From the mid-1800s to the 1920s, waterfowl hunting was highly popular and unregulated. Market hunters culled huge numbers of birds which were then shipped to restaurants in the cities. There was no limit to the number of birds a hunter could harvest, or any restrictions regarding methods used to obtain them. This era saw the development of many private shooting clubs which afforded members comfortable lodging and exclusive hunting privileges. These clubs eventurally came to represent a transitional period between commercial exploitation and regulated conservation. In 1892, thirty-five such clubs existed in Wisconsin. In the summer of 1866, a group of Milwaukee men organized the Caw-Caw Club, one of the oldest and most celebrated of all Wisconsin clubs. Its history is fascinating to trace from the early establishment at Lake Horicon to its later maturity on the banks of the Fox River at Lake Puckaway, where it controlled 5,000 acres on which no one was allowed to hunt without a pass.

When the Caw Caw Club moved here in circa 1870, Marquette was an industrious community with lumber-yards,river steamers, grist mills and boathouses along the shore. From the start it had been a popular vacation spot for many distinguished Milwaukeeans and their friends. Allis, Ilsey, Pabst, Layton, Pritzlaff and Auer were names on the club's membership roster. Governor Emanuel Philipp and Charles Pfister visited frequently--"Away from responsiblities and in their own Valhalla, these men reveled in the excitement of their sport, feasted on the product of their skill and relished the pranks from minds released from care." (Early Wisconsin Shooting Clubs by Walter A. Frautschi)

 Though organized hunting club members were often wealthy businessmen, the majority of hunters who journeyed to Lake Puckaway were ordinary people interested in waterfowl hunting. Every fall groups of hunters came to Marquette seeking lodging and access to hunting areas. The village hotels, rooming houses and resorts were fully occupied. 

 John Hopp had a successul duck hunt on Lake Puckaway.

 Very early photo of the Caw Caw Duck Hunting Club.

Another of Wisconsin's well known duck hunting clubs, called the Ne-Pee-Nauk Club, is still in existence at its original location on the northwest side of Lake Puckaway. This duck hunting club was first organized in 1882 by A.H. Seller, President of Chicago Guaranty Trust Company. At that time, the members were mainly wealthy Chicago businessmen.  The club has changed ownership three times and as of 1945, membership was mainly comprised of Milwaukee businessmen. This club, among others, was interested in wildlife convservation and helped get such legislation passed to protect wildlife. The Ne-Pee-Nauck Club roster includes many prominent names, such as Ringling, General Philip Sheridan and Pullman.  Their clubhouse was roomy with eight sleeping apartments, several outbuildings, a stable and a boathouse. The members would arrive by train at Fond du Lac and board a steamboat to Lake Puckaway.This club was also involved in an early court case regarding riparian rights of landowners.  In 1897, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled on the case Ne-Pee-Nauk Club v. Wilson, which clarified when title to land under a lake is owned by the public, and not subject to trespass.  Shooting clubs were involved in a number of legal battles regarding trespassing. 

It should be noted here that according to Van Campen Heilmer's "Book on Duck Shooting," the duck clubs of America were the first to impose regulations of any kind on the duck shooter. They were first to establish bag limits and then reduce them, the first to bar automatic guns and the first to voluntarily stop spring shooting, limit shooting hours and establish waterfowl rest areas.  

 General Sheridan's signature.

 Ne-Pee-Nauk guest book contains many interesting stories of the "Glory Days" of duck hunting on Lake Puckaway.