The development of decoys in the central portion of the U. S. runs the length and breadth of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. It was second to none in the quality and quantity of its waterfowl.
From the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico the market hunters had a much shorter time period in which to apply their trade but the practice of decoying became a major asset for all the licensed hunters that followed.
The use of tupelo and cypress wood from the southern swamps distinguishes and separates the Louisiana carvers from their counterparts on the Great Plains.
