MINT RARE SUPERB 100% ORIG DRAKE WIGEON c1969 RON KOCH WISCONSIN WOOD DUCK DECOY

 

Ronald Mathew "Ron" Koch




 

• Winnebago Lakes Region

OMRO is a town in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States. The City of Omro and the unincorporated communities of Harbor Springs, Reighmoor, Rivermoor & Zion are Located in the Town. 

• Ron Koch is "84 Years-Old" & Has Been One of the Area's Most Enduring & Talented Carvers ........ as Well as an Effective & Important Researcher, Historian, Collector & Conservationist of the Region & the Region's Decoys and Carvers!!

(Picture Below): Ron Koch Carving with a Draw-Knife in His Shop Years Ago:











Birth Name:.... Ronald Mathew Koch






Birth Date:  July 9, 1939   ~Oshkosh, Winnebago, Wisconsin






 

• Now "84" Years Old, His Books on the "Winnebago Lakes Decoys", Remain the Most Comprehensive References on Wisconsin Decoys!

 

• Ron Koch Spent Most of his 84 Years in the Winnebago Lakes Region of Wisconsin ........ He was An Avid Waterfowl Hunter, Decoy Collector & Historian ........ Wrote the Wisconsin Decoy Bible "Decoys of the Winnebago Lakes" ......... and was So Highly Regarded He's Included in the Famed Loy Harrel's 2007 Book "Decoys: "Sixty Living & Outstanding North American Carvers"!!

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(photos below): An AWESOME 100% ORIGINAL PAIR of RON KOCH "SHOVELER" GUNNING DUCK DECOYS with HIS TYPICAL SCRATCH-PAINT for WING FEATHERS!!













(photos below): A SUPERB & ATYPICAL, 100% ORIGINAL PAIR of RON KOCH'S "BLUE-WINGED TEAL" GUNNING DUCK DECOYS!!













(photos below): A SUPERB 100% ORIGINAL PAIR of RON KOCH, LONG-TAILED, "WOOD DUCK" GUNNING DUCK DECOYS with HIS TRADE-MARKED "SCRATCH-PAINTED, WING PRIMARY FEATHERS"!!













(photos below): An AWESOME, EARLIER PAIR of TYPICAL "WINNEBAGO LAKE" 100% ORIGINAL PAIR of RON KOCH "BLUEBILL" GUNNING DUCK DECOYS!!














(photos below): An WONDERFULLY SCRATCH-PAINTED, EARLIER, TYPICAL "WINNEBAGO LAKE" STYLE, RON KOCH "BLACK DUCK" GUNNING DUCK DECOY!!












(photos below): LIKE MANY, TYPICAL "WINNEBAGO LAKE" STYLE DECOYS & MOST of KOCH'S, THESE MALLARDS SHOW HIS 3/4" BOTTOM BOARDS on HIS GUNNING DUCK DECOYS!!













(photos below): A PERFECT COOT DECOY EMULATING the STYLE and FORM of the GREAT GUS MOAK!!












(photos below): TYPICAL "WINNEBAGO LAKE" STYLE & FORM with "SCRATCH-PAINTED HEN'S WINGS" and LIKE ALMOST ALL of HIS DECOYS, "HOLLOW with 3/4" BOTTOM BOARD"!!













(photos below): TYPICAL "WINNEBAGO LAKE" STYLE, RON KOCH "HEN BLUE-WINGED TEAL" GUNNING DUCK DECOY with HIS TRADEMARK "COLD-STAMP" & RIGGING!!















