KEVIN
CHAPMAN

KC's Corner

Project Photog - Week 9

Mon, May 14, 2012

I had a lot of pics to choose from this week, but decided to post a few pics of some hummingbirds I took over the weekend.  This was my first try at it, and as you can see I had dozens of willing subjects.

I had to use the flash to capture the detail, which made for slower shutter speeds than I would have liked. It also did some weird things with the color of their feathers, as the iridescent green sometimes turned yellow. I think the flashed synced at 1/200 sec.  Since I was so close, I opted for f8 to f11, just so I could get away with a little depth of field since they don’t stay in one spot very long. A tripod and release would have been nice, but my lens has a stabilizer, so I figured I could get by with leaning against a post. I still would have liked to have a shutter speed just a little faster to freeze teh action just a little more.

I could have taken 100 more pics, but just ran out of time. I had birds literally inches from my head the whole time. Not only could I feel the vibrations of their wings, but I could feel the breeze on my face as I took pictures. I’d say at one time there had to have been at least 50 on or around 4 different feeders. And talk about vicious. Those things get downright nasty with each other, bumping and knocking each other out of the way to get up to the feeders.

Don’t know how they’ll turn out after resizing for the HO site.

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The Bill That Wouldn’t Die

Thu, May 10, 2012

What a difference a week can make!

When I left Springfield last week in the Senate Ag & Conservation Committee hearing, we were told that HB4819 was dead. It didn’t clear the committee by some deadline, and wouldn’t come back this year. Well, never say never in IL politics.

The capitol city probably wasn’t even clear of my rearview mirror before lawmakers had found a way to extend the deadline (no need to get into those details). Since the democrats had one member absent in the first hearing, this would allow them to get a full roster to move the bill forward.

So, the committee met again this week. The purpose was to move the bill forward to get it out of committee, but the members still expected Senator Forby to reach a compromise with the bowhunters and not run the bill as a full-inclusion bill. That means the majority of the committee doesn’t support crossbows in the entire archery season, but they do expect some kind of comrpomise to be reached. But again, nothing’s a guarantee in Springfield.

What does a compromise mean? That’s the million dollar question right now. One of the ideas that came up in committee was to reduce the minimum draw weight on compounds to 30-35 pounds, to get more women and children involved in hunting (on of the main reasons for the bill was hunter recruitment). Other suggestions included incorporating crossbows into their own “season” which may run concurrently with a portion of the archery season, or changing the age limits (currently 62 years and older can use crossbows, and hunter retention was another reason for the bill).

As expected, the bill moved forward and passed out of committee. Senator Forby is tasked with finding that middle ground before he runs the bill on the full senate floor. This means he’ll have to go back to committee to report his results on the compromise. But nothing is stopping him from running the bill as-is, and it’s hanging on the edge of full passage.

Currently, the bill sits as-is on 2nd reading in the Senate. On the next reading, it can be called for a vote, and the public comment period is basically over. I was told the committee wasn’t thrilled with hearing any more comments this week, so they’ll probably be less attentive the next time it comes back to them. No amendment has been filed yet. Once an amendment does get filed, it will have to go back to A&C for a vote, then to the full Senate floor, then back to the House to be approved again before going to the governor. Honestly, this is the latest in the year I’ve ever spent working on a hunting bill, especially since a compromise hasn’t even been reached, and no amendment has been filed. Assuming an amendment happens, this bill has a long road ahead of it. Or it could run as-is and be passed within hours.

Senator Forby has asked the DNR to work on the bill with hunting organizations. As of today (Thursday), we haven’t seen the amendment. I know it’s a challenge. Multiple sections of the Wildlife Code could be affected, and the DNR has to make sure that a change in one section doesn’t have an adverse affect in another section. And while deer are at the forefront, this could also affect many other game seasons and wildlife as well (turkeys, squirrels, small game, furbearers, etc.). This is all the more reason why this whole process is ridiculous. Most of the big changes the DNR makes will take weeks and months of review by various departments, legal, and constituent groups. To expect a finished product in less than a week on what could an important piece of important hunting legislation is not only assinine, but irresponsible. This legislation deserves more time, but we’re not going to get it.

These are the cards we’re dealt. If we don’t agree to the “compromise” then we’re faced with Forby running the bill as-is, which means a democrat-sponsored bill in a democrat-controlled committee and Senate. Do the math. With the bill sitting on the brink, this thing could be a done deal by early next week, and crossbows could be in the full archery season this year. And even if we choose to fight it as-is, partisan politics aren’t the biggest obstacle we face. Many lawmakers who have no knowledge of the bill will be asked to vote on it, only seeing that their counterparts in the House passed it without a single NO vote. And time is running short.

That’s where this whole thing stands right now. If we compromise, we give up a little bit more, but avoid the full-season inclusion. But if we stand our ground, the full-inclusion bill very well could get run as-is, and it’s literally inches from passing. Refusing the compromise could mean immediate full-season inclusion.

I’m curious to hear some of your opinions. What would you do?

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Project Photog - Week 8

Sun, May 06, 2012

Things were a little hectic this week, so I’m a bit late on getting a photo posted.  I’ll make up for it by posting a few extras from the IHSA State Bass Fishing Finals.

Day one staging, with storms on the way.

National Anthem on Day 1.

Austin and his team headed out.

Day 1 weigh-in line. For such a large event, you can’t say enough about the organization of the tournament. Hats off to the IHSa for a quality event!

I took a few photos here and there of teams weighing in. Couldn’t get them all in, though…

There were several girls participating in the event…

... including this young lady who weighed in the big fish for her team, that was over 5 pounds. Rumor was that she caught all the keepers in their bag!

Teams heading in to the final weigh-in on Day 2.

One of the cool boats at the event.

Big Bass of Day 2 from Farmington, weighing in at 6-8. Day one Big Bass was 6-14, and set a new State Finals record (of course, I didn’t get a pic of that…).

Day 2 crowd at the final weigh-in.

And a final pic of Austin and his team at the trophy presentation.

I wish I could have taken more pics, but with Austin participating and my family being there, it was tough to cover it all.  We were on pins and needles all day on Day 2, knowing that our team was in the running for the title. Due to IHSA rules, they weren’t allowed to communicate while on the water. With the long wait on the water after getting in, the boys knew they had a lot of Friday’s Top 5 teams beat. But there were a lot of teams still in it, and a few posted some impressive 2nd day totals.  Hats off to them, for fishing in a lot tougher conditions on Day 2.

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