By Bruce Urben, WWA President
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s October, 2022 Newsletter edition.
By now we hope you have seen, and also been able to purchase, one of our WWA 2023 Conservation Membership Calendars. When you purchase one of our calendars you are entered into the raffle to win one or more of the 365 fabulous prizes we are raffling off in 2023, one for every day of the year. Prizes include handguns, rifles, shotguns, SportDog Brand collars, Vortex optics, fishing trips and much, much more! You can purchase one of these calendars through your local WWA Chapter contacts, at one of our participating vendors or by ordering one online here.
The 2023 calendar is special because the monthly photos highlight twelve decoys that have been hand carved by some of the best Wisconsin carvers still practicing their art. From working decoys to decorative pieces worthy of any mantel, each month features another well known and highly awarded carver displaying his best work. Some of these carvers only produce several decoys a year, including their donation to this calendar.
Because of each carver’s generous donation of these one of a kind, hand carved decoys to WWA, we are able to auction each of these unique pieces to benefit our missions of education and habitat improvement in Wisconsin. Beginning in January of 2023, and continuing on a monthly basis throughout the rest of the year, each decoy pictured in the calendar on that month will be auctioned off!
Many of these twelve carvers’ work can not currently be purchased on the secondary market. This may be your only chance to own a decoy carved by one of Wisconsin’s best and most awarded carvers, including Mike Pierce, Robert Rosenberger, Bob Swann, Bill Koelpin Jr., Jeff Vine, Mark Kakatsch, Bruce Urben, Robert Badtke, Gary Schoenberger, Rick Koch, Steve Stratton and Mark Berquist.
This Pintail hen and duckling carved by Steve Stratton will be auctioned off in January
Watch for monthly updates in November and December of this year and our first “Auction Notice” for Steve Stratton’s Pintail hen and duckling in January 2023! If you are a WWA member or you are on our email mailing list you will get the emailed notification when these auctions open and close.
In the meantime, take a look at the artwork in your 2023 Conservation Calendar and make plans to own some beautiful floating sculptures.
Special thanks to all of our Wisconsin carvers who donated a decoy to this fund raiser and to Chase Baker of Grit Photography for his excellent photo work in the Calendar.