Hodag Sports Club improvements benefit club members, community

The Hodag Sports Club has long been a staple for hunters and shooters in the Rhinelander area and beyond. The club started almost 50 years ago by a small group of die-hard anglers who were looking for better access to area lakes. Eventually the group decided they also wanted a place to shoot trap. That lead them to leasing eight acres of land on Highway C, which has expanded exponentially over the years, but the clubhouse remains in the same place, looking much the same as it has since it was built.

But all of that is about to change, according to Mike Boyd of the Hodag Sports Club. The club has always been working on improvements and additions, adding a rifle and pistol range just west of town years back, but this year the improvements involve the main clubhouse, with both club members and community members in mind.

This fall, the Hodag Sports Club will build a new clubhouse and banquet facility at their shotgun range, which is located at 4480 County Road C, just east of Rhinelander. 

“This project is part of our long-range goals to improve the facilities and experience for our members and to become a positive draw to the Rhinelander community,” a club press release said. The club is hitting the halfway point in a multi-year plan to improve not only their facilities, but also their offerings. 

The new clubhouse will accommodate 300 people and be available for the public to rent. It will offer more space to club members, too, and offer up many other features. The plan is to have the facility open by the 49th Annual Hodag Sports Club Banquet on Feb. 3, 2026. 

The shotgun range will be expanding for 2026 as well. An additional sporting clays range will be created and later in the year, the club hopes to remodel existing trap, skeet and 5-stand ranges. According to the club, this will allow year-round utilization of the shooting range and allow them to better utilize the property.

The rifle, pistol and archery range at 5896 Sports Club Road, just west of Rhinelander, has seen its share of improvements as well. All of this work has culminated with a new range building on the pistol to 200-yard range. This building, too, will offer year-round shooting opportunities to members.

All of these improvements, Boyd said, have been made possible through member support, the annual banquet, the unwavering support of the DeByle and Cleary families and the board of directors’ decision to divest almost all of the club’s rental properties.

For more information about the Hodag Sports Club, to become a member or to support further improvements, see their Facebook page or head to their website www.hodagsportsclub.com. The website is maintained with the most up-to-date information about the club.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].