________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________









This OUTSTANDING, c1969 RON KOCH "DRAKE BALDPATE WIGEON" CARVED & CONSTRUCTED JUST LIKE the TYPICAL "WINNEBAGO LAKES REGION" & WISCONSIN STYLE, FORM with HIS ATYPICAL SCRATCH-PAINTED WINGS:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________









(photos below): REAL "DRAKE BALDPATE WIGEON" in the WILD So You Can SEE HOW AWESOME this RON KOCH DECOY up for Auction REPRESENTS the SPECIES; IT'S "TRULY" MADE in the WISCONSIN STYLE:


























_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


 

(photos below): This is a PERFECTLY-RIGGED, 55-YEAR OLD, c1969 RON KOCH "BALDPATE WIGEON" with TYPICAL ROUND WEIGHT ATTACHED with a SINGLE SCREW ..... with REMOVED SCREW-EYE, LINE-TIE!!





 

• With 6 "HARD-TO-SEE" PUTTY-FILLED, RECESSED SCREW HOLES that ATTACHED the 3/4" BOTTOM BOARD to the HOLLOWED BODY!!

(photos below): Ron Koch's Trade-Marked "Cold-Stamp" on the Bottom with Typical, Thick, Grayish-Tan Paint!!











(photos below): Ron Koch's Trade-Marked, Black Ink, Typical Stamp:




 

• It Reads: "KOCH DECOY" -and- "RIVERMOOR" -and- "OMRO, WIS."

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




















(photos below): Just Look at the Anatomically Precise & Very Thick & Detailed Daubed, Stippled, Straight Stroke & Scratch-Painted Oil Paint From Top & Bottom and Right & Left Angles!!






 

• ALSO; PHOTOS of the PRECISE & ATYPICAL "WINNEBAGO LAKES" REGION CARVING & CONSTRUCTION!!

 

• OUTSTANDING TURNED HEAD STYLE & FORM: PERFECT PAINT, LARGE "LIFE-SIZED" & "SPECIES PERFECT" FORM & SHAPE WOULD FOOL ANY WILD DUCK of ANY SPECIES as it WOULD SWIM with PERFECTION!!

THESE (4) PICTURES BELOW are FROM the "TOP" & "BACK" SIDES &  FROM the FRONT & REAR ANGLES:
























(photos below): TOP & CLOSE-UP PICTURES: OF the PERFECT, BASIC & "ELONGATED", "SMOOTH-SANDED SURFACE" -and- "WINNEBAGO LAKES & GENERAL WISCONSIN STYLED" NECK, HEAD & BODY:
















(Photos Above & Below): Note the "TYPICAL TRADE-MARKED" RON KOCH "SCRATCH-PAINT to the WING'S PRIMARY FEATHERS He's KNOWN FOR ........ PLUS the DAUBED BACK-FEATHERS, PRECISE WING COVERTS & SPECULUMS & TAIL PAINT!!












(Photos Below): Note the Reddish-Brown Sides Daubed with Light Tan Feathering that Blends Perfectly into the Gray-Brown Back with Daubed Tan Feathering!!

















________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

(pictures below):  The HEAD of this AMAZING 55-YEAR OLD, WINNEBAGO LAKES & WISCONSIN STYLED "DRAKE WIGEON'S HEAD":   From SEVERAL ANGLES; Note the GRAY-BROWN STIPPLING to the TAN NECK & CHEEKS & GREEN EYE-PATCH ....... PRECISELY & BASIC CRISP-CORNERED WHITE TOP CREST with SMALL DOTS NEAR the BILL ....... and SUPERBLY CARVED BILL with PRECISE, BILL/HEAD SEPARATION, MANDIBLES, NOSTRILS & NAIL!!







 

• LIFE-LIKE, "TURNED" HEAD with a PERFECT THICK "MEDIUM-BLUNT" BILL with NICE & VERY DEEPLY CARVED-IN, BILL/HEAD SEPARATION, NOSTRILS and PAINTED-ON NAIL ........... and the HEAD is TIGHT LIKE-NEW as it was ATTACHED with a DOWEL & MARINE-GLUE to the RAISED NECK SEAT ............. WHERE they MEET FLAWLESSLY SO MUCH SO IT'S HARD to SEE the SEAM!!!

