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The Naperville Trapshooter The Official Newsletter of the Naperville Sportsman’s Club - October 2017
The Fred Section Members’ Meeting and Board Meeting
We will have a member’s meeting followed by a
board meeting at the clubhouse on Tuesday, October
10th. The meeting starts at 7:30; doors open at 7:00.
All members are invited and urged to attend both
meetings. …Fred Turek
Secretary
Do You Have any Sportsman’s Stories? This newsletter is the perfect place to brag about your outdoor adventures. Submit your pictures and stories about your hunting, fishing, sporting clays and even your skeet outings. Are you into golf or some of the other shooting sports? Let us know about it. It doesn’t have to be a long article. Submit a note and a picture and we will make it work to highlight some of the other activities our members are enjoying. Submissions can be made to [email protected] I look forward to hearing from you.
Tom Coleman
President’s Message Open House
We held the 80th Anniversary Open House on Sunday
September 17th. Thanks to Jay Spitz for putting together a
great program for our guests to enjoy. Dave Paulinski
provided the training and supervision for the trap shooting
and Orvis took care of the fishing. Club Members came
out to make it all happen. Thanks to everyone for helping
out. We had around 80 individuals shoot Trap and try Fly
Casting. The weather was great!
The NSC was Honored
The DuPage County Board honored the Club with a
proclamation at their meeting on September 12th. Fred
Turek and I attended the meeting to accept. Jay Spitz
received the City of Naperville proclamation. Illinois
Representative Grant Wehrli presented us with a check for
$1000 from the Sportsmen’s Caucus at the Open House.
Illinois Senator Michael Connelly presented us with a
proclamation from the Illinois Senate at the Open House
as well.
Upcoming Events
NSC Wobble League: Ongoing
NSC Trophy Shoot: October 8th
NSC Trap Fundamentals Class: October 15th
NSC Gobble Wobble Shoot: November 16th
Gun Auction
The Board of Directors has decided to hold a Silent Gun
Auction for the guns the Club does not need anymore. We
will keep all of the Benelli Nova shotguns we own and
sell the rest. We will use our email system to collect the
bids. Keep an eye out for an email blast with the
particulars.
New Member Orientation
The next three new member orientations (informal history
and workings of the club) will be held at the club on
Sunday October 8th, Sunday November 12th and Sunday
December 10th at 10:00 AM. Please RSVP to myself at
630-842-0391. The Range Volunteer clinic will begin at
11:00 AM on those days. Everyone interested in learning
how the machines work should attend.
…Jim Monk
President
Training Committee Report: Well we have been very busy for September. We had
another great class of students for our Trap Fundamentals
Class. The responses we received from the participants
was fantastic. My continued thanks to Dave, Steve, and
Ray. We have a great team.
We celebrated our 80th anniversary this month with an
opportunity to provide supervised Trap Shooting to the
general public who came out. With the help of Jay, Dave,
John, Dave K., and many others we provided the
participants with a lasting shooting experience. Many
stayed around to socialize and share in the Sportsman's
Grill with our favorite chefs Jim C. and Jim Monk. The
weather was warm but the fun we had was well worth the
effort.
It is efforts like this that are having a positive impact on
our communities and the general public when it comes to
responsible Shooting Sports. Our club mission is one of
the best in the area from what I have experienced this
training season. My continued heartfelt thanks go out to
all our members who have helped us to grow and move
forward in the coming year.
Finally, I have completed the Hunter Education training
season at our club and at Newark Sportsman's Club. We
did lose two seasoned instructors in this past year, but
have gained two more who are completing their
"apprenticeships," at this time. They will soon become
full IDNR Hunter Safety Instructors. One from our club;
Dave Krause, and another from Newark's Club; Det. Ron
Blair. Remember, I am always looking for new talent
who wish to donate a few hours of their time each year to
become IDNR Hunter Safety Instructors. We are
becoming desperate in recent years with our older
instructors retiring. I promise you, it is very rewarding,
fun, and enjoyable for all.
