PUT IN BAY, Ohio — The rich lore of Lake Erie contains a very colorful chapter on the extensive history of waterfowl hunting in the Sandusky Bay and along the lake’s shoreline.
Ducks and geese by the hundreds of thousands would pour into the lush marshes and wetlands along the lake. This abundance of game attracted both market hunters, who would harvest waterfowl as their primary source of income, and some of the wealthiest people in the country who formed very exclusive hunting clubs in the region.
These hunters used many creative and lifelike decoys and powerful firearms. Many decades ago, most of these vintage decoys were lost, destroyed, or even used to heat hunting cabins, and the few that remain are highly-prized pieces of American folk art.
The Lake Erie Islands Historical Society at Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island has assembled a collection of these antiquities, some of which date back to the mid-1800s, along with photos, paintings, and other waterfowl hunting items. The “Classic Decoys of Western Lake Erie” exhibition features this bygone era when the skies above the lake would fill with ducks.
To read more, please visit http://www.toledoblade.com/Toledo-Magazine/2016/06/26/Toledo-Magazine-Hunting-for-history.html