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About Pierce's
Wild Fowl Decoys Waterfowl I grew up in a family that lived and breathed waterfowl hunting. I floated decoys in the creek and flooded fields when I was too young to hunt. By age eight I joined my father and brother in the fields observing them hunt ducks and geese. As I grew older I pursued ducks and geese in fields and strip mines. While at a small hunting show my father purchased me an old balsa Herters coot decoy. This began my passion for decoy collecting. My father, my brother, and I have collected decoys from many different carvers and factories. While researching the Wildfowler Factories I grew to really like the style of decoys produced there. I’ve continued to increase my knowledge of Wildfowler Decoys; these have become my favorites. Wildfowler Favorites I collect from three Wildfowler Factories : Old Saybrook, Quogue, and Point Pleasant. Many Wildfowler decoy collectors prefer Old Saybrook and Quogue decoys. Old Saybrook is the oldest factory and Quogue produced for only three years. My
BARNEGAT BAY DECOYS -Owner: Fredrick C. "Rick Brown" Location" Point Pleasant, NJ
ABOVE: Barnegat Bay Decoys Woodduck Pair, BBay oval Brand, BBay common Goldeneye Drake
Barnegat Bay Decoys are extremely collectible and in some cases very similar to Wildfowler Decoys. Similarities include body style, paint patterens, and the site in which they were produced. Barnegat Bay Decoys, owned by Fredrick "Rick" Brown Jr., purchased the Point Pleasant Wildfowler Decoy factory site and began producing quality gunning decoys. The factory made decoys from 1977 until 1992 Rick Brown and crew made gunning decoys and adapted to the ever changing decoy market. Rick kept the doors open until 1996 but production was very limited. Decoys were made for decorative purposes as well as Duck Unlimited banguet items. You can currently find Rick and his hand carvings at www.currentclassics.com To find Barnegat Bay Decoys is another story. These decoys were collectible as people walked out the door of the shop and took on great appeal to the gunners using them. Made totally of cedar and never balsa these were quality gunning decoys. The similarities of BBay decoys and Wildfowlers make them tricky to identify. I hesitate to admit but I have seen quite a few greenwing and bluewing teal on dealers tables and ebay sell as wildfowlers. In short there are a few characteristics that give way to telling WF's vs. BBay. These include: keel width, acrylic paint, cedar bodies vs. pine or balsa, eye color, and the slash over the eye and wing feathers on divers, and a small dowel sized putty "hole" at the crest of the head (where the screw was placed to hold the head on to the body). These characteristics are offered only as guidelines, and suggestions on what to look for when determining whether a decoy is a BBay or Wildfowler. In the new book, Wildfowler Decoys, produced by Dick Cowan and Dick LaFountain - my father and I were able to provide information and nearly all the pictures from the book for the barnegat bay section. The majority of the photos were taken at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, my fathers home in Old DuQuoin, or in my home town of Greenville, Illinois. It was my pleasure to to provide information, pictures, and written documentation to help collectors, old and new, to identify and enjoy collecting Barnegat Bay decoys. Contemporary Favorite - Art Birdsall
A favorite contemporary carver of mine is Art Birdsall. Art uses the traditional factory style of making decoys. He is the nephew of Wildfowler Factory owner Charlie Birdsall. Here is a pair of Pintail by Art Birdsall, from Pt. Pleasant, NJ. Art continues a long family tradition of carving decoys. Jesse Birdsall, his great grandfather's brother was one of the premier carvers in New Jersey followed by Eugene Birdsall, his great grandfather, then Nathan Eugene( son of Eugene)and then Charlie Birdsall, Art's uncle, who owned Wildfowler Decoys in Pt. Pleasant where Art worked for several years. Art then worked at the Barnegat Bay Decoy factory in Pt. Pleasant before starting his own company, Birdsall Decoys. He currently lives and works at the old Dipper Ortley house, former residence of another well known Jersey carver.
Above is a pair of Ringneck decoys by Art Birdsall of Birdsall Decoys. The decoys are hollow with hollow heads with wonderfull paint by Glenn Cooke. As stated on the lead pad weight - the heads are "Gaskill Style". Art Birdsall only made two pair of these ringneck decoys - one pair stayed in Point Pleasant New Jersey - the other pair migrated to my fathers house here in Illinois. A local carver with the last name of Gaskill would carve out the head to make the decoys weigh less. Birdsall incorporated this skill into these fabulous ringneck decoys. Art continues his family tradition of making decoys in Point Pleasant New Jersey. A step in his shop is a step back in time. Birdsall is not only a quality decoy maker he is a man of his word. Give Art a call and see what other quality decoys decoys he has to offer. Thanks
and God bless! |
hunting and decoy collecting are two passions of mine. 
favorite factory is the Point Pleasant Factory. I enjoy the many
styles produced there. The gunning decoys, and decorative decoys
and shorebirds are enjoyable to search for. Charlie Birdsall
(Point Pleasant Factory operator/owner) incorporated models of decoys
from many differents carvers. Along with the many great Wildfowler
styles he included the styles of Shourds, Pittman, Cranmer, and
Ward. Although I collect from all Wildfowler factories, it is Birdsall's
willingness to produce variety that I enjoy the most.
