John Pouleson

John began his love of hunting at a very early age. His neighbor was an assistant game warden who took John out trapping in the early morning hours before school at age 10. His father gave John a .410 bolt action shotgun at age 12, the gun he learned to shoot with. He began hunting locally in Pennsylvania and then made a few trips out west for elk and moose. He shot his Alaskan brown bear in 1972, the same year that SCI was founded.

Once he found out about SCI and began attending the conventions, his hunting took him worldwide. He hunted twice in Kenya, and in fact he and his friends were some of the last hunters to hunt in Kenya in 1977 when hunting was permanently closed in that country. Through SCI, John hunted on six of the seven continents, including hunts in Spain, Tajikistan, the Arctic for polar bear, Alaska, New Zealand, Austria, Turkey, Australia, and 10 different countries in Africa, to name just a few.

Having benefited from what SCI had to offer, John became an active supporter of SCI. He was a major donor and a volunteer, and he served many years on the Board of the Chicago Chapter, followed by more years as a Director for the Illinois & Chicago Chapter. By introducing his grandchildren to hunting and to SCI, he hoped this noble sport will continue for many generations to come. John was a great friend and mentor to so very many of us, and we are humbled to honor his memory with his inclusion in our Chapter’s Hall of Fame.