Longtail by Captain Harry Jobes

Just like the redhead in the previous post, this longtail drake was carved and painted by Captain Harry Jobes of Havre de Grace, MD.  I ordered the longtail from Riverside Retreat  and Goosefoot Decoys as a combination birthday and Christmas present in early December of 2014.  The longtail is the second Captain Jobes decoy I have in my collection, to go along with matching buffleheads that I got for Grandpa P and Uncle Josh.

The longtail has a great paint job and a beautiful signature, including a date.  It had been a while since I had spent so much on a decoy, but given that it was carved by Captain Jobes and that I don't often see a longtail decoy, I thought it was worth the $85.

    It looks great on the south wall, next to my most recent purchase, the O'Neil bufflehead.

Redhead by Captain Harry Jobes

This drake redhead was carved and painted by Captain Harry Jobes, of Havre de Grace, MD.  I purchased the decoy for $48 at The Bird Store in Kill Devil Hills, NC, on the outer banks.  I visited The Bird Store this past June, with Grandpa P.  It was the second time I have visited the store, and the third purchase I've made there (matching Jobes buffleheads for Grandpa P and Uncle Josh, and an old ll bean cork widgeon for myself), and I am a big fan of the store.

The Bird Store has a long-standing relationship with Captain Jobes, and they have quite a few of his decoys for sale.  I have no idea of the age of this decoy, but I don't believe it's been hunted over, I believe it's always been a decorative decoy.  Regardless, it was carved by a legendary decoy maker (Jobes) who trained under another legendary carver (R. Madison Mitchell).  Also, it looks great on the shelf next to this beautiful canvasback.

Captain Jobes legacy lives on, as his three sons Bobby, Charles, and Joey all still actively carve and sell their decoys.  

North Carolina Bufflehead

This is a bufflehead decoy carved by David O'Neal from Ocracoke, NC.  At one time there was a weight attached to the bottom, but it has been removed.  There is an eye hook on the front to attach to a modern decoy cord and weight.  At 8.5 inches long and 4.5 inches wide, the decoy is slightly smaller than life-size.  There is no year on the bottom, and it does not look like it has been hunted over.

This was a Christmas 2015 purchase from ebay seller downptcoys and I got it for $35 total, including shipping.  As I did a little research, it looks like David O'Neal runs the Downpoint Decoy Shop in Ocracoke, NC along the outer banks.  We have vacationed in the outer banks several times, but always further north in Corolla.  The furthest south I've been is Kill Devil Hills, to visit The Bird Store.

The bufflehead is a nice little decoy, and is actually displayed next to a Capain Jobes longtail I had previously purchased.