At month's end, Simchuk and his flock land in Missoula to show what it takes to carve a niche as one of the nation's top wildlife artists.
"It's a big deal for the local area woodcarvers," Simchuk said of the Missoula stopover. "People will come from all over the region."
"Jerry is one of the top two or three carvers out there when it comes to realistic work," said Terry Porter, an event organizer who has invited Simchuk to teach classes at his Florence workshop, Waterfowl Woodworks. "I'm sure he'll help draw quite a crowd."
Simchuk admits that he's "finally becoming more and more well-known around the country," which, it could be argued, is a bit of an understatement.
A computer technician only recently turned full-time artist, Simchuk has been carving ducks since the early 1990s, when he returned to art after being laid off from Semitool.
"I always loved to work with my hands," he said, "and I love to compete."
In fact, the first miniature goose he ever crafted - carved from the soft wood of the Malaysian jelutong tree - took home a second-place ribbon in regional competition.
It would have claimed the first-place ribbon, but his mallard took that prize.
A longtime hunter, Simchuk knows well the delicate lift of a wing, the shimmering hues that seem to slip and slide across feathers, what he calls the bird's "pose and presence."
The art he has chosen is rooted in the huntsman's intimacy with his prey, in the age-old craft of fashioning decoys for hunters - and judges, he said, still look for both form and function at carving competitions.
Simchuk's ducks, then, must not only look the part, but also float the part.
List to the left and you lose points. Capsize and you're sunk.
But Simchuk's pieces go several steps beyond rustic decoy. His birds are known for high-definition realism, with remarkable detail in both carving and coloring.
In other words, you pretty much expect them to quack.
"Every feather is scrutinized," he said. "It's been raised to the level of fine art."
Simchuk has moved from regional competitions to carving's world championships, held each year in Ocean City, Md. In fact, Simchuk not only competes at world's, he judges there as well.
"I'm getting ready now to shoot for the world title," he said. "Maybe next year. It's extremely tough competition. Only a dozen or so carvers compete at that level. Anyone placing in the top three is considered a master carver."
"I'm ready, he said. "I'm just waiting for the right bird."
He's already carved up much of the competition, scoring first in the species division at world's. He also carved the third-best diver, and was in the top four of 170 entries for best-of-show. The woodcarvers' Competition Magazine has profiled his work, as have other art publications.
But to take the top title, he said, he'll need a little nudge from nature. A taxidermist, he said, is mounting a pair of ducks he'll use as a reference when carving what he hopes will be the big winner.
"Everything has to be just right," he said. "Every detail - anatomical accuracy, how well it floats, right down to the texture of individual feathers."
Such painstaking detail has earned Simchuk a loyal group of buyers, people who seek out and commission his work for private collections. He has collectors from Alaska to California, Texas to New York, right through the Midwest.
"Luckily, there's an awful lot of people buying these types of decoys," Simchuk said.
His tiny miniatures go for a quick $250. Bigger ducks run up to $7,000. Songbirds, depending upon species, size and habitat, can go for as much as $4,000. An eagle might soar past the $10,000 mark.
His fish, which were his first inspiration for carving, average between $50 and $100 an inch, depending on habitat. A 7-inch tropical fish over a coral backdrop went for $1,400, he said, "because the coral is just so difficult and time-consuming."
The whole flock of prices will be displayed at the Missoula show, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30, and from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 1.
Simchuk's fish and fowl will have plenty of company at the Missoula County Fairgrounds. With more than 200 entries expected, Porter said, visitors can expect everything from cowboy art to bark carvings, American Indian scenes to whittled walking sticks.
"There might even be some wood turnings," Porter said. "A little bit of everything, really. It's just a really fun time."
Reporter Michael Jamison can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or at mjamison@missoulian.com
Carve your niche
Have some spare time to whittle away? Drop by the annual Western Montana Wood Show, sponsored by the Missoula Wood Carvers. All sorts of wood wares will be showcased in Building 35 of the Missoula County Fairgrounds.
Doors open the last weekend of the month - from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30, then from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 1.
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