1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bird decoys. More specifically, this invention is directed to a decoy having a movable wing.
2. Description of Related Art
Decoys have long been used by hunters for attracting game birds, in many instances migratory waterfowl such as ducks and geese. Typically, a decoy is made of a one-piece construction that either floats on a body of water or can be placed on land. Typically, a plurality of decoys is placed in an area proximate to a blind with the hope that the natural appearance of the decoys will attract live birds to join the group.
Decoys having movable wings or other movable appendages such as heads that turn or feet that move are also known. It is believed that decoys having movable appendages that emulate motions made by a live bird are more likely to attract live birds as they appear more natural. Therefore, a decoy should attempt to depict the movements of a live bird in a more realistic manner so as to attract rather than scare away live birds.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,958 to Snow discloses one type of decoy made to resemble a duck or a goose having movable wings controlled by strings or other flexible members. Pulling on the strings causes the wings to move in an up and down manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,448 to Jackson discloses another type of bird decoy having the wings attached to a flapping mechanism extending through slots formed in the body. The flapping mechanism includes a rotary drive wheel rotated by a motor. The rotary drive wheel is connected to a drive link that reciprocates along a slot wherein the drive link is connected to the wings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,780 to Gazalski discloses a plastic shell game bird decoy having rod-like wing supports and a pivotal neck both of which can be actuated by an operation cord used to manually move the wings and rotate the neck.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,188 to Mathews discloses another type of bird decoy having wing members rotatably connected to the body of the decoy and using an electric motor to rotate the wing members in a circular manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,493,980 to Richardson et al. discloses a decoy having a drive motor for operating a pair of outwardly projecting revolving wings, wherein the wings rotate about their longitudinal axis.
One of the problems with bird decoys, as set forth above, is that the rotary or simple up-and-down motion do not necessarily create and maintain both a realistic appearance and realistic movement of a bird wing that accurately simulates that of a live bird. Enhancing the ability of a decoy by incorporating a wing movement in a lifelike manner helps to attract birds to the hunter. Accordingly, it can be appreciated that there is a need to provide a bird decoy having a wing that moves in a realistic manner and simulates the flight of a bird.