Made in the U.S.A.
Located in central Indiana, Bundy Duck decoys are hand crafted from wood sourced locally. Hand picked by John himself to create unique works of art. Each decoy is truly a one-of-a-kind original. No two are alike.
About the Bundy's
For over thirty years now, my family and I have been carving duck decoys. Like the old-time carvers we have our own unique style of folk art. There are, of course, a multitude of tasks here at the duck factory. We overlap our jobs all the time, each giving way to the other when that sander is needed, this drill press, that flat sander. We each have our own forte: My son Jason is very good at machine maintenance and working out how to mount new patterns for carving their preforms. He handles the logs more than anyone else: blocking on the band saw, running our 3-spindle carver, trimming and sanding bodies. My wife Valarie is our pattern maker, bookkeeper, painter. She runs the shipping room, chases dirt in all the shop buildings and is our quality control person. I am often at the band saws but spend most of my time at other tasks: operating our 24-spindle carver, fitting decoy parts together and doing final-finish work. I scour the countryside for special woods. I talk to a lot of people. These tasks are our daily routines. As with most routines, they sometimes feel like grindstones. So, you may ask, “How do these folks stay inspired to keep doing the same things day in, day out?” Observing nature every day is the answer, we stay connected to the resource.
Valarie and I were raised by “outdoors people”. We were always outside for recreations like gardening, camping, hiking, exploring our grandparents farms, hunting Indian relics in fields and fossils in creek beds, agates along Lake Superior beaches; star gazing at scout camp, learning animal husbandry in 4-H. We raised our own children much the same way. All nature’s offerings, from tiny marvels to the great blue sky are an integral part of our days. Some subjects held our interest and we pursue these yet today. Carving wood into decoys is one of these interests. We have a double pleasure there, as carving also provides our income. Also, during a day of these many tasks, our eyes delight our hearts in all the marvelous and varied grain patterns we see in the wood. Humans love wood. The colored stains we apply transforms the wood into the unexpected, always fresh and sometimes WOW!
Our jostle and banter spawns many humorous moments. These lighten the burden of work, turning ho-hum days to fun. Connections to all this, in the day we’re in, builds loyalty and devotion to the tasks. For each of us, working with our hands in all we do keeps our minds sharp. For, you see, there is really no space, in distance or time, between the hand-brain. They are one while doing the work. Our whole self is immersed in participation, focused on the work at hand. Hand-work is satisfying work.
Time marches…our work uses our strength and stamina. Thirty-odd years is a long time for our backs, legs, arms, hands and shoulders to be in use at the same tasks. One day we’ll lock the shop door for the last time. But that day is not today. We continue. Hoping to stay inspired and devoted. Our spirit is young, it eggs the body on. So, we continue carving, painting, shipping; gratefully remembering the smiling faces of all the folks who hold our carvings dear.
John Bundy
