A wood, wire, and cloth swan I have made to imitate a popular decoy design used by market hunters in the late 1800’s around the Eastern Shore of Virginia and the Carolinas.
Due to the scarcity of carving wood, creative waterfowl hunters resorted to the use of wire, sail cloth and a small amount of wood to fool great numbers of birds over the Atlantic Flyway.
Whistling Swan
Materials - Basswood, Wire, Muslin, Acrylic Paint, Carpet Tacks, Cotton Trim Tape, Fluted Wooden Dowel, Staples, Button Top Hole Plugs
Measurements - 15” Long, 7.5” Wide, 7” High at Tail, 14.5” High at Head
References
Hillman, Anthony. Carving Classic Swan and Goose Decoys. Toronto, Ontario: General Publishing, 1987.
Streetman, Al. 10 Wire & Canvas Decoy Patterns For Carvers. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd, 2000.