Jason Russell was introduced to duck hunting in the early nineties by a close friend, and they hunted on the banks of the Coosa and Tennessee River systems in Northeast Alabama. At this time waterfowl populations were at an all-time low, but Jason still managed to harvest a few birds. He has been hooked on the sport ever since, and hunts have taken him to other parts of the Mississippi, the Central and Pacific Flyways and into Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Washington.
Jason’s interest to carve his own decoys was sparked through reading about the end of the market hunting era, and how the old timers were making and hunting over large numbers of handmade blocks. He carved his first balsa decoy in 1995. By 1998 Jason began to meet with carvers across the country to improve his carving skills. The contact he made in 1999 turned out to be his greatest mentor, Bill Kell, from Spring Grove, Pennsylvania. With the input of Bill and other established carvers, Jason made great improvements in his birds.
In the Fall of 2000 Jason entered his first competition and won Best of Divers with a hen Bufflehead. He has been fortunate to win several carving competions as well as judge at shows such as Westlake, Ohio and the LWC&CG show. He has won various divisions of the Louisiana Wildfowl Carvers and Collectors Guild Competition, Havre De Grace gunning bird competition, Core Sound hunting decoys division, Washington State Ducks Unlimited Carver of the Year twice, best geese in the GPC division and third best of show in the CD division at the Ward World Championship. Recognition and ribbons have been great to receive but Jason knows the real judges are ducks and geese that make their journey southward each year. Jason teaches carving classes and promotes decoy carving in a variety of venues. Jason continues to hunt and the excitement is even greater than it was years ago, as he sees waterfowl settle among a spread of his handmade decoys.