 

• PERFECTLY LOCATED EYES with the PRECISION of a CALIPERS ....... with PRECISELY CARVED IN to a PERFECT DEPTH, "DECOY GRADE, MEDIUM-BROWN" QUALITY GLASS EYES!!!

(Photo Below): Note Ron Koch's Letter "B" Cold-Stamped Under the Bill:













________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________









(photos below): REAL "DRAKE BALDPATE WIGEON" in the WILD So You Can SEE HOW AWESOME this RON KOCH DECOY up for Auction REPRESENTS the SPECIES; IT'S "TRULY" MADE in the WISCONSIN STYLE:


























______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

RARE & MINT; SUPERB "HOLLOW" GUNNING BLOCK; "WINNEBAGO LAKES" STYLE; c1969; 55-YEAR-OLD "RON KOCH"; "DRAKE BALDPATE WIGEON"; WOOD DUCK DECOY; (Omro, Wisconsin)






 

• EXCELLENT PATINA to the ORIGINAL 55-YEAR OLD OIL PAINT and ORIGINAL RIGGING!!

 

• AWESOME "ALERT-HEADED, LONGER NECKED, SLIGHTLY TURNED to the DECOY'S RIGHT ......... "WELL-HOLLOWED" with a BOTTOM BOARD, 1-LB. 10-OZ. "LONG & POINTED, WIGEON-TAILED" GUNNING BLOCK!!

 

• YOU COULD GRAB this DECOY and SWING IT AROUND by the HEAD and IT WOULD BE JUST FINE ....... HEAD HELD ON by a LARGE GLUED & CLAMPED DOWEL!!

 

• OUTSTANDING "BALDPATE WIGEON" HEAD & BILL with SUPERB, TEXTURED, DAUBED, STIPPLED & BLENDED PAINT ................ AWESOME HEAD has DEEP CARVED-IN HEAD/BILL SEPARATION, NAIL, NOSTRILS & MANDIBLES!!

​




 

• SUPERB VERY HIGH & CONCISELY CARVED NECK SEAT ....... HAS an ALMOST INVISIBLE SEAM ....... JUST LIKE the ALMOST INVISIBLE SEAM WHERE the BOTTOM BOARD was ATTACHED!!!

 

This LIFE-SIZED, LONG & POINTED-TAILED, GUNNING BIRD COULD BE SEEN by WILD DUCKS from QUITE a DISTANCE as its HOLLOW CONSTRUCTION WOULD LET it RIDE HIGH:








 

• This Life-Size Drake Baldpate Measures:

​
 

• 15-3/8" long x 5-1/8" wide x 7" tall
  
  
  
   
• -and-

• This Well-Hollowed, Bird Weighs: 1-lb. 10-oz.

MINT CONDITION, NOT A CHIP, DENT, CHECK, KNOT, RUB or NICK OF ANY KIND!!







 

• The Brown Glass Eyes Were Perfectly Carved In and Located and Are in Perfect Condition!!

NEVER GUNNED OVER ........ PERFECTLY INTACT ROUND "HAND-CAST" LEAD BALLAST with the LINE-TIE CAREFULLY REMOVED ......... RON KOCH'S COLD-STAMP BRAND & BLACK INK-STAMP on the BOTTOM!!







 

• Carved and Painted in the Style of the Decoys of the Winnebago Lakes Region of Wisconsin; Some Look Like his Good Friend Gus Nelow's & a Few Resemble Gus Moak's Work ......... But Certainly Most of his Decoy's Emulate Other Style's of Decoys Carved by the Winnebago Lakes Region Makers or Other parts of Wisconsin!

 

• Ron Koch's Decoys Are the Typical, Hollowed from the Bottom, with a 3/4" Bottom Board!

​

IF YOU LIKE GUNNING DECOYS from the "LAND OF THE COOT DECOY", THIS is also a GREAT GUNNING BIRD to ADD to YOUR COLLECTION!!













