Stiller Family of Decoy Carvers (August, William and Donald)-Green Bay, WI

A Decoy Corner Article

By Bruce Urben, WWA President

Pictured above: a Stiller Decoy from the author’s personal collection

The Bay of Green Bay is a waterfowl stopover on the south migration each fall. Thousands of diver ducks and puddle ducks congregate there in preparation for their trek south. Market gunners and families trying to make ends meet during the Depression years hunted the Bay heavily beginning in the 1800’s. Trapping, fishing, and waterfowl hunting were staples back then. The Bay remains a “destination” for waterfowl hunters across the Midwest.

One family was active in waterfowl hunting and decoy making on the Bay at the turn of the century, and this month’s article highlights the Stiller family and their role in decoy carving on the Bay of Green Bay.

August Stiller was the patriarch of the Stiller family. He was born in 1865 and immigrated to Wisconsin. August married Julia (Bröckl) Stiller, and they had 5 sons: Oswald, Emil, Paul, Bruno, and William. William married Cordelia (Tootsie) Stiller and settled in the Green Bay area. Together they had two sons, Milan and Donald. Milan was not destined to be a waterfowler, but Donald followed in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps as an avid decoy carver, hunter, and fisherman, spending 4 decades on the Bay of Green Bay. Early on, the family hunted the Bay to feed their families and worked as commercial fishermen; later, William’s son (Donald) became a very successful waterfowl guide on the Bay and adjacent marshes. Donald’s older brother and several of his Uncles pursued a livelihood outside Green Bay, from Chicago to Peshtigo, and several slowly moved away from waterfowl hunting and the Bay. Don Stiller worked in commercial fishing, waterfowling, and guiding on Green Bay for most of his life. In Donald’s own words, he was born with a shotgun in his hand.

According to records in Don Stiller’s book “Stiller Duck Camp” (1994, Alt Publishing), most of the decoys they used were carved by August, William, or Donald. Unfortunately, all the Stiller decoys I have seen have no documentation on the bottom, except for “Stiller” on a few. They carved solid-wood decoys, which were quite heavy, as most were oversized for use on the Bay. Later, they used commercial decoys made of plastic, Styrofoam, papier-mâché, and rubber to offset the weight. None of the commercial decoys available could attract ducks like their handmade, oversized, high-head wooden decoys, however!

Stiller decoys were fashioned from local pine or cedar, and most were crudely constructed. Their paint scheme was very basic with little detail or shading. Only a few of their decoys were provided feather detail, probably because of the hard use they saw and the need for frequent repainting. Most of their decoys are fitted with glass eyes and include some bill carving. The bills were quite large to reduce breakage in handling. Many of the bodies were made of several laminated wood layers and were only rasped to finish.

Donald’s summary of his hunting “guests” in his book was quite impressive and from notable, local, and Wisconsin family businesses: doctors, Dentists, Paper Co. owners, Harley-Davidson (Milw. HD Motorcycles), DNR Board members, Foundry owners, Bankers, Pharmacists, priests, and Green Bay Packers players and Coaches. Waterfowl hunters from all over the Midwest sought out Don and his Dad for a memorable waterfowl experience!

It is unknown how many decoys the Stiller family carved, but most were working decoys made for their own use. We do know that several Stiller decoys are in the hands of local Wisconsin collectors and are considered “Folky” examples of Wisconsin decoy heritage.

August Stiller’s date of death is unknown; William Eugene Stiller died on March 17th, 1992, at age 93. Donald Stiller passed away in 2011.

The Stiller family offspring are still actively involved in waterfowl hunting on the Bay of Green Bay—4 generations of Wisconsin Original Waterfowlers following the family tradition.