Wednesday
December 19, 2018
Shooting the Breeze: Elk hunting in Oregon
By Dale Valade
For the Blue Mountain Eagle
Elk are magnificent creatures
in multiple ways. They are strong,
hardy and adapt well to almost any
climate, terrain and food source.
They move well as individuals or
in herds. Primarily prairie denizens
in times past, you’ll find them in
nearly half of the 50 states today.
Historically in Oregon, the elk,
wapiti or Cervus canadensis, as
they are variously known, had seen
hard times. Thanks to conservation
efforts spearheaded by President
Theodore Roosevelt and later orga-
nizations like Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation, population numbers in
Oregon and many other Northwest
states are at all-time highs.
Elk hunting opportunities
abound, especially in Western
states, enticing millions of hunt-
ers worldwide to travel each fall to
engage in the pursuit of these enor-
mous deer species. While out-of-
state hunting costs can quickly run
exceedingly high for the average
Jane and Joe, there are a plenitude
of hunts to participate in right here
in Oregon. Whether you want to
save up preference points and try
to get a real wall-hanger or you’re
after a cow or spike for a freezer
full of delectable comestibles,
there are plenty of tags for both.
I got my cow elk this year
through the ODFW damage con-
trol landowner tag. Each year, elk
herds devastate millions of acres
of crops and thousands of miles of
fence on private land. In answer to
this problem, landowners can get
special limited damage control per-
mits to issue or sell to recover some
of the cost of the damage these elk
inflict. These antlerless-only hunts
are but another great opportunity
for the meat hunter to fill his or
her freezer while helping out local
farmers and ranchers.
Elk are tough. While any “Ore-
gon legal” weapon will do the job,
some are much better at it than oth-
ers. As far as rifles go, I will sim-
ply say, shoot the biggest gun you
can handle. As for most of my big
game hunting, I prefer a .30-06,
but I’ve killed elk with smaller as
well as larger cartridges. The vari-
ous 7-mm, .300 and .338 magnum
cartridges are popular for good
reason. The bigger “punkin’ chun-
kers,” .444, .45-70, et. al., also see
extensive use. Judge wisely when
selecting your rifle and ammo.
Elk hunting is physically
demanding. Not only for the scout-
ing, spotting and stalking but for
extraction once you do get one
on the ground. The country they
inhabit is often steep and rough.
You will need to be able to cover
some miles. Only the closest cir-
cles of friends help each other in
the most arduous of pack outs. But
like every other frontiersman’s
foray, the amazing adventures,
tough stalks and back-breaking
pack outs make the table fare that
much more delicious and memora-
ble. Get an elk tag and join in the
fun. It’s unlike anything else.
Have any requests or sugges-
tions? Write us at shootingthebree-
zebme@gmail.com!
Dale Valade is a local coun-
try gent with a deep love for hand-
loading, hunting and shooting.
Long Creek/Ukiah girls
hit the ground running
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Long Creek/Ukiah girls
basketball team’s season has just
begun, and at 4-0 on the season,
they’re already outpacing last
year’s record.
The schools are fielding varsity
teams this year after two years of
having only junior varsity teams.
This change has sparked
excitement among the players.
“I like that we have an oppor-
tunity to go to state,” said team
captain sophomore Dorotha John-
son. “We’re doing pretty good and
working together.”
The coaches Amos Studtmann
and TC Conner are also thrilled
about the step up to varsity.
“They love basketball,” Studt-
mann said. “They’re excited to
play varsity and want to show
that they deserve a chance. They
want to get out there and prove
themselves.”
The Mountain Lions lost
starter Faith Burnette and an
exchange student to graduation
last season.
This year there are 12 on the
team: seniors Gladys Johnson
and exchange students Karen
Quintanilla and Jenny Lee, three
juniors, five sophomores and one
freshman.
Returning starters are Gladys
Johnson, her sister Dorotha John-
son and sophomores Lucchese
Douglas and Jenny Kim.
Studtmann said Gladys and
Lucchese have been rebounding
well, and Dorotha has been work-
ing on developing her shooting,
dribbling and defense.
