FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
Classifieds / Outdoor Rec
Navigating the hunting unit
HELP WANTED
JOB OPENING NOTICE
OREGON TRAIL ELECTRIC
COOPERATIVE:
Safety and Loss Control Assistant
Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative (OTEC) with head-
quarters in Baker City, Oregon, has an immediate opening
for a Safety and Loss Control Assistant in its Baker City
office. This position provides efficient and effective ad-
ministrative functions and support to the Safety and Loss
control department that promotes positive public relations
and service to our members as well as OTEC employees.
High school diploma or equivalent and a minimum of four
years of general office experience is required. Applicants
must demonstrate proficiency with all Microsoft Office
Products to include; Word, Publisher, Excel and Power-
Point and skills in operating general office equipment as
well as file management. Minimum keyboarding speed
of 60 wpm is preferred; however, quality of work is given
priority. Strong skills include; both verbal and written com-
munication, organization, planning and scheduling. Utility
experience a plus.
All interested parties are required to apply through
WorkSource Oregon Employment Department, Baker
City Office, 1575 Dewey Avenue, Baker City, Or, 541-523-
6331. The closing date is 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, June
24, 2015.
6.19
LEGAL NOTICE
DISTRICT MEETING NOTICE
Medical Springs Rural Fire Protection District Board of
Directors will hold its regular monthly board meeting at
Pondosa Station, on Thursday, July 2, 2015 at 7 PM to
discuss fire department operations.
REAL ESTATE
HOUSE for SALE! 2 bdrm, 1 bath - Baker City - $96,500.
Indulge yourself (or your mother-in-law). Pare down but
boost the style. All new inside & out. Bold design. Vibrant
features. Super efficient. All electric. Easy maintenance.
Minimal utility costs. Family-owned since 1987. Beautiful
Kitchen. Pantry. New Appliances. Laundry. Dbl pane
wdws. Fabulous electric fireplace console. Custom drap-
ery. New furnishings are optional. Covered Redwood Deck
for morning coffee in the sun. Attached garage with auto-
door. Separate Storage Bldg on concrete pad. Fenced Lot
100’ x 50’/Lawn/Trees/Roses/Garden space. Near stores,
restaurants, pharmacies. Built in 1968. 940 sq ft plus 364
sq ft garage. Owner is moving. See Craigslist for Photos.
Phone 541-523-5617.
6.12
YARD SALES
COMMUNITY YARD SALE in Richland, OR in conjunction
with Eagle Valley Days on the same day: Saturday, June
20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Look for signs. Maps available
at any yard sale. Antiques, generator, furniture and much
more. Parade in Richland at 10 a.m., with a sale in the
park and food. Also, community yard sale in Halfway,
same date.
6.19
GREAT YARD SALE! 42506 New Bridge Rd, Richland,
Saturday June 20th, 9 to 3. Lots of clean, nice items in
good shape. No junk! Antiques, round table, child's desk,
youth bed, wicker stand up mirror, pair of beautiful parlor
chairs, wrought iron head and foot board, brass head
board, Laura Ashley bedding......more, more, more!
Look for signs.
Nine sales in Richland, two sales in Halfway.
WORTH THE TRIP!
6.19
decent roads,
with a small
amount of
debris in the
way periodi-
cally. Every
road I trav-
eled on was
shown on the
map, but this
isn’t always
the case, as
maps need
updating
from time to
THE OUTDOOR COLUMN
time.
As I drove,
By Todd Arriola
I thought
about scenes
As I made an attempt to
from
the
HBO
crime series
navigate carefully through
The
Wire,
emphasizing
a
sagebrush, grass, trees and
question
some
characters
rocks in order to search
would be asked. “Where
for bears and cougars
are you?” was the ques-
in the Sumpter Wildlife
Management Unit recently, tion, to which the response
was immediately expected,
I couldn’t help thinking
about the process of simply including an address, the
correct floor of a building
knowing where one is.
if applicable, and the direc-
That is, where one is in
tion they were faced or
relation to property lines
and maps, not where one is were heading. The answer
might be something like
at generally in life, though
“2204 Ash Street, first
that topic tends to have to
be addressed now and then. floor, heading east.” This
At the time I was looking is a great habit to practice,
not only in an urban set-
for these predators, I had
ting, but also in the wild:
a map of the Sumpter Unit
awareness of your sur-
with me handy, which
roundings.
shows private and public
Fences, barbed wire or
property boundaries, Unit
not,
are objects that should
boundaries, roads, wa-
automatically
make one
terways, etc. All of this
stop
and
think
about land
information collectively
ownership.
helped to determine where
They don’t guarantee a
I was at, and which route I
change
in ownership from
ultimately decided to take
one
side
to the other, and
to complete my mini safari.
they
don’t
guarantee there
I used a pickup to travel
is
a
clear
property
change
via a main road, and also
in
general,
but
in
most
to then head off onto some
different roads, which were cases, they’re there for a
very good reason. These
can also help determine
where you’re located.
GPS units and other
devices are a part of our
modern world, and these
can also be used to deter-
mine property ownership,
and for location purposes.
Call me old school (or
maybe just a bit stubborn),
but I haven’t quite made
the leap to regular GPS
usage, or to downloading a
suitable application to my
cell phone (yet). If I can
get my cell phone’s battery
to last more than half a
day on a regular basis, that
in itself is usually cause
enough for celebration.
That’s something to con-
sider when using electronic
devices—always have
backup.
As I made my way down
one of the roads I saw on
the map, I ran into (not lit-
erally) a metal gate, which
was locked. That was a
fairly clear sign that I had
reached what appeared to
be private property, not
only on the map, but in
general.
