VOLUME 45 ISSUE 8 SEPTEMBER 2015
Rosi Franke, Editor Tel: 618-396-2509 e-mail:
John Browning(1855-1926)
Legends & Legacies: The 30 Greatest Outdoor Icons
By David Cabela, Sporting Classics Daily, August 13, 2015
Thirty outdoor icons for the ages, who have had a profound impact on hunting, fishing, and the environment.
MWHI OFFICERS 2015
President
Banquet Chairman
John Gineris
618-708-8117 (cell)
618-786-2596 (home)
Vice-President
Mike Arnold
618-786-2300
Treasurer
Shane DeSherlia
618-639-0855 (home)
618-946-4520 (cell)
Membership Secretary
Mike Devening
618-259-6181
Correspondence Secretary
Rosi Franke
618-396-2509
Recording Secretary
Cheri Gineris
618-786-2596
MWHI DIRECTORS 2015
Bob Jones
IFOR Board Representative
618-578-9547 (cell)
Chris Tite
618-610-3513
Dave Geisler
Gun Raffle Chairman/Refuge Chairman
618-670-1419
Eric Rhuede
IFOR Board Representative
618-410-9853
Justin Wolfe
Carlyle Lake Area Projects Chairman
618-377-0397
Don Taul
COE Chairman
618-978-8285
Brian Arnold
618-535-9979
Ron Ragus
618-977-2730
Kevin Dawdy
618-444-8711
Bo Adcock
Area Projects Chairman
618-535-6585
Dennis Millner
618-910-1420
Pat McRae
618-444-6793
John Popov (Advisor)
Bob Schneider (Advisor)
Scott Bryant (Advisor)
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
MWHI GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
at Alton-Wood River Sportsmen Club
in Godfrey, IL at 7:00 pm
Monday, September 14, 2015
MWHI BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
at 2404 E. Broadway, Alton at 6:15 pm
Monday, October 5, 2015
MWHI BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
at 2404 E. Broadway, Alton at 6:15 pm
Monday, October 21, 2015
MWHI BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
at 2404 E. Broadway, Alton at 6:15 pm
The Sentry is published monthly except for December and January by Migratory Waterfowl Hunters, Inc., 2404 E. Broadway, Alton, IL, 62002. The Sentry deadline is always the second Monday of each month.
Statements and opinions expressed in the Sentry are those of the individual and do not necessarily represent the views of Migratory Waterfowl Hunters, Inc. Officers, Directors, Advisors, Members or the Editor. The appearance of an ad in this newsletter does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of a product or service. We encourage our members to take note of those businesses advertising in our newsletter and shop with them when they are in the market for their product or services.
The Gathering Storm
From the Desk of: Rich Pearson, ISRA Executive Director
Adventure Sports Outdoors, August 2015
The Spring 2015 legislative session has been the most difficult in my memory. I have spoken to some of my colleagues, and we agree that this may have been the most difficult session they too have ever seen. We proposed bills, but couldn’t get them to move. We wrote and rewrote language to no avail. We never gave up, and we will never give up. We did finally get a “cleanup bill” but we should have had more.
I have been watching the national, state and local activities and I don’t like what I see. This is why I have been describing what I think is coming, as “the gathering storm.” What I am referring to is a set of circumstances that may not only cause us to not make any progress, but also lose ground if we are not prepared. The gathering storm is made up of six elements. Here is a brief explanation of each.
The 2016 Spring legislative session is likely to be open season on Illinois gun owners, in part because it’s an election year. Our issues make for good campaign fodder. We are going to see attempts to roll back concealed carry in the General Assembly. This will not be an outright ban but there will be attempts made to scale back the law, such as expanding the restricted areas where you can carry. Attempts will be made to change “shall issue” to “may issue.” This is the first of the six elements in the gathering storm.
In 2016, there will be general elections. All Illinois State Representatives will be up for election, as well as one third of Illinois State Senators. It is possible that many pro- Second Amendment legislators will lose their seats. This is the second element in the gathering storm. On the national level we have the presidential election. If the wrong person is elected we will have a President intent on denying Second Amendment rights, and therefore we will continue to experience many different sneak attacks on our Second Amendment rights. With the wrong President we will have the battle to try to ban certain bullets, restrict ammunition imports, and on it goes. In addition to the President, all Illinois Congressmen are up for election, along with one Illinois U.S. Senator. We cannot afford to lose ANY of these elections. This is the third element in the gathering storm.
