I don’t know a web site from a stick of fire
wood but the kids and grandkids have been
pestering me to get one for years and with
the Bonin brothers publishing an entire
book on my DFD fish. Well here it is.
Besides, I told my son you make the web
thing and I’ll make the DFD decoys that go
on it. I been making DFD (Duluth Fish
Decoys) spearing decoys for longer than I
want to admit – they say you’re only as old
as you think you are. Being on the north
side of seventy, I been making them
for…let’s just say a long time.
I guess it all started when I speared my
first northern pike – what a thrill.
The only thing better was to spear one lured
in with a decoy I made myself. I made more
decoys to spear more fish and found out I
liked making decoys as much as spearing
northerns. Well, soon enough, my
decoy/lunch box had more decoys than lunch.
So I laid off the making and stepped up the
spearing. Then when the fish tore them up
and they scraped up against each other in
the lunch box and they rolled around on the
floor of the dark-house they weathered with
an aged, charactered, antique patina.
It wasn’t long before friends paid more
mind to my spearing decoys than my fish
stories. Said they’d like to have some to
set on the mantle – said they were folky.
So I laid off the spearing and stepped up
the making.
What a hoot it’s been to create something so
enjoyed by others. Along the way my DFD
decoys have ended up in The American Museum
of Folk Art, on a limited edition print by
Ronnie Wells, in a governor’s mansion, in
Hollywood actors' homes, in fishing decoy
books, with interior designers and art
galleries, on a DVD and a soon to be
published coffee table book devoted entirely
to my work. What a hobby it’s been –
what a blessing of God. I hope to continue
as long as my health holds out.
Lo, these many years later my DFD spearing
decoys are still hand-crafted with that
aged, weathered, antique patina. As
with all folk art there’s no two alike.
The pictures give the length of the decoy
but it may vary by a half an inch.
They all have glass eyes and are hand
painted with a brush – no air brush for me.
The lead is stamped DFD. They all
function as working decoys – though most
people prefer to set them on the mantle.
The picture above is the limited edition
print (also available on post card) by
Ronnie Wells of twenty one of my most common
decoys – “the print decoys”. The DVD
mentioned above shows many of the “early
years” decoys. The upcoming book (due
out October of 2007) will be a complete
representation of early and current work.
Click here for individual
pictures of the “21 Print
Decoys” with titles (and approximate length)
to identify.
Well thanks for taking a gander at the web
site and thanks to my son Jim for putting it
together. Check back when you can -
he'll update it with new pictures and
information. If
you have any questions about your DFD decoy
or to see what I have available at this
time, give me a
call - I LOVE
TALKING DECOYS
(218)525-6898 or (352)250-6941
.
If you're the e-mail
type you can reach Jim at
Perkins515@yahoo.com and he'll relay the
message.
Thanks - Dave Perkins
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