 

This 55-Year Old, Decoy is So Solid and Structurally Mint & Perfect That it Could Be Hunted Over Tomorrow and Swim and Perform Like it Was Made Yesterday!!

The Description of this Awesome Decoy up for auction!




 

This Vintage, 66+ year old, wonderfully carved and painted hollow cedar c1969 "Drake Baldpate Wigeon" duck decoy was carved and painted by Renowned Decoy Carver, Wisconsin Decoy Historian and Collector Ronald "Ron" Koch of Omro, Wisconsin. Ron Koch was born to his father Wilbert Koch (1915-1983) and his mother Kathryn "nee Deux" Koch (1909-1983) on July 9, 1939. Ron is particularly famous for not only his decoys that were carved in the style, fashion and construction of the greatest decoys in Wisconsin's long history of waterfowl gunning, but also for he and his wife Connie's arduous work documenting and preserving much of the history of Wisconsin's carvers and makers, particularly those from the Winnebago Lakes Region. Together, the Koch's labored for months researching carvers and decoys from an area that encompasses Appleton, Wisconsin in the north and Fond du Lac in the south, including the creeks and tributaries of the Fox River.






 

The Knowledgeable and Talented Ron Koch, who began waterfowl hunting in 1954, and began carving decoys in 1955 when he we around 16 years old. Ron paid his dues as one of his responsibilities was to sequester a prime gunning spot in the marsh for the senior gunners, which required that he wake up in the middle of the night at 2 a.m. to accomplish what was required of him. In 1955 he studied carving with Orv Flater, a neighbor and noted decoy carver. Ron's earliest carvings were called "Crobes" by his father Wilbert and Orv Flater, and Crobes is a not so complimentary name for "Klunker". However, it took no time for Ron to begin mastering the craft and he was soon making fine, classic Wisconsin decoys. In addition to his 2 editions of the book "Decoys of the Winnebago Lakes", he has written other books and being the consummate writer he is, countless people have enjoyed the many fascinating articles that were published in the magazine "Hunting and Fishing Collectibles" before they closed the business and while he was Senior Field Editor and Columnist. Also, of special interest to many was his brief one-page articles at the back of the magazine's issues for 10 years under the title, "The Back Shelf" by Ron Koch. For 5 years, he also wrote an article for Hunting and Fishing Collectibles entitled "From a River rat's Rig", which was the lead-off issue of the magazine.






As mentioned, Ron Koch began waterfowl hunting in​ 1954 and quit in 2014, and has hunted all the lakes and rivers in the Winnebago region as well as other areas in Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada. At the age of 17 Ron Koch made his first decoy purchase which was 4 goose decoys for $10.00 from famous carver and eventual good friend of Koch, Gus Nelow (1874-1961), who is and was an inspiration for a great many of his own decoys but with twist of his own style and form. Those 4 goose decoys that were his first purchase now grace the shelves of his 4 daughters.





 

Ronald Mathew "Ron" Koch was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on July 9, 1939. His family moved to the small town of Reighmoor on the shores of Lake Butte des Mortes in 1947. Ron has been an avid duck hunter since 1954, rarely missing a day of hunting until 2014. Ron carved his first decoy in 1955 with the help of a neighbor. He routinely visited the decoy carving shop of Gus Nelow near Oshkosh and used Nelow decoys early for much of his duck hunting.






Ron Koch and his wife Connie were married on May 23, 1959, and they raised their four girls at Rivermoor, near the confluence of the Wolf and Fox rivers in Winnebago County, near the site of one of the first French-Native American Indian trading posts which was on the Fox River itself. Ron began carving wooden hunting decoys in large numbers in the 1970’s and has completed thousands of them. His carving was influenced by the decoys of Gus Nelow who lived near him in Rivermoor but also learned a lot from carvers Les Beattie and Charley Brisky who also lived in the area. Ron has been an avid antique decoy collector for some time and is highly respected for his knowledge of most of the Wisconsin carvers.

