SPORTS & OUTDOORS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
A9
Thermal shock
caused trout deaths
By IAN CRAWFORD
Baker City Herald
NORTH POWDER — The approxi-
mately 200 hatchery rainbow trout that died
in late July after being released in Anthony
Lake succumbed to thermal shock when they
splashed into the comparatively warmer sur-
face water in the alpine lake, a state fi sh biol-
ogist said.
“It was a temperature diff erence between
the transport and the water body they’re
released in,” said Joe Lemanski, district fi sh
biologist at the Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife’s La Grande offi ce.
Although the water is generally cool in
Anthony Lake, at elevation 7,100 feet, direct
midsummer sunlight can warm the top layer
to as much as 60 to 70 degrees, Lemanski said.
Water in the hatchery transport truck that
delivered the trout to the 22-acre lake on July
26, by contrast, was likely in the 50s or below,
he said.
“With a good amount of sunlight and
ambient heat, it can heat up really quickly,”
Lemanski said. “By July we’d already had
a few 100 degree days, and by the time they
were released the temperature diff erence was
too great.”
An automated weather station just east of
Anthony Lake, and at nearly the same ele-
vation, recorded a high temperature of 75
degrees on July 26, the day 2,000 rainbow
trout were released in the lake.
High temperatures over the previous two
weeks ranged from 64 degrees to 79 degrees.
Lemanski said ODFW began to get reports
from anglers soon after the July 26 release,
including one report from a Forest Service
employee who took photos of dead fi sh.
The dead trout were concentrated near
the boat ramp at the southeast corner of the
lake — which is where the hatchery truck dis-
gorges its load of rainbow trout.
Lemanski said it doesn’t appear that a large
number of fi sh were dead before they were
released, however, since there were no reports
of dead fi sh fl oating near the boat ramp during
or immediately after the release.
He suspects most of the fi sh died within a
day or less, based on the timing of the reports.
This summer, prior to the lab test results,
Lemanski said thermal shock was a possible
cause for the fi sh deaths. He noted that there
were no reports of dead trout after 2,000 rain-
bows were released in Anthony Lake, at the
same site, three weeks earlier, on July 5.
Temperatures were much cooler during
the two weeks prior to the July 5 release, with
the high below 60 degrees on several days.
Indeed, lingering snowdrifts, the result of
an abnormally cool, wet spring that brought
snow to the area as late as mid June, delayed
the second trout release until July 26.
“They were hoping to get those fi sh in a
few weeks earlier, but the snow accumulated
prevented an earlier release,” Lemanski said.
After reports started coming in about dead
trout near the boat ramp, ODFW offi cials col-
lected some carcasses.
“A handful of specimens were taken to our
fi sh health lab at EOU, they evaluated them
for everything — blood, tissue, bacteria, virol-
ogy,” Lemanski said.
The tests confi rmed thermal shock as the
cause, and ruled out other, potentially more
troubling, problems such as toxins in the
water, an infection in the trout, or failures with
the hatchery truck or release procedures.
Rod Carpenter/Contributed Photo
Tuck admires a beautiful Arizona Coues deer.
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald
Even if you come home without any birds, a chukar hunt on the breaks of the Snake River in Baker
County, on a fi ne November morning, is not without its attractions.
Chukars get the best of hunter
slope (like as not coated with grainy snow with
the approximate traction of ball bearings; whoever
came up with the slur “bird brain” knew nothing of
s I raised my shotgun the covey chukars and their telepathic ability to appear when
of chukars fl ew broadside, as the nearest hunter is in the most precarious position
straight as clay pigeons, although possible), I had a stable base.
not bright orange.
I had time to point the barrel. I even fancied that
Also I didn’t holler “pull.”
I was leading a particular bird out of the dozen or
But the scenario was otherwise about
so that comprised the covey.
as ideal as a chukar hunter could hope for.
I worked the pump as fast as I could.
I fi red three times in the span of as
With each blast I was sure I would see the
many seconds.
telltale sign of a hit — a bird dropping its
All those pellets and I didn’t ruffl e a
legs, or a fl utter in the otherwise smooth
single feather, so far as I could tell.
fl ight.
