On the Wing #24: The Artisan Hunters
Without doubt some of my favorite pieces of American wildlife art are the shorebird and waterfowl decoys produced during the market hunting days during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The dedication to the craft that would eventually turn into an essential piece of Americana was developed according to the needs of those hunters. However, the destructive nature of market hunting took its toll on many wild animal and bird populations, and in some cases, lead to the extinction of several prominent flocking species such as the Eskimo Curlew ( Numenius borealis ) and the Passenger Pigeon ( Ectopistes migratorius ). The legacy of the tools used by those market hunters can be found in the decoys now considered to be collectors items and icons of American shooting and hunting history. Several examples of A. Elmer Crowell's work including Yellowlegs ( Tringa spp. ) and Solitary Sandpipers ( T. solitaria ) Nowadays, those old decoys are more likely to be found on the mantlepiece than i...