Duck Hunting Clubs will have a hard time surviving in the future and not for reasons of money. Our Duck Hunting Club is as much about friends, the natural world, guns, dogs and the opportunity to kill wild ducks. Let me contrast it with what the future holds from my observations. A very rich shopping center developer bought up the marsh and 5000 acres to the north of our duck hunting club. The property was a small duck hunting club and a few large dairy farms. It didn’t take long for things to start changing in a big way. Up went the high fences; in came the whitetail and elk breeding stock. The tower shoot bird pens were next along with the pheasant pens. Next came the deer stands with heat and satellite TV. A giant resort club house with a walleye lake and an artificial trout stream. This guy and his friends are interested in big antlers and big bag limits, it’s all about the numbers. They want to hunt for a few hours, kill lots of stuff and get back to the office. Old time traditional duck hunts don’t/won’t appeal to this new generation. It’s like the difference between Gene Hill and American Hunter Magazine. In today’s world people want big and fast. Old time duck clubs were all about slowing the world down and enjoying friends etc. I think there will always be people who are interested in vintage guns and hunting in a more traditional manner, but they will be in the minority.
