Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Program recycles worn out decoys
Most hunters are putting decoys away and saying farewell to another waterfowl hunting season as shotguns go silent at the end of duck season.
Some decoys have been shot, sun- bleached or scuffed from bill to tail. Instead tossing them, donated those fake ducks to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s decoy adoption program.
Eric Maynard, assistant chief of education for the commission, runs the program, and said donated duck and goose decoys typically are used in one of two ways.
“We have dozens of decoy-painting classes at nature centers throughout the year, and we’re always looking for blank canvases to work with,” Maynard said. “We can take any decoy, no matter if it’s shot, has a broken keel or has faded to the point of obscurity, and use it for those classes.”
Maynard said he and other Game and Fish educators will seal any damaged decoys and paint them with primer before the workshops, which let people paint the decoy in any species’ pattern they choose.
“It’s a great way to draw people into the nature centers to learn more about the many waterfowl species that fly through Arkansas in winter,” Maynard said. “It’s also a great way to get them interested in learning more about hunting the various duck species.”
If the decoys being donated are still in good condition, Maynard has another way to share them.
“We’ll get a few that still have a lot of life left in them,” Maynard said. “We’ll collect those, add some weights and line to them and donate them to young hunters who are first starting out.”
Anyone interested in donating their old decoys to Game and Fish for educational purposes is encouraged to contact Maynard at eric.maynard@agfc.ar.gov and he can make arrangements to have them picked up.