Alright y'all....educate me...

Dani

Dani

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I did some searching on the website but perhaps missed it....why are decoys called "stools"?

I didn't grow up in a duck hunting home and wasn't steeped in its history the way many were. I also haven't read much relating to the history of decoys and decoy making. I grew up with a mother who became a massage therapist who was very interested in many medical different practices so when someone says "stool"....if they aren't talking about the thing you sit on...my mind immediately goes to poop and it takes me a second to think...that guy is not saying nice poop.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo since I don't think of decoys as poop....where did this term for decoys come from?

Dani
 
The name stool was coined when live decoys were in use. Live decoys were tethered to a stool. The "stool" was a flat round board attached to a pole that was driven into the mud such that the round top was about an inch or so below the surface. Live decoys were tethered and the round top of the "stool" allowed them to swim around or sit on top of the stool.

Eric
 
Dani,
I figured that would have been right up your alley.
stool pigeon
[sto͞ol ˈpijən]
NOUN

  1. a police informer.

  2. a person acting as a decoy.[strike][/strike]
[strike][/strike][strike][/strike]
 
Dani et al~


Furthermore.....Here in the US, before live decoys were banned early in the 20th century, "decoys" were live birds to many gunners - and inanimate decoys were stool (or blocks or tollers....).


All the best,


SJS





 
I have never heard Eric's rationale for the use of the word stool. But the word stool as a definition as an "informer or decoy to entrap" someone goes back at least 2 centuries. I think that became associated with the live decoys and then once birds were attracted to the stool that became "they are stooling". I did not sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night.


Since Google is a good friend, I am editing to add a link to the history. http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-sto2.htm
 
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Interesting. Thanks.

Since the "stool" is associated with something live ?.even in Dave's definitions (and Dave...I am now just a lowly lab rat. I'm not involved in the daily lives anymore of the investigators and I'm no longer "one of them" so my education was cut short in that regard...poooor me)....how come "stool" stuck to non-live decoys? Weren't the decoys that weren't live already called "blocks"? I know I have heard "blocks" associated with non-live decoys and even not knowing the history of decoys, that made sense to me to some degree. So now I'm curious why "stool" stuck since our decoys are no longer live.

I've found a few interesting things online so far about live decoys and it's pretty fascinating stuff.
 
Ahhhhhhhh okay....so based on Steve's info, "stool" doesn't necessarily have to be a live bird....interesting
 
Brad Bortner said:
I have never heard Eric's rationale for the use of the word stool. But the word stool as a definition as an "informer or decoy to entrap" someone goes back at least 2 centuries. I think that became associated with the live decoys and then once birds were attracted to the stool that became "they are stooling". I did not sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night.


Since Google is a good friend, I am editing to add a link to the history. http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-sto2.htm
Click to expand...

Brad, my info is from Coykendall's book, Duck Decoys and how to rig them, first chapter.

In Barber's book on page 23 he discusses a trap called "Ende-Kooy" where ducks are funneled into a net. As the technique evolved they used trained ducks to entice wild ducks to the net. Those ducks were called Coy ducks. Over time the trap became known as a decoy and the live ducks as coy ducks. When firearms became available the traps were no longer needed so the coy ducks became to be known as decoys. Barber give more details but that is the gist of it.

Eric
 
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"Ducks were taken on private ponds in enormous traps called eende-kooi but the Dutch, who developed them. The British adopted the Dutch system, and to this day refer to such traps as decoys." Humble Masterpieces: Decoys by George Reiger National Geographic Magazine November 1983


The term "Stool", to define a decoy has a much more muddled and elusive origin.

In North America spring shooting, fall shooting,(over live birds to entice, some tethered, some not), and trapping brought the birds to market.

Arguments (mostly regional) as to how the term Stool came about to define decoys abound.

Pick the one that you like. [smile]
 
Yes I am familiar with decoy traps, there was one at the Delta Waterfowl Research Station years ago when I was a greenhorn, it has since collapsed from disuse and snow. They also used tolling dogs to entice ducks to swim into the decoy.
 

They still use tolling dogs for hunting, as you well know. Ducks like much wildlife are very curious.

Duck traps are also still in use. In some places old ways continue on, especially in hard times.

We shall see what these trying times bring about.
 
Dani~


One of my favorite facets of this wonderful passion of ours - is the arcane - and often very localized - language used by its practitioners. As Vince mentioned, some origins will never be nailed down.


I remember reading about Passenger Pigeons and stools (for tethered live birds) in Alan Eckert's wonderful Silent Sky - the history of the Passenger Pigeon. I read Joel Barber's Wild-Fowl Decoys at about the same time. (Notice that I limited my thoughts to the US.)


The term "stool" in the waterfowling sense has at least 4 meanings as a noun:



1. The decoy or decoys. "Stool" is usually singular and plural - but I have also seen "stools" to refer to more than one decoy..... I have never heard live decoys referred to as "stool" - but would love to hear other perspectives.


