Honoring the past
One of our goals is to honor the legendary carvers who laid the foundation for the carvers of today. The goal is to determine who among today’s practitioners can best replicate Charles Bergman’s show-stopping Pintail Drake decoy.
Originals can be found in private and museum collections and various auction venues. Photographic renditions can be found on numerous websites.
Charles Bergman’s great-grandchildren, Lori and Alen, will be part of the judging team.
The Columbia Flyway is known for its great waterfowl hunting, generating the need for realistic and effective decoys to lure birds into range. Lying at the mouth of the one of world’s mightiest rivers, the majestic Columbia, Astoria is a major stopover on the Flyway. As a result, it has long been a rich source of heralded decoy carvers.
The competition is designed to honor legendary carvers’ work which laid the foundation for that being turned out by the top carvers of our time.
See Division CBD. Charles Bergman Contest for details
See previous year's Honoring the Past photos below
Bergman Pintail Drake Pattern coming soon
Lori and Allen Bergman, grandchildren of the famous Astoria decoy carver, were the contest judges in 2019. They will join us on September 23 to judge the 2023 Bergman replica Pintail Drake contest.
Below are photos of the 2019 Bergman Mallard and 2022 Green Wing teal hen replica contests. No show in 2020 and 2021.
