A Decoy Corner Article
By Bruce Urben, President
Rudy Knuth Blackduck
Wisconsin has been blessed to have had many exceptionally talented decoy carvers. The majority started carving in the 1900’s, when waterfowling was not just a sport, but a way to put groceries on the table. Many Wisconsin carvers are well known because of their style, paint scheme or ability to depict a duck in its natural environment. All of them proved that they were efficient in fooling ducks in the wild.
Several months ago I received a call from a retired Game Warden from Michigan, Mike Holmes. He had read one of my articles in the “Decoy Corner” and decided to ask me for advice about a collection of decoys he had from a carver located in Land O’ Lakes, on the border of Wisconsin and Michigan. Holmes had recently retired and was considering selling his collection and traveling with his wife. After talking with him, it was clear that we have several mutual friends from my time working for WDNR. I shared my advice with Mike, as to several options to sell or auction his collection.
As it turns out, Mike Holmes is a carver himself, having been mentored by his good friend, carver Rudy Knuth. Mike told Rudy that he was going to write a book about Rudy as a decoy carver. Mike said that Rudy told him that no one cares about my old decoys, and especially not the old man that made them.
Mike did write the book and gladly sent me a copy.
Following is a short history of an exceptional decoy carver. From Mike Holmes’ book, titled “R. A. Knuth, Wisconsin/Michigan Decoy Carver 1892-1980″.
Rudy A. Knuth was born on January 16th, 1892 in Milwaukee, WI. By the age of 16 he became a pattern maker for a company in Milwaukee. Rudy loved northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Gogebic County and spent time near Land O’ Lakes duck hunting and fishing. In the early 1930’s, Rudy and his brother moved to Land O’ Lakes and started a lumber yard – Knuth Brothers Mill – on the Michigan side of Land O’ Lakes. When Rudy retired from the lumber business in 1965, it was only natural for him to seriously begin his career as a decoy carver.
Rudy Knuth Bluebill
Rudy did not sell any of his decoys, but he gave many away to friends and hunting companions. Others found their way to collectors from his rigs lost in storms, and a number were stolen from his decoy shed. The theft of his decoys prompted Rudy to begin branding all of his decoys on the bottom board with R.A. Knuth.
Rudy developed his own carving style, never copying any of the famous carvers in his area like Moak, Evans or Schmidt. His decoys are described as craftsmanship at its best. His decoy bodies were unique in that they consisted of two or four planed pieces of white pine. He always made a pattern for each decoy he made, based on his personal observations of ducks in the field.
Rudy used a technique where he would hollow each of the two or four planed pieces vertically, and then glue the body pieces side by side. He attached his two-piece heads with a dowel extending into the body and utilized patterns for each duck bill. He used very few power tools, but relied on primitive tools in carving.
Knuth carved Canada Geese, mallards, goldeneyes, redheads, blackducks, ringnecks, canvasbacks and several styles of bluebills. He even used his ingenuity and imagination to carve several flapping wing decoys. You won’t find any Knuth shorebirds or confidence decoys because the hunting was always good on Rice Lake and there were very few shorebirds in his area.
Rudy Knuth did not duck hunt in the last year of his life, but would travel with his wife to LacView Desert to watch the ducks and remember the hunting seasons of years past. Rudy passed away in the winter of 1980 at the age of 88.
Knuth decoys are prized by collectors in Wisconsin and Michigan. Several Knuth decoys sold at auction in 2017 and 2019 for several hundred dollars. Considering his decoy output was quite low, the value of his decoys will certainly increase in the future.
Rudy Knuth was an exceptional decoy carver. All of his decoys were done with quality in mind, imagination and individuality, and all were working decoys.
Thank you Mike Holmes for documenting Rudy’s life as a carver. Just maybe we will see some of his decoys from your collection for sale soon; and maybe even I can obtain a Rudy Knuth original.
Happy retirement and good travels, Mike!