Born in 1906, Ken Harris of Woodville, New York, was a duck hunter, musician, and claims adjuster for an insurance company who took up decoy carving to satisfy his need for decoys to hunt over.

Allegedly, he decided to carve a black duck decoy to disprove the claim that black ducks were not attracted to decoys. Apparently, his “true to life” decoys were successful, and everyone wanted them. Harris continued to make working decoys in his spare time for a number of years. In addition to his black ducks, Harris is known to have produced canvasback, Canada goose, bluebill, mallard, and teal decoys. His name and hometown are stamped on the bottom of many of his decoys.

In the early 1960s, Harris retired from the insurance business and began to produce decorative bird carvings. He employed two assistants, Sterling “Stub” O’Young and John Illingworth of Adams, New York to sand and paint what he carved. Harris was a superb carver who produced a wide range of working decoys and decorative pieces.

He carved many special edition decoys for display only, including several miniatures and other ducks that he made into lamps. Harris’ decoys are easily recognized and well known by collectors for their high level of detail and realistic features.

He died after a long career in carving in 1981.