Be Safe
Dave Paulinski Training Committee Chair
Annual Northern Illinois Hunting and Fishing Days Report: I am pleased to report, that with all the efforts, donations,
and support, we had another successful Trap Shooting
Event in Silver Spring State Park this past weekend. The
shooting event is hosted by the Northern Illinois IDNR
Hunter Safety Instructors each year. Several years ago,
the IDNR pulled their financial support from the event,
but the area instructors refused to let it die. Pooling our
own
resources, and donations from area clubs, and shooting
ranges, they were able to maintain and continue to offer
this special "free," shooting opportunity to the public from
our area communities.
This year was special since many of our instructors are
getting older and have many health issues. Added to that,
the weather was absolutely brutal with temperatures on the
range at an average of 96 degrees both days. With that in
mind, I was coming up short on the required help needed
to provide this service. I put a call out to our area clubs
for NRA Certified Shotgun Instructors. Our club having
the most Certified Instructors provided the most help to
that call on such short notice. My sincere thanks go out to
Dave Krause, Art Dwight, and Don Sitter. They were
there in a pinch, and provided expert instruction and
support. Without their support, we would have been
severely limited in the ability to provide the timely
services we offer.
My thanks also go out to Aurora Sportsman's Club for
their ammunition donation, St Charles Sportsman's Club
for their help, and a very special "thank you," to Miss
Taylor Roe from JR' Shooting Sports. Taylor has worked
diligently behind the scenes with the NIHFD event board
in my absence for months, and pitched in with all of us on
those hot days to make this event happen. I would also
like to mention the great donation we have enjoyed from
JR's Shooting Sports for many years. That donation and
only a very few others have helped us grow and refine our
abilities to provide the Trap Shooting Event each year.
Finally, as I mentioned to the board last month and several
members, this year’s Trap Field hosted by the IDNR
Hunter Safety Instructors was dedicated to the memory of
Ed Heasley. I have included some of the photos taken
during the two-day event for your enjoyment. To all my
fellow members, thank you for your continued support.
Dave Paulinski
IDNR Master Hunter Safety Instructor
The Crew from Northern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days
80th Anniversary Open House… Naperville Sportsman’s Club Day, 2017
Four score and few weeks ago, the Naperville
Sportsman’s Club embarked on a mission of
sportsmanship and conservation. We were homeless,
in the sense we had no permanent location and our
activities were allowed due to the grace of local farm
owners.
When you think about it, eighty years as an active
community organization is quite remarkable, as we
have seen our share of turbulence over those years. I
would‘ve enjoyed observing those first few years,
watching the Club roughing it and flying by the seat
of its pants. In 1948, a few generous members pooled
some money and approached the town to lease, what
was otherwise a garbage dump. IMAGINE…
members clearing and cleaning and watching Earth
moving equipment to dredge the ponds and channel,
build that berm and grading the land that would
become the future home of the Club. The lease was a
nominal 25¢ per member per year.
It would be another eight years until we had a
clubhouse. The clubhouse we enjoy today was a gas
station restaurant building that stood where the
DuPage Children’s Museum stands today at Spring
and north Washington streets, donated by the Moser
Family, where their lumber yard would stand.
Envision seeing our little building being moved
through town… and as I heard the story, getting a
little too close to the south pond’s edge and having a
piano, rolling around inside, hitting a wall that
might’ve become another doorway… having a
foundation laid with the building being remodeled by
the club members. Try to picture the caretaker’s
cabin where we hold our picnics today
In the heyday, of the late 40s, 50s, 60s the club was a
private bastion for members, hosting big, well-known
Midwestern regional rifle matches, offering archery,
pistol shooting, hunting and fishing derbies. The
Naperville police practiced with their “Tommy”
guns. Trapshooting as we know it today was a late
comer to the party.
In the early 70s, our success brought unwelcomed
attention from the Naperville Park District. Founded
in 1966, the district set its eyes on acquiring the
Sportsman’s Club acreage. In 1988, after 15 years of
contention, the issue came to a head and the City
ended 40 years of leases, by voting to not to further
lease directly to the Club. That could have killed the
operation, but Club leadership chose to stay involved
and help the Park District lease the land and work out
a cooperative effort to create a public program.
Neighbors were not always so neighborly. With the
leasing of the property to the park district, certain
neighbors and a local political group tried on
numerous occasions to shut the shooting program
down. In 1998, an environmental lawsuit against the
Club, City and Park District, forced shooting to stop
for 32 months, while we toiled in federal court.