This is a typical score for me, to be
But I knew better even before the echo
sure.
from the last shot dissipated in the chilly
But rarely, if ever, have I had so few
air of early November.
Jacoby
plausible excuses for wasting 12-gauge
As I trudged back to the pickup —
shells in hopes of bringing down one of these fl eet I had reloaded the gun, which proves only that
partridges.
optimism and incompetence are bedfellows — I
I was hunting with my brothers-in-law, Dave replayed the sequence, much as a quarterback does
and Chuck Britton, in the big canyon country after throwing the ball over the head of a wide open
above Brownlee Reservoir, north of Huntington.
receiver.
Dave and I were on a ridge near Morgan Creek
I reached no useful conclusion.
that reliably yields birds.
I wasn’t terribly surprised, to be sure.
Almost none of which have ever ended up in
I’m well acquainted with my failings as a
my vest, but at least there was a decent prospect of wingshooter.
coming across a covey or two.
But I have brought down birds — and done so
The notion of “fl at ground” is more theoretical in circumstances far less amenable to success.
than real on the breaks of the Snake River, but the
I suspect those episodes were statistical
spine of this ridge is quite gentle by local standards. anomalies.
I was standing among shoulder-high sagebrush
The morning’s hunt, despite its disappointing
in a sort of shallow bowl, the slope rising at a mod- climax, was not without highlights.
est angle to the north.
It was a fi ne fall morning, the ground frosty
I actually heard the birds muttering to them- after the recent passage of a cold front, the sky clear
selves in their distinct chattering style.
except for patches of wispy cirrus.
It always sounds to me as if the chukars are
We saw a couple coyotes, and while I was hunt-
taunting. But that might just be frustration-induced ing alone I jumped four deer in a draw, one of them
anthropomorphism. Shotgun shells aren’t cheap.
a fi ne 4-point.
Since I knew approximately where the birds
We had roasted chicken for dinner that evening.
were, I wasn’t shocked when they fl ushed.
Not quite so satisfying, I suppose, as meat I had
Which is to say, I didn’t fl inch, as though I had procured myself.
stepped next to a rattlesnake, and then nearly fall
But a cooked chicken thigh, whatever its ques-
down and forget to push the safety button besides. tionable origin, at least has the advantage of staying
And since I wasn’t standing on a precipitous still until you pierce it with a fork.
By JAYSON JACOBY
Baker City Herald
A
SPORTS SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, DEC. 2
Dayville/Monument girls
basketball @ Union, Union
Lions Club Basketball Tour-
nament, Union High School,
6 p.m.
Dayville/Monument boys
basketball @ Union, Union
Lions Club Basketball Tour-
nament, Union High School,
7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, DEC. 3
Long Creek boys bas-
ketball vs. Huntington,
1 p.m.
Dayville Monument girls
basketball @ Echo, Union
Lions Club Basketball Tour-
nament, Union High School,
11 a.m.
Dayville/Monument boys
basketball @ Echo, Union
Lions Club Basketball Tour-
nament, Union High School,
12:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, DEC. 6
Grant Union girls bas-
ketball vs. Prairie City/
Burnt River, time TBD
Prairie City boys bas-
ketball vs. Grant Union,
time TBD
Home games in bold
SHOOTING THE BREEZE
Making some
memories in the
Arizona desert
C
oues deer are a tiny subspecies of whitetail
only found in parts of Arizona, New Mexico
and northern Mexico. Ever since I read Jack
O’Connor’s stories about hunting them as a kid, I
dreamed of chasing them someday. That day came
this year.
By taking advantage of the youth hunter pro-
gram in Arizona, I was able to build up some inex-
pensive points through my son. This year we
applied as a party and cashed them in on a hunt. I
knew that, since we didn’t know
the country or the animals, it was
going to be tough to tag out, so
we planned to hunt the whole
eight-day season if we had to.
After a short 22-hour drive,
we made it to our unit in the Ari-
zona desert. We quickly learned
to pay attention to where we were
Rod
stepping. Every plant had thorns,
Carpenter
spikes or stickers waiting to draw
blood. The plan was to climb to a vantage point and
glass, and glass. We glassed until our eyes ached,
and then glassed some more.
Over the course of seven days we saw very few
deer, but we were still having a good time. We saw
snakes, tarantulas, javelina, bobcats and coyotes.
