Redhead drake decoy by Andy Pope. Retains original rigging and weight. Branded and signed by the maker. Excellent piece for the North Carolina collector.
 
Andy Pope is a respected contemporary decoy carver from North Carolina, with a career rooted in the region's strong tradition of working and gunning decoys. He began carving as a teenager and developed his craft from making practical hunting decoys into producing highly refined hand-carved and hand-painted waterfowl.

Pope is particularly recognized for combining functional hunting characteristics with collector-quality craftsmanship. His decoys emphasize accurate anatomy, natural posture, feather detail, durability, and proper performance on the water rather than being purely decorative sculptures.

His reputation has been reinforced through numerous awards and competition placements, including recognition at major decoy events such as the Ward World Championship, Core Sound Decoy Festival, and ODCCA shows. His work has also appeared in national decoy auctions and exhibitions, where he has been described as a nationally acclaimed decoy maker.

From a collector's perspective, Pope is significant as a contemporary North Carolina carver whose work reflects the continuing evolution of the traditional working-decoy tradition. His earlier work, competition pieces, unusual species, documented examples, and carvings with strong provenance can be particularly interesting to collectors.