We played a lot of cards and watched TV, when our
guns went silent. But the Club never closed its doors
over those 145 weeks. We lost members and guests,
who chose to shoot elsewhere when forced to use
steel shot. Down, but not out, the Club persevered in
the face of adversity and competition. If you observe
the front wall of the clubhouse, you’ll see where new
siding was placed… to repair the cowardly act of
arson that nearly destroyed our home.
We have continued to thrive in an unlikely setting,
offering traditional recreation in a highly urbanized
environment. 69 years ago, Naperville was a quiet
farming community on the outskirts of an expanding
Chicago. The park then, was out in the country, with
a nearby plant nursery down an un-paved road you
can see, if you look close enough.
We had 100 guests celebrate our anniversary. Friends
and families came to learn how to shoot and some to
fish… our City, County and State lawmakers
acknowledged and proclaimed our contributions over
the past eight decades… we filled our bellies with
plenty of food and ice cream.
All in all, I’d say we had a heckuva birthday party!
Jay Spitz Life Member
Celebrating 80 Years at the 2017 Open House
ATA for 2017 – Plan your schedule now For those club members who participate in ATA shooting, or for those who are interested in starting, I compiled a
summary of shoots in and around the Naperville area that are planned for the coming year. While our club will be holding four shoots as usual, the number of shoots at local clubs has declined over last year.
So, for the list below I expanded the list of clubs to include other area clubs that also offer ATA shoots. The list
also includes information on state shoots for all the surrounding states as well as some of the regional events in the
Midwest. You’ll see from the information below, there are plenty of opportunities to register ATA targets without
travelling too far. Keep in mind that the clubs listed below could change or cancel a shoot for a variety of reasons, so it’s always a
good idea to check with the club before making the drive. Websites for all the clubs and associations are also
listed below, so you can find specifics on each shoot and contact information about the club. If you have questions about any of these clubs, or would like more information about participating in ATA events,
please contact Scott Calhoun ([email protected] or at the range during shooting hours).
2017 Target Year (September 1, 2016 thru August 31, 2017) March:
19 – Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club
April:
9 – Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club
23 – Naperville Sportsman’s Club (targets only)
23 – Peoria Skeet and Trap Club
23 – Maywood Sportsmen’s Club (Doubles Marathon)
May:
4-7 – Michigan Spring Team Shoot (MTA Homegrounds, Mason)
7 – Peoria Skeet and Trap Club
14 – Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club
15-21 – Missouri State Shoot (MTA Homegrounds, Linn Creek)
21 – Downers Grove Sportsmen’s Club (Illini Indian)
23-28 – Great Lakes Satellite Grand (MTA Homegrounds, Mason, Michigan)
24 – Maywood Sportsmen’s Club (6:00 – 9:00 pm, targets only)
27 – Peoria Skeet and Trap Club (marathon targets)
28 – Janesville Conservation Club
June:
2 – Peoria Skeet and Trap Club (targets only)
3-4 – Peoria Skeet and Trap Club (Illinois Central Zone)
3-4 – Janesville Conservation Club (Wisconsin Southwest Zone)
4 – St. Charles Sportsmen’s Club (Bob Sommers shoot)
10 – Downers Grove Sportsmen’s Club (targets only)
11 – Naperville Sportsman’s Club (targets only)
12-18 – Illinois State Shoot (Brittany Shooting Park, Bunker Hill)
19-25 – Ohio State Shoot (Cardinal Center, Marengo)
24 – Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club (Doubles Marathon)
25 – McHenry Sportsmen’s Club (Illini Indian)
25 – Janesville Conservation Club
26-2 – Michigan State Shoot (MTA Homegrounds, Mason)
27-2 – Kentucky State Shoot (Central Kentucky Gun Club, Berea)
July:
2 – Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club (Illini Indian)
4-9 – Indiana State Shoot (Indiana Gun Club, Fisher)
8-9 – Janesville Conservation Club
