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Waterfowl hunting decoys have been fashioned for centuries,
if not millennia. Those that especially appeal to P.G.
are from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
There is no doubt that master carvers were true artisans (and still are
today). In the case of hunting decoys, form certainly follows function.
Many salty outdoorsmen crafted beautiful interpretations
of ducks, shorebirds and other waterbirds that enticed wary fowl
into the cookpot.
The attraction of these carvings probably appeals to the
inner outdoorsman in all of us. A decoy can be visually
appealing, but also hints at the smells of salty air,
wax myrtle and gunpowder. These are aromas that are often far
away as we proceed through the fast-paced world of
the 21st century, usually far removed from the very nature that got us
here. While some may think this is just waxing
poetic, they probably haven't shot a streaking redhead in a howling nor'easter
over hand-made decoys in January. If you
have or like to think about it, then you know what we mean!
| A n old
bluebill decoy P.G. grew up
hunting
with
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| Traditional
tools of the trade
(l-r: drawknife, spokeshave, carving knives)
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| | P.G.'s grandfather,
Mickey Ross, and father, Paige Ross after a day of gunning in the 1950's
(note the goldeneyes) |
Capt. P.G. Ross is a native of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. His
ancestors plied the waters of the Chesapeake Bay
and Atlantic Ocean since the first colonial settlers moved to the region
in the 1600's. He counts himself lucky
to have been introduced to the marshes and gunning by his father
and grandfather and to have been exposed to his
mother's artistic interest in the Eastern Shore's wildlife.
P.G. has been carving on and off for 20 years and has
developed a vision of the decoys he carves through observation
while fowling, fishing and working in the saltmarsh
environs. While not working his "day job" as a marine biologist, P.G.
serves as a waterfowl hunting guide and fishing
guide. He hopes to pass his love of duck hunting and all things
outdoors on to his children and hand down
the traditions and heritage of the old Eastern Shore.
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Heading out fowling in
the early 1980's
(l-r: P.G., Dad,
brother Mark)
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Grandad posing on the
porch
of the
old cabin in the marshes of
Pungoteague Creek in the early
1970's (note pintails)
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