Hunting and Trapping

A Carving Project

........I had seen in several books where people had carved ducks and other wildlife right out of a block of wood but had always thought it looked like rocket science. One day, however, I convinced myself to try it and was surprised how easy it was. I encourage you to try it. The finished product makes a very good gift to a friend or a rustic decoration for your own mantle piece or shelf.



Here is a rough outline of what I did:

...To begin with, I drew the head and the body out separately on a piece of pine 2x4 . Then, with a draw knife, whittling knife, rasps, and sandpaper, I reduced the block of wood to what I thought was a reasonable depiction of a duck.
...At this point I thought I might be done but then decided to use a bit of wood burning (photo right) to give it a more life-like appearance. I individually burned in all the feathers on the wings, most of the feathers on the sides and tail, and only a few of the feathers on the head.
...I was pleasantly surprised at how good the duck looked when I was finished and it was extremely fun to do. Try it sometime. :)

TRACKING & THE ART OF SEEING

Snow Fort

Photos by Olivia, Kyle, and Alysha