Pat Godin (b. 1953) grew up in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, where he was fascinated with the natural world. As a young teenager he began carving—not wildfowl at first, but lures for fishing. In 1967, inspired by a hunter who made his own decoys, Pat tried to make his first gunning stool. That first duck didn’t do so well; it sank. Still, the hunting friend inspired Pat to attend carving shows and learn more about the craft. He tried his hand again, and in 1973 Pat began entering carved wildfowl into competition. Since the early 1970s he has racked up scores of honors and awards for his artistic, life-like decorative decoys and wildfowl carvings, including Best of Show awards at competitions throughout the United State and Canada.
As a young man, Pat studied fisheries and wildlife biology at the University of Guelph (Ontario). He has been a full-time carver since receiving his Master’s degree in 1979, though his academic training has always influenced his carving. Pat strives to craft “biologically, anatomically, and ecologically correct” pieces. He emphasizes “capturing the character” of an animal by “putting life into the carving,” through creative arrangements of habitat subjects, and painted “illusions on the surface” of his work. Over the years Pat has also become a respected writer and lecturer, in addition to carver. He has written, illustrated, designed, and published three instructional books for bird carvers, as well as illustrated and authored a respected waterfowl reference book.
Pat’s attention to biological detail and dedication to pushing the limits of creativity and artistry in carving have led to an impressive number of awards and honors. In 1993, Pat was invited to represent North American carvers at the opening of the International Bird Carving Exhibition in Yokohama, Japan. His work has been displayed in the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, and in many private collections. In 1994, Pat was inducted into the Easton Waterfowl Festival’s Hall of Fame, and in 2001, he was honored by his hometown of Brantford with an induction into the Walk of Fame. This honor includes a bronze plaque with his biography in the city, near other notable inductees such as Wayne Gretzky and Alexander Graham Bell.
Pat Godin first attended the Ward World Championship competition in 1975 and was awarded
his first World Championship title in 1976, fifty years ago. In 2025, he was awarded his 19 th
World title for a win in the World Shootin’ Rig class. His titles include wins in four of the six
World categories. The Ward Foundation inducted Pat in 2015 as a Living Legend, along with
icons in the field Bobby Sutton and Bill Veasey.
For many years, Pat conducted instructional seminars to share his knowledge and skills in
making birds in wood and paint. His series of four volumes of “Championship Waterfowl
Patterns” was published over a period of several years. More recently, Pat told the story of his
career in creating wildfowl sculpture in two books, “Waterfowl Carving Art, Science, and
Inspiration” 2023 and “Wildfowl Sculpture: The Art and Science of the Bird” 2025.