William Pepper

( - ) Cleveland, OH

William Pepper is classified as one of Ohio’s twentieth century carvers which means his lures were large and solid with flat bottoms. Rounded lines distinguish the birds’ features, and stylized heads make Pepper’s working decoys seem more like folk art. Pepper designed his decoys with inletted weights and glass eyes. The characteristic that sets his decoys apart from the others, however, is the bill; each one is inletted and removable to afford repairs. William Pepper produced bluebill and canvasback decoys in rigs for his own hunting purposes.