A Fremont, WI Area Decoy Carver
A Decoy Corner Article
By Bruce Urben, WWA President
Moody Lind Bluebill. Photo: Wisconsin Sporting Collectibles
Fremont, Wisconsin was, and still is, a waterfowling mecca with its many backwaters and bays on the Wolf River. Fremont is located on the Wolf River in Waupaca County, near Partridge Lake and just eight miles north of Lake Poygan and the Winnebago chain. Waterfowling hotbeds also gave birth to many exceptional decoy carvers, some of whom made a living in providing decoys to area sport shops and local waterfowlers.
Lind Blackduck. Photo: Wisconsin Sporting Collectibles
Clifford “Moody” Lind was one of those carvers. Lind was born in 1905 and lived in or near Fremont his entire life. He was very good friends with, and a neighbor to, fellow carver Joe Gigl and his style was very much like Joe’s. Clifford began carving in the 1930’s out of necessity as he was an avid waterfowler himself. Most of his decoy bodies were oversized, but his heads were not. We know that he carved mallards, bluebills, canvasbacks and teal decoys. Most, if not all, of his decoy bodies were carved from cork that he sourced locally from discarded refrigeration insulation.
One way collectors can identify Lind’s decoys (because he rarely signed them) is through his head/neck placement on the body. Clifford’s neck on the head of his decoys do not blend into the chest of the decoy, but rather sit on the top of the body.
Clifford’s paint patterns are also similar to Gigl’s. There is a good amount of detailing in his puddle ducks, including a colorful speculum and some feathers, but his diving ducks used simple paint schemes. Some of his decoys were made without eyes, but most have glass eyes. All of his cork decoys include a bottom board to facilitate rigging for hunting.
A Lind decoy from the author’s personal collection. Photo: Bruce Urben
Clifford Lind’s decoys are popular with Wisconsin collectors and some in good condition have sold at auction for hundreds of dollars. It has been reported that Lind carved more than 1.000 cork decoys in his lifetime.
Clifford “Moody” Lind carved into the mid 1970’s and passed away in 1980.
Another fine Wisconsin Decoy carver from Fremont, WI.