'Redneck bucket list' item
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Glen Rohrer is creating his own 'dynasty ducks.'
The idea of making hunting decoys came to the owner-operator of Coletta Bay Guides one day while overseeing a set at Long Point's Little Rice Bay.
"I thought I can make these decoys," he recalled. "I know I can - just got to figure out how."
Rohrer's plan combined elements of a post-retirement business project with his passion for duck hunting and more importantly, what could be safely termed a major element on his redneck bucket list.
"There you go," he laughed in agreement. "I just want to make my own decoys. Just for fun, so I can shoot over my own flock one day, so I can shoot over my own flock before I die."
Rohrer's concept is a high-density foam body combined with a wooden head. High-density foam is lighter and tougher than plastic, allowing decoys to be made larger.
"So you don't have to have as many," Rohrer explained.
They are also tougher, he continued.
"They'll take a shot," he said. "So once you've got one, you've got it and it should last 10 or 15 years."
Longevity is enhanced by the carved wooden head, both tougher and more aesthetically-pleasing, believes Rohrer.
"I think they look nicer, nicer and more real."
The creative process begins with construction of a mould, into which the foam mixture is injected and allowed to set.
"Take your mould apart and there's your 'coy (decoy)," said Rohrer.
Additional shaping is required post-mould, along with the addition of the head and painting, a particularly important step, given birds can distinguish colour.
"So you have to have them right."
To date, Rohrer has been applying paint with a brush, but is considering experimenting with air-brushing in the future, which would allow him to 'feather' the paint, an advantageous if not necessary procedure.
"If the ducks get close enough to see if it's a straight line or a feathered line, they shouldn't be flying any more," said Rohrer.
To date, he has created Mallards, Redheads, Wigeons and both standard and sleeping Canvasbacks and has begun incorporating them into his sets of working decoys.
Although essentially for his own use and satisfaction, Rohrer is open to the idea of selling his decoys, has already moved a couple and has a couple of dozen on order. Coletta Bay Decoys will retail for is $25 per or $275 a dozen. For more information, interested persons are invited to call 519-842-8886.
"Some guys tell me I should charge more, but that's what I'm going to start out with."
Hand-making decoys is not hard work says Rohrer, but it is time-consuming and tricky, meaning mass production may be a stretch.
"That foam is really fussy on temperature."
But beyond keeping Rohrer occupied with a potentially-profitable hobby related to his hunting passion, he is also finding the journey to his ultimate redneck bucket list destination productive and enjoyable.
"It's nice to see it come together," Rohrer concluded. "When you put the head on it, it really seems to come alive, and when you paint it - there it is."