Making duck decoys in Henryetta

Henryetta Oklahoma is the decoy capital of the world. Waterfowl hunters worldwide know about G & H Decoys, most of the rest of us don’t. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter Rick Wells went to Henryetta to find

Wednesday, October 6th 2004, 10:36 am

By: News On 6


Henryetta Oklahoma is the decoy capital of the world. Waterfowl hunters worldwide know about G & H Decoys, most of the rest of us don’t.

News on 6 reporter Rick Wells went to Henryetta to find out what they do and how.

Duck and goose hunting season is right around the corner. Waterfowl hunters all over North America are buying decoys made in Oklahoma. Dick Gazalski: "We can make up to 500 dozen a day, kindo of just depends on the demand, but we're capable of doing that."

At their plant along US highway 75 in Henryetta G & H Decoys makes 25 different species of waterfowl in 100 different styles. They’ve been at it for 70 years. "This is thermal plastic, when you heat it to a certain temperature it becomes pliable." Dick's father and grandfather used to make the decoys out of paper mache, now they're plastic. They come out of the molds, the excess is cut away and each one is trimmed and readied for painting.

Each of the species has its own distinctive markings and all that is added by hand. They ship all over North America, but in Oklahoma they're hard to find. "The only place they can buy G & H Decoy products in Oklahoma is here at the factory." He says they've just recently expanded the showroom and retail outlet.

For decades people drove by and wondered what was inside, now they can stop and see. G & H Decoys is located just north of Henryetta on US highway 75. The showroom is open during business hours Monday thru Friday and about half a day on Saturday.
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