"Interview with Master Decoy Carver Jode Hillman"

When the idea to develop this blog initially struck me, I knew there were a few goals I had to meet.  One was the overall development of this site into the most well-rounded online magazine I could possibly make it.  That, for better or worse, means I simply have to have content from other people, opinions and styles not my own, which in turn allows for growth.  Up to this point, I've had modest success in the category, being able to print stories from my friends while they hunt "Magellan".  But, that's not enough.  It's not enough to just "talk hunting" if you want to be the bottom line for someone looking to spend time online.  I've always said I want this place to be an online "campfire" of sorts.  A place where one may wish to read about any form of outdoor living, and be able to readily find it here.  A place not solely for the hunter, which is quite frankly not our absolute target audience given the broad generalities of the defintion of "hunter" today.  Rather, a place for the "traditionalist" who gets more out of the hunt, who chooses to walk a different path, and who's life is enriched not by numbers but by the overall experience.

Today, I'm one step closer. 

I'd like to introduce Jode Hillman who carves and paints what I consider to be some of the most elegant, stylistic, individualized decoys in the modern era of carving - for both the hunter and collector.  And, he's also one of the first to help a new carver with a problem - trust me on this, I speak from experience.  Sitting around one day I realized I wanted to talk to someone about decoys, and show you more than my sad representations of the art.  I looked no further than Jode.  Upon the request, he graciously accepted and answered all the questions in short order...my only regret is that I didn't ask more.

While you will see a few of Jode's decoys here, please do yourself a favor and go to: http://www.hillmandecoys.com/  or click the link to the right of your screen "Jode Hillman Decoys" under the links of interest and spend some time looking at his work.

I truly hope you enjoy reading this article as much as I enjoyed watching it come to fruition.

1) When and why did you start carving?  I started carving in the late '90's ('98 or '99 if I remember correctly).  I started for the same reason alot of guys do.  I wanted better decoys than were available commercially, and didn't have the money to spend on the custom birds I liked. Plus I already had alot of the tools to carve, so I figured it would be easy...boy was I wrong on that!  LOL!

PINTAIL DRAKE - photo courtesy of Jode Hillman

2) Is there a carver (or carvers) that have had an influence on your style of decoys?  Is there a "region" that has had the same?   I was fortunate enough to have a chance meeting with carver Sean Sutton early in my carving career. We became friends, and it opened a whole new world to me. I was totally clueless as to the excellent carving history all around me, even though I live in probably one of the best areas in the country for old birds, gunners, and the like.

The biggest influence is Sean's advice to always keep it fresh. Even though I am largley known as a Delaware River carver, I enjoy making everything from Woodpeckers to Herons. I think alot of guys get stuck in a rut. They find something that works, and get afraid to deviate from it. From an artistic perspective, unless you are trying out new ideas and outlets, you tend to stagnate and get burned out.

EIDER PAIR - photo courtesy of Jode Hillman

3)  How would you describe your carving and painting style?  I think every carver goes through various stages of being enamored with carving, then painting, then carving again. I like to keep my carving to the simplistic side, and focus on proportion and gracefulness.  On these simple shapes I like to dress it up by using semi-impressionistic oil painting techniques.

To me, it doesn't have to look exactly like the duck I am portraying, but capture the "feeling" I get when thinking of my subject.

COMMON GOLDENEYE PAIR - photo courtesy of Jode Hillman

4)  What specie do most collectors associate with you?  It varies from person to person, but I make more Pintails and Wood Ducks than anything else. I had a few years where I felt like all I made was preening pintails LOL!

DRAKE WIGEON - photo courtesy of Jode Hillman

5)  What is your favorite specie to carve and hunt?  Green-wing teal. I guess it is guilt by association. I spend so much time around Green-wings and Black Ducks I can't help but love them. Green-wings are such great little flyers and are at the top of my list as table fare as well.

