A rare American carved and painted wood great horned owl decoy
A rare American carved and painted wood great horned owl decoy
Late 19th CENTURY
Size: 50cm high
Carved or stuff owls were used as decoys for crows which could not
resist harassing them. Crows were hunted as pests or for sport when the
game bird population declined and limits were placed on the number that
could be bagged, and on the length of the season during which they
could be shot. Crows are wary birds and having been shot at for a while they learn to
avoid congregating in large flocks on exposed tree branches or open
fields. However, they have a very curious nature and tend to feel
secure in the company of others, so this trait and their natural
antipathy for the owl would incite them to come in aggressive flocks to
bother and screech and the dummy owl so playing them into the hands of
the waiting sporting guns. This rare example has glass eyes and a beak fashioned from a claw and
has been made to sit on a ledge.
resist harassing them. Crows were hunted as pests or for sport when the
game bird population declined and limits were placed on the number that
could be bagged, and on the length of the season during which they
could be shot. Crows are wary birds and having been shot at for a while they learn to
avoid congregating in large flocks on exposed tree branches or open
fields. However, they have a very curious nature and tend to feel
secure in the company of others, so this trait and their natural
antipathy for the owl would incite them to come in aggressive flocks to
bother and screech and the dummy owl so playing them into the hands of
the waiting sporting guns. This rare example has glass eyes and a beak fashioned from a claw and
has been made to sit on a ledge.
A rare American carved and painted wood great horned owl decoy
SOLD