An avid hunter, A. Elmer Crowell began carving decoys about 1908 and by 1918 was carving miniature song and shorebirds. Crowell's birds were known for his attention to detail in both the carving of bills and tails and the painting of feathers. His working decoys were of such quailty that he began to make carvings as purely decorative decoys. His work is in the collection of the Shelburne Museum.

In September 2007 two of Crowell's birds, a pin-tail drake and a Canada goose sold for a record 1.13 million each in a private sale. These carvings had previously sold for record prices at auction. The pintail drake sold at Christie's auction house in 2003 for $801,500 and the Canada goose sol...