The United Nations (U.N.) has become a menace to gun owners of the United States. The U.N. is working on treaties that would limit imports and exports of firearms, ammunition, and would even infringe on our Second Amendment rights if passed. Every division of the U.N. has a gun control section embedded in it. Treaties, once adopted, become the law of the land. John Kerry recently stated that the United Nations wants something done regarding gun control, referring to the Second Amendment. The ever treacherous United Nations is the fourth element of the gathering storm.
Aside from these four challenges, we are facing a complacent gun owning population. Our ISRA recruiters tell us that gun owners think the battle has been won because of the passing of concealed carry. Passing concealed carry legislation was in some ways only the end of the beginning. Defending and improving that law is a difficult and ongoing effort. Complacency of gun owners makes us an easy mark for the gun grabbers. This is the fifth element in the gathering storm.
Adding to the legislative and political situation, there are several billionaires nationally who are willing to dump millions of dollars against Second Amendment candidates. We have seen this happen in Illinois with the election of Robin Kelly to Congress. We have seen these billionaires, in only a few days, dump hundreds of thousands of dollars into state and local issues. For example, in just two days, billionaires dumped $600,000 dollars in campaign funds against Washington State gun owners. This will happen with the presidential elections as well. The anti-gunners are well organized, well financed, and are media darlings. This is the sixth element in the gathering storm.
We MUST keep these six elements of this Gathering Storm from becoming the PERFECT STORM.
The 2016 Spring legislative counter attacks, 2016 state elections, 2016 federal elections, the complacency of Illinois gun owners, the U.N., along with the unlimited funding by anti-gun billionaires will make for a tough road ahead. Now you can see all the elements laid out for you in black and white. In the next few months we have several things to do in order to weather the coming storm.
I need you to join the ISRA and help defeat the Gathering Storm. This fight is not a spectator sport; this is a contact sport. Gun owners who are not committed to help saving the Second Amendment in Illinois
might as well choose the anti-gun side. You are either part of the solution or part of the problem.
Please join the ISRA today and be part of the solution. Call, write or email us! Illinois State Rifle Assn, PO Box 637, Chatsworth, IL 60921 (815) 635-3198, email:
California Bans Bobcat Trapping,
Despite Evidence
Sportsmen's Alliance 8/6/2015
With a contentious 3-2 vote, the California Fish and Game Commission approved a statewide ban on trapping of bobcats.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance and its Al Taucher Conservation Coalition partners favored following the science amassed by the state and federal governments.
“Today’s narrow decision by the commission to ban bobcat trapping in California flies in the face of the science made available by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Josh Brones, government affairs coordinator of western operations for the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “For the commission to willfully ignore the departments’ recommendations to not implement the ban, indicates an utter lack of regard for the role and value of science and wildlife professionals in resource policy-making decisions.”
In his presentation, Craig Martz, senior environmental scientist for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, provided ample evidence that the bobcat population in California was stable and possibly growing, and as high as 140,000 animals. When the maximum population was estimated to be no more than 72,000 bobcats nearly 30 years ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife established a threshold of harvest by hunters and trappers to be 14,400 bobcats. Given the current average annual take of approximately 1,800 bobcats, the department's staff appropriately summarized their presentation by stating that the trapping of bobcats would have absolutely no impact on the population.
In a disappointing turn of events, newly appointed commissioners Sklar and Williams voted against sportsmen and were the deciding factors in the needless statewide ban, with commission president Jack Baylis joining them. Commissioners Kellogg and Hostler-Carmesin voted against the ban.
“We are very disappointed by the willingness of the new commissioners to cave to the irrational and emotional arguments of the animal-rights community by taking such a radical stance on a very complex topic that has been debated for more than year – especially when their knowledge and experience with the subject matter has been confined to this single meeting,” said Brones.
“When they were appointed by Gov. Brown, we had hoped Williams and Sklar would recognize the environmental and economic importance sportsmen serve in wildlife management. At the very least, we hoped they would take a prudent and thoughtful look at the evidence and recommendation of state and federal scientists,” continued Brones. “Apparently, that was too much to hope for in this hotly debated contest. This glaring disregard for credible science will most assuredly be exploited as we pursue our options to reverse this decision.”
