Gary Bryan, of Nashport, Ohio, is an avid duck hunter and award winning competition carver with over 20 years of experience as a carver and in excess of 10 years as a carving instructor and judge.  He has earned over 30 "Best of Show" awards from numerous carvers' associations.  His work, which graces many public and private collections, has been featured in Wildfowl Carving and Collecting and the International Wildfowl Carving Association's member publication.

We are proud to have Gary as one of our carving partners.  He has created the masters for our Rough Rider^® Blue Bill and Ring Neck species.

Mark Costilow, of Amherst, Ohio, is a self-taught, full-time professional carver with over 300 blue ribbons to his credit.  An enthusiastic duck hunter himself, he personally hand carves and paints over 200 gunning decoys each year.  Mark's work usually falls in the "traditional working birds" and "competition grade hunting decoy" categories.  He has consistently won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd "Best of Show" awards at such prestigious waterfowl competitions as Harve de Grace, Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition, North American Carving Championship, and California Open, among others too numerous to mention.

We thank Mark for creating the Mallard and Black Duck originals for our Rough Rider^® decoy line.

Bill Humphreys, of Heath, Ohio and founder of Blackwater Decoy Company, developed an interest in decoys from the passion for duck hunting he acquired at an early age.  It was his desire for a "better decoy spread" that prompted an interest in learning how to carve his own decoys.   His formal carving training began in 1991 under the watchful eye of Brooks Ferguson, Jr. of Virginia.  Bill learned the IWCA style of carving with its attention to anatomy and taxonomy, while maintaining the durability and functionality expected of a working class decoy.

Bill has conducted several seminars on the history of the production and use of hunting decoys at events such as the Westlake, Ohio Decoy Show, and has been invited to participate as judge at decoy carving competitions.  His written works have appeared both on the Internet and in printed publications such as Waterfowler.com and Michigan Outdoors.

Bill's carving skills are reflected in the masters he has carved for our Rough Rider^® Green Wing Teal and Canvasback.

Brooks Ferguson, of Warsaw, Virginia, is typical of all our carving partners.  An avid duck hunter since 1974, he took up carving having been motivated by the lack of a quality gunning decoy at a reasonable price.

Since he began carving in 1985, Brooks has accumulated well over 100 blue ribbons and numerous other awards.  In 1992, he took 3rd place at the IWCA National Hunting Championship and has twice received 2nd place honors in "Species" for his Redhead at the World Competition.

We are honored to have Brooks carve the original for our Rough Rider^® Redhead.