Hi everyone. I need to correct a mistake I made when figuring out the Illinois all-state team. The program I was using did not sort the shooters properly in the Sub-Veteran category and I did not catch it. The corrected list is. John Upcraft 93.36, Ron Fearheiley 92.95, Brian Cox 92.75, Mark Fielder 92.19, and Ken Mitchell 92.07. My apologies to anyone affected by my mistake.
I was very saddened by the news of John McFadden passing. I first got to know John when he would stop by the classification window at the Illinois state shoot and chat with me. John was an interesting and friendly person who always made me smile and think. I always appreciate anyone who can do that for me. My condolences to all John's family and friends.
Illinois has three shooters who are at the top of the high average lists in their respective categories. Chase Horton is fourth in the Open category. Steve Margherio is second in the Junior category and Ian Lawrence is second in the Junior Gold category. Nice job guys.
I was reading my January issue of Trap and Field magazine and on pages 70 and 71, I saw the AIM All-Star Team. If you read the criteria to make the team, you realize these kids are excellent, dedicated, and competitive shooters. There are 80 shooters listed from across the country. As I looked at them, I noticed a lot of them are from Illinois. I started to count and found 34 out of 80 are from Illinois. That means 42.5% of these kids are from Illinois. WOW!!!! I knew I was having more and more of a problem competing. I chalked it up to old age. I had no idea there was this much talent nipping at my heels. Congratulations to all of you. Please take pity on an old, bald man.
I'm excited to tell you we have a new club that is starting to throw registered birds. Winchester Trap and Skeet Facility located in Alton, IL., plans on having Big 50 events this year. If things go well, they will also have some 300 bird days. Steve Dinkleman is a registered shooter and the new manager of the club. He wants to expand the operation and not only have leagues. Steve wants me to tell you about a corporate policy at the club. When you sign up to shoot you must buy and use Winchester ammo. They only sell premium AA ammo for you to use. They sell the ammo at a discount, so it is no more expensive than if you went to a store to buy shells. It's a good club and I hope you will go there and support them. Steve's contact info is 618-340-6860, or
Avery Curry has reached the 100,000 Singles plateau. I've known Avery for a long time, and you will never meet a nicer guy. I am really happy and proud of him.
Spring is just around the corner. Get out and support your local clubs.
Bill Duncan, ATA Delegate
Hi everyone. I have all sorts of recognition to give to Illinois shooters, so I want to get to it.
Duane Parker has shot 25,000 Singles targets and Mark Johnson has shot 25,000 Doubles targets. Way to go guys!
I want to give a special shout out to Mike Dennis for joining the 250,000 combined targets club. Mike is a great, dedicated shooter that this milestone illustrates big time. He is also a good man. Congratulations, Mike, I am so proud of you!
Justin Dewitt, Braxton Dent, Wyatt Williams, and Brady Cox are now AA-27-AA shooters. It just shows how much great, young talent we have in Illinois. I am in awe guys!
Michael Hathway, Lawrence Gillum, Mike Dennis, Leland Hassler, Dave Dressler, and Tom Fester are Mega Target members for the previous shooting season. I know I am a broken record, but we have great shooters in Illinois. I'll say again, any of you that would like to adopt me and take me shooting, just give me a call.
Dave Dressler and Jim Lyons have been elected to the ISTA Hall of Fame. Both gentlemen are very deserving of this honor, and I couldn't be happier for them.
Sadly, we have lost two Northen Zone shooters. Russell Weeks and Matt Woods have both passed recently. Both men shot in the Northen Illinois and Southern Wisconsin area. Both were loved by the many friends they had in this area. Our sport can ill afford to lose people like this. Rest in peace Russell and Matt. We already miss you terribly.