IDNR Newsbits -- August 2015
IDNR Update: IDNR staff members who had been based in the former IDNR Regional office in Alton have relocated to a number of IDNR sites in southwest Illinois. For contact information, please call the site office at Pere Marquette State Park at 618-786-3323.
Controlled Pheasant Permits: Information is now available online for hunters to apply for 2015-16 Illinois controlled pheasant hunting opportunities available at 18 IDNR sites. Fourteen of the sites are operated by the IDNR, while four other sites are managed by concessionaire T. Miller, Inc. For application information, check the IDNR website at www.dnr.illinois.gov or www.tmillerinc.com.
LEGISLATION UPDATE
John Popov
In the August issue of the American Hunter, Wayne LaPierre lets go with a very good article on gun laws. He boils it down to what he and the NRA and all of the rest of us have said for years: "We don't need more gun laws, just enforcement of existing ones."
In big cities, take Chicago for instance, violent crime is out of control, especially gun violence. What does the Chicago mayor and most big city officials do? Blame the gun owners and all organizations, like the NRA.
Many years ago, the NRA worked hard to get 'Project Exile" implemented. Project Exile when implemented was very 'swift and certain and it worked." What has happened? For the past six-and-one-half years our justice department has not done its job protecting the U.S. citizens. They instead work very hard with many in this administration to fault guns and law abiding citizens as the problem, not the criminal element.
Many people may not know it, but literally thousands of 2-level illegal immigrant criminals have been released into our country's communities by the Department of Homeland Security. Is this fair to the American citizen? I don't think so. Don't wait to call your federal congress people or Senators. Do it now!
If it is to be, it is up to you and me.
IMPORTANT CONTACTS
NRA Update on Gun Bills 1-800-392-8683
Federal Senate Office 1-202-224-3121
Federal House Offices 1-202-225-3121
Illinois State Rifle Association 1-815-635-3198 www.isra.org
Illinois Senate Information 1-217-782-4517
Illinois House Information 1-217-782-8223
Sen. Wm. Sam McCann – 50th District Tel: 217-782-8206 Email:
Sen. Kyle McCarter– 54th Districted: 217-782-5755 E-mail:
Sen. Chapin Rose – 51st Districted: 217-558-1006
Sen. William R. Haine – 56th District
Tel:618-465-4764 E-mail:
Sen. James F. Clayborne – 57th District
Tel: 618-875-1212 E-mail:
Sen. David Luechtefeld – 58th District Tel: 618-243-9014 E-mail:
Sen. Gary Forby - 59th District
Tel: 217-782-5509
Rep. Dan Beiser – 111th District
Tel: 217-782-5996 E-Mail:
Rep. Natalie A. Manley – 98th District
Tel: 217-782-3316
Rep. Adam Brown – 102nd District
Tel: 217-782-8398
Rep. John D. Cavaletto – 107th District
Tel:618-548-9080
Rep. Dwight Kay – 112 District
Tel: 618-307-9200
Rep. Jay Hoffman – 113th District
Tel: 217-782-0104
Rep. C. D. Davidsmeyer – 100th District
Tel: 217-243-6221
Rep. Mike Bost – 115th District
Tel: 618-457-5787
Rep. Dan Reitz – 116th District
Tel: 618-443-5757 E-mail:
Rep. Rodney Davis - 13th District
Tel: 202-224-3121
Rep. John Shimkus - 15th District
Tel: 618-344-3065 E-mail: house.gov/shimkus
Sen. Richard J. Durbin
Tel: 202-224-2152 E-mail:
Sen. Mark KirkTel: 202-224-2854 Email: kirk.senate.
Controversial bill signed into law by Gov. Rauner
By Cory Davenport, Alton Telegraph - July 15th, 2015
SPRINGFIELD —Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed into a law a controversial bill that allows the hunting of bobcats in Illinois.
The law takes effect on Jan. 1, and it will allow the hunting and trapping of the animals to occur during a four month period. The bobcat was removed from the protected species list in 1999 after being placed on the list in 1972 due to hunting and habitat destruction decreasing their numbers. A similar bill was vetoed by Pat Quinn in 2014.