Herters article

Gary,

Thanks for the post.

Back in the day waterfowlers awaited two things. Jimmy Robinson's yearly waterfowl report, and the massive Herters catalog. If ya did not, you were totally out of the loop, if there was a loop back then.


VP
 
Thanks for sharing. As a kid in the 60's and and early 70's there were two catalogs we waited for in our house. The Sears Christmas Catalog and the annual Herter's catalog! My dad and I wore out the Herter's catalog every year with page markers for everything from Sitka Recurve bows and Herter's canoes and Goose boats to fly tying, lure supplies and rod blanks to the latest decoys and calls! Fond memories for sure. Here is a picture of one of my dad's Herter's call he bought in 1966.



View attachment Herters call 1966.jpg
 
I have fond memories of going thru the Herters catalog at my grandparents as a kid. When living in Wisconsin, I was too close to the Herters store in Beaver Dam. The store had reprints of the 1966 catalog and I had to buy one. It is fun to look thru. View attachment 20210228_163337.jpg
 
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I also remember the Herter's yearly catalog fondly. I was always interested in duck hunting, but there did not seem to good waterfowl hunting nearby. But I checked out all of the decoys and duck hunting paraphernalia anyway. My dad was a dedicated grouse and woodcock hunter and also hunted deer when he could. We would occasionally see a pheasant or get a jump shot at a
duck. He always took me with him as soon as I was old enough. I carried any empty 410 pump for a few years; that was a safe way to learn about gun safety. He started flyfishing and fly tying when I was about 8 years old, and I started those hobbies at about the same time. I forget what we ordered from Herter's but it was probably fishing gear. I know we always ordered our hunting boots from L L Bean, and we used to return them for new bottoms whenever they got worn out. We used to get a lot of fishing and flyting material from the Rangely Region Sport Shop in Maine. It is still open today, under new management. At that time it was owner by George Fletcher who became a friend of my Dad's. They both loved to fish for Atlantic salmon We noticed one thing about ordering from Herter's was that they frequently made slight error in our order. The seemed to send something we did not order, and they were usually out of stock or forgot to include an item or two in most of our orders. I remember one time they sent us 1/2 a gross or 72 large treble hooks.
I got hooked on ducks when I was about 26 years old--about 1970. Now I am "semi-retired", and live in Rhode Island for the past 25 years Lately I have been entertained by at least 400-500 broadbill in the salt pond in my back yard. Unfortunately they were 1+ 1/2 months too late in their arrival!
 
Good morning, Sandy~


I recall the bookkeeping errors. In those years before websites and credit cards - and even before 800 numbers - everything was done via letters, stamps and checks. One had to carefully compute the shipping - by what we called Parcel Post - and carefully tally up the cumulative weights of the items you were purchasing. If you - or Herter's - made an error, it was not unusual to receive a refund check, often in amounts less than a dollar. And, all mail orders back then took about a month to receive.




This catalog is from 1946. I wonder if my Dad ordered his first Model Canada decoys about that time.


View attachment Herters 1946 Catalog - covers.jpg





And here's one from 1955. I was born in '53 - and remember the "skinny" ones from the 50s - but grew up reading those from the 60s.


View attachment 1955 - cover.jpg





All the best,


SJS







 
Eric Patterson said:
Sandy

You mentioned woodcock. Are you aware American woodcock have rhythm and can dance?

Funky American Woodcock - YouTube

Eric

They're such a fun bird. We had a Christmas tree farm when I was a kid. I would get a location on one peenting, when he flew up to do his flight song I'd move in quick and hide under a Christmas tree. They usually return to a spot very close to where they started from. Saw many, many up close just like the video.
 
Steve Sanford said:
Good morning, Sandy~


I recall the bookkeeping errors. In those years before websites and credit cards - and even before 800 numbers - everything was done via letters, stamps and checks. One had to carefully compute the shipping - by what we called Parcel Post - and carefully tally up the cumulative weights of the items you were purchasing. If you - or Herter's - made an error, it was not unusual to receive a refund check, often in amounts less than a dollar. And, all mail orders back then took about a month to receive.




This catalog is from 1946. I wonder if my Dad ordered his first Model Canada decoys about that time.








And here's one from 1955. I was born in '53 - and remember the "skinny" ones from the 50s - but grew up reading those from the 60s.








All the best,


SJS


I thumbed through it every year as well, although they were gone by the time I got out of high school. Interesting photo of the hen mallard, looks an awful lot like a Wildfowler. Somebody probably knows the real story, my understanding is that old GLH made himself some Wildfowler knockoffs and that the lawsuits flew.
 
I have a bunch of their old catalogs decoys and calls along with a little fishing tackle and reloading stuff. The books written by George are hysterical especially Bull Cook (I have 2 of the volumes, I think there were 3)
I do have a question... I also have a couple catalogs from Leslie Edelman Inc 1968 and 1970 which are basically the big Herters catalogs, it says they were distributors for Herters. Does anybody know more about Leslie Edelman and the connection?
 

Don't know about the connection (very similar), but I do remember the Leslie Edelman Catalogs. Ordered a few items from it.