BLUE WING TEAL PAIR - photo courtesy of Jode Hillman

6)  What is the most important concept for a beginning carver to become proficient at and master?  Most new carvers are timid in the way they approach their blocks. They are afraid of removing to much wood or doing something wrong, hence ruining their decoy. However this often leads to blocky, squarish decoys. Round, round, round, is the mantra I preach to anyone getting started. Forget side pockets, cheek muscles, fancy feathers etc. If a newbie can produce a nicely rounded, well shaped duck it will look better on the water 9 times out of 10 than a poorly exectued more complex pattern. For the beginner, master the simple first before you move onto the more complex!

HOODED MERGANSERS - photo courtesy of Jode Hillman

7)  What do you consider the most difficult part of carving and painting decoys?  It used to be finding time to carve and paint!  Carving is like anything else, the more you do it, the more proficient you become. Having days and weeks between sessions is like a weightlifter who only trains once in a while...You may make some gains, but you give them back in short order. I am fortunate to be able to carve and paint full time, and it is amazing how much more satisfying it is when you keep your mental and phyisical tools sharp.

Besides time, the most dificult part is determing what messsage I want a particular carving to convey. Relaxed and resting puddle duck? Ok not to hard...but how about an inqusitive owl getting ready to hunt? Body positions, facial expression, and color scheme all lend themselves to the emotion a carving will convey to the viewer.

WOOD DUCK PAIR - photo courtesy of Jode Hillman

8)  What do you consider to be essential equipment for carving?  Whatever tools you happen to have! While I was learning the only tool I was allowed to use besides a bandsaw was a utlity knife!  You can make it as complicated or simple as you want. Most old New Jersey carvers used a hatchet and a pocket knife to turn out some very refined decoys.

My personal list would be a drawknife, spokeshave, detail carving knife, and a bow sander (think of a bow with sandpaper for the "string").  With these tools you can master the basic shapeing of most decoys.

DOWN-EAST SCOTER - photo courtesy of Jode Hillman

THANKS to Jode Hillman for taking the time to answer these questions!

Hope everyone enjoyed this as much as I did.  Check back often and have a great week, Justin



"L'anguille Lounge and My Last Hunt"

The last hunt of the season is always bitter sweet for me.  I typically find myself with a few friends for the occasion, and spend much of the time reflecting over the season.  I always think about the good hunts and bad ones, the retrieves and the birds, this year being no exception.  This year I got to spend the last couple of hunts at the one place I hadn't made a hunt on this year - L'anguille Lounge Duck Club.  My time spent there is always an enjoyable time, if not for the birds, for the time spent with people I've come to know as great friends.

This year I had in my mind I wanted to do a few things via my hunts and over the internet.  I wanted to honor the tradition and heritage of the hunt as well as possible and I also wanted to highlight the friendships that are forged through the hunt and all that goes into wild game pursuits.  The photo below really fits the bill:

Left to right: me, Patrick and Stephen Pitt with a limit of mallards in Riley East

The "pickin' shed"

 

Trapper - photo courtesy of Kjartan "Fred" Lorange

Me and Trapper - photo courtesy of Kjartan "Fred" Lorange

Me, Trapper, and our last bird of the year (Drake Pintail) - photo courtesy of Kjartan "Fred" Lorange

I've often said, you can search as long as you'd like, but you will not find any aspect of life (short of military service) that creates friendships and bonds the way sharing the outdoors does. This past weekend proved that to me once again. I had never met the Pitt's friend from Iceland, Kjartan. But after a few drinks and stories, I realized what a unique and interesting character I was dealing with, what a great friend I had made. I'm pretty sure I made up some interesting names for my buddy Kjartan, but I've decided to settle on "Fred". It's just easer for me.

Fred, if you read this, it was a pleasure hunting with you and discussing the hunting over in Iceland. Hope to see you again someday!

***My apologies but my computer is acting up and I can't access my photos right now. Please, check back tonight as I'll post up a photo of the "Arctic Coonass" himself***

Hope you enjoy, please check back often, Justin

"Eiders For Everyone" by Stephen Shepherd

As I said earlier in the week, I knew I had a good friend going up to Massachusetts to hunt eider, and wanted my decoy to make it's way up with him.  Stephen Shepherd goes by many names, Steve or Shep come to mind, but I know him simply as, Georgia.  Loud and rambunctious when sober, unruly when having a few drinks, we were bound to hit it off.  I've since come to know Georgia not so much as a fellow member of L'anguille Lounge Duck Club, but simply as a good friend.

