The use of decoys by hunters to attract wildfowl to within range of their weapons is indigenous to North America. The technique was devised by Native Americans, who used natural materials at hand to fashion decoys that were often abstract and temporary. As early as the eighteenth century, European colonists adapted the practice of hunting with decoys fashioned from wood as a means of gaining sustenance in an unfamiliar and untamed environment. Only vestiges of these early forms survive; the earliest decoys we see today are generally those made in the nineteenth century, when wood decoys achieved a high state of realism and were widely used by hunters seeking sport as well as food.

Decoys were made and used in groups called rigs. The two major types of decoys were stick-ups, used to attract shorebirds, and floaters, set in the water to lure wild ducks and geese. Specific forms developed in response to the migratory patterns of birds and local hunting conditions, and the decoys of the many sportsmen who became skilled carvers reflect their individual artistry. Factories established by the end of the century standardized the production of decoys, though the surface painting continued to be done by hand. The slaughter of wildfowl reached unprecedented proportions between the Civil War and World War I, prompting a series of government legislations between 1895 and 1928 that sharply curtailed the length of hunting seasons, outlawed the interstate sale of wildfowl, and banned the shooting of shorebirds entirely.

Stacy C. Hollander, "Decoys," in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 365.