NDP freshman David Pilarski holds his national award-winning carving of a drake canvasback duck decoy.Notre Dame Prep freshman David Pilarski recently learned that he had won the top prize in a national waterfowl decoy carving contest sponsored by Delta Waterfowl, a North American organization dedicated to waterfowl conservation and the future of waterfowl hunting.
The contest was open to youth in the U.S. and Canada ages 14 and under and all entries had to be a representation of a drake canvasback duck and carved from wood or cork.
An article on Pilarski's achievement appeared in Delta Waterfowl magazine, the organization's main publication for its members:
Michigan Teen Wins Youth Decoy Carving Contest
By Tyler Shoberg, Associate Editor, Delta Waterfowl—9/15/2014
AT 14 YEARS OLD, David Pilarski already has an artistic knack for producing eye-catching duck decoys. His hand-carved drake canvasback was judged the winner in a youth decoy carving contest sponsored and funded by Worth Mathewson, field editor for Delta Waterfowl.
The decoy of Allison Hillman of Mullica Hill, N.J., took second, while Grayson Russell of Gadsder, Ala., was awarded third prize for his carving.
Pilarski won a 20-gauge double-barreled shotgun as the top prize.
“I already shot it a couple of times and it’s awesome,” said Pilarski, of Washington County, Mich. “It’s going to be perfect for the creek we hunt behind my house.”
When Pilarski was 9, he traveled to northern Michigan with his father to duck hunt with family friend Gary Hanson, an award-winning carver. Hanson quickly found Pilarski was keenly interested in the craft. At age 12, Pilarski began taking carving lessons once a week with Hanson. The tutelage has left a lasting impression and resulted in a handful of handsome decoys.
“To finish a decoy and see what you’ve accomplished is a proud moment,” Pilarski said.
The teen’s passion for the water-fowling lifestyle was spurred at an early age.
“My dad tries to instill the hunter gene in everyone we come across,” Pilarski explained. “He’s taken a lot of my friends hunting and convinced their friends to take hunter safety and then invite them hunting, too.”
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.