You don't have to be a dyed-in-the-wool, rifle-polishing hunter to appreciate wooden decoys, the innocent looking birds that float in ponds and lure ducks and geese to their doom.  Prized for their effectiveness for over 150 years, they're now appreciated as classic examples of American folk art -- and command prices to match.  As part of the Americana auctions this week at Christie's (Jan. 18) and Sotheby's (Jan. 19), you'll find all manner of waterfowl, from the canvasback to the golden plover, with some prices going north of $500,000.

Pair of hen and drake pintail decoys, mid-western, circa 1920

Christie's is teaming up with Guyette and Schmidt, Inc., the world's largest antique decoy firm, and their 70 or so offerings include a remarkable carved Canadian goose in the swimming position. Made by a certain Nathan Cobb Jr. in Virginia in the 1870's, it's expected to gather $400,000-600,000.  A 19th Century eider drake from Deer Island, Maine, built so it couldn't look more harmless to its eider friends, is estimated to reach $400,000-500,000.

Hollow carved Canada goose, Cobb Island, Virginia, circa 1870

Meanwhile over at Sotheby's, you can find a pair of hen and drake pintails, with elongated necks and original paint, for an estimated $50,000-70,000.  A running yellowlegs, by noted Massachusetts maker Elmer Cromwell, dates from 1910. It's concise and expressive, and like all the birds on sale, it's safe to assume it won't get near a duck blind anytime soon. --DAVID COGGINS

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MV STAT: A New York architect is considered the first decoy collector. Joel Barber, who never hunted, began collecting after discovering one at his boathouse in Long Island in 1918...