Ron is not only a very respected carver, but also a highly successful book writer. He wrote the book "Decoys of the Winnebago Lakes" in 1988 after he was frustrated with the lack of published material about the area’s historic carvers. During the early 1990’s he was a contributing writer for "Decoys Magazine", which many believe brought Winnebago decoys to the national stage. In 1997 he wrote his second book, "Whispering Wings and Wooden blocks". In 2000 he was named field editor of the "Hunting and Fishing Collectibles Magazine" (HFCM) and penned a back page article titled the "Back Shelf". His third book was titled "Back Shelf", which is a collection of his articles from HFCM. In 2007, Ron was selected for inclusion in the book, “Sixty Living and Outstanding Carvers of North America” by Loy Harrell.

Ron Koch carved wooden decoys almost exclusively from cedar and pine. He almost always paints with acrylics and has painted thousands of decoys, including geese, mallards, teal, canvasbacks, scaup, coot and pintail in majority. His style is influenced by Nelow, with a flair of his own. Most of his decoys were carved as working decoys. Most, if not all, of Koch’s decoys are stamped with his name and location (Koch Decoys, Rivermoor, Omro, Wis).

Ron Koch’s coot decoys are probably the most sought after examples of his work to date. Ron has been a regular at the Wisconsin Decoy Collector Show and was a routine vendor at that show for many years as well. In 2013, Ron Koch was contacted by Cabela's and asked if he would be willing to make some of his hunting decoys and waterfowling memorabilia available for a permanent exhibit at their new store in Green Bay, Wisconsin. After some tough negotiations, he let some of his prized possessions go and they are on display there.








Ron Koch has not only been a hunter, carver, writer and historian over the years, but he has also been a long-time member of Ducks Unlimited, Midwest Decoy Collectors Association (now the north American Decoy Collectors Association), the National Rifle Association, Minnesota Decoy Collectors and Berlin Conservation Club. Ron is also a former member of the Fox Valley Gun Club, the Amateur Trap Shooting Association and Butte des Morts Conservation Club.








This Drake Baldpate Wigeon decoy was carved in the style Gus Nelow and other great vintage Wisconsin duck decoys with origins from Oshkosh, the Lake Winnebago region, as well as other decoys from other regions of Wisconsin. It is so well conceived and executed that in addition to some Gus Nelow influence, this Wigeon looks like some of the decoys from Lake Winnebago, the largest lake in this area, that also included surrounding Lakes Butte des Morts, Poygan, Green, Partridge, Puckaway, Rush and Winneconne. This area, which is often referred to as being part of the Winnebago district, was once referred to as being the "Canvasback Capital of the World" from the mid 1800's to the turn of the century and this Ron Koch decoy perfectly captures the look, size, style, paint and carving that was done there 50 to 100 years earlier. Gigantic flocks of migrating canvasbacks, redheads and bluebills worked these lakes feverishly in search of the once plentiful wild celery that was teeming here. In addition to the huge flocks of divers, coots and the spectacle of the huge flocks and the outstanding waterfowl hunting was enough of a draw that hunters came from across the country, and even royalty came from overseas to enjoy the excellent waterfowl gunning. The ample food and the relative calm waters as compared to the rougher Great Lakes was a perfect place for migrating ducks and geese to rest up and feed.






 

This Wisconsin inspired Mint Condition Drake Baldpate Wigeon decoy was very nicely and symmetrically perfectly carved with an extremely sturdy construction, a distinctively carved longer neck with very clean lines and still is rigged with its original weight.







 

This decoy up for auction is posed like many of the typical decoys of the region, as it is in an alert pose which only adds to the visibility of this high-profiled bird. This Decoy Up For Auction also has the typical raised head and neck seat that flows perfectly up into the very long, slightly-turned neck and ensuing high, very strong head with a bill that certainly captures the essence of the vintage old decoys and their emphasis on a big, sturdy, solid bill as well as very thick and high puddle duck tail. This decoy up for auction has perfectly carved in and mounted brown glass eyes which adds to its origin and appeal. This very neat decoy with an attitude looks like an adult, Male Baldpate Wigeon in the wild that has just landed and is looking around for danger before it nestles in to sleep or feed.







