History of the North American Hunting Club

The North American Hunting Club (NAHC) was launched in 1978 by father and son hunting partners Paul and Steve Burke. Avid hunters, the duo enjoyed meeting other hunters and sharing experiences. They wanted to create an enviro­nment where hunters from everywhere could come together to share, enjoy and learn.

Where's the Elk?
The very first issue of North American Hunter featured Steve Burke, Vice President of NAHC, on the cover with an elk. But the magazine lacked any elk hunting articles. At that time, Steve's father Paul, the only other employee of NAHC and President and CEO, wrote the articles for the magazine [source: Capecchi]

­Their answer, the North American Hunter magazine, became a success. And as their business grew, Paul and Steve realized they would need to expand their offerings. During the 1980s, the men began distributing hunting-related books and instructional videos and offered Jamborees where members could meet and socialize with the owners.

In 1988, 10 years after the Burkes started the NAHC, they decided to reach out to a second type of sportsman and created the North American Fishing Club (NAFC). Fashioned after the highly success original, the NAFC also offers magazines and information-packed books, videos and outlets where fishermen can share stories and learn from one another.

The Burkes changed the company name from North American Hunting Club to North American Outdoor Group (NAOG) to reflect their interests in all outdoor leisure activities. By the 1990s, the club was branching out to reach audiences across many different interests, including gardening, golfing, handy work and even cooking.

In 1995, North American Outdoor Group was purchased by CUC International where the combined total club memberships grew to over 3 million. In 1999, the European private equity fund managers, Doughty Hanson and Company, purchased the company.

In 2000, the name changed to the North American Membership Group and memberships grew to more than 5 million, with more than 1 million committing to lifetime member status [source: NAMG]

Though the name has changed, the mission of the North American Hunting Club has stayed the same throughout the years. Read on for an in-depth look behind the scenes of the NAHC.