Northern Paiute Duck Decoys

The marshes of the Great Basin were a storehouse of food for the Northern Paiutes. Insects, seed stalks, eggs, small animals, fish, and birds supplemented their diets.

Duck decoys were made and used by the Northern Paiute in the same manner as they are used today by hunters. The materials needed to make a decoy came from the marshes and desert. The Canvasback duck skin was the best material for making a decoy. Fifteen large tules, one armload of cattails, and one freshly killed duck were needed for a decoy.

Greasewood sticks, about a foot long, were needed from the desert. Tules were bent and tied. The center was hollowed out, tied with a piece of cattail rope to hold the body together, and the tail section trimmed to point upward. The tule decoy was covered and the duck skin pinned down around short twigs of greasewood. The bill was tied shut and the decoy was ready to set afloat.