Decoys Preserve Hunting Heritage 



By C.R. Edgerton 



When it comes to old-time Currituck 

 decoys, Jarvis Snow is no quack. 



He lifts a weathered duck from the shelf 

 in his smokehouse, carefully avoiding the 

 fragile neck. 



This one is longer, more streamlined 

 than most of the ducks and geese. Its 

 rough finish and plain markings are a 

 dead giveaway. 



"This one was carved by Ned Burgess, 

 probably in the late 20s," he says. "It's 

 worth about a thousand dollars." 



He rubs the duck's back and lays it in 

 its slot on the shelf among the dozens of 

 dusty, worn waterfowl he's collected over 

 the years. 



Some folks call Jarvis Snow a showman, 

 like his wife Erlene, who, before her 

 death in April, was a national champion 

 goose caller. 



Snow comes about his knowledge of 

 decoys honestly enough. His father, Dex- 

 ter Snow, was for many years superintend- 

 ent of the famous Whalehead Hunting 

 Club across Currituck Sound at Corolla. 

 Dexter Snow's carved duck and canvas- 

 covered geese are prized among collectors. 



"This one here, the head on it was 

 carved while my daddy was sitting in a 

 duck blind out in the sound, waiting for 

 something to shoot at," Snow says, point- 

 ing to a handsome, canvas-covered Canada 

 goose still dressed in its original paint. "I 

 know because I was sitting right next to 

 him when he was doing it." 



He shows off some of the other decoys 

 in his collection and points to the 

 photograph on the cover of a book. It's a 

 stubby ruddy duck carved by Alvirah 

 Wright decades ago. 



"One like this recently sold for more 

 than $27,000," he says. "I sold this same 

 duck about 10 years ago for $45." 



If Jarvis Snow isn't a fixture in Curri- 

 tuck County, his home certainly is. A 

 visitor who hasn't been to the county in 

 years still remembers the canary-yellow 

 siding, the manicured lawn and the out- 

 buildings lined up like ducklings. 



On the lawn, a plank about two or 

 three feet long and six inches wide an- 

 nounces the owner's passion: "Decoys." 



The home is a monument to the history 

 of Currituck's glory days, when decoys 

 were produced by the thousands and 

 hunters came from all over the world to 

 bag the ducks, geese and other waterfowl 

 that stopped there during their winter 

 migrations. 



Jarvis Snow 



In a corner of the living room, Dexter 

 Snow's carving tools rest in their original 

 pine toolbox. Another corner is filled with 

 plaques, posters and ribbons attesting 

 Erlene Snow's prowess as a goose caller. 



But the primary objects are the decoys. 

 Jarvis Snow buys them, sells them, trades 

 them and talks about them. 



An oak pie safe is filled with decoys, all 

 factory-made in Virginia. 



"Some people might not think these 

 ducks are worth much on the market," he 

 says. "But they're worth a lot to me." 



He picks one up and turns it over. The 

 bottom is branded with the name E.C. 

 Knight. 



"That was the man who built the 

 Whalehead Club," Snow says. "I keep 

 these decoys because they remind me of 

 the days I was a guide there with my 

 daddy. They're priceless to me." 



Snow recalls watching his father make 

 decoys by the hundreds for his stand on 

 Currituck Sound. Most of the solid wood 

 ducks and geese were made of juniper, 

 another name for white cedar. This species 

 is resistant to water damage and unsavory 

 to insects that damage other woods. 



Photo by C.R. Edgerton 



The wooden decoys produced in eastern 

 North Carolina are distinctive for their 

 crude form, inexpensive construction and 

 simple colorings. These primitive qualities 

 make them collectible as folk art. 



Old-time Currituck carvers whittled the 

 bodies and heads of their decoys from 

 separate pieces of wood and connected the 

 two with nails or with mortise joints. 

 Weights were attached to the bottoms for 

 stability and then a coat of paint was ap- 

 plied. Some carvers painted more detail 

 than others. Most decoys were used for 

 work, so they were plainly adorned. 



The canvas-covered geese, made ex- 

 clusively by decoy-makers in North Caro- 

 lina and southeastern Virginia, were built 

 of pillow-tick canvas stretched over a 

 frame of juniper and stiff wire. Heads 

 were carved separately and were attached 

 by screws or nails. 



Because they were constructed of inex- 

 pensive materials by craftsmen who could 

 make them quickly and cheaply, working 

 decoys were often mishandled in the field. 

 With constant use, their heads would 



Continued on the next page 



