A very nice hunted over and still weighted J. M. Hays Wood Products Co. Factory Blue-winged teal hen. Hays was in production from 1921 to approx. 1925 in Jefferson City, Missouri when the company was sold to Gundelfinger. Early Hays birds were meant to copy the glass-eye grade of decoy by Mason, and they closely match except for quality.

 

Some minor shot marks (3-4) on right sideside. It has its entire original neck fill, but now with a fine line running around base. Minor chip on tip of beak. Tail edge is slightly worn with minor chipping. There can be sen a small thin dry line on the front bottom. The body of this decoy appears to have been maybe coated with something to shed water, waxed?? The attached weight is marked with 'B.N,' and there is a large 'M' stamped into the wood on the bottom. The body of this duck is approximately 10 1/4 inches long. From the tip of the beak to the tail is overall about 12 1/2 inches long.

 

Because of the knowledge of the maker, and research over the dates of manufacture, it can be fairly certain to say that this decoy was built in the 1921 to 1922 time period. Hays sold out in 1922 to Standard Crate & Filler, who kept the Hays name but changed the lathe style away from the flat paddle tail type.

 

This is a nice rare early Hays decoy in a hard to find puddle duck BW Teal hen.