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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 2019)
SPORTS MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, October 9, 2019 A13 SHOOTING THE BREEZE What to buy? M y boy is 14 years old, and his summer wages are burning a hole in his pocket. Despite his ability to shoot and hunt with my rifles, he is dying to have a rifle of his own. I can understand that because I was 14 once too. The question is, what to buy? My own first rifle experience wasn’t the best. My wonderful, but firearm illiterate, father took me down to the local hardware store and asked the worker there what to buy. The dude pulled out a Winchester 94 in .30-30 and a Rem- ington 700 in .30-06 and told me to pick one. No other helpful advice was offered. Being a student of Louis L’amour at the time, I opted for the .30- 30. After all, the Sacketts could work pure magic with their lever guns. I did take my first buck with it, and it worked fine. However, as I grew as a hunter and shooter, the .30-06 would have been the much better choice. The kid dreams of hunting everything from moose to mice, from Alaska to Africa, so I think a bolt gun is the way to go. I will let him try out some different brands, and ultimately the choice will be his, but probably with a gen- tle push for a Tikka or Remington. While I own many different makes, I have always been partial to the look and feel of Remington. That being said, the last several Tik- kas I have shot have all been tack drivers with very smooth actions. Now, what car- tridge to feed it? The 6.5 Creedmoor is out. Yes, it is a good round. No, it is not an elk-kill- ing machine. Yes, peo- ple have done it and will continue to do it. I once saw a dude build an entire cabin with Rod nothing Carpenter but a dou- ble-bit ax and hand saw. Just because it can be done doesn’t mean it should be done. I’m thinking hard about the 7mm-08, .308, .270 or .30-06. The 7mm-08 just isn’t very popular anymore and isn’t really much of a step up from the 6.5 so probably not. The .308 is fine. Usu- ally very good accuracy, lots of availability and recoil will be a bit less than the .270 or .30-06. I know lots of folks swear by it, but I just have some mental hang up with the .308. I’m sure my psy- chologist has a diagnosis for that. I like the .270 a lot. I have always had good success with it, and the rifles I have shot have all been very accurate. But the .30-06 — well, can you really go wrong with the good ol’ ‘06? It is the American workhorse of calibers. The do-all rifle that all others are com- pared to. Definitely good enough for elk. And as an added benefit, Dale would stop harassing me about owning one. I could load it down just a bit so he could work on recoil management and then step it up as he grew. Yep, I am leaning that way. So, a Remington or Tikka in .270 or .30-06 is my final choice. Now all I have to do is talk him into seeing things my way. What do you think he should get? Let us know at shootingthebree- zebme@gmail.com. Rod Carpenter is a husband, father and hunting fool. SPORTS SCHEDULE THURSDAY, OCT. 10 Prairie City volleyball vs. Harper, 4 p.m. Grant Union volleyball vs. Heppner, 6:30 p.m. FRIDAY, OCT. 11 Grant Union cross country @ Tiger Invite in La Grande, 11 a.m. Ukiah/Long Creek soccer @ Four Rivers in Ontario, noon (MT) Ukiah/Long Creek volleyball vs. Wheeler/Condon in Long Creek, 1 p.m. The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Grant Union Prospector Mason Gerry rushes as Taylor Hunt blocks Kennedy’s Bruce Beyer (3) and Brady Traeger (12) in Friday’s game in John Day. Prospectors fight to the bitter end in 42-14 loss to Trojans Grant Union football faces league opponent Stanfield Friday at 7 p.m. By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The Grant Union Prospec- tors were challenged by Ken- nedy’s running back Bruce Beyer who kept the scoreboard churning for the Trojans Fri- day night in John Day, scoring four touchdowns in the team’s 42-14 win at Three Flags Field. Beyer also kicked six suc- cessful PATs for Kennedy. The Trojans were up 7-0 in the first, and early in the