Sonoma bayside hunting club gets $26M infusion to finish clubhouse, fly-fishing pond

The hunting club on San Pablo Bay in southeast Sonoma County has received a $26.4 million injection of funding to complete a clubhouse and a pond for honing fly-fishing skills.

The financing for the second phase of construction at Wing & Barrel Ranch includes a $13.6 million bank loan and $12.8 million private placement, according to the announcement Wednesday by club co-founder Darius Anderson, CEO of Kenwood Investments LLC. He’s also managing member of Sonoma Media Investments, whose holdings include the North Bay Business Journal and Sonoma Index-Tribune.

Construction on the 18,600-square-foot clubhouse started last June, and the second phase is expected to be open this summer. The clubhouse, designed by Michael Guthrie & Co. Architects, is set to include The Trap Bar with selections from over 20 vintners, a member dining room, shooter’s pro shop, private meeting rooms, cigar room and lockers.

“The new clubhouse will be the crown jewel of Wing & Barrel Ranch, providing a central gathering place for hunters and their families to relax and socialize,” Anderson said in the announcement. “It will be the destination of choice for not only hunting and shooting, but to also bring families together to experience the finest wine country cuisine and wines.”

Anderson and champion hunting dog trainer Mike Sustos Sr. started Wing & Barrel Ranch, which opened in 2012. It began as a preservation effort to relocate the historic Black Point Sportsman Club, previously located in the Sears Point wetlands and sold in 2013. Anderson helped Sustos, that club’s owner and manager, relocate it to 6600 Noble Road. The goal was to offer the best of shooting, food, wine and region’s lifestyle, according to the club.

The ranch offers members access to 1,000 acres for seasonal bird hunting, personalized shooting instruction on the sporting clays course, and dog training and boarding. The new 1-acre fly-casting pond was designed by Josh Frasier, club investor and owner of Leland Fly Fishing Outfitters.