dux dekes

What dux dekes does

Dux' Dekes is a privately held, family-operated wood carving workshop founded in 1987 by Jeff Duxbury and based at 1356 North Road in Greenwich, New York, in the Adirondack Region. The company designs and produces handcrafted wooden decoys and related products using Eastern white pine sourced from local managed forests and tupelo wood, dried in-house via a proprietary kiln process that removes knots and checks before carving. Production relies on hand tooling and traditional techniques, with finished products sanded, drilled, and fitted with clear crystal eyes.

The product portfolio spans five interconnected categories: unfinished blanks (213 SKUs across 16+ bird categories including ducks, swans, geese, loons, songbirds, raptors, herons, and shorebirds), finished decorative decoys (33 SKUs), painting and carving instruction packets and books (21 SKUs including Nancy Baur packets and Bruce Burk's pattern portfolio), handcrafted rock maple serving boards with carved pine duck heads, and signature decoys marketed for use as event guest-book alternatives. Pricing is unit-based, ranging from approximately $5 for small parts to $580 for large finished decoys, with most unfinished blanks priced between $20 and $200.

Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the duxdekes.com e-commerce storefront and toll-free phone orders (800-553-4725), with domestic UPS shipping in the continental USA and international USPS shipping plus a $2.50 handling fee. The primary customer base consists of individual wood carvers and painters, decorative collectors, and educational classes and seminars; the company also develops custom decoys for conservation partners including the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Audubon Society on waterbird restoration projects. Revenue figures, headcount, and ownership beyond the founder are not disclosed.

Name

dux dekes

Legal name

Dux' Dekes Decoy Co.

Website

https://duxdekes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Dux' Dekes is a family-operated, Greenwich, New York woodcarving workshop that designs and sells handcrafted wooden decoys, unfinished carving blanks, serving boards, and painting instruction materials to individual hobbyists, collectors, classes, and conservation organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenwich

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Finished Decoy Sales: Pre-made finished decorative decoys sold directly to collectors and consumers. Products include ducks, swans, geese, loons, songbirds, wading birds, and cats in various sizes.
2. Unfinished Blanks Sales: Unfinished wooden decoy blanks sold to carvers and painters for customization. Available in multiple wood types (pine, tupelo) and configurations (with/without feet).
3. Serving Boards Sales: Handcrafted serving boards made from rock maple with carved duck heads, finished with mineral oil and beeswax coating.
4. Instruction Materials Sales: Painting instruction packets and books including Nancy Bauer painting instructions and Bruce Burk's Decorative Decoy Carvers Ultimate Painting & Pattern Portfolio.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Dux' Dekes designs, hand carves, and sells wooden bird decoys made from Eastern white pine and tupelo, along with unfinished carving blanks, finished decorative decoys, handcrafted rock maple serving boards, and instructional painting packets and books. The company supplies individual carvers, painters, decorative collectors, conservation organizations, and educational classes with custom carving available on request.

Product overview

Dux' Dekes is a family-operated handcrafted decoy company founded in 1987, based in Greenwich, NY. The company uses Eastern white pine and tupelo wood to produce handcrafted bird decoys and carvings. Its product portfolio consists of five interconnected offerings: (1) Unfinished Blanks — raw carvings sold to carvers and painters in a wide variety of bird species and poses, including Premier Blanks line offering extra realism; (2) Finished Decoys — fully painted, museum-quality decorative carvings across birds, waterfowl, wading birds, and songbirds; (3) Instructions — Nancy Baur's painting instruction packets and Bruce Burk's instructional books and pattern portfolios for decoy carvers; (4) Serving Boards — functional wood serving boards with carved duck head handles made from rock maple; and (5) Signature Decoy — specially designated unfinished blanks used as signature pieces at celebrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Unfinished Blanks Handcrafted decoy carvings in various bird species (ducks, loons, shorebirds, swans, songbirds, raptors, herons, geese, and more) made from Eastern white pine or tupelo. Available in multiple sizes, poses, and a Premier line with raised primaries and tertials for advanced realism. Finished sanded, eyeholes drilled, and clear crystal eyes installed. Sold to individual carvers and painters for customization.
• Finished Decoys Fully painted and finished handcrafted decoys and bird carvings suitable for home display. Categories include Wading Birds, Songbirds, Ducks, Swan & Goose, Loons & Waterfowl, and Cats. Designed for decorative collectors and gift purchasers.
• Instructions Decoy painting instruction packets and books for beginners and advanced painters. Includes Nancy Baur's easy-to-follow painting instruction packets for various bird species and Bruce Burk's instructional books and pattern portfolios for decorative decoy carvers.
• Serving Boards Handcrafted serving boards made from rock maple with a mineral oil and beeswax coating. Duck heads are carved from white pine with custom stains and finishes. Proudly made in the USA. Functional kitchenware and decorative pieces.
• Signature Decoys Unfinished wooden decoys designated for use at weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, baby showers, and retirements. Guests sign the decoy instead of using a traditional guest book, producing a long-lasting keepsake. Pairs representing drakes and hens are offered.
• Decorative Decoy Carvers Ultimate Painting & Pattern Portfolio - Series Two A 160-page instructional book by Bruce Burk providing detailed color patterns and finishing tips for decorative duck decoy carving. Covers diving ducks including Canvasback, Redhead, Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Ring-Necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Oldsquaw, and Hooded Merganser. Published by Fox Chapel Publishing.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• US Fish and Wildlife ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on waterbird restoration projects including black tern re-establishment in New York state. Jeff Duxbury developed and carved decoys for these conservation efforts.
• National Audubon SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on conservation projects including re-establishment of common murres in Maine and California, and Layson albatross chicks in Hawaii.
• Waterfowl Improvement AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJeff Duxbury is current president. Implemented State and Federal woodduck population monitoring program in New York state along with WIA membership.
• Ducks UnlimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJeff Duxbury is a member of Ducks Unlimited, a major waterfowl conservation organization.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Avian-X (HS Strut / Plano Synergy): Major manufacturer of hunting and waterfowl decoys under multiple sub-brands. While Avian-X is mass-produced rather than hand-carved, it competes for the same decoy-buying customer and serves as the closest scaled comparator in the category.
• Avery Outdoors: Established hunting-equipment brand that markets waterfowl decoys alongside bags, calls, and gear. Overlaps with Dux' Dekes at the consumer-decoy level but operates at vastly broader scale and product breadth.
• Mojo Outdoors: Leading motion-decoy manufacturer serving waterfowl hunters. Competes indirectly with Dux' Dekes for the decoy buyer, though focused on functional hunting tools rather than handcrafted collectibles.

Direct peers

• Big Game Decoys: Producer of handcrafted wood fish and waterfowl decoys. Closely comparable craft model and product mix, with a comparable price range and target buyer (collectors and carvers).
• Final Approach: Manufacturer of hunting decoys and related waterfowl gear. Comparable in target customer (hunters and decoy collectors) though broader in manufacturing approach than the artisan workshop model.

Emerging players

• JK Adams: Vermont-based maker of wood kitchen and serving boards. Directly comparable to Dux' Dekes' serving-board product line in wood selection, finish, and price point.

Others

• Wild Wings: Publisher and retailer of wildlife-themed decorative art and prints. Operates in the same bird-collecting/decorative customer segment but through art prints rather than handcrafted wood sculpture.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about dux dekes