Hi everyone. I am writing this as the third winter storm is about ready to hit us in the month of February. I can tell you my quota of snow shoveling is met and I am sick of this weather. I am ready for blue skies and trap targets flying in the air again.

I have a couple of milestones to mention. William Aschemann has shot 25,000 Handicap targets and Sue Staker has shot 25,000 Doubles targets. Congratulation to both of you upon reaching these accomplishments.

I was sorry to see that Ronald Smith passed away. Ron was a good man and friend and will be missed by all of us.

I am very excited to tell you about a new award the ISTA will be awarding to Illinois shooters. Currently you can be either an All-Stater, or All-American, or both depending upon where you shoot and how much you shoot. In both cases, you have to shoot all three disciplines well, and shoot a lot of targets. This is great, but what about the person that shoots only one or two disciplines? Or shoots all three, but only one or two well? They will not receive any recognition for their efforts. The ISTA will now be handing out at the state meeting High Average certificates to shooters who are not All-Staters or All-Americans, but are listed in the ATA average book for carrying a high average in one or more disciplines. With Covid, shell prices and entry fees, it is getting harder and harder to shoot as much as we would like. Now we can pat some people on the back who would not get that pat otherwise.

As soon as I get my 2021 average book, I will announce who these people are in my article so you can make plans to be at the annual meeting at the Illinois State Trapshoot to receive your certificates.

Spring is just around the corner so let's have a fun and safe 2022 shooting season.

Bill Duncan, ATA Delegate 

Hi everyone. I am writing this in late January and Illinois and the Midwest is socked in with serious winter. I am becoming more and more envious of the snowbirds down south. The thing that makes this tolerable is knowing that shooting is about ready to start again.

We have a few more pats on the back for achievements of Illinois shooters from the past shooting season. Ian Lawrence is the All-Around Award winner for the Junior Gold category. This to me is super impressive because it shows consistent excellence over time. Steven Margherio and Landon Sievers earned their AA-27-AA pins in the Junior category, and Ashleigh Painter earned hers in the Junior Gold category. I have watched all three of them develop through the years and I can tell you they are deadly shots and great people. I just wish I didn't have to try to beat them all the time. Lastly, Mike Dennis, Lawrence Gillum, Dave Dressler, Leland Hassler and Mike Walker are all Mega Target members for 2021. All of these gentlemen are fine, dedicated shooters who represent everything that is good about our sport. I am not surprised that they shot this much but I am amazed they were able to find 80 flats of shells this past season. I'm available if any of you would like to adopt me.

The Illinois Board of Directors is busy working on the Illinois State Shoot coming up in June. I'll have more information about this in next month's column. I am going to go clean my guns and dream of better days. Stay warm and healthy!                                                 

Bill Duncan, ATA Delegate

Hi everyone. I have all sorts of accomplishments and awards to talk about this month. I need to make two corrections first on the All State team. Jeremiah Schultz should be second on the Open Team with a 93.57 average and Payton Wattowa should be fourth on the Sub Junior Team with a 90.62 average. I apologize to both of you for missing you. Good shooting and keep it up in the coming year!

Michael Hagerty has reached the 25,000 target plateau in Handicap targets. Way to go Mike! Keep it up in the years to come.

Sadly, I now have to talk about one of our shooters passing. Carl Scott recently died after a long trap shooting career. I did not personally know Carl, but after talking to people who did, I feel that it was my loss. Carl shot for years in our Northern Zone with his BT-99 shotgun. He was a good shot who reached the 27 yard line at one point. The real measure of a man is, however, how he treats other people and Carl was liked by everyone. He did not shoot a lot for years because he was busy taking care of his seriously ill wife. Not everyone would be willing to do something like this and it says a lot about his character. Rest well Carl! We will miss you. 

Now I want to talk about Illinois shooters doing well during Grand week. I am only going to mention champions and runner ups due to space constraints. I would encourage everyone to check out the October and November issues of Trap and Field Magazine for full coverage. You can also read about Illinois shooters doing well in the major Autumn shoots. Now let's get to it:

Clay Target Championship:  John Upcraft, A RU -- Daniel Schocke, B RU -- Marvin Carter, C CH -- Ian Lawrence, JrG RU -- Ziggy Tkaczenko, Chair CH    

Doubles Championship:  Chase Horton, AAA RU -- Lauren Dunn, L1 CH -- Ziggy Tkaczenko, Chair CH

Handicap Championship: Ian Lawrence, JrG CH -- Larry Norton, Chair CH

HOA 1000: Steve Margherio, Jr RU -- Ian Lawrence, JrG RU -- Mike Dennis, Vet CH

HAA: Jimmy Juban, A CH -- Daniel Schocke, B RU -- Randy Miller, Vet RU -- Ziggy Tkaczenko, Chair CH

HOA 2600: Ian Lawrence, JrG CH -- Ziggy Tkaczenko , Chair CH

Nice shooting everyone! I'm proud of all Illinois shooters who shot well at the Grand.

By the time you read this the big shoots in Florida and Arizona will be starting up. Good luck to all shooters, not just from Illinois, who participate in these shoots. I think it's going to be another challenging year so enjoy yourself as much as you can. Till next time.

Bill Duncan, ATA Delegate

I hope everyone had a joyous holiday season and are ready to shoot some targets in the new year. When you read this it will be less than two months to shooting starting up again in Illinois. Since we are still in hibernation, I want to mention some achievements and accomplishments of our shooters.

First some target milestones -- Brian Frost has shot 25,000 Singles and Ivan Gunter has shot 75,000 Doubles. Now I want to mention the 2021 All-American Team members from Illinois. We don't have quite as many as normal due to Covid and shell shortages rearing their ugly heads. Still Illinois is well represented by our best shooters. They are as follows:    

Open First Team - Chase Horton

Lady 1 Second Team - Lauren Dunn; Elise Baker

Lady 2 First Team - Janice Rigler

Junior Gold First Team - Ian Lawrence, Captain; Garrett Helms

Sub-Veteran Second Team - Brian Hezel; Dan Staker; Dave Dressler; Frank Haynes

Veteran First Team - Mike Dennis; Frank Payne

Senior Vet First Team - Mike Westjohn; Charlie Bickle

Chair Shooter Team - Ziggy Tkaczenko, Captain; Larry Norton

Nice job guys and ladies! We are all proud of your dedication and talent. While we are talking about our All-Americans, check out the shoot reports of the Dixie Grand and the Autumn Grand. Several of our best tore them up at these shoots as they make a run at the 2022 team.

Next month I will talk about Illinois shooters at the Grand. Stay safe and get your guns ready for the new target season. It will be upon us in no time.

Bill Duncan, ATA Delegate