FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2015
Outdoors / Sports
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
Is the .30 Remington a dead cartridge?
magazine,
is a rifl e that
has been in
the hands of
both of my
grandfathers,
and though
it’s certainly
not in mint
condition
and has seen
better days
(bluing,
anyone?),
I wasn’t all
THE OUTDOOR COLUMN
that con-
cerned
about
By Todd Arriola
winning a
beauty contest
For my fi rst article as the
with
it.
I
cared
about
helmsman for this column,
whether
I
could
shoot
I recalled how my experi-
it--and
whether
I
could hit
ment last fall as a rookie
anything
with
it.
bowman went.
Before I even acquired
Well, Legolas I’m not,
it,
however, I was given
but I did have a new (to
the
verdict by more than
me) addition to my arsenal
one
local gunsmith, who
during the same year,
inspected
the rifl e in its
which eased the pain of
gun
rack:
leave
it on the
licking my wounds from
wall.
Unfortunately,
or
that venture, in the form of
fortunately
for
me,
I’m
too
the Remington Model 14,
stubborn
to
give
up
that
in .30 Remington.
easily. So, I asked again
The Model 14, pump
about the condition of the
operated with a tubular
rifl e from an expert’s point
of view, and I was told it
was probably safe to shoot,
and the bore looked okay,
but don’t expect miracles.
Fair enough.
I went home with both
the rifl e and the scab-
bard that was made for
it, neither of which I’ve
determined the exact age
of to this day, though that’s
not essential knowledge, as
far as I’m concerned.
My next step was to
clean the rifl e, which I
did, and I was thoroughly
delighted with the fact that
it’s a take-down model,
easily separated, with the
loosening of a screw on
the side of the receiver.
And the bore did look
nice, especially with some
cleaning.
The next task on my
agenda included fi nd-
ing something not read-
ily available at your local
sporting goods stores-
-ammunition for the rifl e.
This was seen as a slight
problem, since I actually
wanted to shoot the rifl e,
rather than use it as a big
club. I’m not THAT good
a hunter.
After thinking about how
I was going to fi nd some
loaded cartridges for the
rifl e, which proved to be an
almost impossibility, I de-
cided to fi nd them the hard
way, of course, by way of
reloading myself.
As luck would have it,
sometimes, you can fi nd
the strangest things by
using social media, and I
placed an ad, stating I was
looking for .30 Remington
cartridges, or even just the
brass.
Shortly after that, a local
gentleman responded that
he did, indeed, have brass
(100 of them), and he also
had the two reloading dies
I would need. Jackpot.
We made the deal, and I
became the proud owner
of two reloading dies and
brass for my rifl e.
The hunt wasn’t over yet,
as I had to fi nd other criti-
cal components--primers,
powder and bullets. I got
lucky again, and found the
bullets and powder at the
same local store (well, in
La Grande, which is as lo-
cal as I could get).
I had everything I need-
ed, and after thoroughly
cleaning the brass, I put
together some reloads,
with different charges of
powder.
It should be mentioned
that, though the magazine
of the rifl e is of a spiral de-
sign so that one could load
it with pointed bullets, I’m
glad the only ones I could
fi nd are round nose bullets.
I’m not brave enough to
take the chance of a bullet
tip striking a primer acci-
dentally in the magazine.
Pleased with my ac-
complishment thus far, I
wanted to take the rifl e
out to see how it would
shoot. I would be lying to
you if I said that I wasn’t
nervous about whether the
rifl e would malfunction
during that fi rst shot. But,
I’m happy to report, after
many rounds through it, I
haven’t had a problem yet.
I’m still tweaking the loads
to improve the balance of
accuracy and range, and
I don’t expect it to be a
1000-yard sniper rifl e, but
it will get the job done.
