Duck decoys are Roger Bourgeois’ passion.

The local woodworking collector is exhibiting several generations of Louisiana decoys and the tools used to make them at the Terrebonne Parish Main Library in Houma through February.

Bourgeois, originally from Raceland, has been a collector for more than 40 years. On Christmas 1949, he received a child’s carpenter toolbox n he still has the toolbox and many of the original tools n launching his interest in woodwork.

Bourgeois is an avid collector of vintage woodworking tools, decoys, Cajun artifacts, firefighter and iceman collectibles. He and wife Carolyn have donated display cases, antique tools and other artifacts presented in their Cajun Tool Shed exhibit.

Bourgeois said decoys were in use long before Cajuns began working with tupelo. Commonly called Black Gum, it has always been the wood of choice for Louisiana carvers.

“Some carvers preferred cypress root because decoys made of this material were lighter and easier to carry through the marshes. However, cypress root proved to be less durable as compared to tupelo,” he said.

At first, American Native Indians fashioned crude decoys made of straw. Through the years, decoys have become more detailed. The exhibit highlights the progression from traditional decoys, carved in basic detail and used only in hunting for food, to the current contemporary works of art.

Traditional Decoys

Bourgeois said most traditional carvers made decoys for their own hunting rigs. “Some carvers bartered hunting decoys for blocks of tupelo wood,” he said.

The collector’s uncle, Malvin Pitre of Raceland, never carved or purchased a decoy, but had a beautiful hunting rig of well over 100 mallards, canvas backs, pintails and ring necks n traditional decoys.

“As a youngster, I recall making an annual trip to the swamp to harvest tupelo for my uncle’s brother-in-law Theodule ‘Tatie’ Pertuit,” he said.

Bourgeois explained that harvesting tupelo was hard work. Only the lower 2- to 3 feet of the trunk, which was in the water most of the year, was harvested. This section of the tree has almost no grain and cuts like butter, if carved while the wood is green, he said.

“The old-timers would say only wood harvested during the ‘correct moon’ and low-water period was suitable,” he said explaining that harvesting tupelo was as much of an art as decoy carving.

The collector said the basic equipment included an empty pirogue, a two-man saw and a sharp axe. The wood was cut into blocks and formed with a hatchet on a tree stump to get the decoy’s body from the block of wood.

According to Bourgeois, during the late 1950s many of the Louisiana carvers had become “businessmen,” who provided decoys to others for their hunting expeditions. The hand-carved decoys sold for less than $30 a dozen.

Bourgeois said today any Pertuit, Roussel or Whipple decoys sell for several hundred dollars.

Decoy enthusiast’s collection on display in Houma

“A single decoy may exchange hands several times, either by swapping, selling or auctioning until the collector fulfills his dream collections,” Bourgeois said.

Contemporary Decoys

During the 1960s, “factory” decoys replaced hand-carved decoys, which were made of machine duplicated wood or plastic.

The Louisiana traditional decoy was a dying art form until Charles Frank Jr. of New Orleans became interested in preserving and recording the story of the Louisiana decoy carver. In 1979, Frank published “Louisiana Duck Decoys” after spending endless hours interviewing carvers and cataloging their works.

Bourgeois said Frank has since published three other books. Brian Cheramie of Cut Off has also published “Louisiana Lures and Legends,” a decoy carving legends book.

For more information about decoy carving, contact Bourgeois at (985) 851-0881 or the library at (985) 876-5861.

Duck decoys are Roger Bourgeois’ passion.