Our Exhibit at Ward Museum

Brant Decoys From Colonial times until the eel grass blight of the late 1930s, the brant was the choice waterfowl hunted on the flats of the Great South Bay.

The majority of the brant decoys were made of solid white pine and white cedar. The heads were made from the roots and branches of red cedar or white pine trees. The grain of the wood ran lengthwise up the neck and turned at a right angle to form the face and bill of the head.

Painting was done in a simple pattern using white lead paint, lamp lack and bog brown with a minimum of detail.

Exhibit from the collections of Jack Combs, Mel Phaff, Richard Cowan, William Powell, Jim Cullen, Tim Sieger, John Griffiths, Ben Sohm, Bob Liehr, Mike Yanelli & Frank Murphy.