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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (April 3, 2019)
SPORTS BlueMountainEagle.com Wednesday, April 3, 2019 Softball SHOOTING THE BREEZE Continued from Page A10 Enhanced accuracy very sportsman or Viper does it a whole lot bet- ter. Get a good gunsmith to do woman should be inter- ested in improving their a trigger job, or if you are smart accuracy to become a more eth- enough to change a tire, get ical hunter. Gallons of ink have an aftermarket trigger to drop been spilled on the subject so I in. Either costs less than $150, might as well add my two cents. and you will be amazed at the Modern firearms change it makes in your have come a long way. shooting. Modern techniques have The second import- ant thing you can do allowed manufacturers is to tighten up the nut to make claims of rifles behind the trigger. Yes, capable of sub-1-inch the nut is you. Contrary groups at 100 yards. The to popular belief, good one component they still Rod Carpenter marksmen are not born, struggle with, thanks to they are made. Let me the legal minds among us, is the trigger. The trigger on crush yet another dream. You a hunting rifle should be set to a can’t buy your way to superior crisp, clean let off around 2.5-3 marksmanship with new gear and gadgets any more than you pounds of pull for good accu- racy. While many rifles today can buy a pair of Air Jordans say they are adjustable, I have and become the next MVP of not found that to be the case. the NBA. Yes, some folks have The little adjustment screw better eyesight and reflexes, and goes in and out, but the trigger quality gear does help, but prac- tice is what brings home the pull hardly changes at all. I know, I know, you get great bacon. There is no substitute for accuracy with the trigger that practice. It doesn’t even have to you have gotten used to. You be expensive. You can dry fire can get used to driving a GMC practice by making absolutely Gremlin, and it will get you to sure the rifle is unloaded and work most days, but a Dodge E Contributed photo Adjusting trigger pull to 2.5-3 pounds can improve accuracy. then practice aiming, squeez- ing the trigger and cycling the action from different field posi- tions. It is amazingly effec- tive. Larry Bassham won the Olympics back in the ‘80s with- out firing a shot within four months of competition because of consistent dry fire practice. It doesn’t harm centerfire bolt, pump or semi-auto firearms. It will damage rimfires or guns with exposed hammers like revolvers or lever guns. Dry fir- ing is a good way to expose and treat flinching. Balance a dime on the end of your barrel. When you can squeeze the trig- ger without the dime falling off, you are doing well. Follow through is just as important in shooting as it is in basketball. Don’t jerk your head off the stock to look at the results of the shot. At the shot, your finger should remain on the trigger, ride the recoil impulse and return the rifle to target. Only after you are again aiming at the target should you move to cycle the action. We welcome your thoughts and ideas at shootingthebree- zebme@gmail.com. Rod Carpenter is a husband, father and hunting fool. Jordyn Young went 1 for 2 with a home run and three RBIs. Wright was 2 for 3, and Kori Jo Girvin was 1 for 2. Grant Union also faced Rainier that day, a 3A team ranked No. 2 in the state, the Prospectors battling for a 3-2 win. Strong threw seven innings, giving up four hits and one walk. “Macy threw a great game,” Wil- liams said. “She threw strikes, located pitches and let her defense work. The defense was very good and made rou- tine plays routine.” Wright went 3 for 4, and Tiler Voigt was 1 for 3 with a solo home run. Two Prospector grand slams were the highlight of Grant Union’s final game on March 27, the Prospectors taking a 21-4 victory over 3A Suther- lin, ranked No. 14. Allen pitched all five innings with seven strikeouts, giving up eight walks and four hits. Wright and Baylee Combs each hit a grand slam home run. Wright was 4 for 4 with a 2-run home run and a grand slam for a total of 6 RBIs, and Combs was 2 for 2. McKrola was 3 for 4, Marissa Smith was 3 for 4, Allen was 2 for 3 and Strong was 3 for 4. “The season is going great so far,” Williams said. “The girls have bought in to working hard and being great teammates. They get along well and enjoy playing together.” Track Continued from Page A10 practice, and he’s looking forward to competing with and beating opponents. “I love running,” he said. “You get lots of time to think and just relax and run.” Freshman Jaydon Hoff- man said he’s looking for- ward to their first meet of the season on Friday, the fourth annual Prairie City Invitational. Hoffman competed last year on the middle school team, trying