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At age twelve, Fred Reitmeyer made his first decoys from cedar and cork for his own use. Eventually, he adopted a method used by his grandfather, Carl Adams, a well-known decoy carver and boat builder. Most Barnegat Bay decoy carvers construct their decoys out of two pieces of wood. However, Adams’ boat building business provided him with many one-inch cedar scraps. He would hollow these out and use them sandwiched between other pieces of cedar in his decoys. Fred adopted this technique, which is now one of the distinguishing features of his carving.
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The sneakbox is a floating hunting blind that emerged in New Jersey in the 19th century. Traditionally, it is made of Jersey white cedar, with a shape that has been likened to a melon seed.
One way for people to express affection for their culture is by making miniatures of important artifacts and scenes – often with very high standards of accuracy. In tribute to his South Jersey hunting culture, Fred Reitmeyer now makes miniature sneakboxes and decoys. “Someone gave my grandfather a miniature sneakbox,” Fred recalls, “and then he made some too, to give as gifts to the family. Later I though, ‘Well, I could make that too.’ I started out with the little ones, then graduated to the twelve inch and the eighteen inch”.
Fred’s miniature sneakboxes are made of Jersey cedar, a wood that is strong and durable in the water. His miniature decoys mimic the types of ducks hunted in the area, including black ducks, brant ducks and scaups. He then creates a miniature “rig” of decoys replicating those mounted on sneakboxes until hunters set them out on the water.
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