sec- ond, Grant Union had a fourth down with two yards to go when Prospector running back Russell Hodge took the hand- off nine yards from quarter- back Devon Stokes for the first down. Things looked promising when Stokes connected with wide receiver Jordan Hall for a 14-yard touchdown pass, The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Grant Union Prospector center Eli Wright (60) prepares to snap the ball in Friday night’s game against Kennedy. the Prospectors trailing by 1 point. However, Kennedy then started their onslaught, taking a 21-6 lead at the half. Grant Union’s defense had some bright moments in the third with Frank Douglass tackling Kennedy for a loss of yards, bringing up second and 11, and Hodge deflecting Ken- nedy quarterback Dylan Klein- schmit’s pass intended for Bra- den Traeger. Prospector Eli Wright also recovered Kenne- dy’s fumble with 6:30 left in the quarter. Although the situation looked bleak for Grant Union, Kennedy leading 35-6 going into the fourth, the Prospectors continued to battle. With four minutes left, Prospector Quenten Hallgarth rushed for a first down, then added eight yards, and brought up another first down in the red zone. In the final minute of the game, Prospector Taylor Hunt rushed five yards up the mid- dle to score a touchdown, and Maverick Miller scored the 2-point conversion on a pass from Stokes. Hunt said his team “kept fighting and pushing” to get the final 8 points. Grant Union head coach Jason Miller described Ken- nedy as a “good quality, well- coached football team.” “The line on both sides of the ball is tough, the running backs are tough,” Miller said of Kennedy. “We’ve got to get better. We need to improve our toughness.” Grant Union, now ranked No. 26, has faced five strong nonleague teams for five straight losses. Each team they’ve gone up against is ranked in the top 16 — the Trojans, the defending 2A champions led by head coach Joe Panuke, are ranked No. 4. “We’ve had a tough early schedule,” Miller said. “We’ll see if our guys can respond to that.” The Prospectors host the Stanfield Tigers at 7 p.m. Fri- day for their league opener. “I think we’ll be where we need to be for league,” Hunt said. Communtiy Presentation Integrated Timber Harvest, Vegetation and Road Management for Elk and other Wildlife Grant Union football vs. Stanfield, 7 p.m. (homecoming) SATURDAY, OCT. 12 Grant Union volleyball vs. Stanfield, Weston-McEwen, noon, 2 p.m. Prairie City volleyball @ Crane, Burnt River in Unity, 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m. MONDAY, OCT. 14 Ukiah/Long Creek soccer vs. Umatilla in Long Creek, 4 p.m. TUESDAY, OCT. 15 Grant Union volleyball vs. Union, 5 p.m. (senior night) OREGON CAPITAL INSIDER We’re investing in Salem coverage when other news organizations are cutting back. Get the inside scoop on state government and politics! A MAN WAKES UP in the morning after sleeping on... an advertised bed, in advertised pajamas. He will bathe in an ADVERTISED TUB, shave with an ADVERTISED RAZOR, have a breakfast of ADVERTISED JUICE, cereal and toast, toasted in an ADVERTISED TOASTER, put on ADVERTISED CLOTHES and glance at his ADVERTISED WATCH. He’ll ride to work in his ADVERTISED CAR, sit at an ADVERTISED DESK and write with an ADVERTISED PEN. Yet this person hesitates to advertise, saying that advertising doesn’t pay. Finally, when his non-advertised business is going under, HE’LL ADVERTISE IT FOR SALE. Then it’s too late. AND THEY SAY ADVERTISING DOESN’T WORK? DON’T MAKE THIS SAME MISTAKE Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Think about it! Blue Mountain Eagle MyEagleNews.com Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710 Presentation Topics include: • Th e use of silviculture and fi re to manage vegetation for elk and other wildlife • Integrating vegetation and road management to meet multiple objectives that include retaining elk on public lands and minimizing elk impacts to private lands • Successful examples and methods of public involvement • Presenters: Michael Wisdom, PNW Research Station & Darren Clark, ODFW October 17, 2019 • 6:30-8 p.m. Grant County Regional Airport
