Don Dunlap
wooden decoys
Bufflehead - Wooden Decoy 9.5x5”
Rink Neck Duck (Hen) - Wooden Decoy
Golden Plover - Wooden Decoy - 8x3”
After the colonization of America, new settlers followed the lead of Native American hunters and learned to use decoys to bring birds into the range of their black powder weapons. Today’s carved wooden decoys have evolved into works of art.
Don Dunlap’s interest in wooden decoys began fifty years ago shortly after graduating from the University of Maryland when he and his wife purchased the first of what would be many decoys for their personal collection.
Around the same time, Dunlap had the opportunity - through a college friend - to hunt geese on Maryland’s eastern shore, and wanted to contribute decoys to the effort.
“Being too poor to afford bought decoys I made my first decoys (a rig of goose field decoys). While these decoys were not very artistic, they were very effective at fooling geese.”
He continued to make decoys for personal use and with a little help from some friends the artistic quality of his work improved quickly. Soon after, Dunlap and his wife visited their first Ward Foundation World Championship in Salisbury, Maryland. He was amazed by the carvings they saw and decided right then that competitive carving was something he wanted to be involved in. The purpose of his carving then shifted from fooling ducks and geese to trying to impress judges.
Dunlap became more and more proficient at his craft and over the next fifteen years was fortunate enough to win several ribbons including some Best Of. After relocating to Miami, Florida, Dunlap took a break from competitions but continued to carve, teach, and demonstrate decoy making. He also developed a relationship with the South Florida Historical Museum and became a frequent demonstrator at their events. His work is part of the Museum’s permanent collection.
Twenty-eight years ago, the Dunlaps once again relocated, this time to Brentwood, Tennessee. He continued to carve but his break from competition continued. This changed in 2011 when he was asked to teach a class in the Ward Museum/ National Endowment of Arts program: Carving Out Future Decoy Makers. As part of his duties for this program he was required to take his student’s work to Salisbury, Maryland for a special program in conjunction with the Ward Foundation’s hunting decoy competition (Chesapeake Challenge). Dunlap also took two of his own shorebird decoys and entered them in the competition and was pleasantly surprised when they both won ribbons.
His break from competition was over.
Today, Dunlap again enjoys carving for and competing in hunting style waterfowl decoys, shorebird decoys, and the contemporary antique decoy divisions.
Left: Blacknecked Stilt 14x3.5”