The pump action is very
slick and quick, and at
about seven pounds with
a scope (it was already set
up for one), compared to
about nine pounds with
my usual .30-06 with a
scope, it’s defi nitely a
lighter boomstick to carry
around. At 40 ½” long, it’s
a shorter rifl e than the 44”
long .30-06, so it’s more
compact, which is person-
ally something I like.
Considering I’ve been
close enough to big game
to make doubts about the
range of the rifl e a non-
issue, and the caliber is
certainly large enough, I’d
say I have a total winner.
Is the .30 Remington a
dead cartridge?
Not by a long shot, in
my humble opinion.
Good luck with your
adventures.
BHS wrestlers take on Ontario, Imbler
Ontario.
The “Underdogs” launched an all-out attack on the
Ontario Tigers in Ontario last Tuesday. Getting things
started for the Bulldogs was Isiah Madison with a forfeit
at 220lbs. Will Goodwin showed the rest of the team
what they needed to do with a fi rst round pin. Next up
was newcomer Dawson Dollarhide. Dollarhide had a
6-5 lead when he sunk a nice half nelson and secured the
fall over Chew of Ontario. I have never seen that kind of
intensity from Dawson. He knew his team needed him to
make something happen. This built some momentum for
the Bulldogs and next up was freshman Elijah Banister.
Banister got in on a nice shot but was unable to fi nish
it and was thrown to his back. Throughout the match he
battled his way back to a 4-4 tie and then was also able
to catch his opponent Cesar Nunez in a half nelson for
the fall. Elijah is our go to guy. I know we can depend
on him to get the job done, whether it be bumping up a
weight class or in this case dropping to a lower class for
the team.
Jace Hays had his hands full with Francisco Barrera
who was 2nd at state last season. Barrera won by fall.
James AhHee lost a close match 3-6 to Solano of Ontario.
He got caught on his back and refused to give up a
fall to his Ontario opponent, which saved valuable team
points. It was peer heart that got him to fi nish the match.
Logan Valentine had the closest matchup of the night.
He gained a takedown right at the end of the fi rst period
against Jeff Kovach. Kovach scored a reversal in the 2nd
period to tie the match 2-2. Kovach was able to ride Val-
entine for most of the third round until Valentine caught
him out of position for a two-point reversal right at the
end of the match for the 4-2 win. Nick Blair recieved a
forfeit at 138. Marco Vela took on a much larger oppo-
nent Gissel. He wrestled smart and used good technique
to secure the 6-3 win.
Dylan Feldmeier wrestled Johnny Carpenter one of
Ontario’s better wrestlers. Dylan got caught on his back
a few times and was able to fi ght out of it instead of
giving up a fall to Ontario. He lost 10-1. Derritt Gwynn
lost at 160 lbs. by fall. Next up was Team Captain Peter
Baker. At this point the dual score was 36-25. Ontario
was still within reach of being able to take the win if they
scored two falls. There is no one else I would rather have
as a closer than Peter Baker. He faced Gage McAvoy.
Peter had built a 5-2 lead in the second round when he
was able to secure an armbar on a tiring opponent for the
fall, which would secure the win for the Bulldogs! Next
up was Sam Harper who lost by fall to Isiah Martinez to
conclude the dual 42-31. This is the fi rst time Baker has
beat Ontario since the 2005 season and keeps our League
Dual Championship goal alive! The Bulldogs season
record is now 3-3 and are currently 1-0 in the GOL.
Imbler.
The Bulldogs were a little stingy with letting their
opponents have many opportunities Friday. We tallied
up 19 wins and only 8 losses. It is diffi cult to single out
one individuals standout performance when so many of
our kids shined! It’s a great problem to have! Freshman
Nick Blair had his best performance of the year winning
two close matches, one 8-7 and the other 10-6. He also
lost a close one 2-6. Nick has got a lot of grit. Jesse
—ODFW Recreation Report—
Baker County Hunting.
Chukar, Hun, and California Quail season end Jan. 31, 2015. Hunters should
expect another season very similar to last year. Chukar numbers are still low
for the county, however quail numbers showed a slight increase from last year.