“(Dorotha) has a great atti-
tude and is helpful teaching the
younger players,” the coach said.
Junior Brooke Harrison is
another starter who played her
freshman year.
“Brooke has been getting a
lot of defensive stops and turn-
ing them into offensive opportu-
nities,” Studtmann said.
Gladys has a positive outlook
on the season.
“It’s going pretty well, consid-
ering we’re 3-0 right now,” she
said, before their last win.
With four wins this season, the
team has already matched its win
total from last season.
In the High Desert League,
Long Creek/Ukiah will face
Four Rivers, Jordan Valley, Day-
LONG CREEK/UKIAH
GIRLS SCHEDULE
Dec. 21-22: @ Helix Tournament,
2 p.m., TBD
Jan. 3: vs. Crane in Long Creek,
5 p.m.
Jan. 4: vs. Dayville/Monument in
Long Creek, 5 p.m.
Jan. 5: @ Prairie City, 2 p.m.
Jan. 11: @ Burnt River, 5 p.m.
Jan. 12: @ Crane, 2 p.m.
Jan. 18: vs. Jordan Valley in Ukiah,
5 p.m.
Jan. 19: vs. Huntington in Ukiah,
2 p.m.
Jan. 22: @ Pilot Rock, 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 25: @ Harper, 6 p.m. MT
Jan. 26: vs. Four Rivers in Ukiah,
2 p.m.
Jan. 29: vs. Pilot Rock in Ukiah,
4:30 p.m.
Feb. 1: @ Adrian, 5 p.m. MT
Feb. 2: vs. Burnt River in Long
Creek, 2 p.m.
Feb. 8: vs. Prairie City in Long
Creek, 6 p.m.
Feb. 9: @ Dayville/Monument in
Monument, 2 p.m.
Feb. 14: High Desert District Tour-
nament in John Day, TBD
* Boys games follow
ville/Monument, Crane, Adrian,
Harper, Burnt River, Prairie City
and Huntington.
In early-season results, three
of their league opponents are in
the top 10 in state, including Jor-
dan Valley, Crane and Dayville/
Monument.
Studtmann said he expects Jor-
dan Valley and Crane to be strong
this year, and Adrian “likes to run
a press,” he said.
He said sometimes the best
players are freshmen.
“All we can hope for is that
our work and preparation will be
enough,” he said.
He added that his goal as a
coach is always about growth.
He said he’s looking for-
ward to seeing his team hone
their skills, work hard and
“develop as people through the
wins and losses and any inju-
ries that may happen through the
season.”
“I like to see kids grow,” he
said.
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Prospector Madi McKrola is in action in Friday’s game against Burns in John Day.
Grant Union girls beat
Crane, fall to Burns
Hailie Wright with 8.
Grant Union head coach Kristi
Moore said it was the most phys-
ical game they’ve played this
season.
She said her team needs to work
on composure and finding the bal-
ance between offense and defense.
While it wasn’t the outcome
they were going for, “they played
hard and never gave up,” she said.
“We have to continue to work
on executing what we do,” Moore
said.
Grant Union will compete in
their first league game of the sea-
son on the road Friday against the
Heppner Mustangs, the game start-
ing at 7:30 p.m.
This year the Grant Union boys
will play all league games first,
followed by the girls, and non-
league games will start with the
Grant Union girls, followed by
the boys.
Grant Union
stats vs. Burns
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant Union Prospector
girls started last week on a posi-
tive note with a 44-43 win over the
Crane Mustangs Dec. 11 in their
first home game of the season.
Though the Prospectors stayed
ahead for most of Friday’s game
against the Burns Hilanders, Grant
Union lost ground in the fourth
quarter to fall 52-43.
It was Grant Union’s second
look at Burns, and they’d hoped for
a turn-around from their first meet-
ing Nov. 28 when they lost 58-47.
The Prospectors made it a close
game through the third quarter
Friday.
Grant Union was ahead 8-2
in the first quarter, and the teams
were tied 19-19 at halftime.
Burns gained ground in the
third, outshooting the Prospectors
again for a 35-31 lead.
