598 
FOREST AND STREAM 
November, 1920 
MALLARD DECOYS 
By Aldo Leopold 
I HAVE just completed a set of home- 
made mallard decoys that look good 
enough to shoot. In fact, they look 
so “sassy” th '.t I am going to pass on 
the how and the why of the n to other 
sportsmen. 
These are hollow built-up p e decoys. 
They weigh 2^4 pounds — the same as a 
mallard. The bodies are built extra wide, 
and the heads have an extra wide, long 
bill shaped with an extra “scoop”, and 
extra thick cheeks. It is my opinion that 
in these respects a caricature of an ac- 
tual mallard pulls in the big red-legged 
drakes just a little better than a perfect 
imitation of an actual mallard would do 
it. Moreover, this pattern calls for two 
degrees of inclination of the heads, and 
each head is set on the body at a differ- 
ent horizontal angle — in other words, no 
two heads have the same posture. This 
is the biggest single advantage to be 
gained from home-made decoys. In my 
T/f/'E are depending upon the 
rr friends and admirers of our 
old correspondent Nessmuk to make 
this department worthy of his 
name. No man kneiv the woods 
better than Nessmuk or wrote of 
them with quainter charm. Many 
of his practical ideas on camping 
and “ going light ” have been 
adopted by the United States Army ; 
his canoe has been preserved in Idle 
Smithsonian Institution; and we 
hope that all good woodsmen will 
contribute to this department their 
Hints and Kinks and trail-tested 
contnvances . — [Editors.] 
H OW are they made? First of all go to 
your lumber dealer and tell him you 
want him to select for you some 8- 
inch boards, % inch and 1 inch thick, plus 
a 2 x 4, and that you want the lightest, 
decoys — realize what a difference there 
is between ordinary finishing lumber, 
pulled at random off the racks, and the 
choicest finish of the same species. Get 
the best. You will gain in the end. I 
used selected western yellow pine sap- 
wood for my set. White pine would 
probably be better, where available. 
Next draw your patterns on stiff 
paper, cut them out, and trace off the 
body boards on your lumber. The dia- 
gram below will give an idea of the ex- 
terior shapes, with exact maximum di- 
mensions; also the shape and location of 
the hollows. Draw a centre line on each 
pattern and each board. This will help 
when the time comes to put the boards 
together. 
Next saw up into sections and go to 
work with a good sharp keyhole saw. 
A keyhole saw is much faster than chis- 
elling for the exterior lines and faster 
than boring for the hollows. Dip your 
keyhole into a can of water when it gets 
hot and then wipe dry. You will be sur- 
opinion, the monotonous uniformity of 
posture of ordinary decoys sometimes 
drives away ducks that might otherwise 
come ip, as uniformity of posture is as- 
sumed by ducks when they are scared. 
softest, driest stuff to be had for love or 
money. Give him a week to select your 
lumber if by so doing you can get any- 
thing lighter, softer, or drier. Few 
people — until they have made a set of 
prised to see how fast it cubs the wood. 
Now get a box of inch screws, some 
waterproof casein glue (or white lead if 
not available) , and a pair of hand clamps 
and build up your bodies. The diagram 
