Luke Costilow comes from generations of duck decoy carvers. In 2004 at the age of ten, Costilow’s father, Mark, took him duck hunting and encouraged him to start carving. Mark is still his biggest inspiration today.
Costilow has won numerous best in show awards including six titles from Ward World Championships in 2011,2012 and 2013. He says the best part of carving is to actually be able to hunt ducks over your own hand carved birds. Costilow is in his third year of college working towards a degree in environmental studies and is currently on the board of the Ohio Carvers and Collectors Association. Costilow was an instructor in the Ward Foundation’s Carving Out Future Decoy Makers Project in 2013.