May 20, 1905.] 
FOREST AND STREAM* 
898 
Duck Decoys. 
) I.— In England. 
The art of duck decoding, for art it most surely is, 
though still carried on m many places throughout the 
United Kingdom, bids fair in time to be confined only 
to a few favored localities. Where in years gone by 
there used to be a dozfen, now there is only one, and 
gradually, owing to the reclamation of waste land, the 
increase of population and the general use of firearms, 
the old decoys are slowly but surely falling into disuse. 
Still, there are places where the decoys still flourish 
and are a source not only of pleasure and sport to their 
owners, but of considerable profit also. That well- 
known sportsman, Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey, in his ex- 
cellent book on duck decoys, says that the art of con- 
structing and working them was most carefully con- 
cealed in former times, so as to prevent as much as 
possible aily addition to the number already existuig, 
which otherwise would necessitate a division of the 
spo'l, that spoil being the myriads of wildfowl which 
formerly haunted the fenlands of England. The decoy- 
men kept their secret well, and were indeed forced to 
do so in their own interests, for it stood to reason 
they knew that the greater the number of decoys in 
use the less would be each owner's proportionate share 
of birds. From father to son all the secrets concernmg 
the same were handed down from generation to genera- 
tion, and, considering these circumstances, it is not 
to be wondered at, that so little is now generally known 
of the ancient decoys and decoying. The first and most 
reliable description of a decoy in England for catching 
ducks by enticinf them, is said to be one referred to by 
Evelyn, which Charles IL made in St. James' Park, 
and that it was feOitstructed hy a Dutchman of the name 
of "Sydrach Hilcus," who came over specially from 
Holland for the purpose. 
My subject is the decoy belonging to the 
Duke of Leeds, a well-known sportsman, who lives 
at Hornby Castle, in the county of Yorkshire. The 
original decoy here was constructed for the seventh 
Duke of Leeds in 1854- I" 1882 the present Duke 
moved the material of the pipes from the old decoy to 
their new position. The new pool is about sixty yards 
square. On approaching the decoy from the castle, 
the first thing that one comes across is the fish-tail 
v/eather-gauge, set up on a high pole on an eminence 
in the park, so that the decoyman may know how the 
wind blows, and accordingly which of the four pipes 
to work, for ducks are birds of very keen scent, and 
quick to wind anything unusual. At a famous Lincoln- 
shire decoy the old squire used always to give orders 
to the decoyman'8 wife to take a hare, dr anything 
savory that she happened to be cooking, off the fire if 
the wind happened to be blowing in the direction of 
the decoy. The decoy itself is situated in a plantation 
with high wooded poling all around, so that nothing 
can get in; it covers about 12 acres, 10^ acres being 
wood and acres water. 
The first procedure before entering the enclosing^ is 
fitting on the foxskin coat and brush, with tapes tied 
round the chest and loins of Rover, the decoy dog, a 
Everything must be as silent as the grave. The dog 
utters not a sound, but works by signal from the decoy- 
man, who is hidden behind the screens. These are of 
wood well tarred, thirteen to each pipe, with little peep- 
holes in them for the decoyman to look through and 
a sliding shutter to cover them. The dog jumps over 
low screens placed between the high ones. Sawdust 
is laid down on the boards, etc., to prevent the men 
from slipping in frosty weather, and every twig and 
branch is carefully swept away, so that there shall be 
no crackling to frighten the ducks. 
The way of working the decoy is as follows: The 
wild ducks, which are swimming about on the pond, 
are attracted by the dog, who is put in at the end of 
END OF PIPE, SHOWING DETACHABLE TUNNEL NET AND WIRE 
INCLOSURE FOR DEAD DUCKS, 
most sensible, yellow, pricked-eared, long-tailed animal, 
who wags his tail and shows every appearance of de- 
light at the performance. This is the only decoy I 
know of, where a foxskin coat and brush is actually 
fastened on to the dog. At others dogs are used in 
their natural state; collies at some, Irish terriers at 
others, and so on. But though I have known a white 
dog used, all decoymen seem to have a preference_ for 
something foxy in appearance. Ferrets are occasion- 
ally used, and there is a story, quite true, I believe, 
of a monkey escaping from an organ-grinder at one 
decoy, rushing up the pipes, and being followed by a 
great drift of ducks. It is well known how most birds 
will mob a fox, and this is the idea of using something 
foxy in appearance. But I believe really that it is a 
question of curiosity that makes the ducks follow the 
dog up the pipe, and that almost any color wdl do, 
provided that the dog arouses the curiosity of the birds 
,and they follow him, 
to the Ashby decoy in Lincolnshire, we find that m 
thirty-five seasons, namely, from September, 1833, to 
April, 1868, nearly 100,000 wildfowl were captured. 
These consisted of mallard or wild duck, 48,664; widgeon, 
2,019; pintail, 278; teal, 44,568; shoveller, 285; gadwall, 
22; grand total, 95,836. . , , , t 
As a finish to my short account of duck decoys, 1 
may quote the following very curious lines, which occur 
in Davies' "History of Whittington Castle," printed 
about 1800, and which were taken from an epitaph: 
Andrew Williams, 
Born, A.D., 1692. Died, April 18, 1776. 
Aged 84 Years. 
Of which time he lived under the Aston family (in Shropshire) 
as Decoyinan, 60 years. 
"Here lies the Decoyman who lived like an otter. 
Dividing his time betwixt land and water; 
His hide he oft soaked in the waters of Perry,* 
Whilst Aston old beer his spirits kept cherry. 
Amphibious his life. Death was puzzled to say 
How to dust to reduce such well moistened clay; 
So Death turned Decoyman and coyed him to land. 
