FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015
Outdoor Rec / Sports
With spring comes squirrels
in the past of
waiting too
long to begin
attempting to
help control
the popula-
tion of these
little critters,
the results of
which were
hay fi elds
that resem-
bled Swiss
cheese, with
the networks
THE OUTDOOR COLUMN
of tunnels
suddenly ap-
By Todd Arriola
pearing out of
It seems a bit premature
nowhere.
to comment on the weather
Add to this the badger
becoming warmer and the
holes, or ankle-breakers,
ground becoming softer
and the fun really begins.
(and muddier), especially
Using a .22 caliber rifl e
since we’re supposed to
to thin the squirrel popula-
have around a month and
tion isn’t everybody’s cup
a half more of the winter
of tea, but it is common
season, at least according
practice, and it is fairly
to Punxsutawney Phil, but
inexpensive, assuming you
I don’t think the squirrels
can fi nd (or have already
received that memo.
found) boxes of .22s that
I see them running
don’t cost an arm and a
around with excitement
leg.
in signifi cant numbers, as
I found some bricks
if they were mysteriously
(500-round boxes) last
brought back to life from
year, so I’m fairly well
the slumber of their winter
prepared to go on the hunt.
vacation homes under-
For a while, anyway.
ground, to feast on what
Squirrels are small
appears to be not much to
targets, but not hard to
feast on quite yet.
hit, and since they aren’t
It certainly isn’t the fi rst
exactly the brightest bulbs
time they’ve been out and
in the pack, I’ve always
about this early, and in
marveled at how one can
years past, they’ve been
stand looking straight at
out even earlier.
you the second a buddy or
I did make the mistake
two of his is taken down.
I suppose the fact that
a lot of them have no idea
what’s going on, and they
may be brand new to the
world to start with, might
have something to do with
it.
I prefer a bolt-action
.22 rifl e myself, because
it just feels better than a
semi-automatic rifl e to me.
And I’m used to it. As far
as ammunition goes, well,
pretty much whatever I can
fi nd in that caliber is what I
use. You can’t be too picky
these days with .22s.
My thoughts on the
caliber would follow the
“never use a small-caliber
bullet on a large-caliber
animal” philosophy, so I
haven’t expected miracles
from it, though I did try to
shoot a badger once with
the rifl e from some dis-
tance. I heard a THUMP,
and the badger fell (or
jumped) down into his
hole, but I wasn’t that op-
timistic about my chances
of success. I never saw him
after that. I did manage to
take down a badger with
a .22 pistol last fall, but
the range was shorter, and
I was lucky he emerged
from the same hole after he
ran down into it. They are
deceptively quick on their
feet.
Sometimes, a person
can be out all day long and
shoot and shoot, with-
out seemingly making a
dent in the population of
squirrels. But, it is a good,
effective method, I believe,
and something that can
give the younger hunters a
chance to practice shoot-
ing their shooting skills.
The recoil and noise level
are naturally much less
than what they’d be with a
larger caliber rifl e, so it’s
a good starting point to
fi ne-tuning trigger control,
breathing, shooting ac-
curacy, etc.
I personally think it’s a
lot of fun also, and it helps
me keep my skills sharp.
You can never have too
much practice or experi-
ence.
Case in point, I had an
odd encounter when I was
younger, with an albino
squirrel in a hay fi eld on
the family ranch. I guess
you could call it “squirrel
fever,” because as calm
and accurate with the other
“normal” squirrels as I
was, this one had me excit-
ed and shaking, and in that
excitement, I missed him.
My grandfather snapped
his fi ngers and cussed a
little, because he wanted us
to be able to show every-
one else that rare squirrel,
but he didn’t make much
of a fuss over it.
Now that I’m, um, older,
I still need plenty of prac-
tice to keep the skills fi nely
tuned. Use them or lose
them, I like to think. Good
luck with your adventures.
Pacific Northwest Sportsman’s
show is this weekend
The nation’s second
largest sportsmen’s show
returns for its 40th year to
the Portland Expo Center,
February 4-8.
The 2015 Pacifi c North-
west Sportsmen’s Show
and Sport Fishing Boat
Show®, presented by Fed-
eral Premium Ammunition
and Bushnell, is known
as “The Big One” be-
cause this family-friendly
tradition and one-of-a-kind
shopping experience has
more than 800 exhibitors
for fi ve days of outdoor
sporting excitement.
Discover incredible show
pricing on fi shing and
hunting gear, clothing,
taxidermy, camping equip-
ment, sport fi shing boats,
RVs and more!