Finally, on the seventh morning, we were sur-
prised to glass up a whopper of a buck. Initially I
thought he was further away than he was. By the
time we got it together, he had moved and was a
long way off . I tried a couple of shots but missed.
Unconcerned, he fed over the hill and into the next
draw.
When we peeked over the hill into the draw
below, we didn’t see anything and our hearts
sank. As we were standing there talking, we were
shocked to see the buck jump up from under a dead
juniper and run down the hill and over the edge into
the next draw before we could get a shot.
We thought he was gone for good, but he made
a fatal mistake. Instead of sticking to the bottom of
the brushy draw, he ran up the hill on the far side.
By now we were ready, and Tuck made a great shot
to bring him down.
For a little while we just sat there in stunned dis-
belief at what had just happened. We would have
been happy with any buck, but after days of look-
ing, we had taken a spectacular deer.
They are beautiful animals, but not much to
them. We managed to fi t all the quartered-out meat
into Tuck’s pack for the 2-mile hike out. All that
was left to do was survive the 22-hour drive home.
Our little adventure had created some great
memories. Maybe someday I will fi nd a way to do
it again.
What is your most memorable hunt? Let us
know at shootingthebreezebme@gmail.com.
Rod Carpenter is a husband, father,
and a huntin’ fool.
Anthony Lakes set to open this weekend
By JAYSON JACOBY
Baker City Herald
ANTHONY LAKES —
Anthony Lakes Mountain
Resort will open for the
season on Saturday, Dec. 3.
Season pass holders will
get the first turns on the
slopes, however, on Fri-
day, Dec. 2, from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m.
After a dry stretch
for much of November
thwarted hopes for skiing
on Thanksgiving weekend,
the first in a series of storms
forecast this week dropped
about 14 inches of snow on
the slopes Sunday, Nov. 27,
and Monday, Nov. 28, said
Chelsea Judy, the ski area’s
marketing director.
With a 34-inch base
on Monday, and the pros-
pect for quite a bit more
snow before the weekend,
Anthony Lakes officials
decided to schedule the
opening.
Although early season
conditions will exist, it’s
going to be “one of the bet-
ter openings we’ve had in
many years,” Judy said on
Monday morning.
The resort, in the Elk-
horn Mountains about 34
miles northwest of Baker
City, will be open Saturday,
Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4,
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The ski area will be open
the following weekend as
well, on Saturday, Dec. 10,
and Sunday, Dec. 11, then
operate daily for Christmas
break from Dec. 17 through
Jan. 2, with the exception of
Christmas Day.
Daily snow updates are
available at anthonylakes.com.
Serving Eastern Oregon since 1959!
Pharmacy • Hallmark Cards • Gifts • Liquor Store
Heppner
Condon
Boardman
(541) 676-9158
(541) 256-1200
(541) 481-9474
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Chelsea Judy/Contributed Photo
Anthony Lakes Mountain
Resort will open for the
season on Saturday, Dec. 3,
2022.
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING (OJT) OPPORTUNITIES
AVAILABLE FOR EMPLOYERS
Blue Mountain Hospice Annual
Light Up a Life
December 1, 2022
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Thadd's Place
653 W Main St.
John Day, OR
Veteran's ceremony with
Military honors
Candle lighting ceremony
Special speakers
Music
Refreshments
Memorial candles available for purchase by donation. Memorial
Tree with ornaments available for purchase by donation will be set
up during the month of December at Thadd’s Place.
Come celebrate those we have loved and lost but not forgotten.
• Pre-Screened Applicants.
• Up to 50% reimbursement of the trainee’s wages during the
agreed upon training period.
• Prompt monthly payment with minimum of paperwork.
• Trained and professional representatives to assist you through
all phases of the OJT program.
• Options to combine OJT with other employer incentives
such as: Work Opportunity Tax Credit.
• No paperwork worries.
SOLVING WORKFORCE
CHALLENGES IS
OUR BUSINESS
Scan Me!
TEC is an equal-opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
Language assistance is available to person with limited English proficiency at no cost. This program is funded in whole or in part with public funds
from the US Department of Labor, Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) and the Eastern Oregon Workforce Board (EOWB).