Duck Decoys and Events

Collecting Illinois River Decoys

I have a couple friends that recently developed an interest in collecting duck decoys.  They asked me what I look for in an Illinois River bird.  Well, here goes... My particular likes are fairly simple, for me older is better.  One of my favorite decoys is an old Elliston Mallard Hen I bought from the Joe French Collection.  It isn't a great decoy, but its age, original paint, and of course the weight with Elliston stamped on it is a great combo. I prefer original paint, but don't mind "old" hunter repaints.  The paint job on most Illinois River decoys are very life-like, even in today's decoy world. The big name carvers are always nice to look at but some names don't get enough attention.  Mario Pioletti from Spring Valley seems to fly under the radar in a lot of decoy circles.  Another interesting name is Julio Busto from Depue who made some very nice birds with good paint jobs.  After talking with these young fellas for a while, they came to the same conclusion:  Just find one you like and buy it! I will end this post with a list of ten carvers, in no particular order, I like that don't get noticed as much as the big names but are keeper decoys.

• Mario Pioletti - Very good paint on his birds.
• Julio Busto - Nice curves, few decoys made.
• Fred Destri - Excellent feather painting.
• William Zarnicki - Nice carvings, birds are a little oversized.
• Coleman Bassett - Great Illinois River characteristics.
• Chiado decoys - Many to choose from, hunting birds.
• Fred Coleman - Very nice miniatures.
• Koehler decoys - Made by several family members, stamped weights.
• Bill Williams - Older birds, tough to find.
• Goose Podowicz - Earlier birds, although hard to find, are very nicely crafted.

8/22/12 newly listed decoys

Herters 1893 Series Woodduck.  Very nicely painted species, in near mint condition with 1893 stamp on the bottom. $140 Steven Lane Pintail repainted by Charles Perdew, with weight. $720 Henry Holmes Mallard Hen repainted by Julio Busto, with weight. $440 Henry Canfield from Dallas City.  Mallard Drake with swing weight, all original. $225

Illinois Valley Sporting & Collectibles Show- Aug. 2012

Thanks to everybody who participated and attended the Annual Illinois Valley Sporting & Collectibles Show which was held at Celebrations in Utica on August 19, 2012.  We would like to take this opportunity to announce that we are going to take over this event and in moving forward, our goal is to increase the attendance and the size of the show.  We've set the date for next years show which will be at Celebrations again.  It will be the 2nd Sunday- August 11, 2013.  We'll be frequently updating our website with information, in addition to sending out notifications to all interested parties.  If you are interested in becoming a vendor, or would like to be on our mailing list for next years show, please contact us by email at muddywaterdecoys@yahoo.com  or phone us at (815) 663-1568.  Here are some pictures from this years show. Thanks, and we look forward to next years show. Dave and Jeannette  [gallery]

July 4th Decoy, Duck Calls, and Collectibles Auction

July 4th Auction with a collection of over 100 Illinois River Decoys, Duck Calls and many other items.  Tumbleson Auction Company, Princeton Illinois.

Midwest Decoy Collectors Association - St. Charles 2012 Show

Alot of fun at this years show, couple pictures to share with everybody. [gallery]

Mark your calendars- 47th National Antique Decoy Show- St. Charles Illinois

Make plans to attend the 47th National Antique Decoy Show at Pheasant Run Resort- St. Charles Illinois, hosted by the Midwest Decoy Collectors Association.   Room to room trading starts Tuesday April 24th thru Friday morning.  Make sure to come visit us in room 230.

Great Lakes Decoy Association Annual Show 2012

[gallery orderby="ID"] Couple pictures from the Great Lakes Show last week in Ohio.  Good time with friends.

Upcoming Decoy Shows- Mark your Calendars !

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Henry Decoy Show 2012

Thanks to Sue and Bruce Bauter for organizing another successful show, as well as all the exibitors and patrons.  Just a couple pictures... great show, good times! [gallery orderby="ID"]    

Minnesota Decoy Show 2012

Thanks to the MInnesota Decoy Collectors Association for a great show this year.[gallery]