A California hunting club established more than 100 years ago is selling its 400-acre private-island property for $1.5 million; the marsh retreat includes a 5,000-sq-ft clubhouse with 19 bedrooms
What would $1.5 million buy in California? In San Francisco, it could put you in the market for a home or condominium. In the marshlands of Solano County, the same amount could buy an entire 400-acre private island retreat with a century-old hunting history, nine duck blinds and a sprawling clubhouse with 19 bedrooms.The Concord Farms Duck Club, located on Van Sickle Island in California’s Suisun Marsh, has been listed for $1.5 million. The property, which has been associated with duck hunting for more than 100 years, sits about 19 miles south of Suisun City and roughly 1.5 hours from San Francisco.The listing describes the property as approximately 400 acres of natural marsh and includes a historic clubhouse measuring around 5,000 square feet. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the clubhouse has 19 bedrooms and three bathrooms, while listing materials also contain a separate reference to 16 bedrooms.
A century-old duck club in California’s wetlands
The Concord Farms Duck Club was established before 1924, according to its current listing. For generations, it has operated as a private hunting club where members travelled by boat into the surrounding marsh to reach designated blinds and hunt waterfowl.The property has nine hunting blinds, including eight two-person blinds and one single blind. Reaching them requires a boat, adding to the distinctly remote character of the property. The surrounding shallow waters provide habitat for several species of waterfowl, including pintails, teal, spoonbills and wigeon, according to the property’s listing.The sale comes as private duck clubs in the region face a changing membership base. Listing agent John Ward told Realtor.com that the club’s members had to decide whether to bring in new members or pass the property on to another group. They ultimately voted to sell it.The Suisun Marsh has a long history of private hunting clubs. Realtor.com reported that there are around 160 duck clubs in the wider marsh, with many dating back more than a century.
The clubhouse is unlike a typical California home
At the centre of the property is perhaps its most unusual feature: a clubhouse that traces its origins to an old barge. According to Ward, barges were used by crews working on levees in the area more than a century ago. Some were eventually incorporated into duck club buildings after levees were constructed around them.Today, the clubhouse provides sleeping quarters and communal space for members and guests. The property listing describes a roughly 5,000-square-foot facility with bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen and other gathering areas. It also has views towards Mount Diablo and Montezuma Slough.The property is not being marketed as a conventional luxury estate. Its appeal lies more in its isolation, history and access to the surrounding marsh. The listing says the clubhouse has basic facilities and has seen some deferred maintenance. It also notes that the property has a new electrical panel and feed, a 2,600-gallon sewer holding tank and ejector pump. Water used by the club is non-potable and pumped from Montezuma Slough into storage containers.
400 acres surrounded by marshland
The property sits within the Suisun Marsh, on the southern side of the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area. Much of the surrounding landscape is undeveloped wetland, giving the property an unusual combination of private ownership and proximity to a large wildlife-rich environment.The 400-acre property contains seven ponds and can be used for activities beyond duck hunting. The listing mentions fishing, skeet shooting and ATV or UTV riding, while the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the property could also appeal to buyers interested in using it as a private retreat.The property also includes a fishing shack with structural upgrades, a deck and ramp. Its perimeter levees are maintained through Reclamation District 1607, according to the listing.However, owning the land does not mean a buyer can freely transform it into a conventional residential development.The marsh is subject to conservation and other regulatory restrictions, and existing duck-club structures have a special history within the landscape. Realtor.com reported that the clubhouse could potentially be renovated, but the building footprint would have to remain because of restrictions governing the protected marshland.
Who could buy the unusual property?
The listing is open to more than traditional hunters. While its history and infrastructure are built around waterfowl hunting, the property’s remote setting could also attract someone looking for a private wildlife retreat.A buyer could potentially use the land for activities such as birdwatching and fishing, subject to applicable regulations and restrictions. The listing describes the opportunity as a rare chance to acquire a private duck club of this size and character.The sale also highlights the unusual economics of California’s marshland properties. For $1.5 million, the buyer would not simply be acquiring a large parcel of land, but a property containing a historic clubhouse, waterfowl habitat, hunting infrastructure and access to hundreds of acres of private marsh.The property was listed in September 2026 and remains an active listing, according to Land Broker MLS.For a state where land near major cities can command extraordinary prices, the Concord Farms Duck Club offers an altogether different proposition: 400 acres of wetlands, an unusual barge-turned-clubhouse and a century of hunting history, all tucked away on a private island in the Bay Area’s marshlands.
