Orville E. Flater – Decoy Carver From Omro WI
The City of Omro is located in Winnebago County, about 20 minutes west of Oshkosh, Wi. It is located on the Fox River and is about 10 miles from Lake Butte des Morts to the north and about 10 miles from Lake Poygan to the Northwest. I know firsthand that waterfowling west of Omro is first-rate, based on our success there over the last few years. Poygan and Butte Des Morts hold a large number of waterfowl each fall and spring. Those lakes are surrounded by many agricultural fields and wetland marshes, which serve as feeding and resting spots for the fall migration!
Orville Flater hunted waterfowl in the cane beds near Terrell’s island on the western end of Lake Butte Des Morts. He was a hunting partner of Wilbert Koch (see Ron Koch decoy corner article) and Russ Wagner, both exceptional Winnebago decoy carvers.
Orville E. Flater was born on July 22nd, 1929, to Edwin and Theresa Flater and lived with his parents near Omro. Orville served his Country in the US Navy, returned from service after the war, and married his wife, Joyce. Orville lived in the small village of Reighmoor, in the Town of Omro, near the west end of Lake Butte des Morts, for many years.
In the 1950’s, Orville began carving decoys for his use on Butte Des Morts. It is estimated that he carved several hundred decoys for his use and some close friends. He mainly carved bluebills and canvasbacks, but also carved mallards, coots, and teal. Orville attached his heads to the body with a dowel from the bottom of the decoy extending into the head. Almost all of his working decoys have the dowel visible from the bottom of the decoy. Many of his decoys included wing and tail feather carving, which was unusual for many Winnebago carvers! He used a simple but bold block-style painting with little or no blending. Some of his decoys are signed “O Flater”.
Orville moved to Brantwood, Wi., northwest of Tomahawk in 1974. He was a regular at Calhoun’s auto shop meeting and carving with his friends. As an accomplished decoy carver, Orville was featured in Ron Koch’s book “Decoys of the Winnebago Lakes”. He attended many art and craft fairs in the North Woods, winning many ribbons and awards for his work. He also donated many carvings to the Minocqua Wildlife Center for fundraising. In his retirement, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, and watching the many bird species at his feeders.
Orville passed away on December 28th, 2012, at the Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff at the age of 88.
Orville’s decoys are in high demand by Wisconsin collectors. In 2025, an auction sold one of his canvasbacks for $500. Unfortunately, his decoy production was relatively low, but what a pleasure it would be to have a Flater decoy on your mantle shelf!
Orville E. Flater, another Wisconsin Original waterfowler and Decoy carver from the Winnebago Lakes.