Hilander sophomores Allie
Hueckman and Aundraya Ceja
combined for 14 points in the
fourth to help Burns get the win.
Hueckman led both teams with
23 points in the game.
Several Prospectors scored with
senior Kaylee Wright contributing
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Prospector junior
Kaylee Wright flies up to score
in Friday’s game against Burns.
a team-high 11 points, followed by
seniors Madi McKrola with 10 and
Kaylee Wright: 11
Madi McKrola: 10
Hailie Wright: 8
Katlyn Wells: 5
Marissa Smith: 4
Makenna Culley: 3
Alcie Moore: 2
Long Creek/Ukiah hoops boys return as varsity competitors
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Long Creek/Ukiah Moun-
tain Lions boys basketball team had
a 12-6 overall record last season
as a junior varsity team, and now
the Mountain Lions are hoping to
exceed that record as a varsity team.
“Last year, we were pretty
good,” said junior James Kreamier.
“This year, I think we can be better,
and we’re hoping to make a run at
districts.”
Kreamier is a returning starter,
along with his brother, sophomore
Thomas Kreamier, and junior Ben
Combs. Josh Konig, a junior, is also
starting for the team.
Thomas said playing varsity
could open up college opportuni-
ties, including scholarships.
“I like working with this team,”
he said. “Everyone is nice to each
other. We have our bad days, but
everyone is trying to help each
other.”
He added, “Our coaches are
Contributed photo/Linda Studtmann
Long Creek/Ukiah’s Matheo
Buchart takes one up to score in
practice with Henry Grannis in
the action.
amazing.”
TC Conner has been coaching
for the combined team for five years
and the Ukiah side since 2008.
Co-coach Amos Studtmann is in his
third year coaching with Conner.
Conner said it’s a good thing that
he and Studtmann have the same
philosophy and agree on game
plans.
Their biggest focus, Conner said,
is encouraging the boys to play as a
team.
He said, with the transition to
varsity this season, there isn’t time
to return to the basics.
“We’re throwing a lot at them,”
he said. “They have to chew it up
and process it.”
The coaches turn to the more
experienced players to help train and
encourage their newer teammates.
Because some of the players are
exchange students from other coun-
tries, hurdles to overcome include
language barriers and different
styles of play — some were only
trained to pass the ball and not shoot
in their home countries.
Combs said he enjoys working
with them.
“I like that we get new kids
every year and get to know new,
different cultures,” he said, adding
some had never touched a basket-
ball. “We have to do a lot of work to
get the team where we want to be.”
Conner said, along with the
training that he and coach Studt-
mann provide, having the more
experienced players helping the
newer teammates helps with “clos-
ing that gap” when they come off
the bench during games.
Long Creek/Ukiah will face
Prairie City, Dayville/Monument,
Burnt River, Crane, Huntington,
Jordan Valley, Harper, Adrian and
Four Rivers in the 1A High Desert
League.
With the Prairie City Panthers
at the top of the OSAA rankings,
finishing second in state last year,
Studtmann said he expects they’ll
be the toughest team they face this
season.
He said some on his team are
friends with Panther players.
“Prairie City will give us some-
thing to measure ourselves against,”
Studtmann said.
This year, the Mountain Lions
have a team of 11.
Mathéo Buchart, an exchange
student from France, is the sole
senior, and there are seven juniors,
two sophomores and one freshman.
Studtmann said they’re focused
on good defense, team-first play
and rebounding.
Looking at team members’
strengths, Studtmann said, “Combs
is a strong rebounder and a smart
defender with good court vision.
He said James Kreamier and
junior starter Tiger Zeng are good
with shooting and passing the ball.
“Thomas is a great defender and
good rebounder,” he said.
The coaches said the team,
which is tall but on the lighter side,
will have to push and play hard to
be competitive.
While reaching the High Desert
District Tournament is not a given,
Studtmann said, “If they put in the
work this year and strengthen their
weaknesses, a couple players have a
shot at making all league.”
He said the chance to participate
in the district tournament is excit-
ing for the players as well as the
coaches.
“I’m looking forward to a good
year,” he said.