Our East Coast Adventure Begins!

Having never been to the east coast we were excited to see what it had to offer and planned our route to keep us as close to the Atlantic as possible. 

We searched the internet and read dozens of blog posts looking for the perfect route that fit our interests with overnight stops in Newark DE, Rehoboth Beach DE, Assateague Island, Cape Charles VA, Cape Hatteras, Newport NC, Wilmington NC, Myrtle Beach, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Brunswick GA, Okefenokee Nat'l Wildlife Refuge finally arriving in Yankeetown FL on the 9th of January. As of right now it looks like we will be spending Christmas in the Charleston or Savannah area.

Our first stop was one that I was very excited about in Havre De Grace MD. Few things stir my imagination like old time waterfowl hunting. Back when the skies were filled with duck….so much so that old time hunters would say “The flocks blocked the sun like a cloud was passing by”. Les Koubau prints come to mind with images of duck hunters from the 1920’s and 30's. His art was not the most detailed but really captured the spirit of the times and stirs something deep inside me. 

Daybreak at the Marsh - Les Koubau

Trusting Bills - Les Koubau

The Chesapeake Bay was probably the most famous area for waterfowling at the time. Hand carved decoys, 10 gauge, 8 gauge and even 4 gauge shotguns, sink boxes and market hunting were all common back in that era. 

Since we were so close to the Chesapeake I began scouring the internet looking for a museum or historical site that we could go to and get an idea of what it was like back in the day. We found it in Havre De Grace at the Havre De Grace Decoy Museum.

The museum is fairly small but is broken into three sections; history of waterfowl decoys, waterfowl weaponry/boats and more modern wood-carved decoys. We walked each of the sections in awe of the talent of the carvers old and new, each with their own unique style. 

Back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s decoy carving was more about function than reality and detail but those are the ones that personally really get me excited. I used to own a few before full timing but sold them when we hit the road. 

The canvasback and scaup ducks were the most prevalent ducks in this area at the time so most of the decoys were of those two species.

Canvasback Decoys

A complete set of decoys attached to one another with string and wire

Sets of dozens and dozens of decoys were set around a  "Sink Box" or "Sink Boats". The boats were designed so the sides of the boat were at water level and the hunter was below the waterline for maximum concealment. The boat was set out in the middle of the bay and decoys were set on and around the blind. This set up was so effective that it was eventually outlawed. 

Sink Boat designed to be flat on the water and nearly invisible to ducks

Another method was to use sneak boats at night to sneak up on resting ducks. These boats were equipped with a lantern on the front and battery of guns made out of pipes on the front. They would then sneak up within range and shoot dozens of birds with one shot. 

Sneak boat with a lantern and battery of guns

Then there was the "Punt Gun" This shotgun was enormous and required a mount so the hunter could shoot it. Again these were outlawed in the 1918.

1860 Flintlock Punt gun

Then there were the shotguns designed for wing shooting (shooting flying ducks). Today the most common is the 12 gauge shotgun. A 12 gauge shotgun shell used for duck hunting will have anywhere 115-160 pellets in a shell. Back then they used 8, 7 and even 4 gauge shotguns allowing the hunter to shoot several hundred pellets per shell. These were all outlawed in 1938.

A old market gun

8 gauge shotguns

 Carving today is done much like it was a 100 years ago. They start with a block of wood and a hatchet. Chopping it into a rough shape before putting on a lathe which uses a template to get it into a more defined shape.

Decoy lathe with templates on the wall

They then use hand tools and sand paper to get it into the final product. 

There are a variety of “modern day” carvers from the 1930’s through today. Some of them still use the old “functional” decoy style while others have opted for the more detailed lifelike look. Both are beautiful in their own right. 

The Jim Pierce display

Charles Joiner Jr. display

Some modern old style carvings

Incredible detail!

The building next door was a famous the famous Bayou Hotel built in 1917 specifically for wealthy duck hunters who arrived by train to hunt the bay. Several presidents, actors and even Babe Ruth stayed at the hotel to hunt the bay.

After spending the night in the Cabela’s parking lot in Newark Delaware we are continuing our journey south to seek out one of Barb’s passions; Horses! We are off to Assateague Island to see the ponies!

We would love to hear from you about what other sights or attractions we should see along the way!