Hunting is an intricate sport that involves a mixture of perseverance and patience.

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu had an interesting saying about hunting: “Racing and hunting excite man’s heart to madness.”

But not all aspects of hunting are tough and frustrating.

David Patrick is involved in carving hunting decoys, and his hobby gives a little artistic flair to the sport.

He said the work is something he has always been interested in.

“I started carving decoys about in the ’60s,” Patrick said. “I have a pattern book I go by. The only time I had them entered in competitions was when they auctioned them off in the Pocosin Arts Festival.”

Patrick said there are different kinds of decoys and uses for them.

“Your decorative decoys — the pins break off real easy because they are so thin. Your underwater decoy — you have to put dead weights in them down at the bottom. They have a swivel that you can pull behind a boat. It has got to be a stronger type of wood. This has got to be made out of wood. It is made out of cypress.”

Hunting decoys tend to be made out of juniper and cypress. Some animal decoys can be put above the water, whereas fish decoys require weights inside them to work correctly. A special burning tool is used for putting scales on fish decoys, which takes 12 to 14 hours.

Patrick worked at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, but he retired recently.

“Now, I will have a little bit more time to be doing this stuff,” he said gesturing to a display of his artwork, including a mallard and a Santa Claus figurine that he had not finished, on his car.