 

This very neat Ron Koch Baldpate Wigeon decoy has deeply carved in bill/head separation, mandibles, nail and nostrils, which were precisely cut in and look excellent. This decoy is as solid as the day it was made and the entire decoy is in stunningly outstanding condition without a single paint flake, chip, check, dent, rub or nick of any kind, which I am sure is due to it being very carefully handled in the collection or collections it has been in over the last 55 years. Excellent craftsmanship as this bird was made to take a beating and the head is firmly attached as the day this decoy was made. The head is clearly not in any jeopardy of breaking free as it was made and attached to last forever. This was likely achieved by using a "through dowel" construction where the dowel goes from inside the head and runs most of the length of the neck and then deep into the body and kept there with glue and clamped. I would think that Ron Koch would have also used a quality marine glue or other epoxy as the head on this decoy is absolutely solid to the body. This really is a great Winnebago Lakes styled Wigeon decoy and the entire bird was carved perfectly symmetrical. This Awesome Vintage Wisconsin inspired Decoy was obviously never gunned over, but I am sure that if it was it would have swam perfectly, rode high in the water and have been very visible to wild ducks and the heavy lead weight would have made this decoy swim nice and flat and stand up to a very decent water chop. The ballast weight was attached to the bottom with 1 screw and possibly some marine adhesive. Additionally, the line tie hole was likely made by a screw-eye so it would have been firmly attached to an anchor line.






A sight of a dozen or so of these awesome, medium-sized puddle or dabbling duck decoys must have been an interesting sight as they rode in unison riding over a nice chop on Lake Butte des Morts or wherever they would have been used. Finally, as far as the ballast weight is concerned, it must weighed a good 4 ounces or so to keep this big decoy righted and I am sure it is heavy enough if a good sized rogue way flipped this decoy it would have righted itself immediately and been ready in a second to resume its job of enticing wild birds in for a look see. The erect neck and head gives you the impression that this is a big adult baldpate wigeon that is looking for trouble on the water before it settles in to feed or rest. This classy and imposingly roughly 55 year old decoy is 15-3/8" long x 5-1/8" wide x 7" tall and Weighs a Very Well-Hollowed 1-lb. 10-oz., even with the lead ballast weight. This decoy is in perfect 100% original condition and based on no edge wear whatsoever, this decoy has been well cared for in collections since the day it was made, and based on the bright color the collections it graced were most assuredly free of direct sunlight and climate controlled. This is truly one of Wisconsin's more true-to-form, somewhat contemporary decoys and it would make a nice addition to any decoy collection. A truly awesome decoy to add to your collection of fine gunning decoys by one of the most talented carvers that is still active and making an incredible amount of different works of art. If you have any questions or would like an additional photo feel free to email me. Thanks for looking.







The First Photo at the beginning of this listing is of this Awesome Drake Baldpate Wigeon up for auction. The Next 4 Photos are of Ron Koch from Various Time Periods. The Next 14 Photos are Again of this Ron Koch Baldpate up for auction. The Next Photo is of the Book He is Featured In, and the Last 4 Photos are of Other Beautiful Ron Koch Decoys.










________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Below is Some Information About Gus Nelow, the Man that Ron Bought His First Decoys From and a Man that He Would Become a Life-Long Friend Of:




 

 

GUSTAV "GUS" NELOW; "Oshkosh, Wisconsin"

 

• (born: Nov. 19, 1874) - (died: April 20, 1961)

 

BELOW are PICTURES of SOME VINTAGE & AWESOME WISCONSIN DECOYS that this RON KOCH DECOY UP FOR AUCTION DOES a GOOD JOB of CAPTURING SOME OF or a SMALL PART of the ESSENCE OF: