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