Shang Wheeler Exceedingly Rare Wood Duck Hen

Charles E. "Shang" Wheeler (1872-1949) Stratford, CT, c. 1920 This rare turned-head hen decoy exhibits carved bill detail, glass eyes, a delicate crest, and raised wing tips.

In 1923 Wheeler arrived on the competition carving scene with a bang. A newly formed conservation group led by Joel Barber called the Anti-Dusker Society sponsored one of the first decoy shows in the country in Bellport, Long Island. A carving competition held at the event was geared towards the hunters in attendance to further advance the concept of shooting over decoys.

The inaugural event attracted amateur and professional carvers from near and far, and it was Wheeler who took home top amateur honors. Joel Barber stated that Wheeler’s model had demonstrated, “the highest development yet reached in the American art of decoy carving.” According to authors Merkt and Lytle, “Wheeler carted off first prize at Bellport because he had introduced a new style to decoy painting.”

Due to Wheeler’s immense popularity in his own time, his decoys were in high demand and made their way up and down the Atlantic coast. One rig was used on South Carolina's Cooper River, which flows along the northern shore of Charleston.

Wheeler chronicles his decoys' success in Duck Shooting Along the Atlantic Tidewater: "... (a) friend wrote 'There are plenty of ducks here [Cooper River, South Carolina] but they are wild and if I am to get my measure of them, I'll have to get some better stools than I am using.'

"The writer [Wheeler] sent him a few good ones to try out and later received a letter saying, 'I had some bang-up duck shooting, better than the other fellows down here. My neighbor directly across the river... seems to think that I have some special kind of molasses and can't understand why all the ducks come to me. The real reason is... that I have the right kind of stool (yours) and it didn't take more than one look at his to know why the ducks pitch into my lot.'" Outstanding original paint with minor wear, and a few tight age lines.

Provenance: Private Collection, Virginia Private Collection

Literature: Henry C. Chitwood, "Connecticut Decoys," West Chester, PA, 1987, p. 72, exact decoy illustrated. Dixon MacD. Merkt.,"Shang. A Biography of Charles E. Wheeler," Spanish Fork, UT, 1984, p. 69, plate VII, similar decoy illustrated. Eugene V. Connett, ed., "Duck Shooting Along the Atlantic Tidewater," New York, NY, 1947, p. 73.

Provenance

Private Collection, Virginia Private Collection