out several events. He said his favorite is the 100. “I like the short burst of speed,” he said. At the invitational, Day- ville will meet up with a few of their District 4 com- petitors, a district with a total of 15 teams. All Grant County teams will also The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Dayville Tigers Gabe Walker-Hopkins, left, and Zach Ferguison practice their handoff for the 4x100 relay in practice March 21. compete, including Prairie City, Grant Union, Monu- ment and Long Creek. Dayville sophomore Haylee Collins is new to track and field but said A13 she’s hoping for a fun sea- son and seeing everyone improve. “I look forward to helping people if they need support, if they’re having a bad day,” she said. Molly oversaw the six middle school athletes at a recent practice and noted that eighth-grader Hannah Hand is a strong thrower. Hand was show- ing others the techniques for launching the shot put from the cement throw circle. Josh said he’s especially excited about the boys 4x100 relay. “I think we have some guys with some speed,” he said. “The team has some good runners.” He said he wants his team members to shoot for improvement and setting personal records. “I want them com- ing out of here with more knowledge about the dif- ferent events and learning to push their body men- tally and physically,” he said. High hopes for the big one: ODFW trout stocking schedule By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Those fishing for a “big one” on the line will be happy to hear the John Day District is adding 1,000 additional trophy-sized trout to their stocking program this year. The trophies will be distributed throughout the area’s stocked lakes and ponds. “We are hoping this will increase angler satisfac- tion,” said Assistant John Day District Fish Biologist Brent Smith. Lakes, ponds and reser- voirs stocked in the county include: April 8-13 Long Creek Pond: 500 legal, 100 trophy Twin Ponds: 750 legal April 15-20 McHaley Pond: 500 legal Seventh Street Pond: 1,000 legal, 100 trophy Holliday Park Pond: 1,000 legal, 100 trophy May 13-17 Rowe Creek Reservoir: 1,000 legal Trout Farm Pond: 1,000 legal Bull Prairie Reservoir: 1,000 legal Holliday Park Pond: 500 legal, 100 trophy Magone Lake: 1,250 legal McHaley Pond: 500 legal May 20-24 Aldrich Ponds: 300 legal, 150 trophy Long Creek Pond: 1,000 legal Wildcat Pond: 150 legal Brandon’s Pond (John Day Screen Shop Pond): 1,050 legal, 100 trophy Umatilla Forest Ponds south: 2,600 legal, 200 trophy Cavendar Pond: 1,000 legal, 200 trophy Twin Ponds: 500 legal, 100 trophy Morrow County OHV Park Pond 1: 500 legal Morrow County OHV Park Pond 2: 700 legal May 27-June1 Twin Ponds: 1,000 legal, 150 trophy May 27-June 7 Holliday Park Pond: 500 legal Trout Farm Pond: 500 legal, 200 trophy McHaley Pond: 1,000 legal, 100 trophy June 3-8 Anson Wright Pond: 1,000 legal, 100 trophy Bull Prairie Reservoir: 1,000 legal, 250 trophy June 10-15 Olive Lake: 2,225 legal, 1,000 trophy June 10-21 Magone Lake: 1,000 trophy June 17-21 Magone Lake: 1,000 legal Umatilla Forest Ponds south: 1,850 legal, 100 trophy Grant SWCD Weed Control Dept. Working for You in 2019 Thanks to the Grant County Court and Northeast Oregon Forests Resource Advisory Committee, Grant Weed Control is able to offer a 25% Cost share program for Noxious Weed Control on Private Grazing Lands, through a Title II funded Grant Project. This program will provide a maximum $5,000 of noxious weed control services with a $1,250 maximum landowner contribution to qualifying participants. To be eligible for participation, the treatment property must not be actively irrigated and must be primarily managed for livestock grazing, minimum of 20 acres in size, located within Grant County, and must contain priority noxious weed species. Applications for this limited weed control assistance opportunity will be ranked and funded according to a priority noxious weed list.. Contact the Grant Soil and Water Conservation District Office at (541) 575-1554 or visit 721 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845 for applications and additional information. The application deadline for this program is April 12th, 2019. 107999 Contributed photo Children fish at McHaley Pond in Prairie City, which will be stocked with 500 legal-size trout April 15-20 by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. NAPA Filters’ Spring Sale! April 15-22, 2019 Spring forward into NAPA Filters’ Spring Sale. You’ll save big on all NAPAGold oil, air, hydraulic, fuel and cabin filters you desire. And our unique NAPA Filters’ Program manages your inventory so that all your vehicles stay on the move and not stuck in the garage on a lift. 721 W Main St., John Day 541-575-1850 Mon - Fri 7 am to 6 pm Sat 8am-5pm, Closed Sun 111374
