Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price

Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price
Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price
Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price
Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price
Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price
Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price
Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price
Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price
Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price
Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price
Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price
Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price
Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price

Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price

MILES HENRY HANCOCK, (1887- 1974) WAS BORN IN WILLIAMSVILLE, DELAWARE, JUST NORTH OF THE MARYLAND LINE. HE WAS THE SON OF A FARMER AND HAD A BROTHER AND TWO SISTERS. HIS MOTHER DIED WHILE THE CHILDREN WERE STILL YOUNG. HANCOCK WAS SIX OR SEVEN YEARS OLD WHEN HIS FATHER, WITH FOUR CHILDREN, MOVED TO CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND IN VIRGINIA.

APPARENTLY UNABLE TO PROVIDE FOR THE FAMILY, HE PLACED THE CHILDREN IN FOSTER HOMES. HANCOCK OFTEN GUNNED FROM HIS SMALL BOAT ON CHINCOTEAGUE BAY, LEAVING THE SHORE WITH LONG STEMMED BRANCHES STACKED HIGH IN THE BOW. ONCE ANCHORED IN SHALLOW WATER, HE STUCK THE BRANCH STEMS IN THE BAY'S MUDDY BOTTOM. THE BRUSH CONCEALED THE BOAT AND ITS GUNNER.

THIS METHOD PROVED IDEAL FOR HUNTING DIVERS. HANCOCK OFTEN REMINISCED, BACK WHEN THE SKIES WERE FILLED WITH WATERFOWL, ON MY BEST DAY, I BAGGED 52 REDHEADS WITH FIVE SHOTS.

HE ALSO CLAIMED TO HAVE ONCE KILLED 106 BROADBILLS IN TWO HOURS OF SHOOTING. HE WAS ALSO QUOTED IN ANOTHER NEWSPAPER AS SAYING DUCKS WERE MY LIVING.

THERE WERE NO GAME LAWS. THE COUNTRY WAS YOUNG AND HUNGRY.

/CANADA MIGRATORY WATERFOWL ACT OF 1917 PUT A STOP TO HANCOCK'S MARKET HUNTING ACTIVITIES. HE TURNED TO PROVIDING GUIDE SERVICES FOR WEALTHY EAST COAST SPORTS. HANCOCK HAD A REPUTATION AS A KNOWLEDGEABLE WATERMAN WHO KNEW HOW TO KILL DUCKS AND HIS SERVICES WERE GREATLY SOUGHT OUT. INITIALLY HANCOCK MADE DECOYS STRICTLY FOR PERSONAL USE, BUT NOW HE PROVIDED RIGS FOR HIS GUNNING PARTIES.

HE REGULARLY REFURBISHED THE RIGS AND CARVED HEADS TO REPLACE THOSE BUSTED IN USE. ER A HEART ATTACK IN 1960, MR HANCOCK STOPPED CARVING FULL SIZE DECOYS AND BEGAN CARVING MINIATURES FOR THE INCREASING TOURISTS TRAVELING TO CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND. THIS SALE IS FOR A MID-SIZED MALLARD DECOY THAT IS LARGER THAN THE MINI DECOYS HE CARVED FOR THE TOURIST TRADE AND SMALLER THAN HIS FULL-SIZE GUNNING DECOYS. THEY WERE USUALLY MADE AS GIFTS FOR FRIENDS OR LOVED ONES WITH MORE DETAILED CARVING AND DETAILED PAINTING THAN THE HUNTING DECOYS.

THEY ARE RARE COMPARED TO THE MORE PLENTIFUL 5 TO 7 INCH MINIS. HIS DRAKE IS ABOUT 12 INCHES LONG AND 4 ½ INCHES TALL. THERE IS CARVING ALL AROUND THE EDGES OF THE WINGS, ON THE WING PRIMARIES, ON THE TAIL FEATHERS, AND ON THE BILL. THE WING TIPS ARE CARVED UP OFF OF THE BODY.

THERE IS A CARVED GROOVE RUNNING DOWN THE CENTER OF THE BACK SEPARATING THE TWO WINGS. THE PAINT IS ORIGINAL WITH PAINT LOSS ON THE BOTTOM AND A RUB ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE NECK. THERE IS A SMALL AREA OF OVERPAINT ON THE LEFT LOWER BACK BEHIND THE HEAD.

WHETHER THIS WAS BY MR. HANCOCK OR A LATER OWNER IS UNKNOWN. SCRATCH PAINTING IS PRESENT ON THE BACK AND BREAST AREAS. THERE ARE NO SHRINKAGE SPLITS IN THE WOOD. THE NECK FILLER IS INTACT BUT A SEPARATION BETWEEN THE NECK FILLER AND THE CHEST IS VISIBLE.

THE SEAM BETWEEN THE TWO PIECES OF WOOD MAKING UP THE BODY IS SLIGHTLY SEPARATED ON BOTH SIDES. THE SEAM IS VISIBLE ON THE CHEST AND TAIL UNDER THE PAINT BUT IS NOT SEPARATED IN THOSE AREAS.

BOTH GLASS EYES ARE PRESENT AND INTACT. HANCOCK'S EASILY RECOGNIZED SIGNATURE IS ON THE BOTTOM ALONG WITH "CHINCOTEAQUE, VA" AND 1970. THE DECOY IS IN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF MR. HANCOCK'S NOTED FOLK ART STYLE OF DECOY-MAKING AND PRESENTS A VERY ATTRACTIVE DISPLAY. THE ACRYLIC STAND IS INCLUDED. THERE IS A VERY INTERESTING AND ENJOYABLE BIOGRAPHY OF THIS REMARKABLE MAN AND LEGENDARY CARVER IN THE BOOK, "CHINCOTAQUE CARVERS AND THEIR DECOYS". LEASE REVIEW THE PHOTOS CAREFULLY AS THEY ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE DESCRIPTION OF THE DECOY.

THE LAST PHOTO IS FOR SIZE COMPARISON ONLY BETWEEN THIS MIDSIZE AND THE MINIS HE MADE FOR THE TOURIST TRADE. NOTE: THE MINI CANADA GOOSE AND BLACK DUCK ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS SALE. This item is in the category "Sporting Goods\Hunting\Vintage Hunting\Duck Decoys".

The seller is "j1l2c3" and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to United States.


Miles Hancock Signed And Dated Mid-size Mallard Drake Duck Decoy- Reduced Price