August 15, 2024
Hunting Season – Just Around the Corner
September 1st marks the starting date for the dove season in Illinois. October 1st is the starting date for deer and turkey archery, and upland game starts the first Saturday of November. Squirrel hunting has already started (August 1).
I grew up where I live now, in Chatsworth Illinois, which was in the heart of pheasant country. I remember when pheasants were not only plentiful, but they were also downright thick. Southeast of Chatsworth, a study was done on 1 square mile to see how many pheasants lived there. The survey estimated 600 pheasants in one square mile alone and there were lots of square miles that were close to that number.
When I was in high school myself and many others carried our shotguns to school. The hour, or hour and-a-half after school offered fabulous hunting. It was great to be in the field with the beautiful fall skies, golden fields and fall colors. I have to say that I didn’t know it then, but those were some of the finest days of my life.
Hunting season started at 12 noon on Saturday. Every town had a noon whistle which would always go off at the same time. So, we simply went by whatever noon whistle went off first. You could hear those whistles four or 5 miles out in the country, so it was great to hear the whistle and to eagerly step into the field.
I remember one day when we heard the whistle go off, and we stepped into the field like usual. There were seven of us, and within three minutes we each had our limit, for a total of 14 birds. Another day, I was hunting south of Chatsworth on a friend’s farm. We have been hunting for a while. The cover was good with plenty of places for pheasants to hide. Suddenly, we stepped into a draw, and hundreds of pheasants got up. Those few moments are indelibly in my memory.
I have hunted in North Dakota and South Dakota, but I’ve never seen that many pheasants anywhere before, or since. There are still pheasants around Chatsworth, but they’re few and far between. Not only do I miss those days, but I feel sorry for the last few generations of young hunters, because we’ll probably never see sights like those again.
Attention Illinois Hunters
Fall Turkey Permit Applications
Lottery 2: Closes August 19, 2024
Fall Deer Firearm Permit Applications
Lottery 3: Closes August 16, 2024
Illinois Concealed Carry Licenses
I am pleased to announce that the CCLs are over half a million. Last week in July, there were 511,442 Concealed Carry Licenses in force. I remember when we passed the law giving the Illinois citizens the right to carry a concealed firearm, that some said it wouldn’t go over 150 thousand. I predicted that it would go over 300 thousand, and I’m pleased to report that we’re both wrong!
There are 2,484,398 Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) cards.
ISRA members: The Spring and Summer 2024 Shooter is now on our website at: https://isra.org/illinois-shooter-newspaper/
LITIGATION UPDATES
Our attorneys are still preparing for the September 16th appeal for our “assault weapon” ban. The trial is about four weeks from now. We will keep you updated. If you would like to donate to us, please visit: https://isra.org/support-us/. Thank you for your support!
GET IN THE FIGHT, STAY IN THE FIGHT, JOIN THE ISRA
To Join the Isra, Go To: https://isra.org/join-us/
Entry Deadline: Sept 20. Any suitable shooting site may be used – must be witnessed to participate. See details in The Illinois Shooter newspaper
The 88th ISRA Illinois State Smallbore Rifle Championships will be held at the ISRA Range the following two days: Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25, on Range 5 at 9:00am – 2:30pm.
This event is open to the public, and is a two-day sanctioned event, during which the Metric Prone, F-Class, and Conventional Smallbore Championships will be fired. To register for this event, and more information contact: Jim Miller at 815.268.4411 or mailto: jamesandkaymiller@att.net
This Year’s Grand American Event Concludes on a Great Note
The Grand American Trapshooting Championships, which is held in Sparta, Illinois has wrapped up for another glorious year. Some 5000 Shooters attended the Grand American. I would like to thank everyone who stopped by the ISRA office on Commercial Row. I would also like to thank all the volunteers who showed up for the A.I.M. Youth Three-Gun event. It would be impossible to hold this event without all the volunteers, thank you all. I will have a more detailed report on the grand American next week.