Find everything you
need to plan and prepare
for your next outdoor ad-
venture, including dozens
of experts on everything
from fi shing and hunting,
to game calling, survival
and outdoor cooking.
There’s only one place
where you can shop and
save on this much gear, as
well as meet face-to-face
with in demand guides,
outfi tters, and representa-
tives from leading hunting
and fi shing lodges and
resorts.
Plus, enjoy unparal-
leled features including the
return of the world’s only
live action Indoor Steel-
head River, the exciting
annual Head and Horns
Competition, the beloved
Free Kids’ Trout Pond and
the popular Camp Cooking
Demonstrations.
This year close to 1000
exhibitors, top northwest
and national outdoor ex-
— Random Acts of Kindness —
Each week The Baker
County Press will in-
clude a list—all anony-
mous, of course—of
the good deeds and
random acts of kind-
ness people from
around the area have
witnessed. To include
something you’ve seen
or experienced, email
News@TheBakerCoun-
tyPress.com with “Ran-
dom Acts of Kindness”
in the subject line.
We’ll be sure to include
your story.
• I saw the story all
over Baker County
Classifi eds where doz-
ens of people jumped
in to give a stranded
lady rides from Union
County to Baker County
and then to Malheur
County after she missed
her bus. She was trying
to get to her sick child
and wasn’t even dressed
for the weather when
the bus took off without
her. People can be very
kind when they want
to be.
Why advertise with us?
• Low rates per column
inch & promotional deals
• Free color ads as space
permits
• Friendly, professional
sales staff
Wendee Morrissey
wendee@thebakercountypress.
com or call 541.805.1688.
David Conn
david@thebakercountypress.com
or call 541.523.5524
Family owned and operated.
Packed with local news!
• All display ads are also
posted to our Facebook
page, which means thou-
sands of individuals see
your ad from that source
alone. We’re the only
paper in town that offers
this additional service!
perts will fi ll the Portland
Expo Center wall-to-wall
with outdoor gear and
equipment, including the
latest new products from
manufacturers.
Enjoy free demonstra-
tions, seminars and interac-
tive displays, and valuable
knowledge from outdoor
enthusiasts of every kind.
Plus, connect with guides,
outfi tters and representa-
tives from leading hunt-
ing and fi shing lodges
from exciting locations
throughout the Northwest
and around the world.
The show is Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday, February
4, 5, 6 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.;
Saturday, February 7, 10
a.m. – 8 p.m.; Sunday,
February 8 10 a.m. – 6
p.m. at the Portland Expo
Center2060 N. Marine
Drive Portland, Oregon
97217.
Admission is Adults $12
Two-day Pass $18, Juniors
(ages 6 to 16) $5, Ages 5
and under free.
$2 discount coupons
are available at Baxter
Auto Supply, Les Schwab
and Bi-Mart stores, or
for download from www.
thesportshows.com.
Or, use your Fred Meyer
Rewards Card at the show
to receive a $2 discount on
weekday admission and a
$1 discount on the week-
end.
Parking at Portland Expo
Center is $8 per space, per
entry without in and out
privileges.
Carpools of three or
more are $7. Off-site
parking at Portland In-
ternational Raceway and
Portland Meadows is $6
and includes free shuttle
service to the show.
For more information,
please visit www.thes-
portshows.com.
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
Wrestlers have
marathon week
Submitted by Brandon Young
We had another marathon week with our La Grande/
Payette duals on Thursday night, our middle school tour-
nament on Friday in Baker, and then traveled to Home-
dale for a dual tournament. Thursday the Bulldogs went
2-0 at home. The team fi nished the day with 2nd place
at Homedale and a 4-1 record on the day. It was a team
effort as we went up against very physical teams.
Thursday in Baker: Baker 37, La Grande 25; Baker 50,
Payette 18.
The Bulldogs were ready to defend their home on
Thursday night. We went into the dual with the expecta-
tion that we were going to win. La Grande had the same
mentality, which made for a great dual! It was neck and
neck all the way to the end. It was probably the most
intense dual I have ever been in. Our team was excited,
as was La Grande, and the crowd was going wild!
We started the dual at 106lbs. Lagrande pulled a fast
one and bumped their returning state champion Cole
Rohan up to wrestled Hays at 113lbs. The score was 2-2
after the fi rst period and then Rohan began to build his
lead and won 14-4. La Grande 4, Baker 0.
Next up was James AhHee vs Corey Isaacson. AhHee
lost a major decison a year ago to Isaacson in the dual.
This time it was all AhHee who dominated the match
with a 6-2 victory. La Grande 4, Baker 3.
