Nags Head in Dare County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

A Hunter's Paradise

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Photographed by Ray Gurganus, July 16, 2024

1. A Hunter's Paradise Marker

Inscription. By the mid-1800s out-of-state sportsmen, searching for a rustic hunting experience, found Bodie Island where thousands of geese, swans, and ducks congregate in the spring and fall. Exceptional waterfowl made this a hunter's paradise. Bodie Island Hunt Club bought land near the light station in 1904 and built a clubhouse. In 1906 they constructed gated dikes to hold and control the flow of water to an existing freshwater pond. This deeper reservoir provided better freshwater habitat for waterfowl, and hunting for club members into the 1930s.

In 1937, hunt club lands became part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The sportsman's heritage continues through the seasonal waterfowl hunting program managed by the National Park Service.

(captions)
Bodie Island Hunt Club members enjoy a successful day of hunting.
This aerial view shows Bodie Island Lighthouse, the former Bodie Island Hunt Club impoundment ponds, and the ocean beyond.
An early 1900s wooden decoy

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1904.

Location. 35° 49.217′ N, 75° 33.755′

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W. Marker is in Nags Head, North Carolina, in Dare County. It can be reached from Bodie Island Lighthouse Rd one mile west of North Carolina Route 12, on the left when traveling west. Located at the end of the Bodie Island Boardwalk Trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8210 Bodie Island Lighthouse Rd, Nags Head NC 27959, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and on the Outer Banks.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: All for Safe Passage (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bodie Island Light Station (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Bodie Island Lighthouse (approx. 0.2 miles away); Giant Bluefin Tuna (approx. 1.8 miles away); Gateway to the Atlantic (approx. 1.9 miles away); Life on the Edge (approx. 6.1 miles away); Roanoke Island (approx. 6.8 miles away); Battle of Roanoke Island (approx. 7.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nags Head.

Other markers no longer nearby. Bodie Island Lighthouse (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Port Ferdinando (was approx. 1.3 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Cape Hatteras National Seashore. National Park Service (Submitted on July 22, 2024.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 21, 2024, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 364 times since then and 32 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on July 21, 2024, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Wide shot of marker and its surroundings. • Can you help?