We are breaking ground on the new Hall of Fame building this spring. The Board of Directors have decided we need a HOF logo to go with the new building. It will be used on a sign, stationery, etc. They think we should have a contest to create this logo and open it up to our most creative people, the youth shooters of Illinois. Entries will run to June 1st. A committee of Directors will judge them and the top three (3) will receive a life membership in the ISTA. On Friday of the State Shoot, when we have the annual meeting, the membership will vote on the top three (3) and the winner will shoot the Championship targets over the weekend for free. Check the ISTA website for the rules of the contest. If you contact them, the Directors will also have copies of the rules available for any youth shooter who wants one. Good luck to everyone entering the contest! I am looking forward to seeing what our kids come up with.
When you are reading this, shooting will be starting up across the southern part of our country. Good luck to everyone down there. I'll be rooting for you. Support your local clubs.
Bill Duncan, ATA Delegate
Hi everyone. I want to start this column by introducing you to the 2022 Illinois All State team.
Open
For those of you not familiar with Illinois shooting, trust me when I say this is a formidable group of shooters. Congratulations to all of you!
Next, I want to acknowledge some shooters that have reached milestones in their careers. James Martin and Greg Hogue have shot 25,000 Handicap targets; Jay Miller has shot 25,000 Singles targets; Mike Hathaway has shot 50,000 Doubles targets and Tim Hays has shot 75,000 Singles targets. Well done all you guys!
Finally, I want to tell you about a gem of a small, two trap club I shot at a few weeks ago. Lake Fork Sportsmen's Club is located about 25 miles east of Decatur, IL, off of Route 36. When I pulled in, I found a clean, well-maintained club where the members were busy setting up the two fields. The shoot started on time, and everything ran smoothly throughout the day. It reminded me so much of the little clubs my dad and I shot at when I was a kid. Simply put, it was a relaxing time with good friends, good targets and I had a really good time. I know it's fun to go to large shoots, but let's not forget that small clubs have their own unique enjoyable experience. Tony Jones manages the club, and you can find the contact information for the club on the ISTA web page if you think you would like to give them a try. Trust me, you will not regret it.
By the time you read this it will be December, so everyone, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Next month I'll introduce you to the 2022 Illinois All-Americans. Support your local clubs.
Bill Duncan, ATA Delegate
Hi everyone. The heat has broken here in Illinois and shooters are coming out to shoot some birds in the new target year. The only problem is anymore it seems to rain every weekend. Oh well, it's always something.
Ian Lawrence has shot 50,000 Singles targets. This is quite an accomplishment for this young man. You can see where his great scores come from. Brian Frost has shot 25,000 Handicap targets.
The Illinois Northern Zone shoot was held at Downers Grove Sportsmen's Club on September 10 and 11. Saturday the weather was great and Sunday it rained off and on with clouds. The shooters still came out and shot their usual great scores. Steve Johnson won the In-Zone Singles title and Mike Westjohn won Out-of-Zone. The In-Zone Handicap title was won by Jake Diliberto and Mike Westjohn struck again with the Out-of-Zone title. Dan Staker won the In-Zone Doubles title and Dave Dressler won Out-of-Zone. To finish it out, Dan Staker won the In-Zone HAA and, not surprisingly, Mike Westjohn won Out-of-Zone. Good shooting everyone and thanks to the Downers Grove staff for putting on a great shoot.
The one thing I dislike about writing a monthly column is talking about someone who has passed. It always makes me sad. When that person was a good friend it is particularly tough to do. Jerry Graham died right before the start of the Grand. Jerry was a great guy and an even better shot. I first met him years ago when he was one of the few people still shooting a Model 12 in competition. He later switched to a Ljutic and between those two guns he shot himself into the ISTA Hall of Fame in 2012. Jerry never shot off for an award. He was content to shoot his score and go home. It was refreshing to be around a guy who shot for the love of the game and not trophies and points. Poor health limited his shooting of late, but he kept trying to shoot a round or two to be with his friends. My sincerest condolences go out to all of Jerry's family and friends. Rest in peace!
Support your local clubs! They need you.
Bill Duncan, ATA Delegate