off the details of the first piece in the collection.
“It was a canvasback we bought from Jean Sloat, who owned a little antique shop in Gettysburg, South Dakota,” he said.
That style of decoy was made in the United States from 1895 to 1924 and came complete with BB holes, indicating it had been shot over in some slough, somewhere.
As much as the decoy itself, the couple say it’s the story and the history behind each that draws them in.
As much as a piece of functional hunting gear, they see decoys as an art form that has been largely perfected in America over the past 300 years.
“The history of decoys and duck hunting is extremely interesting,” Tom Hutchens said.
While there are examples of early reed and wood decoys used by Native Americans 1,000 years ago, the use of decoys in commercial duck hunting was a large part of early American history.
Early settlers hunted waterfowl for food and market gunners filled barrels full of ducks that were shipped around the country year-round.
A “brace” or pair of canvasbacks or mallards sold for $1 to $1.50. In the early days, Tom Hutchens said, carvers like Ira Hudson, Steve and Lem Ward, Elmer Crowell and others built a reputation for their work, and they are among the most sought-after decoys by collectors.
Back in the day, he said, it might take up to a year for carvers to create and deliver a dozen decoys.
In the late 1800s, factories began mass-producing decoys more cheaply and efficiently.
The Hutchens’ collection includes a number of pieces manufactured by companies like the Mason Decoy Co., Reynold’s Co., Victor Animal Trap Decoy Co., Dupe-A-Duck Co., L.L. Bean and others.
Today’s decoys are made mostly out of plastic. But back in the golden age of decoy production, many were handmade and hand-painted and made of a variety of materials other than plastic.
The Hutchens’ display includes a set of eight Dupe-A-Duck folding mallard decoys made from wax paper-covered cardboard complete with the original wooden carrying box.
The decoys were designed to be used in fields or in shallow water marsh and were popular from 1910-20.
Tom Hutchens not only collects decoys, he also has tried his hand at making a few himself.
In 1997, he made a red head feeder decoy using Tupelo gum wood a friend from West Point, Miss., sent him. He used the wood to make the keel and head and cork for the body.
A big part of the fascination of collecting decoys is discovering the stories behind those who created them.
Knowing about when they were made and used, and by whom, determines which are the most collectible.
The more rare and obscure, the more valuable, Tom Hutchens said.
One of the most interesting - and likely most valuable - is a full-body swan decoy.
Another rare decoy is a golden eye with glass eyes made in Nova Scotia. Not many hunters target golden eyes in this part of the country and not much is known about its maker.
As far as favorites, Tom and Katie Hutchens certainly have theirs. For Tom, it would be a red head from 1940 made by the Ward brothers.
Putting it in terms of a classic car, he said, “This would be a Rolls Royce, no doubt about it.”
For Katie Hutchens, the favorite is an Elmer Crowell pintail - coincidentally her favorite duck on the table as well.
Tom Hutchens said it’s a fascination, bordering on obsession, that is hard to put into words.
Instead, he deferred to the writing of Henry David Thoreau to explain:
“Going away down through the meadows with long ducking-guns, with water-tight boots wading through the fowl-meadow grass, on bleak, wintry, distant shores … and they shall see teal-blue-winged, green winged-sheldrakes, wistlers, blackducks … and many other wild and noble sights … such as they who sit in parlors never dream of.”
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, https://www.bismarcktribune.com
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