Eiders For Everyone

We really didn't know what to expect as we started to unload guns and gear off of the skiff onto the breakwater wall in the predawn light. The rocks were covered with slippery green algae and the only thing that saved us from sliding into the cold waters of Boston Harbor were the barnacles that cut our wader boots and cold hands. Adam shouted over the humming 4 stroke engine that powered his boat, "Steve....I want one person out on the point and two others stretched out back to the West about 20 yards apart....make sure you have the last person on the back side because that is where the Scoters will come from."

It felt kind of odd trying to settle in for a hunt with jets screaming over head and Boston proper serving as the backdrop! Nestled into rock crevices and sitting on boat cushions, we sat motionless just as our guide had told us. As the sun began to breach the horizon, the radio given to me came alive. "Steve, you got your radio on?" "Yes sir," I replied. "I'm going to sit back here off of the beach about 1/4 mile. If you knock down a bird and it's not dead, KEEP SHOOTING........these things dive and are liable to come up 500 yards away........It's not like shooting mallards!," Adam said firmly. "Yes sir," I replied. I had been given the same advice and other pointers in the weeks leading up to our hunt by my good friend Justin Harrison.

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHEN SHEPHERD

The first shot came from my right and took me complete surprise! A single immature drake landed on the outskirts of the long line directly in front of Claude. The thunderous roar from Claude's 12 gauge claimed the first Eider of the trip! Flocks of Eiders and Scoters begun to stream off of the ocean and into the harbor. "Out front, here they come......Out front......Out front." I sat still straining my eyes looking toward the horizon trying to find the birds. "Shoot em', shoot em'!" someone yelled from down the line. "Shoot what, I don't see any damn birds!" I was thinking to myself. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM......I turned my head and scanned a line of decoys in front of us just in time to see Tim crumple a mature Eider directly over the decoys.

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHEN SHEPHERD

With Tim and Claude having and Eider a piece and dad having not fired his gun, I yelled to dad, "Move over to the other side.......just get between Tim and Claude!" Dad slowly made his way across the rocks and found a place to stow his gear out of the way. "Here comes 2 birds Dan, get ready," Tim said quietly. A single hen Eider was flying less than a foot above the water and directly down the line of Eider decoys straight toward dad. At 20 yards, her wings began to flutter and with her feet only inches from the water, dad fired the first shot. The bird hit the water hard but, she still had her head up. "KEEP SHOOTING!," I yelled. 4 shots later, dads first Eider was lying motionless on the water.

 PHOTO COURTESY OF MR. DAN SHEPHERD

While waiting on Adam to come pick up the 3 birds that layed in the decoys, I poured a cup of coffee in silent celebration of my dad's first Eider. The small radio that Adam gave me at the start of the hunt began to crackle. "Steve, are you there?.......There are a bunch of Eiders behind you toward the beach. When I come toward you to pick up the birds, be ready to shoot," Adam said. Eiders started to trickle out from the inner harbor in front of Adam. Every few birds that came from behind were closer than the group before. When the birds got inside the 45 yard threshold, I got ready to shoot. "SHOOT HIM, SHOOT HIM......IN THE DCOYS!" Tim shouted. I cut my eyes back to the south and a single drake Eider was stretched out landing in the decoys only 10 yards from me. I shifted my weight and turned 90 degrees and squeezed the trigger. "BOOM".......I crushed my first drake Eider at a little over 10 yards. At that moment, the world stood still. I was in a new place, shooting new species of birds with my dad and sharing fellowship with friends!

The action was hot in Boston Harbor that morning........it was Eiders for everyone!

 PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHEN SHEPHERD

Everyone knows that I'm unapologetic about my love for sea ducks and hunting them.  In my opinion, your waterfowling career is not complete until you hunt these birds.  Likewise, it's always fun to watch and read about a buddy's first experience on these birds.  I'm very happy for Georgia and Mr. Dan, and appreciate their story and the photos they provided.

Hope everyone has a safe and great weekend, Justin