Also, admittedly, I knew
there would be a gate, most
likely locked, because I
knew landowners in the
area. Thus, I confirmed
what the map showed,
though once again, maps
aren’t always correct, or as
precise as you’d like them
to be.
The aforementioned GPS
units can provide some
great detail, as I witnessed
last year, when I stumbled
onto another hunter in the
Lookout Mountain Unit
who had one such device.
I had a map, and I could
tell that there were differ-
ent property divisions in
the area where we were
attempting unsuccessfully
to locate antelope, but with
his GPS unit, he could
tell me who owned all of
the properties around us.
That’s very handy. And,
I learned that he’s the
brother of someone I knew
in high school, a few years
ahead of me. It’s a small
world.
One of the methods I
used on my hunting trip
was to walk along ridge
lines, because I knew I
could easily keep track of
where I was going.
I didn’t walk along the
peaks, because I obviously
didn’t want to provide a
silhouette of myself, but
just below them. And, a
compass is a very valuable
tool, along with a map, or
even without one.
I can’t say I’ve always
know exactly where I was
at, or where I was going
for that matter, but I felt a
responsibility to determine
that, as accurately as pos-
sible. It’s an understate-
ment to say that landown-
ers will appreciate that
consideration, and you’ll
avoid legal trouble as well.
Whether it’s an urban or
rural setting, pavement or
pine trees, we all should
constantly be able to an-
swer the question, “Where
are you?”
Good luck with your
adventures!
—Weekly Recreation Report—
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.
Young lambs can be seen
this time of year with
ewes across most of the
bigborn sheep range. The
best viewing is in the early
morning and late in the
evening. Please remember
to leave wildlife alone. It is
crucial for their survival to
keep human interactions to
a minimum.
Bald and golden eagles
can be seen along the
Snake River. Take the
Snake River Road between
Richland and Huntington.
BAKER COUNTY
HUNTING
Cougars can be found
throughout Baker County
but hunters should target
areas with high concen-
trations 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 after-
noon. Remember to ask for
permission before hunting
on private properties.
Check on Forest Service
Rd 39 construction and
detour route information
before heading out that
direction.
Sniper
Challenge
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
The Awards Ceremony.
“This town has been
great,” said Huisman to the
group. Most of the shoot-
ers were visibly stiffer
and considerably more
sunburned than two days
before.
Sunday at 5 p.m., after
the shooting had stopped
and bags of brass had been
collected, the remaining
participants, organizers,
vendors, friends and family
gathered at the National
Guard Armory on Camp-
bell Street to hear who had
placed where.
About $80K worth of
prizes, from high-end
suppressors to uppers and
lowers, were donated by
sponsors who generously
support the event.
Marine legend Chuck
Mawhinney, who still
holds the most confirmed
sniper kills among the
United States Marines,
said, “I’ve been cooking
for two days!” Mawhin-
ney provided the barbecue
meal, served by his wife,
Robin, and friend Deni
Speelman.
A United States Marine
Corps Scout Sniper with
the 5th Marine Regiment
in Vietman, Pfc. Mawhin-
Photo courtesy of Cold Bore Ops
Southern Indiana’s John McQuay, owner of 8541
Tactical, looks ahead to his next event.
ney is known for 103
confirmed enemy kills with
216 “probables” in the line
of duty, protecting fellow
Marines—in just sixteen
months of action. (By com-
parison, Navy SEAL Chris
Kyle of “American Sniper”
fame had 160 confirmed
kills out of 255 probables.)
Mawhinney retired out
of his fleet shop manage-
ment position with the For-
est Service here in Baker
City some years back, and
was surrounded by warm
circles of law enforce-
ment and military friends
throughout the evening.
As names were an-
nounced, the winners were
called to the front of the
room in order to select
their choice of prize.
First “Top Gun” and
second place prizes were
set aside specially, with
the best shooter of the
weekend walking away
with a $6,000 rifle. This
.308 caliber rifle was built
by “Moon” at Crescent
Customs Defiance, and
featured a Proof Research
carbon fiber barrel (18”)
and Manners T4A folding
stock with mini-chassis.
Top Gun went to an
Oregon State Police SWAT
sniper.
Second place was earned
by a member of the 1st
Special Forces Group, third
place to Micah Huyett of
Baker City, fourth place
to the 10th Special Forces
Group, and fifth place to a
member of the Bellevue,
Washington SWAT.
Cold Bore Ops videog-
rapher and photographer,
“Sam,” was also given
special mention for his
work on the event.
Two rifle raffles, one
raising $3,950 for the War-
rior Dog project and the
other raising $2K for The
Photo courtesy of Cold Bore Ops
Micah Huyett (far right) takes a quick break with fellow competitors.
Green Berets, were drawn.
with winners residing in
Seattle, Washington and
Bloomington, Illinois.
Dave McCoy, Larry
Solisz, and the rest of the
Powder River Sportsmen’s
Club were also thanked for
their support of the event
as the evening came to a
close.
Time will tell if the
Oregon Sniper Challenge
returns here, and if it will
increase to a yearly event
rather than every other
year.
Already, though, there is
talk of another new event
in Baker City, a night shoot
organized by the company,
Red Frog, with assistance
from Cold Bore Ops,
closer to fall.
More information on
Photo courtesy of Cold Bore Ops
Sgt. Mike Regan of Baker City readies for his next
course of fire.
Cold Bore Ops, the Oregon
Sniper Shoot and other
future events can be found
online at www.coldbore-
ops.com.