Bruce Urben, Environmental Enthusiast, Talented Wisconsin Carver

A Decoy Corner Article

By Eric Urben, son of “Decoy Corner” author Bruce Urben

Many of our WWA Newsletter readers, when receiving our monthly newsletter, immediately scan down to the “Decoy Corner”, looking forward to learning a little more history from Bruce Urben, who highlights carvers from all over the country each month.  The history in these articles are timeless, as are the decoys they produce, and this month we will learn a little more about the author of the “Decoy Carving Corner”, Bruce Urben.

Finally, an article about our author!

Born, November 23^rd, 1954 , to Fred and Bernadine Urben, originally in Madison, WI, Bruce grew up on along a river in Northeastern WI, and says he was first introduced to waterfowling on the shores of this river at the age of 12 and has been an avid outdoorsman/duck hunter ever since.

Bruce can trace his ancestry back to immigrants from Germany and Switzerland in the 1800’s, and is the youngest of three siblings.  Gary, his oldest brother, was an amateur carver and potentially gave Bruce his first taste of decoy carving, although he has always had a knack for woodworking. His first recollection of carving was using a bar of ivory soap as a medium for a grade school project (grades received for this first carving were not immediately available by press time for this article).

Bruce attended college at the University of Oshkosh, receiving his bachelors degree, in which time he always mentions duck hunting was on hold…

Following college, Bruce started his 38 year career with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in the environmental & conservation fields.

Decoy carving began casually in the 90’s for Bruce, but he started carving professionally after retirement from the DNR in 2007.  As most successful carvers do, Bruce found himself a trusted mentor in Mike Pierce, who is nationally recognized and professional carver from Illinois who currently resides in Wausau, to learn from.  Many hours of mentored leadership from Mike have now allowed Bruce to enjoy success nationally himself with his own work.

Bruce primarily carves working decoys, many of which he hunts over himself with his two boys, however, has done some decorative decoys.  Using primarily white cedar and basswood for his carving, Bruce harvests most of his own wood and personally dries each piece for years prior to carving.  All of his working decoys have hollowed bodies, showing intricate bill carving, scratch painted bodies and unique postures.  Artist oil tube paints, incorporating blending and shading, are primarily used for each decoy Bruce produces.

When asked what his specialty is, Bruce would say working decoys and that he especially enjoys contemporary antique decoys.  All of his decoys are branded, signed and dated on the bottom of each decoy.  While duck decoys are his passion, Bruce has also ventured into shorebirds and even swans as requested through the years.

To date, Bruce has won numerous awards at International Wildfowl Carvers Association (IWCA) and open class carving contests across Wisconsin and beyond, and has recently seen success with decoys he has entered into the Ward World Championships, claiming 1^st place in species for a scaup working pair, 2^nd place in Puddle Duck division for his contemporary antique preening pintail and a 3^rd place finish recently in 2021 for his scaup working decoy.  In 2020 Bruce was honored along with ten other national carvers as a Celebrity Carver for Delta Waterfowl’s Yearly fundraising decoy, quite an honor for any carver!

Bruce continues to carve today in his retirement, spending countless hours in the shop, while continuing his avid waterfowling with his two boys and grandchildren.  If you can’t find Bruce in the shop, he is either on a boat during duck season, in a tree during deer season, or taking in a sporting event for one of his several grandchildren.

Decoys from Bruce are currently available by direct commission, while some may be available on the secondary auction market.  Many of Bruce’s decoys are donated to fundraising events for conservation organizations like WWA, DU, and Delta Waterfowl.  Bruce has also been highlighted in articles for Gun Dog Magazine, Delta Waterfowl Magazine and NBC 26, among other publications.

Currently Bruce resides in Southern Oconto County on 30 acres of wetland with his wife, Diane, and in close proximity to his two sons and their families.

Some of Bruce’s earliest work is held under lock and key with his two sons, Bryan and Eric. It’s safe to say Bruce’s carving skills have come a long way since his first attempts in the late 90’s!   Catch Bruce at almost any WWA event and he will happily talk carving with you over a beverage or two, truly a Wisconsin & National Carving treasure, right here in Northeastern Wisconsin.