Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 2015)
Sports/Outdoors A16 wallowa.com April 29, 2015 Wallowa County Chieftain TABLE: Choice edibles in season Cougs lose 6 Continued from Page A9 Another good sign is the warmer weather. Turkey fol- low the receding snow-line and in past years it took some snow-bucking to reach their southern exposure clearings. This year, however, there has been better access to higher altitudes, according to David Budeau, ODFW upland bird coordinator. Turkey toms are pretty ca- gey, and have excellent eye- sight, but a meadow, old road, power line clearing, burn area or clear-cut provides a tom with a very tempting stage for mating displays and that’s where the party will be. Wild turkeys vo- calize most in the morning and evening, so go early and stay late if you want a turkey on your plate. Here in Wallowa County, Sled Springs has been consid- ered the hot spot for turkey. But hunters are reporting turkey available throughout the coun- ty — though they might not tell you exactly where in the county. You’ll have to wait for ODFW statistics to learn any more de- tails on that. It has already been reported that hunting is “very good” with young jakes being plentiful. Hunting turkey is a good starter endeavor for young folks, because all you need for the hunt is camo, a call, and a shotgun — though a hen or jake decoy can improve your odds. Check the rules and regulations when you go into your favorite hunting supply store in the county for specifics. The hottest weekend for hunting, the youth-only week- end (April 11-12), is passed and Whole Foods Golden Roasted Wild Turkey Brine your turkey in advance with an appropriate amount of brine with the following ratios of salt and sugar to water: 1 cup light brown sugar 1 cup regular salt 1 gallon water Heat the liquid and add dry ingredients, stirring to dissolve. Cool brine to room temperature. Put turkey in brine, cover and soak overnight, approximate- ly 10 to 12 hours. Courtesy photo Jake Coggins of Enterprise and his first turkey. Weight: 16.5 pounds. Beard: 8.5 inches. Weapon: 12-gauge shotgun. Location: No Tell-um Ridge. Preparation: Rinse the turkey well and pat it dry. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the vegetables and thyme and stuff the turkey cavity, scattering any remaining vegetables around the bottom of the roasting pan. Pour broth and wine over vegetables in roasting pan with cover. Arrange a rack over the vegetables in the pan and arrange the turkey on top of it, breast side down. Brush half of the melted butter all over the turkey, then season with pepper; reserve remaining butter for later use. Put turkey in roasting pan and cover — an important step with wild turkey as they are leaner and can dry out more easily. Wrapping wild turkey in bacon during cooking is another recommended way to keep it moist, or put it in an oven bag if you are using a recipe where that would work. Roast turkey for two hours, breast side down, basting once. Remove from oven and turn turkey breast side up, being careful not to pierce the skin. Brush turkey with the remaining butter and season again with pepper. Return turkey to oven and continue roasting until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thing reaches 165 degrees, about two hours more. Set turkey aside to let rest for 30 minutes before carving. Drizzle with pan drippings. Wallowa County residents got in on that with enthusiasm, accord- ing to unofficial reports. That’s not a surprise as youth usually do very well hunting turkey, ac- cording ODFW. Last year youth tag holders took 781 birds with 290 of them being taken on the youth-only weekend. Are you feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Do you feel hopeless or has the joy gone out of your life? I can help! Turkey and stuffing ingredients: 1 (14-15-pound) plucked turkey Salt 1 teaspoon dried thyme 2 carrots, roughly chopped 2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped 2 yellow onions, roughly chopped 2 cups chicken broth ½ cup white wine 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted Pepper to taste The 2015 spring general sea- son started April 15 but you’ve still got all of May to bag your tom. You can hunt anywhere in the state, and buy up to three turkey tags in some areas. There is no deadline to purchase a tag, just get one before you go hunt- ing. Once you’ve bagged your turkey dinner you might want to do a little prep work on the bird before barbecuing or bak- ing. Toms can weigh up to 25 pounds and might have a few years’ experience under their Are you struggling to make your marriage work? feathers, so some tenderizing could be in order. An overnight soak in a salty brine helps break down the proteins, as does a good 5-8 hour marinade to fol- low. And if you’re concerned about a strong taste, a few herbs won’t go amiss. Cabela’s provides a great mustard marinade recipe for both deep-fried turkey breast slices and morels. You’ll find that on You Tube; just search “Cabela’s turkey and morel rec- ipe.” Whole Foods also provided Now in paperback Any Other Name A few sessions can make a big difference. by Jeff Harman, MA., LPC Craig Johnson Professional Counseling In A Private Setting www.jharmancounseling.com To schedule an appointment call Jeff Harman (541) 426-3067 T HE B OOKLOFT Preferred Provider for Regence Blue Cross, ODS, Cascade Centers and many other private insurance and employee assistance programs. always open at www.bookloftoregon.com • bookloft@eoni.com Across from the courthouse in Enterprise 107 E. Main • 541.426.3351 Compassionate | Convenient | Confidential Your Health and Wellness Destination Stop in and checkout our large selection of vitamins and supplements along with all of your prescription and over the counter needs. Hours: 9 AM - 6 PM • Mon - Fri • 541-426-7455 Give us a call today! 