9 – St. Charles Sportsmen’s Club (Illini Indian)
11-16 – Wisconsin State Shoot (WTA Homegrounds, Rome)
17 – Peoria Skeet and Trap Club (Illini Indian)
18-23 – Iowa State Shoot (Cedar Falls Gun Club, Cedar Falls)
23 – Naperville Sportsman’s Club (targets only)
August:
2-12 – Grand American (World Shooting and Recreation Complex, Sparta, IL)
27 – McHenry Sportsmen’s Club (Buckle Shoot)
27 – Janesville Conservation Club
29-4 – Heartland Satellite Grand (Stockdale Gun Club, Ackley, Iowa) – 2017 target year
2018 Target Year (begins September 1, 2017) September:
7-10 – Michigan Fall Team Shoot (MTA Homegrounds, Mason)
9-10 – Downers Grove Sportsman’s Club (Northern Illinois Zone)
10 – Peoria Skeet and Trap Club
17 – St. Charles Sportsmen’s Club (Fall Handicap)
17 – Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club
24 – Janesville Conservation Club
October:
1 – Downers Grove Sportsmen’s Club (Grundy County Handicap)
8 – Naperville Sportsman’s Club (trophy shoot)
8 – Peoria Skeet and Trap Club (Fall Handicap)
16 – Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club (Thank You Handicap)
Club and Association contact information: Amateur Trapshooting Association - http://www.shootata.com/
Area Clubs:
Brittany Shooting Park - http://brittanyshooting.com/
Chillicothe Sportsmen’s Club - http://chillisportsmen.org/
Downers Grove Sportsmen’s Club - http://www.downersgrovesc.com/
Janesville Conservation Club - http://www.janesvilleconservationclub.com/
McHenry Sportsmen’s Club - http://www.mchenry-sc.org/
Naperville Sportsman’s Club – http://www.napervillesportsmansclub.org/
Peoria Skeet and Trap Club - http://www.peoriaskeetandtrap.com/index.html
Plug and Pellet Sportsman’s Club - http://plugandpelletclub.org/
St. Charles Sportsmen’s Club - http://www.scsportsmans.org/sc/
State Associations:
Illinois State Trapshooters Association - http://www.illinoistrapshooters.org/
Indiana Trapshooting Association - http://www.indianatrap.com/
Iowa State Trapshooting Association - http://www.iowastateshoot.com/
Michigan Trapshooting Association – http://www.michigantrap.com/
Missouri Trapshooters Association – http://www.motraps.com/
Wisconsin Trapshooting Association - http://www.witrapshooters.com/
Ohio State Trapshooting Association - http://www.ohiotrap.com/
Officers and Board Members President: Jim Monk
Vice President: Michael Moore
Secretary: Fred Turek
Treasurer: Tom Coleman
Bob Beyer: Director ’17
Steve Pfister: Director ’17
Charlie Tlapa: Director ’18
Ray Courney: Director ’18
Dave Paulinski: Director ’19
Jim Chakour: Director ’19
Park District Liaison: Gary Foiles
Newsletter Editor/Publisher: Tom Coleman
Club Information The Naperville Sportsman’s Club
PO Box 27
Naperville, IL 60566
www.NapervilleSportsmansClub.org
Board/Member Meetings: 7:30 PM, 2nd Tuesday
Range Information Sportsman’s Park Trap Range
735 S. West Street
Naperville, IL 60566
Clubhouse phone: 630-848-2124
Hours of Operation:
Thursdays: 6:00 – 10:00 PM
Sundays: 12:00 – 6:00 PM. Final Signup at 4:00 PM
Hours are subject to weather and attendance, holidays, and
community events
Open year round
Classifieds Many thanks to our contributors. Please support those who support our club.
AD SPACE FOR RENT Business Card Size Rates: $10/month - $100/year
October 2017
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Club Open
Club Open
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Club Open New Member Orientation
NSC Board & Member Meeting – 7:30 PM
Club Open
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Club Open Trap Fundamentals
Club Open
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Club Open
Club Open
29
30
31
Club Open
November 2017
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4
Club Open
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Club Open
Club Open
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Club Open New Member
Orientation
NSC Board & Member Meeting – 7:30 PM
Club Open
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Club Open
Club Closed Thanksgiving!
26
27
28
29
30
Club Open
Club Open
Naperville Sportsman’s Club
P.O. Box 27
Naperville, IL 60566
www.napervillesportsmansclub.org