Because History Matters
August 9, 1944 – Happy Belated Birthday to Smoky the Bear who turned 80 on August 9. Sorry I missed your birthday, Smoky! In the 1960’s, Smoky was so popular that he received his own zip code. To this day, he is the only individual to ever receive his own zip code.
August 16, 1896 – Gold Discovered in The Yukon. George Carmack, Skookum Jim, and Tagish Charlie, find gold in Little Rabbit Creek. The last gold rush was on.
August 17, 1943 – General Patton Races General Montgomery to Messina, Sicily
General George S. Patton Races British General Bernard Montgomery and wins the race to get to Messina, Sicily, before Montgomery. The rivalry between Montgomery and Patton is aptly portrayed in the movie “Patton”.
August 18, 1920 – Suffragettes Win the Right to Vote
The 19th amendment is ratified, giving women the right to vote. Prior to that in 1848, 200 women met in Seneca Falls, New York for a convention that began the campaign known as the Suffrage movement to get women the right to vote. It worked.
August 18, 1227 – The Great Khan
Genghis Khan, Great Mongolian Military Leader dies of injuries suffered from a fall from his horse. Under Genghis Khan, the Mongol empire would stretch from the East Coast of China to the Aral Sea.
Genghis Khan established the code of conduct and a system of organization in his armies. The system was based on 10. They were 10 men to a squad; 10 squads to a company; 10 companies to a regiment; and 10 regiments to a “Tumen” (a military unit made up of 10,000 cavalrymen). His system was not unlike what we use today.
August 19, 1895 – Famed Gunfighter Killed in Texas
John Wesley Harden is murdered by an off-duty police officer in El Paso, Texas. It is unknown the exact number of how many men Harden had killed but is thought to be from 20 to 40. The police officer was tried but was acquitted because the jurors thought he had done the town a favor.
August 20, 1920 – Professional Football is Born. The first professional football league was the American Professional Football Conference. It was the forerunner to the National Football League.
August 21, 1858 – The Lincoln Douglas Debates Begin
There were seven debates and all totaled had 21 hours of debating. The first speaker would have an hour, the second speaker would have an hour and a half, and the third speaker would have 30 minutes. Sometimes 15,000 people would show up to hear these debates. The debates were all held in Illinois. They were held in the following order: Ottawa, Freeport, Jonesboro, Charleston, Galesburg, Quincy, and Alton. The last debate was held on October 15, 1858. All the debates dealt with the spread of slavery states beyond the south. The debates developed Lincoln as the leading candidate in the election of 1860.
While the gun show information shown in this email is believed to be accurate, sometimes changes occur. This is provided for informational purposes only.
If your club or organization is holding a gun show, event or class, let us know the details, and we’d be happy to post it in our Weekly Range Schedule.
Ends – 18 Illinois State Fair, Springfield, 7am – Midnight
Aug 17 – 18 Introductory Wingshooting Clinic, Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area
Aug 17 – 18 Crown Point Gun Show, Lake County Fairgrounds, Crown Point, IN
Aug 24 – 25 Hunters Clinic – Designed to enhance the Wingshooting skills of hunters and impart sound Wingshooting practice techniques – Aurora Sportsmen’s Club, Waterman
Aug 24 – 25 Hunters Clinic – Designed to enhance the Wingshooting skills of hunters and impart sound Wingshooting practice techniques – Decatur Gun Club, Decatur
Now – Sept 20 Rifle Postal Challenge – any suitable shooting site – must be witnessed to participate (see ad on page 3 of The Illinois Shooter newspaper)
Interested in attending other shooting clinics & events? Some can be found across the state on the INDR website.
Stand Strong &
Thank you for being a member!
If you are not an ISRA member, join today
Donate: https://isra.org/support-us/
Upcoming Meetings: https://isra.org/isra-activities-and-events/
Upcoming Range Events: https://isra.org/the-range/#range-calendar