The warm weather and a new season of outdoor shooting at the range are upon us. If your 2006 annual membership dues are paid up to date, you will find your 2006-membership card enclosed with this newsletter. If you did not receive it, please check that your dues are current. Enjoy the range! Take care to keep it a safe place to visit and have a great summer.

The annual meeting was held on Friday January 13, 2006 at The Eagles Club in Grand Rapids. Our thanks go out to the folks at the Eagles for the great job and warm hospitality.

We’d like to thank DNR Conservation Officer Mike Fairbanks for appearing as our guest speaker. The topics of a brisk question and answer session focused mainly on hunting regulations. Deer baiting in particular dominated the exchange. Mike did a heck of a job, stepping in at the last minute to help us out and we really appreciate it.

Awards for the "Almost as Valuable as the Most Valuable Member" were awarded based on a poll of members present at the meeting. The awards went to Taylor Bunes, Vince Rittmiller, Phyllis Anderson, Mike Hughes, Joe Oliver, Joanne Baker, Bob Ross and Conley Janssen. Each of the eight members receives a pair of movie tickets and there is an award certificate on display at the range clubhouse.

With the exception of the open Vice President seat, all of the previous club officers were nominated and re-elected on a white ballot. Dr. John Howe accepted the nomination as vice president and was elected. A complete list of elected officers and appointed range officers is included at the end of this newsletter.

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Thank you to all the members that are helping at the range everyday! There are always members that are helping out around the club and as much as we try to acknowledge them, there are times when things get overlooked or simply forgotten about. If you know someone who should be recognized, please let us know so we can mention it in the next newsletter. Thanks-Conley Janssen

Two IGC members are keeping the building project moving at a steady tempo. Chuck Pearson has signed on to oversee the ongoing construction project and Joe Oliver has been handling the electrical and heating requirements. Since the last newsletter, we’ve constructed the inner walls for the office, storage and lavatory. Stringers for sheet rocking the ceiling, rough electrical and the new meter base for the "off peak heating" are all in already. By the time you read this newsletter, the ductwork for heating and the new plenum heater should be installed and we’ll be ready to insulate and hang sheet rock.

As of the monthly business meeting on 3/21/06, we have spent approximately $25,000.00 of the original $30,000.00 approved for phase 1 of the building project. With the rough work done and the initial inspection already completed, we’ll now have six months to finish the inside work and complete the final inspection. In order to be sure that this work is finished on time for the final inspection, we passed a "contingency motion" to provide additional funding as needed to complete the inside work to the point that it is to be "ready for painting". This contingency plan will assure that work will be finished even if costs run over the $30,000.00 originally approved for the project. There will be a few "work days" scheduled during the next month or so and we’ll be making these announcements by e-mail and posting them to the web site www.itascagunclub.org

Looking forward to phase 2 of the project, we’ll have the installation of the water well and septic system ahead of us. We anticipate that no work on the well or septic system would begin earlier than mid/late fall 2006. Estimates for drilling the well will be considered during the next couple of meetings and the timeline for phase 2 will be determined, as funding becomes available.

BULLSEYE PISTOL NEWS

Hello from your pistol chairman. The Thursday evening bullseye league is proceeding nicely. We have had up to 10 shooters at match and I’m pleased with the turnout. We are using a handicap system similar to the handicap you would use in a bowling league this year and so far Pete Myers is leading the pack. Also, a certain unnamed shooter is having a time of it staying ahead of his wife in the standings.

If you would like to dust off that old pistol and punch some paper, the club’s indoor shooting range is open on Monday evenings from 5-8p.m through the end of March. There is a $3.00 fee to shoot.

Lastly, remember, if you are an NRA member and pay your dues on an annual basis, you can save $10.00 on you membership renewal by renewing through the club. Just send your check made out for $25.00 and made out to NRA to the IGC post office box. Be sure to put your NRA membership # on the memo line of your check and mark the envelope you use for mailing "NRA Renewal". Mike Hughes.

Howdy again! A couple of scheduling announcements.

Triple T-C will be conducting a class for Minnesota pistol carry permits on April 22, 2006. This is an all day class that includes range time. Typically a class will run 6-8 hours in the classroom and 1-2 hours on the range. The class begins at 8:00 in the morning and the price is $75.00. People interested should contact Conley Janssen at 218-244-2841 for more information.

I will be scheduling three IDPA matches this summer. The dates are not yet set but will probably be the 2nd Saturdays of June, August and September. The September match will be a full three-gun match, with 3 stages for each. Certificates will be awarded for 1st - 3rd places in each and an overall match award. The other two matches will be 4-6 stages of pistol, with 2-3 BUG stages if time permits. Due to the more extensive stages, plan on showing up a little early and helping, a lot. This is a FUN sport and really gets the shooter's blood pumping! If you have any questions please contact me at 244-2841. Thanks! - Conley Janssen, IDPA

Spring Service Rifle matches are ready to start on April 18^th, 2006. As in the past, the Service Rifle matches will be held on the third Tuesday of every month prior to the monthly club business meetings. Start time for the first relay is 3:00 PM and we squeeze in as many relays as possible before the start of the business meetings.

This year, There will also be a series of Action Pistol Clinics scheduled for the third Tuesday of each month to complement the service rifle matches. Now you can come shoot the rifle match and then head over to the pistol range for some action pistol training and practice. Contact Taylor Bunes 218-328-6174.

THANKS AGAIN to everyone who helped with last year’s sight in event. I might be changing things a little this year. I would like to have a "pre-sight-in-days meeting" at the range with all of the volunteers to make sure that we are all on the same page and hopefully help things run a little smoother.

There is a common misconception that sight-in volunteers need to be some kind of range expert. While there are some really knowledgeable folks in our club, many of us are just people that enjoy shooting and helping others shoot well. There are NO special skills required for you to do a great job during the event. A good attitude and a desire to help out fellow shooters and hunters are all you really need. If you want to learn more about helping out PLEASE contact me at 244-2841. Thanks, - Conley Janssen

The dates have been set for the Northwestern Gun Club's 2006 IDPA season. All matches are on Sundays and will start at 10:00 am. Match fees will remain at $10.00. We will have the usual side matches for back up guns, rifles and shotguns. Bring an extra 50 rounds of ammo for these side matches and you'll always
have plenty. All shotgun shooting is with slugs only. Shooters new to the sport should arrive an hour early for a safety orientation. We can always use a helping hand setting up the stages too. Here are the dates: April 30 - Back Up Gun Side Match, May 7 - Shotgun Side Match, June 4 - Classifier Match/Rifle Side Match, June 25 - Back Up Gun Side Match, July 23 - Rifle Side Match, August 6 - Shotgun Side Match, August 27 - Back Up Gun Side Match, September 17 -Shotgun Side Match, October 1 - Rifle Side Match, Hope to see you there. Call me with any questions at 218-729-1579. Marty Lerette.