A century ago, great flocks of waterfowl darkened the skies, and duck hunting had primarily one purpose: to put food on the table. It was an era when such carvers as Nathan Cobb, Elmer Crowell, and Harry V.N. Shourds created decoys, not for the sake of art, but simply to help harvest food. In Making Decoys, authors Grayson Chesser and Curtis Badger help you perpetuate the tradition started by these old-time carvers by teaching you to hand make the simple yet functional decoys of yesteryear. They provide detailed, step-by-step instructions, numerous color and black-and-white photographs, and the basic techniques necessary to make gunning decoys. This book is being published in conjunction with the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.[AuthorName]Grayson Chesser[/AuthorName][AuthorBio]Grayson Chesser, coauthor of Making Decoys: The Century Old Way, graduated from Old Dominion University with a BS in business administration in 1970. He carves decoys and runs Holden Creek Gun Club with his wife Dawn. He has written articles on decoys and hunting for American Hunter, Decoy Magazine, and the Ward Foundation. In 2003 the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities named Grayson a Virginia Master Folk Artist. He was chosen as Honorary Chairman of the Havre de Grace Decoy Show and served as Artist of the Year for numerous Ducks Unlimited chapters. His work has been shown in many museums and is in some of the countrys finest decoy collections. Grayson has taught carving classes for the Ward Foundation and the Eastern Shore Community College.

Curtis J. Badger is the coauthor of more than thirty books on wildlife art and the natural history of the Atlantic coast, including Making Decoys: The Century Old Way, Virginias Wild Side, Salt Tide: Cycles and Current of Life Along the Coast, and Bellevue Farm. His most recent is The Wild Coast. He lives with his family on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.[/AuthorBio][NumIllustration]122 b/w & 90 color photos, 42 patterns[/NumIllustration][CoAuthor][/CoAuthor][SubTitle]The Century Old Way[/SubTitle][ColorPattern]122 b/w & 90 color photos, 42 patterns[/ColorPattern]