First Wisconsin Shorebird Decoy Maker, Taxidermist, Museum Curator, and Noted Publisher
A Decoy Corner Article
By Bruce Urben, WWA President
In four spring shooting seasons in the late 1800s, more than 20,000 dowitchers were harvested in one lake in southern Wisconsin. Shorebirds.
They were a delicacy, and the feathers were valuable to hat makers in Chicago and Philadelphia. While shorebird hunting in Wisconsin was popular, no known decoy makers of shorebirds were noted until 1996, when the Milwaukee Public Museum identified a local artisan with a grand pedigree.
Ned Hollister was born in Delavan, WI. in 1876. His parents owned a general store in Delavan, and Ned grew up working in the store. However, his pastime was prowling the local wetlands, woods, and prairies whenever the opportunity allowed. Ned constantly brought home bird specimens, reptiles, and other small critters that bothered his mother. By the age of 10, Ned had completed a correspondence course on taxidermy.
In 1888, Ned’s principal in school encouraged him to continue his pursuit of ornithology. In 1892, Ned published his first article, “House Sparrows of Wisconsin”. He published six more articles before he was 20 years old, all about birds through his local research. Ned made his first shorebird decoys in 1896. Based on his research specimens, they were snipped out of tin and painted in realistic feather structure. He used these decoys for spring hunting until they were banned in the early 1900s, and later for harvesting his research specimens.
Ned published 165 articles or books in his lifetime, all dealing with some aspect of natural history. His most famous book, co-authored with Ludwig Kulien, was “Birds in Wisconsin”, published by the Wisconsin Natural History Society in 1903. Ned’s research into various species of shorebirds led him to conclude that market hunters’ overharvest was decimating some species. Ned worked several other jobs in his lifetime, including the Biological Survey in Alaska, collecting specimens, and in 1910, he became Assistant Curator of Mammals with the Smithsonian US Natural History Museum.
While Ned was away from his hometown, he maintained relationships with his family and friends in Wisconsin and returned every season to shoot at his favorite duck holes in Delavan.
What a discovery in 1996 when it was confirmed that Ned Hollister from Delavan, Wis., was the first in the State to make shorebird decoys! During his lifetime, he provided valuable information about shorebird ecology and effectively managed many bird species.
Ned Hollister passed away in November of 1924, following emergency gallbladder surgery. Ned Hollister, a Wisconsin original decoy maker, taxidermist, museum curator, noted publisher, and conservationist.
What a discovery in 1996!
