PUEBLO – Mike Marino tests each decoy duck he makes in a kiddie pool in his backyard in Pueblo.
“I usually test them to see if they swim from side to side,” Marino said.
Michael Marino
Marino says if the decoys don’t stay upright when they tip over, they’re virtually useless for duck hunting.
“If one falls over 37 meters away, even a duck can’t get that far,” Marino said.
But to get there, he had to start somewhere.
“This was my first decoy,” Marino said, laughing as he looked at his first carving, made just a year ago. “It was an exercise. It looks like a chicken. Half of its corns are missing.”
Michael Marino
Marino says his interest in decoys began with a desire to make better decoys than the ones he purchased.
“I thought they’re awful, they don’t even look real, so I said, ‘You know what? I think I could carve some,'” he said. “I’ve heard of people carving decoys.”
Michael Marino
One of them is Carver World Champion Luke Costilow.
Costilow was awarded 9 “Best of Shows” at the World Championships in Ocean City, Maryland.
“I sent him pictures of the things I wanted to carve, and he was like, ‘Oh, you need to press this down or do this, you need to bring that in,'” Marino said. “I said, ‘Hey, man, I appreciate your help.'”
Michael Marino
For a man who has little time to spare, carving has a certain meditative effect.
“I’m a children’s pastor at the Family Worship Center and I see a lot of kids throughout the week,” Marino said. “On Wednesday nights, we have about 100 kids come to our ‘Thrill’ event. On the weekends, we see over 300 kids and I love it. It’s fun, but it also gives me time to myself where I don’t think about anything.”
Marino says he gets deep satisfaction from completing each deception.
“We’re still in the development phase, but I can finish this,” Marino said. “I can make something from nothing and finish it. People, kids, it’s a process. I may never see the finished product, especially with kids, but here I can. I can see the finished product.”
Michael Marino
Marino’s work caught the attention of people across the state.
In July, Marino won first place at the Pueblo County Fair, which gave him the confidence to compete at the Colorado State Fair this month.
Michael Marino
We were with him at the fair when he learned that he had won the blue ribbon in the wooden class for decoy ducks and had beaten 21 other participants in the competition for the title of “Best of Show”.
Dianne Derby
“Looks like I took first place,” Marino said as he saw his three decoys in the Creative Arts Building at the Colorado State Fairgrounds. “That’s cool. Best of Show, cool! That’s awesome!”
Dianne Derby
A special victory for a man determined to show that the children he works with are winners too.
“You know, some of these children I see have fathers, some have no mothers, and if I could just give them a little hope, a little encouragement, somehow, in some way – that’s what life is all about, isn’t it?
Michael Marino
Marino has also turned dummy ducks into urns for hunting dogs. He says he fills the dummies with ashes so the owners can continue to hunt with their dogs.
Michael Marino
Currently, Marino is not selling his decoys for a profit, but says if you want to reach him, you can reach him through his social media pages here.
Facebook: Mike Marino
Instagram: Mike Marino
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