History

Mad River Decoy was established in 1990 by Jim and Nancy Henry in their barn nestled in the Green Mountains of central Vermont. Unlike large hunting decoy manufacturers, Mad River focused on conservation decoys and soon began supplying the Audubon Seabird Restoration Program (Project Puffin). Jim provided the master carving expertise and manufactured the polyethylene plastic decoys while Nancy specialized in painting the over 30 species they created.

It was a labor of love, so when retirement came calling Jim and Nancy looked for suitable candidates to take over their business. Who better to take the reins but those who pioneered the social attraction technique for which their decoys were made? In December 2016, National Audubon Society’s Seabird Restoration Program became the new owners of Mad River Decoy.