Family Saunders

The Saunders family members have been associated with the Currituck Club as waterfowlers and guides for generations. Daniel Saunders and his son, Ellie, carved around the turn of the century. Ellie is known for his canvas-over-wire-frame goose decoy that has a wooden head and breastplate. Ellie’s son, Blanton, carved decoys and operated a hunting lodge by his house between 1938 and 1957 (Coppedge 138). Blanton had always been a commercial guide, so he maintained large rigs representing the species he hunted. Like his father, Blanton made a canvas-covered goose. Wooden decoys carved by the Saunders family have large solid bodies that are painted with simple patterns and designed to withstand years of use.