Next up was Senior Logan Valentine vs Chance Freder-
ick. The match was tied at 6 going into the third period
with neither wrestler being able to secure a takedown,
which sent them into overtime. Valentine nearly scored
a takedown in overtime, but they went out of bounds.
On the next fl urry Frederick was able to get the 2 pts to
secure the win 8-6. La Grande 7, Baker 3.
At 132 pounds Skylar Jones of Lagrande pinned Nick
Blair of Baker. La Grande 13, Baker 3.
Next up was Marco Vela vs Hakan Strommer. Marco
built a 7-1 lead but was unable to earn any more points
or secure a much needed fall for the team. He won by
minor decision. La Grande 13, Baker 6.
Sean Stanford vs Elijah Livingston was another one of
the more exciting matches of the night. It was an abso-
lute war. The score entering the fi nal round was Stanford
9, Livingston 10. In the fi nal round Stanford was able to
secure two takedowns and Livingston earned 1 point for
an escape to give Stanford the win 14-11. La Grande 13,
Baker 9.
Next up was Dylan Feldmeier and Miller Thurman at
152 pounds. Feldmeier set the pace for the match and
wrestled a great match earning the much needed extra
team point winning 19-10 which is a major decision and
4 team points to tie the team race 13 to 13.
Next, La Grande’s Seth Devinney was up against fresh-
men Derritt Gwynn. Devinney blew his knee out at the
beginning of the season, but was given consent to com-
pete. Devinney is a returning state placer and would be
pretty tough on one leg! We told the kids that if Devin-
ney walked out on the mat we were going to forfeit and
bump our whole lineup for the win. Devinney reported
to the mat and we bumped Gwynn to 170, Harper to 182,
and Peter Baker to 195. After forfeiting to La Grande at
160 the score was La Grande 19, Baker 13. Gwynn and
Harper then accepted forfeits from LaGrande at 170 and
182, giving Baker the lead 25-19.
As I mentioned previously in the season, when the team
is placed in team captain Peter Baker’s hands I have no
doubt about what is going to happen. Despite weighing
in at 173 pounds which technically made Peter a 182
pounder, and then by rules you can bump him one weight
class higher than what he weighs. So Peter was giving
up about 20 lbs. He faced Trent Shaffer and went all out.
Peter build a 4-0 lead in the fi rst round and then earned
the fall in the third round to put Baker up 31-19. But a
Baker forfeit put La Grande within reach at 220 lbs. mak-
ing the score Baker 31, La Grande 25.
If La Grande’s heavy weight Tanner Jones could secure
a fall, La Grande would have been able to tie the dual
31-31. But, Will Goodwin had something to say about
that. The score was tied 2-2 in the fi rst period. In the
2nd round Goodwin earned the fall over Jones to seal the
Baker victory for a fi nal score of Baker 37, La Grande 25.
The Bulldogs are currently in 2nd place to Mac-Hi in
the GOL League Standings. Mac-Hi was able to slip past
Ontario in a close dual the other night which could have
placed the Bulldogs in 1st. Mac-Hi still has to get past
La Grande and if it’s anything like our dual it should be a
good one! This is another one of only a handful of times
that Baker has ever beat La Grande in 35 years!
Baker 42, Payette 21; Baker 51, Union/Pine Eagle 12
Baker 20, Vale 50; Baker 36, Parma 30; Baker 36, Home-
dale 27.
The Parma and Homedale matches each came down to
the last matches of the dual. Both times freshman Sam
Harper sealed the win for the Bulldogs. Against Parma
we were tied 30-30, but Parma had a forfeit at 170, which
put Baker up 36-30. Then against Homedale the score
was Baker 30, Homedale 27 going into Sam Harper’s
match. He went after Houser of Homedale. He knew
what he had to do and that it was all up to him at that
point. Prior to the dual we talked to him that this situ-
ation could come up. He was prepared and took on the
challenge for the team! Jace Hays pinned Homedale’s
returning state champion Andy Montes. Hays had built
a 7-1 lead and then caught Montes on his back for the
fall. Peter Baker also defeated a very tough opponent
from Union, Chad Witty. Logan Valentine defeated Taran
Hardwick of Union by a 3-2 decision. Logan wrestled a
very smart match!
The Bulldogs are now 9-6 on the season and 2-1 in the
GOL. Next week we dual Pendleton and Riverside in
Pendleton on Wednesday and then half of our team will
travel to Heppner on Saturday for a tournament. The rest
of the team will try and recuperate so they are 100% for
regionals in two weeks.