Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 28, number 4, June 1945

              early wisconsin shooting clubs by walter a frautschi wild-fowling is an age-old pleasure of man whether the love of hunting arises from an elemental sympathy with nature or more brutally from a vestigial desire to kill may be debatable certainly it must be an imperative urge which each autumn causes men to leave warm homes for the dis comforts and dangers of inclement weather treacherous marshes and unnatural hours yet in no other way than by answering this annual summons can the true sportsman get such an uplift of spirit such ecstatic pleasure such a glow of health i was reflecting on this on a cold gray november morning in 1943 when my son john and i were waiting for opening gun as we sat in historic stony blind at the end of bingham's point jutting out into the shallow waters of lake koshkonong our decoys were bunched too close directly in front of us in the crescent of water from which an earlier wind had skimmed the ice now lying flat and gray out beyond just at vision's outer edge a long black streak was quivering sufficiently to give promise of game and evidence of open water on the northern half of the lake suddenly the hovering quiet was disturbed by strange tinkling overtones before we could rise from our stools to identify the rustling music it became louder and more suggestive of breaking glass — and all at once crescendoed into a north wind blast our tinkling cymbals were actually martial squadrons of ice blocks and chips advancing with a terrifying inevitability directly upon us simultaneously the air was alive with whirring wings the this spirited account of the exclusive duck hunting clubs of wisconsin and their contribution to wildlife conservation was read by the author at the october meeting of the madison literary club mr frautschi is the vice-president of the democrat printing company of madison and is notably active in the civic affairs of the city 391