Costilow Decoys

Costilow Decoys 3rd Generation, Champion Decoy Carver
Duck hunter and Wildlife Biologist
Owner Coffee Creek Cork

For Charlie. "The whistle is silent, the bond remains."Had the honor of making this urn decoy for Eric Altom and his fa...
06/10/2026

For Charlie.

"The whistle is silent, the bond remains."

Had the honor of making this urn decoy for Eric Altom and his family to memorialize their dog Charlie.

06/08/2026

Final day of a Coffee Creek Carving Class!

It's a rite of passage:

1) Sign your decoy
2) Sign the Wall
3) Float your decoy

Super proud of my students over the weekend. 4 days of carving and painting their own bluebill decoys!

Just 5 more days to take advantage of Coffee Creek Cork 's deal of the month of 6 Green Wing cutouts!
05/25/2026

Just 5 more days to take advantage of Coffee Creek Cork 's deal of the month of 6 Green Wing cutouts!

05/25/2026

Coffee Creek Cork's May Deal of the Month! 6 Green-Winged Teal cutouts. High density cork bodies, tupelo heads and glass eyes! check it out at Coffeecreekcork.com.

Thank you and carve your own tradition!!

05/21/2026

Check out our 6 GREEN-WINGED TEAL CUTOUTS FOR $299... MAY'S DEAL OF THE MONTH

6 high density cork body cutouts, 6 tupelo heads, 4 drakes, 2 hens, 8mm brown glass eyes and the patterns!

The decoys showcased are some of the finished kits. Paint not included.

Limited time offer! Deal ends May 31st and will be shipped out June 1st. CoffeeCreekCork.com

Carve your own tradition!

05/13/2026

Hen Wood Duck fresh off the paint bench.

Cork. Tupelo. Acrylics.

Drake bluebill I finished up back in March. Love painting bluebills! Cork, tupelo and acrylics.
05/09/2026

Drake bluebill I finished up back in March. Love painting bluebills! Cork, tupelo and acrylics.

Check our deal of the month over at Coffeecreekcork.com!
05/03/2026

Check our deal of the month over at Coffeecreekcork.com!

This past year I was fortunate to serve as a mentor, working alongside my buddy Brad Neimeyer to help him with the proce...
04/30/2026

This past year I was fortunate to serve as a mentor, working alongside my buddy Brad Neimeyer to help him with the process of carving and painting functional hunting decoys from start to finish. This was made possible by a Traditional Art Apprenticeship grant we were awarded through the Ohio Arts Council! The goal was two fold: carve and hunt over our own decoys, while also entering them in a contest.

I couldn’t be more proud of Brad and the work he put in. His carving has come a long way in a short time, and it showed. He took home Best Pintail at the Ohio show and Second Best Pintail at the World Show with his bird. We also had a few successful hunts over our hand carved decoys throughout the season!

I’m excited to see how he carries this forward and continues to grow in his own carving career. He's already working on another bird that is coming along great... And rumor has it him and his son have a father/son decoy project in mind!

Decoy carving isn’t just about making something that looks good. It’s about function, heritage, and staying connected to the generations of carvers who came before us. By carving, hunting, and competing with these birds, we’re not just preserving tradition, we’re actively living it.

For more information on programs like this, including the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship, visit the Ohio Arts Council website to learn more about how they support artists and keep traditional crafts alive.

Black ducks. In preparation for the World's show, I carved and painted 3 black ducks. I picked what I thought was the be...
04/29/2026

Black ducks.

In preparation for the World's show, I carved and painted 3 black ducks. I picked what I thought was the best of the three for my World Single entry, and the other two were entered as a pair in the Gunning Pair Champions. I was fortunate enough to win 2nd Best in the World Single Decoy and 2nd Best of Show in the Gunning Pairs Champions.

Second place can be bitter sweet. But I am so proud of these three ducks and my two 2nd Best of Shows at the World Championships over the weekend.

Congratulations to all the winners and everyone who entered decoys. These contests have always meant a lot to me, and it hurts to see them on a downwards trend. Working decoys are holding their own though... ! If you're a carver and have never entered, give it a try. If you haven't entered in a while, give it a try again. If you have interest in decoy carving at all, look up the closest show to you and go see it. See the decoys. Meet the people.

I'm already looking forward to and am super inspired for the World Championships next April.

But there are many contests and shows between now and then... Go to one. Which is the next show you are looking forward to? I will see everyone in July at the Clayton Waterfowl Show in Clayton, NY!

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Independence, OH
44131

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