Joey Jobes Gunning Decoys

JOEY Painting a Black Duck at Delta Days

Joey Jobes is the youngest of three sons of Captain Harry R. Jobes, a respected and very well known local Waterman and Decoy Carver of the area. Growing up in Havre de Grace, Md. and being around the water all the time is the life Joey loves. He loves the water and everything he can do to be in and around it.  When Joeys was 13, he fished and crabbed and even had his own boat. He could go out and lay a net anywhere anyplace anytime and catch fish. Now, it's very restricted. Fishing, hunting, crabbing and making ducks is the only life Joey knows. 

Joey started helping out in his dads decoy shop, at an early age. With their dad being a Waterman and Decoy Maker it was just part of growing up and helping out. As you played in the shop and usually got in trouble from time to time, you start helping out with one thing and then another. You would see something that looked like fun. Then try to make something. Whittle heads and sanding them. From one part of the process to the other, after awhile, you could make the ducks and learned the way to do each part of the art.

It was in 1976 that Joey started making decoys on his own. Making gunning decoys for himself and his friends. He would fish and crab during the days and make decoys at night. "Then I couldn't afford air conditioning. It was too hot to paint in the days, so I used to paint at night when it was cooler." Worked in the shop upstairs when he could. Now, with the upstairs air conditioned, it is pleasant year round.

You won't get any decoys made in the summer from Joey. Summer is for fishing and crabbing. From late May to early September, Joey is still to be found commercial crabbing most of the summer, making a good part of his income from the Bay. Joey starts out early in the morning, usually about 3 AM to go out and set out his Trot line for crabs. Lay out about a half to three quarters of a mile of line with chicken necks tied on at regular intervals. You start at one end of the line, work the line up and over a wheel and go to the other end of the line, netting up the crabs as they come up to the surface, when you get to the end, you go back and start over. A good day will produce 10 to 12 bushel of legal size crabs. When the Rockfish are plentiful, Joey still fishes for them and adds the sales to his varied income.

Joey is an avid waterfowl hunter and made all his decoys for the love of the sport. In the fall he lived and breathed duck and Goose hunting. It gets into you and it becomes a passion of life. "I used to have a license in 6 states." Joey told me. The east coast and the Chesapeake Bay area are a great place to find the ducks of this passion. There are so many species that inhabit the area from one season to another. After time you become familiar with the beauty of the birds and develop an eye for the individual ducks.

Joey now specializes in making collectible decoys. Certainly making decoys to be used for hunting as well. Joey is very artistic in his detailing and uses vivid colors in his decoys. There still is a strong underlying influence of the Madison Mitchell style decoy that is so prevalent of the area. The style is so beautiful and artistic. With a special flair, Joey makes the full line of decoys of the area, about 28 species in all. A little more curvy and a slightly different style than the others in the area. This is some of the differences sets Joey's decoys apart from the others and his family. Many of the birds are a little fuller in width and bolder in his use of color.

Joey has his regular customers and carves for about three of the bigger Decoy shows each year, a member of the local "Madison Mitchell Chapter" of Ducks Unlimited. Joey has made decoys for many other Chapters of Ducks Unlimited and other Wildfowl groups. It is not always easy to find Joey in his shop.