Remember to purchase your 2015 license before going hunting after the fi rst of
January.
Cougars can be found throughout Baker County but hunters should target ar-
eas with high concentrations of deer and elk. Setting up on a fresh kill or using
distress calls can all be productive techniques. Hunters are required to check in
the hide of any cougar taken, with skull and proof of sex attached. Remember
to pick up a 2015 tag.
Coyote numbers are good throughout the district. Try calling in early morning
and late afternoon. Remember to ask for permission before hunting on private
properties.
Baker County Viewing.
Bighorn sheep can be seen in the Burnt River Canyon west of Durkee or
along the Snake River Road south of Richland. The best viewing is in the early
morning and late in the evening.
Bald and golden eagles can be seen along the Snake River. Take the Snake
River Road between Richland and Huntington.
Deer and elk are returning to the valley to winter. Early in the morning and late
in the afternoon are good times to view wildlife. Driving through the foothills of
the Baker valley and through the Keating valley can turn up good numbers of
deer.
Elkhorn Wildlife Area. Elkhorn Wildlife Area is known for the Rocky Mountain
elk and mule deer herds that frequent the area during the winter. When snow
covers the ground, ODFW staff feed elk and deer to encourage them to stay in
the higher elevations and out of agricultural fi elds.
There are two good viewing sites. The Anthony Creek site is located about
eight miles west of I-84 on North Powder River Lane. From I-84 take the North
Powder Exit (Exit 285). About 150 elk can be seen here on any given day. From
the overlook on Auburn Road, watch hundreds of elk and mule deer. It is on the
south side of Old Auburn Road, which branches off Highway 7 about six miles
south of Baker City.
Reporting.
Don’t forget to report your hunt results no later than Jan. 31, 2015 for most
hunts. Report online or by phone (1-866-947-6339). Hunters need to complete
a report for each deer, elk, cougar, bear, turkey and pronghorn tag purchased
(or picked up as part of a Sports Pac)—even if they didn’t hunt or weren’t suc-
cessful. Deer and elk hunters who don’t report will have to pay a $25 fi ne to get
a 2016 hunting license.
Hamann also had one of his best performances of the sea-
son. Dawson Dollarhide has gone undefeated 2 weeks in
a row. Dawson was trailing against Imbler’s Taylor Lane
1-12 when he got a reversal and was able to hold Lane
for the fall. That’s what we try to coach and I hope that
attitude catches on with a few of our other wrestlers. Just
because we are down big doesn’t mean the match is over.
All we need is one good move and we can pin our op-
ponents. It’s diffi cult to reach this mentality, but we have
to learn to believe in ourselves even when the scoreboard
is not looking so good!
Logan Valentine won the most exciting match of the
evening over Clay Johnson one of Grant Union’s stand
outs. It was a great match from the beginning all the way
to the end. Valentine took a one point lead in the fi nal 40
seconds of the match. Johnson was able to get an escape
to tie the match and then Valentine earned a takedown in
the fi nal 2 seconds of the match.
Next up is Mac-Hi in Milton Freewater next Thursday.
They are likely going to our toughest opponent in the
GOL races for League Dual Champions and Regional
Champions. Mac-Hi did well at the Oregon Classic and
are looking to avenge a loss to the Bulldogs from last
season.
Next Friday we go to John Day and then split forces
with our veterans going to Madras for a tournament on
Saturday and our more inexperienced wrestlers going to
Imbler.
Submitted by Brandon Young.
Alexandra Hunter is pretty much
alone in the world—except for her
matchmaking boss and contrary
friend, Mary. After a “Date with
the Living Dead” and a brush with
executive espionage, she’s focused
on climbing the corporate ladder.
Romance just isn’t worth the
effort. Then enigmatic playboy
Scott Falconer comes along in
cowboy boots and a tuxedo to cut
the rungs out from under her.
Try A COWBOY IN DISGUISE
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