The IWCA Young Guns Championship was hosted by Core Sound Decoy Festival at Harkers Island, North Carolina on December 7th.

Youth Class Ages 15–17, 

1st Best of Show - David Lawrence - Hen Bufflehead

Youth Class Ages 12-14

1st Best of Show - Leagan Eubanks - Drake Canvasback

2nd Best of Show - Austin Ramer - Drake Shoveler

3rd Best of Show - Grayson Russell - Drake Canvasback

Youth Class Best of Show - 11 and Under

1st Best of Show - Hunter Sorrell - Scaup

2nd Best of Show - Hudson Kinslow - Ruddy Duck

Congratulation to all of the 2014 Young Guns Champions! We hope you are planning for 2015, when the IWCA Young Guns Championship will be hosted by ODCCA March 14-15!

The 2014 Core Sound Decoy Festival will host the 2014 IWCA Young Guns Championship on December 6th & 7th. Other IWCA divisions of competition offered by Core Sound are listed below, and they all have prize money! The prize money is substantial and should not be overlooked! Not included in the list below are the plaques and ribbons also awarded in the various divisions. Note: All three Decorative divisions offer prize money to ALL levels of competition (Open, Intermediate, and Novice)!!

IWCA Style Decoy ($500 BOS, $250 2nd BOS, $125 3rd BOS)

IWCA Working Decoy (BOS $300 Purchase Award, 2nd BOS $200, 3rd BOS $100)

IWCA Gunning Shorebird (BOS $200 Purchase Award, )

IWCA Canvas Decoy (BOS $150 Purchase Award, 2nd BOS $50, 3rd BOS $25)

IWCA Decorative Lifesize Decoy (BOS $400, 2nd BOS $200, 3rd BOS $100)

Open:

Best of Show: $400.00, Second Best of Show: $200.00, Third Best of Show: $100.00

Intermediate:

Best of Show: $300.00, Second Best of Show: $150.00, Third Best of Show: $75.00

Novice:

Best of Show: $200.00, Second Best of Show: $100.00, Third Best of Show: $50.00

IWCA Decorative Lifesize (Non-floating)

Open:

Best of Show: $400.00, Second Best of Show: $200.00, Third Best of Show: $100.00

Intermediate:

Best of Show: $300.00, Second Best of Show: $150.00, Third Best of Show: $75.00

Novice:

Best of Show: $200.00, Second Best of Show: $100.00, Third Best of Show: $50.00

IWCA Decorative Miniature (Non-floating)

Open:

Best of Show: $200.00, Second Best of Show: $100.00, Third Best of Show: $50.00

Intermediate:

Best of Show: $100.00, Second Best of Show: $50.00, Third Best of Show: $25.00

Novice:

Best of Show: $100.00, Second Best of Show: $50.00, Third Best of Show: $25.00

For complete details on the Core Sound Decoy Festival and competition, please use the following link to learn more...

Core Sound Decoy Festival Rules Brochure

There's still time to mail your entries in!

Harkers Island comes to life the first full weekend in December each year as the Core Sound Decoy Guild holds its annual Core Sound Decoy Festival. People have been making the pilgrimage to the event since 1988.

The 26th Annual Core Sound Decoy Festival will be held on Saturday, December 7th and Sunday, December 8th at the Harkers Island Elementary School.

The festival has many attractions that include antique decoy exhibits, retriever demonstrations, competitions including duck calling, loon calling, head whittling, and a live and silent auction. There’s always delicious food offered by Harkers Island Elementary School staff and volunteers, and plenty of shopping opportunities from the many vendors who flock to the festival each year.

As always, this show features several events uniqe to the region, as well as some IWCA contests.

• Core Sound hunting style decoys


• Root head decoys


• Duplin County Ducks Unlimited decoy (2013 is a Redhead Drake)


• IWCA working decoys


• IWCA style decoys


• Decorative decoys

This year's contest is also the location for the 2013 IWCA Style Shorebird Decoy Championship.

The Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild has a very nice website you can visit for additional information. You can also download the show brochure and entry form here:

2013 Entry Form

2013 Competition Booklet

Just a reminder for everyone that next weekend (Dec. 1st & 2nd) is the:

25th Annual Core Sound Decoy Festival
held on Harkers Island, NC

Andy Pope, 3rd place, Duplin County DU Lesser Scaup Competition

Come and join us for the 25th Annual Core Sound Decoy Festival, held by the Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild, at the Harkers Island School.

As always there is something for everyone.

Decoy Carving Competitions: 

• IWCA Decoy Competitions
• Core Sound Decoy Competition 
• Contemporary Antiques Competition
• Youth Carving Competition
• Duplin County DU Decoy Championships(Canvasback Drake)

The 2012 show also features the IWCA Working Decoy Championship. There are no quailfying rules for this event, so send in your gunners following the IWCA working bird rules.

Also Featuring:

• Kids decoy painting
• Decoys for sale 
• Waterfowl Art for sale
• Decoy Auction (You can see a list of auction Items on the guilds Facebook page)
• Head Carving Contest

Raffle Drawings for the following:

• Browning Shotgun
• Ring-neck Decoy by "Jack Cox" this Years Featured Carver 
• Waterfowl Art Print by the Late David Lawrence
• Quilt By Mrs. Kay Salter

25th Annual Core Sound Decoy Festival Shirts, 25th Anniversary Shirts, Other Festival Souvenirs for sale. And of course Good Food!

Admission is $8 Daily 
Kids 12 and under free
Sunday is Kids Day and all who are 17 and under get in free

For more information you can go to: 
decoyguild.com 

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages...s-Guild/261904186313 

The 2011 Core Sound Decoy Festival Results and Photo Gallery have just been added. Use the Navigation links on the left hand side of the site, or you can click the direct links here:

2011 Core Sound Results

2011 Core Sound Photo Gallery

Gary Doviak - Root Head Brant - Best of Show in the Root Head Contest

The Core Sound Decoy Festival is right around the corner, on December 3rd and 4th.

In addition to the regular categories featured at the show, a new contest has been added this year. The Duplin County Ducks Unlimited Chapter has agreed to sponsor a carving competition at the 2011 Core Sound Decoy Festival.

The bird will be a Lesser Scaup Drake. Decoys must be carved according to IWCA Working Decoy Rules. Prize money is as follows:

• 1st place $750
• 2nd place $500
• 3rd place $250

These are purchase awards and the decoys become the property of Duplin County Ducks Unlimited.  Entry fee is $25/decoy. 

If you haven't already finished those birds, get cracking. Plan on heading out for the weekend or get those birds boxed up and sent out. Mail in's must be received by Wednesday, November 30, and include return postage.

You can download the 2011 rules book and entry forms here:

• Competition Booklet 
• Adult Competition Entry Form
• Youth Entry Form

Visit the home page for the Core Sound show here: http://www.decoyguild.com/decoyfestival/decoycompetitions/. Or check out our show profile on this site.

Ben Heinenmann, 2010 Core Sound IWCA Working Decoy contest