Jeff Duxbury, an avid conservationist, has a deep rooted love of the outdoors. Raised in upstate New York, he developed a reverence for nature through hunting, fishing and hiking in the vast Adirondack Park. Jeff went on to develop his technical knowledge of Biology and the Arts at Susquehanna University. While in college, he discovered his interest in duck decoys while waterfowling on the local river. Jeff's first decoys were carved for family and friends. After eight years of developing his craft, Jeff opened Dux' Dekes decoy company in 1987. Since then , Jeff's wood carvings have been sold throughout North America and internationally.
Jeff uses his field experience and carving abilities to work with various organizations on conservation projects. He is a member of Ducks Unlimited, and is the current president of the nationally recognized Waterfowl Improvement Association. Along with the membership of the WIA he implemented the State and Federal woodduck population monitoring program in his area of New York state. Jeff has been asked by such prestigious organizations as the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Audubon Society to develop and carve decoys for their waterbird restoration projects. These projects involved re-establishment of black terns in New York state, common murres in Maine and California, and Layson albatross chicks in Hawaii.
Dux' Dekes decoy company is a small, family operated workshop in the Adirondack Region of New York State. All of the duck decoys are carved from Northern White Pine obtained from local managed forests. Since proper drying procedure is crucial to ensure the integrity of the finished carving, we purchase pine "green" from area sawmills and dry it in our own kiln. When the wood is dry, each piece is then cut and carved in the shop using turn of the century tools and techniques.