meet the decoy carvers
WELCOME
TO OUR DECOY SHOP!
Greetings from Margie and Jim Wicks, a couple who enjoys carving decoys in our shop located in Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula.
 Marge & Jim Wicks
decoy carver jim wicks Jim has been carving since his boyhood days in the Grand Traverse Bay area. He has won numerous awards and ribbons for his gunning duck decoys since his first entry into competition in 1967. His carvings are on display at the Michigan State University Museum in East Lansing, and at other museums across the country. He has been asked to judge at several decoy competitions and is a lifetime member and Past President of the Michigan Decoy Carvers and Collectors Association.

Jim has been featured on several televised outdoor programs presenting winter spear-fishing, carving and waterfowl hunting. The programs include the popular Mike Avery's Outdoor Magazine, seen on the Outdoor Channel, and Discovery with Buck LeVasseur, on WLUC-TV, Marquette.

Margie started carving in 1984 after meeting Jim and has also won ribbons for her decoys. We combined talents in 1987 and make a variety of wildfowl carvings, shorebirds, fish decoys and other related wildlife gift items.
We were honored to be invited to participate in demonstrations of Michigan folklore at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC in 1987. Our presentation focused on fish decoy carving and winter spear fishing as a Michigan tradition. Our display included fish decoys, carving demonstrations, a full-size shanty and related equipment.
 decoy carving

In 1988, Jim was presented with the Michigan Heritage Award by the Michigan Traditional Arts Program of the Michigan State University Museum and the Michigan Folklore Society for “his contribution to Michigan cultural heritage as a practitioner and educator in the tradition of carving fish decoys for spear fishing through the ice.”

We are both retirees from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and enjoy the vast array of outdoor activities that are available to us in "God's Country," the Superior half of Michigan.

please feel free to e-mail us!

jimw@SouthLakeDecoys.com&margie@SouthLakeDecoys.com
Meet Egypt, our official greeter and guard dog.


...And remember two of our best friends that we lost in 2003.
Joey, the frisbee dog, 9/90 - 8/03; and Angel, the sweetheart, 4/93 - 12/03
JoeyAngel

click picture below for a larger view of our dogs taken in the autumn of 2002