Never had any problems ordering from either catalog. Items took weeks to arrive, but once they did all was as ordered, and well packaged. The decoy cardboard boxes were Huge, can't imagine what they would cost today to ship.

I'm very thankful to have grown up when I did.
 

Back to the original subject.


Calls are in the boxes, also included were the instruction booklet (the reason for the folds). Purchased in the mid 60's.

Of the many calls that are in my care, these are about the worst.

Yet the hype on the boxes, and the instruction booklet helped me to explore and spend lots of time waterfowling in Canada.

In that regard, I tip my hat to Mr. Herter.

He sold dreams that became reality for many of us.

VP





View attachment P3010012.JPGView attachment P3010013.JPGView attachment P3010014.JPG
 
Vince Pagliaroli said:
Dani,

I hear thee.

A oil painting on wine case lid, in progress...


VP

Vince, I look forward to seeing that finished. I have a woodcock blank I need to get carving on...
 
Good morning, SJ~


I had the same thought re a likely Wildfowler copy when I first saw the old catalog. Imitation the sincerest form of flattery ? - or George L's "business sense"? I've often thought a Herter biography would be a great read. I wish those midwestern museum exhibits were closer!


And, I've often reflected that Ted Mulliken's (Wildfowler founder) development of the flat-bottomed factory decoy with a keel really moved decoys forward from the round-bottomed "Mason" days - into the modern era.



All the best,


SJS

 

As much as I appreciate Wildfowler decoys.

Canadian and Michigan flat bottom decoys (some with keels, some with swing weights) were at the forefront of flat bottom decoys long before Mr. Mulliken.

Flat bottomed decoys are far from modern.


NJ and Maryland round bottom style decoys work as well today, as they did a 100 plus years ago.

Contests did more to encourage flat bottomed, must self right decoys, in "the modern era".


I do agree that the large amount of Wildfowler decoys produced at the three factories, did influence what many folks thought what decoys should be. And the flattery is pretty much seen as the best way to make a decoy. Some disagree.


my 2 cents
 
Vince~


As you know, I am mostly an Atlantic Tidewater fellow - but the emphasis in my thought about Ted Mulliken was indeed on the factory aspect of his decoys. Stool with flat bottoms and keels hunted on Great South Bay back in the 19th century. As with many good ideas, I imagine the type evolved in numerous locations.



Whether Ted got the idea from the eastern seaboard or from the midwest - or from his progenitors right in Connectricut - will probably never be known. One of my very favorite decoys is Joel Barber's Canvasback inspired by St. Clair Flats birds.

View attachment Barber Canvasback B - 5 x 7.jpg



This bird in last year's exhibit at Shelburne was right in front of a Mulliken Black Duck. As I understand it, Joel and Ted were good friends and collaborators. In any event, I think we have all benefited from the move toward the very practical bottom design.


On the other hand - from the perspective of pure aesthetics - round-bottom birds look better on the shelf to my eye.


View attachment Oldsquaw 1-27-2012.JPG



All the best,


SJS





 

Steve,

I do understand where your coming from in regards to factory decoys.


That said one must take into consideration H. A. Stevens factory decoys, Weedsport, NY , 1880 - 1894. The first Stevens decoys were Flat bottomed, then the shape was changed to a oval Round bottom, that preformed better. Decoys worked back then, and few were ever shelf riders.

The history of decoys and what worked and what did not, as you well know happened well before Joel Barber and Mr. Mulliken. The migration of waterfowlers and decoy carvers from north to south on the east coast is well documented. Lots of round bottom decoys like Cobbs, etc.

Made & Carved correctly round bottom decoys work very well.

Market gunners and hunters were not all that concerned about aesthetics. That is where Mr.Barber comes in...


IMO far to often the upper East Coast gets all the attention waterfowling & decoys, and plenty of other areas (especially Canada, mid west and west) get less attention. When in fact the Atlantic Flyway has the least waterfowl of all the flyways. It's glory days far in the past.

When factory decoys such as Wildfowlers are taken out of the mix. There were most likely more round bottom decoys (especially HDG area) produced and used on the east coast than flat bottomed decoys.

Practical does not equal better in my world, challenging does more so.

A decoy is a vessel, do all vessels have the same bottom design?


In regards to shelf riders, with more contest decoys being produced today than Gunning decoys. The amount of flat bottom shelf riders far exceeds round bottom decoys.


The first wooden decoys I hunted over were Wildfowlers (I also collected them). The book that mostly influenced me was not Mr. Barbers, but the first edition of Decoys of the Susquehanna Flats and Their Makers, by J. Evans McKinney.


Western PA is not a hotbed of waterfowling & decoy history. So I began to study all regions of North America waterfowling, past and present. Then I traveled to them as much as possible.

The eye opener was the old Ohio show. Decoys from all four flyways that I could hold, study and appreciate A whole new world (to me) opened up.


We each are true to our local area no matter how large or small. There are various styles of decoys, which one is superior is a matter of opinion. [;)]


The Herter's catalog helped me look more to the west, than to the east.



Best regards
Vince
 
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