Duck Decoy Carver - Zach Benson

Famous Duck Decoy Carver

The world of waterfowl hunting is a niche that gets ever smaller when you start looking at world class duck decoy carvers. Like any fine art, the elites are in narrow company. Zach Benson is in that group. He began carving in college out of not being able to afford a decoy spread to hunt over. Years later he is known the world over for his one of a kind works of art. The process starts by harvesting cedar trees from his own property. That wood is then milled and laid to dry in his barn. After about a year it’s ready to use, at which point he hand carves each bird, then lays layer upon layer of oil paint.

WHAT MAKES A WORLD CLASS DUCK DECOY?

Early on Benson competed in shows like the Clayton Decoy Show and the Oregon Waterfowl festival. Both of which were great learning experiences, but he quickly learned that they came with too many rules. Art of any kind is subjective, but awards weren’t necesarily given to the best decoy, rather to the one that followed the rules. It did leave any room for creativity. The “winners” were birds that checked every box. So competing didn’t last long for Benson. He wanted to create art, not cookie cutter ducks. Now, the look he is so famously known for is an angry duck in an uncommon position. His ducks have attitude. They are one of a kind. So you’ll still see him year after year at the Clayton Decoy Show in Ohio, but not on the competition floor. Like a lot of other carvers, he shows newwork out of his hotel room - where people are encouraged to walk around room to room with a beer in hand. Aside from that, you have to follow Zach on Instagram, where he is very low key, sharing new work in his stories. And if you wait to long on purchasing his latest piece, it will already be gone.

Check out the article below which was published in the most recent issue of Wildfowl Magazine. You can also learn more about him from the VIDEO we made a short while back with Benelli.

Photograph of the best duck decoy carver

Famous duck decoy carver Zach Benson

Duck Hunting Photography

Duck Hunting Photographer

Views From The Duck Blind

People that have never been duck hunting probably picture something much different from the reality. I was certainly guilty of that myself. From the first time I pushed off a canoe into a marsh, those preconceived ideas were changed, and I was hooked. Being cold and wet doesn’t appeal to most, but wind and storms generally produce the most action, so you learn to love it. If you’re lucky enough to be in a marsh during a storm, and have the patience to put your gun down, you’re in for a beautiful show. The familiar landscape in front of you can change by the minute, producing colors and textures you just can’t find anywhere else.

These images were made in Turkey Point, Ontario, Canada.

Click here to see more of my duck hunting photography

Duck Hunting Photography

A couple photographs from a recent duck hunting trip to Ontario, Canada. What a pleasure it is to spend time with friends in places like this. The best weather for duck hunting is what everyone else would classify as bad weather. It increases your chances of getting ducks, but visually, it also puts on a show. During a storm, the way a marsh looks can change a hundred different times in one sitting, if you’re lucky. And for someone who has the patience to not hunt, watching mother nature is just as much fun as the hunting itself. There really is nothing like it.

Click here to see more of my duck hunting photography

Duck Hunting Photography

Waterfowl Hunting - Photography

It’s strange the way timing works in the world. We were working on the Carved in the Chapel documentary with my buddy Zach Benson for a few years and when it was finally set to be released on December 22nd, we happened to be together for a hunt on one of the Finger Lakes near Geneva, New York. Grateful for that.

It has to be about more than the hunt. Same goes for everything I do, but this is a hunting post, so we’ll stick to that. If your only reason for hunting is to kill an animal, then you don’t deserve to be out there. Sure that’s part of it, but there’s so much more than that. You have to like the journey and the effort. The Suffer Fest. I personally love all the other aspects surrounding a hunt just as much as the hunt itself. The anticipation. Getting there. Waking up early and not knowing if you’ll even be lucky enough to see a duck, let alone get one close enough where you have the opportunity to shoot it. If the kill were guaranteed, all the fun would be gone. There are a million things I could add to this list, like camaraderie, but we’ll leave it there for now.

Good times that day. Looking forward to the next one.

Benelli - Carved in the Chapel

Duck Hunting Documentary - Benelli

Waterfowl Culture - Photography

It’s a real honor to end 2021/begin 2022 with the introduction of this project that’s been a long time coming. Story telling is something I’ve become very passionate about but it becomes even more fun when you are able to tell the story of someone that’s just as passionate about what they do. And then the cherry on top comes when that person and all the people you’re working with are your friends. I’m very grateful for everything about this project and to be able to tell Zach Benson’s story. He’s a wildly talented guy that’s overflowing with enthusiasm for waterfowl hunting as well as the one of a kind duck decoys that he creates from scratch.

This was one of the first times that I chose to step away from the camera for the most part. Instead taking on the producer role and had a lot of fun with working with a team to create something we are all proud of. All of the beautiful visuals you see were shot by Jordan Valente. We really had a blast making this thing. Loved every second of it. The early mornings. Late nights. Days standing nipple deep in 50 degree water. Laughs. Good food. Whisky. Laughs. All of it.

Please enjoy this 14 minute documentary and feel free to share it with anyone you know that might appreciate Zach’s story. And you can follow along with him on Instagram @benson_decoys or on his website www.zach-benson.com

You can also view more of Jordan Valente’s work at www.amilewest.com Another part of the team was Stephen Werk who did a lot of the editing along with Jordan. He’s got a beautiful documentary of his own out called Sons of Mezcal.

Benelli - Carved in the Chapel