2. The entire rig of decoys - as in "Two birds just loot in the stool!" ["Loot" apparently an irregular imperfect intransitive verb in an obscure Tarheel State vernacular - from boyhood gunning companions of mine.....]

3. The portable seat - often folding - that many gunners use to be comfortable whilst hiding in wait (for some birds to stool in....). I wish I still had my Dad's original with its wooden - Ash? - frame and heavy canvas seat. I can still see it vividly in my mind's eye - but do not even have a photo of it.... This is one I bought in my youth.



View attachment Beans Gunning Stool.jpg

4. The floating or staked platform that allowed live decoys - usually tethered - to get out of the water and keep their feathers dry.



More interesting to me is when stool is combined with other nouns like boat or rack.


Stool boats date back to before power in vessels.





View attachment Battery articke 1911 - page 2 - Putting out the stool .jpg



Big rigs had a mother ship/tender, a battery (later scooter or layout) and a stool boat.

View attachment AV4 - Chetowaik and stool boat.jpg


The stool boat held the entire rig - and also picked up downed birds and switched out the gunners.


View attachment AV8b Stool Boat - wrapping Brant stool.jpg


This stool boat has compartments for each of the trolls.


View attachment 4 O10 Oster 10.jpg



The scooter stowed on deck but the stool boat was towed behind.

View attachment W26 Watts 1 - Stool boat and 2-man 1968.jpg

Smaller vessels have long used stool racks - to hold the stool. The Barnegat is easily the most famous.

View attachment Stool Rack 08 - overview from stern.JPG


Here's one - built by my Dad - for our Great South Bay Scooter.


View attachment 1 Sanford Scooter - STOOL RACK CROPPED.jpg


Here's one I built for the first duckboat I built....


View attachment 1 - sm Grasboat # 1 - stool rack.jpg



Next....verbs!


SJS

















 
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Steve

I love it. Not only do you contribute pertinent information to an already interesting conversation, but you give us history in pictures. I am so glad Dani asked and folks got her the best info at hand.

Eric
 
Good morning, Eric, Dani et al~


[Note that I fixed the missing images in my first part. I keep forgetting that this site does not like filenames that contain ampersands...]







Now for "stool" as the intransitive verb.....


Gunners "stool out" - set the rig - but only waterfowl "stool in" - land amongst the decoys - in the rig.


View attachment 5 Oster 21.jpg



Picking up the stool happens at the end of the hunt. All the stool are in the stool boat in this photo.


View attachment W55 Stool boat 1.jpg



Still a couple of stool to pick up and wrap.... More typically, the stool rack would be on the stern to take the wrapped decoys at this stage of the hunt. The folded stool rack stows beneath the stern deck whilst gunning from this Scooter. We''ll ascribe this faux pas to artistic license?

View attachment Scooter with 2 decoys.jpg





I think we can all agree that "stooling birds" are one of the most thrilling sights in nature - one that keeps us interested year 'round.


View attachment W18 Watts - Shooting at the stooling flock.jpg



Time for the stool boat to pick up a few downed birds?



View attachment W19 Watts - Stooling flock.jpg



And, we seem to enjoy all the work.....



View attachment 2014-10-08 20.28.16.jpg



All the best,


SJS



 
Thanks Steve! I wish you were my teacher when I was learning grammar.....maybe there would have been a lot fewer tears of frustration on my part if I had had explanations of terms with pictures and examples like that. I am still poor with my understanding of grammar.
 
Dani said:
Thanks Steve! I wish you were my teacher when I was learning grammar.....maybe there would have been a lot fewer tears of frustration on my part if I had had explanations of terms with pictures and examples like that. I am still poor with my understanding of grammar.
Click to expand...

Dani,
We would make an excellent team. Other than I'm forgetting more than I learned, I always liked grammar. However, I've always struggled more or less with dyslexia. As a result, my spelling is poor and my typing skills are no better. I find myself not using the word I'd like to use just because I can not get it spelled correctly, not even close enough for spell check to recognize it. I wish I could type those same long interesting posts that you provide on a regular basis.
 
If I was closer, I'd be happy to help ya out with your own stories!

I do understand your frustration with not being able to say what I wanted. I spent many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many nights up late with my mother working on papers all the way through college. I can tell you that I was as inept at writing as I was at grammar as I was at socializing. I couldn't seem to make what I wrote match what I was thinking. Luckily, my mother knew how my brain worked so she was able to teach me how to put on paper what I was thinking. But it was not an easy, comfortable, or sometimes even understandable process. I am not sure who was more relieved when I finally got competent enough that she was just proof reading for me looking for grammar stuffs, her or me.
 
I haven't figured whether it makes the ups folks queasy or not, but most of my boxes have stool sample written on the outside.[angelic]
 
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