541-426-7455 306 W. North Street, Enterprise GR W Your Business In the Wallowa County Chieftain’s Home, Garden & Outdoor Sections Plant it. Fix it. Play Outdoors. Don’t Miss Out, our readers are ready for sunshine! The Chieftain’s Home, Garden & Outdoors sections are the perfect advertising tool to nurture your business’s success. From Lawn care secrets to green gardening tips and outdoor fun, both sections’ features are the perfect compliment to your advertising promotions. To find out more about advertising in our Home, Garden, and Outdoor Section, contact Brooke Pace at 541-426-4567 or email bpace@wallowa.com Call Brooke for pricing. The last day to plant your ad in the Home Garden & Outdoors sections: May 8 and June 10, 2015 The sections will sprout May 27 and June 24, 2015 C HIEFTAIN WALLOWA COUNTY wallowa.com ODFW with a gourmet recipe a few years ago that we’ve re- prised below. And now for the morels. You need a soil temperature consistently hovering at around 53 degrees, a recent rain, and some hardwood stands for good morel hunting. That combina- tion has not quite been met in Wallowa County. Nevertheless, it is time for potential hunters to start scouting their territory. Here are some tips: Morels grow around hardwood trees such as poplar, ash and elm and prefer old, dead or dying trees — but don’t ignore the old ap- ple orchards or new Douglas fir seedling plantations. They also like road-cuts, recent (last three years) burn areas, and leaf litter. When harvesting, cut the mush- room off above the root, leaving the root untouched so that the mushroom can grow again. You want to be smart hunt- ing morels since the false morel is poisonous; get a good mush- room book if you’re a beginner. An easy test for your morels is to cut them in half long-wise: Morel mushrooms have a hol- low center, while false morels do not. A permit is not required if you harvest less than one gal- lon of mushrooms for personal consumption, but if you want to share or harvest more or plan to sell them you’ll need a commer- cial mushroom permit. Permits cost $2 per day and the least you can buy is a 10-day-consecutive permit for $20. Annual permits are good for Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 and cost $100. Permits are available at the Forest Service District Office on 201 E. Second Street in Joseph. Be aware that commercial mushrooming is prohibited in wilderness areas and mush- roomers on Umatilla National Forest and Wallowa-Whitman are required to display a recre- ational pass in the windshield of their vehicle if they use a des- ignated fee trail head to access their hunting grounds. You can get your recreational pass at the Forest Service District Office in Joseph. There’s just about no way to go wrong cooking a morel, whether you want to sauté it in butter or deep-fry it bat- tered with a little egg wash and Panko crumbs, just don’t overcook it. Bon Appetit! ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Thiel pole-vaulted six feet – six inches during the 9th Annual Pepsi Invitational meet held in Union on April 25. Thiel, 17, said she spends much of her spare time doing home- work. “It’s not my hobby, but that’s what ends up happening,” Thiel said with a laugh. Thiel is generally a scholar/ath- lete, getting good grades. She is currently working on her senior project. John Roberts, JCS track coach, said Thiel is a very hard worker Joseph Charter School student at her event. “She works hard and track team member, Sarah and seldom misses a practice,” Thiel, is our athlete of the week Roberts said. this week. She is the daughter of Thiel doesn’t participate in any Patrick and Otilia Thiel of other sports. “I’m just a track- Joseph. ster,” she said. SARAH THIEL Proudly Sponsored By: Eastern Oregon’s Full Service Propane Supplier 201 E. Hwy 82, Enterprise 541-426-0320 www.edstaub.com By Rich Rautenstrauch Wallowa County Chieftain The Wallowa Cougars baseball team went on the skids last week, losing four non-league games, and drop- ping two in league play. First the boys lost a dou- bleheader to the La Grande JV team on Tuesday, 16-3 and 14-2. Coach Thomas Wenke talked about the La Grande games. “The scores really didn’t reflect how we played in these games. We only had a couple of bad innings, but for most of the games we played them well and were even ahead in the second game.” On Friday the Cougars traveled to play the Union/ Cove Bobcats, a league op- ponent. The Cougars came up short — 11-8 and 6-3 — but played well again, according to the coach. “They didn’t hit us a lot and we left base run- ners in scoring positions. We couldn’t capitalize.” Josh Rummell had an ex- ceptional day, going 7-for-8 on the day, including two triples, a double and a home run. Micah Fuller went 4-for- 8 over the two games. He also hit a home run. Gareth Mur- ray also went 4-for-8, as did Koby Frye. Daniel Delancey went 3-for-8, and teammates Noah Allen, Cole Hafer, and Robert Delancey also had hits against the Bobcats. Noah Allen pitched the first game. Gareth Murray started the second game with Josh Rum- mell relieving Murray. On Saturday the Cougars had a long day playing against the Huskies with the first game going the distance and the sec- ond game lasting 10 innings. Each team came out strong, scoring six runs in the first in- ning. The E/I team scored three runs in the second and two in the third. Wallowa did score one run in the top of the seventh. In the second game Rum- mell again had a great day at the plate, going 7-for-8 with a walk. Murray and Allen were both 5-for-8, and Frye went 2-for-8. Robert Delancey pitched the first four innings in the first game with Rummell relieving him. In the second game Dan- iel Delancey, Austin Lindross, Noah Allen and Rummell pitched. The Cougars are now 0-2 in their division. The boys were to again travel to La Grande on Tues- day and then play at home on Friday against Burns. Eagles shot down at Burns The Joseph Eagles base- ball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader in Burns on April 24. Game scores were 11-1 and 17-1. Joseph is now 0-2 in league and 3-8 for the season.