Where he fixed his abode till quite dried to the hand; 
He then found him fitting for crumbling to dust, 
And here he lies mouldering as you and I must." 
*The name of the river close by the Decoy. 
OXLEY GrABHAM. 
DUCKS FOLLOWING DECOY DOG UP THE PIPE, 
the pipe to be wOrked. He keeps jumping round the 
screens backward and forward, gradually leading the 
ducks further and further up the pipe. When at the 
bend of the pipe, the decoyman, who all this time has 
been behind the screens guiding the dog by signal, 
shows himself behind the birds, waving a red hand- 
kerchief. When doing this he is quite invisible to any 
birds that may be left on the pond. The ducks fly and 
swim further up the pipe till the decoyman pulls the 
cord, and lets fall the dropnet, and then there is no fear 
of any of the birds breaking back. The birds hurry 
forward along the rapidly narrowing pipe, till they 
reach the detachable tunnel net, right at the end of the 
pipe. This is then unhooked, the birds taken out, and 
their necks broken, so as not to injure the skin— a pro- 
cedure that requires considerable practice — by holding 
the head in one hand and the neck and body in the 
other, and giving it a sharp jerk. The birds are then 
thrown into the little wire enclosure seen at the end 
of the tunnel net, about 1^/2 feet high, to prevent them 
flapping about and scaring the other birds on the pond. 
Some decoymen use burning peat to take away then- 
scent from the ducks; but it is never used at this 
decoy. Mallard and teal form the principal bag, very 
few widgeon being taken. The full length of each pipe 
is seventy-five yards, and there are thirteen screens 
to each. The dog is rewarded every now and then by 
some little tit-bit, which the decoyman carries in his 
pocket. An iron rod is attached to the drop-net, so 
that it shall sink at once to the bottom, when released, 
and prevent any ducks diving back beneath it. If any 
do break back before the net falls, it frightens the rest 
of the ducks on the pond so much that it is almost use- 
less to try for any more on that day; and if a bird flies 
up and kills itself against the top of the pipe, and re- 
mains hanging there in sight of them all, this also has 
a very bad effect on them. It is at once removed by 
a long pole with a hook at the end. 
The biggest "drift," or catch, of duck ever taken in 
this decoy was 197, and the most in one day 205 — 145 at 
one drift, and the rest at another. The water on the 
decoy oond is quite shallow, being nowhere more than 
three feet deep. The decoy birds kept on it to entice 
their wild brethren to destruction are of the wild breed, 
the white decoy ducks, so-called, not finding favor with 
the decoymen. The ducks will not, as a rule, drive 
either directly up or down wind — a cross wind is the 
best. Occasionally rarities are got in the drifts, and 
such stragglers as kingfishers, snipe, woodcock, etc. 
Ice-breaking, etc., is mostly done at night, when the 
ducks are generally away feeding, coming back to rest 
on the quiet water in the day time. But occasionally 
a good catch has been made at night, and, in fact, with 
proper management the ducks may be got at all times 
in a first-rate decoy, such as the one I have just de- 
scribed. 
As showing the amount of wildfowl that used to be 
taken in the decoys, from the account book belonging 
Maine Guides. 
The Maine law provides as to the employment of 
guides by non-residents : 
"Non-residents of the State shall not enter upon the 
wild lands of the State and camp or kindle fires thereon 
while engaged in hunting or fishing, without being ini 
charge of a registered guide, during the months of May, 
June, July, August, September, October and November, 
and no registered guide shall, at the same time, guide, or 
be employed by, more than five non-residents m hunting. 
In explanation of, the requirements of the law, Com- 
missioner L. T. Carleton issues the following: 
We have many requests from citizens of other StateSi 
for a guide's license. Any person who can show that he 
is fully qualified to act as a guide, and wants to come 
here to engage in the business of guiding in good faith, 
can be licensed, but we cannot license one of a party, who 
simply wants to avoid the law requiring non-residents, 
when camping and kindling fires on the wild lands of the 
State, to be in charge of a registered guide. This would 
simply be an evasion of the law and cannot be tolerated. 
The following typical questions were received from a 
New York party, which are given with the answers : _ 
Ques.— "I represent a party of eight who make a regis- 
tered camp our headquarters. Now when we wish to 
change and visit a new locality, with our own canoes, can 
we paddle over the lakes or up river to another^ registered 
camp without a guide and not violate the law?" 
Ans. "Yes, if you do not camp and kindle a fire on 
wild land." . • j 
Ques.— "Several of us were stopping at a registered 
camp, but there was but one sleeping room. It was sug- 
gested that we pitch our tent nearby and take our meals 
at the camp ; can we do so without being in charge of a 
registered guide?" ^ , ^ .iji 
Ans.— "Certainly, if you do not build fires on wild, 
land." , ,A 
Ques.— "An article in the New York Sun says, A pro- 
GENERAL view of a pipe, with decoy MAN AND DOG. 
vision of Maine's game law compels every party that 
visits the State for the purpose of hunting or fishing to 
employ at least one guide?' " 
Ans.— "This is all wrong. I repeat again that our law. 
simply provides that from May to November,^ both inclu- 
sive, non-residents, when camping and kindling fires on 
wild lands, must be in charge of a registered guide; in 
other words, if they do not camp and kindle fires on wild 
lands they do not require a guide. This seems to be 
easily enough understood." 
Ques.— "May a person who is stopping at a registered 
camp paddle off for a day's fishing without a guide, and, 
not desiring to return to dinner or other meal, may said 
person build a fire and cook a meal?" 
Ans. — "You can paddle your own canoe as much aS 
you choose, or fish or hunt or tramp alone, but you must 
not camp or build a fire on wild lands unless in charge 
of a registered guide." ^ 
Indians have no TOorfe rights in hunting or fishing thafl 
a white man. 
