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Gary Schoenberger
Pickett
Here is a self-biography from Gary….
A late bloomer in the carving field I started at the age of 60 with the urging of my friend Ron Koch after he noticed a wooden owl I was making on a visit. Although I had collected decoys since my 30s the thought of carving never crossed my mind. I was a baker by trade but my dad was a carpenter by trade and by that, I mean a craftsman, cabinetry, etc., he was also head man at Morgans in the ornate door surround division. I have to admit a very small amount of his talent rubbed off on my brothers and myself. I had older parents ( he was 46) when I was born so unfortunately we never got to share this new phase of my life, collecting or carving. A shame as he was around in the canvasback heyday and would have known many of the hunters and carvers of that era.He quit hunting when he married. Initially he resided at Reighmoor on lake Butte des morts and did make skiffs and row boats along with a rig of around 50 canvasback decoys. One of those is pictured on this site. I do use his hand tools, planes, spoke shave, draw knife, and rasps.Anyway, I have kept at carving with advice from Ron and repetition ( my way of learning). Everyone develops a style and I make hunting style decoys. I don't duck hunt as much as I used to, devoting more time to traditional bowhunting instead. Still I do get out before the rut a bit though. I have good luck in my marsh pond behind the house as we are a short distance from Rush Lake and the Waukau marsh. When they start shooting there the birds leave and look for a safe haven. Also do some field hunting later in the year. I am a member and support many waterfowl organizations such as DU, Wisconsin Waterfowlers, etc. and several collecting clubs
