Jim Sprankle

1970 thru 1980

Jim was thirty-five years old and living in Conklin, NY, on the banks of the Susquehanna River, when he tackled the challenge of turning a block of wood into an identifiable replica of a live duck—a decoy that he could hunt over. An avid hunter, he was not satisfied with using factory-made decoys that all looked out over water at the same angle. He wanted different head positions so that his decoys would be more realistic.

At that time, Jim was spending his weekends and holidays at a cottage that he owned on the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence River. Knowing that decoy carvers would be at the Decoy & Art Show in Clayton, NY (also on the St. Lawrence River), Jim boated over to learn more and there had the great fortune to meet Ken Harris, the man who soon became his mentor and friend. He made the trek to Ken’s studio once a week for the next year and continued to refine his carving techniques.

The first birds that Jim carved were cork Black Ducks that he used for hunting. In decorative carving he started with smaller birds that would be easier to handle and would also use less wood. The burning pen had just been introduced, so even some of his earliest birds had feather detail.

In 1971 Jim and friends were hunting on Tangiers Island in the Chesapeake Bay when he learned that there was a World Championship of Waterfowl Carving in Salisbury, MD. He immediately set his sights on winning as many blue ribbons as possible. The first time that Jim brought ducks to a show for judging, he didn’t realize that his decoys would be judged floating in a water tank. Because they weren’t hollowed out, they wouldn’t float upright.

This was truly an educational experience and Jim vowed that he would never again come unprepared to a competition. Having pitched for eleven years in professional baseball, Jim had never learned to lose, and he was not about to let anyone get the best of him in this new challenge.

Involvement in competitions turned carving into an addiction for Jim. In 1974 on the advice of a friend, Jim built his own aviary. He collected over 20 different birds, most of the North American species of waterfowl. Studying these birds enabled Jim to move from carving ‘static’ birds with stiff neck and head positions to creating preening birds in more lifelike positions. Very early on Jim won a Best of Show, Amateur Class. This forced him to compete at the Professional level, and from that point Jim has won over 30 Best of Show awards in major competitions throughout the United States and Canada.

Please click on one of the photos below to see a larger image:

Canvasback Drake	Bluebill Drake	Gallinule
Scratching Black Duck	Harlequin Drake

See more photos in the Photo Gallery