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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1977)
The Gazette-Times, lleppner, Ore., Thursday, Feb. 10. 1977 SEVEN Mustangs scare PR in 1st half thinfrs JM around ckSW by wil phinney, sports editor GATES AND DEER It only took about ten minutes was satisfied with riding in the But the nuisance of opening barbed wire gates was brightened by the opportunity to see herds Skinner Creek to the Ditch Creek burn. State Game Biologist Glen group, that included myself and Laverne Van Marter, Sr., on a trek through the hills in the area in search of the elusive and coveted buck. Just hearing Van talk about the old times, when he and fellow hunters concocted wild stews and received cold stares from big bucks was enough to satisfy this writer's afternoon. But we counted 181 animals, quite a few talked about what the weather Driving through the mountainous area past Penland, where an observer could see the breaks bit frightening. To look at the calendar, then unbelievable. In the shady spots, the snow stands maybe four inches deep where on a usual February day, the snowfall is between 18-24 inches. In the open ranges, the ground moving up, as if spring weather hills, it is. Hear people talking about how get out of the Heppner pocket? Monday, Ward told me, it was Friday, when we went through Skinner Creek ridges, the Summerfield ridges, all the way r c -- Big buck near Penland and on up into the snowy was shining, the sky was blue. The deer seemed to not know and heaven knows, no one here The first animal we saw was a rack that looked about two sizes animal was undernourished, he We determined, after a little antlerless deer with him was a horns in the last few days. In all, we counted 181 deer, most knoll at the head of Grave's Creek area. Traveling past Penland, we hit we thought we'd jump elk. But no we moved past Ditch Creek into The road in the area wasn't covered with a big snow pack like a usual February. It was muddy. of toiling with chains, we turned and went back. On the knoll was probably more the day made it hard to count all and divided by four and came up reasonable guess. The deer were fat, which is nice the mild winter, or lack of winter in the area. Hearing of good conditioned animals is fine in the winter, but one can only have bad dreams about a waterless spring and summer which can only mean starvation and less Figures for 1976 were great, really, compared to other years for deer. Ward counted 19 bucks December. Both those ratios are 1966. Ward cited short deer seasons success for the fleet-footed animals. Ward's biology department makes spring runs through the Heppner unit, a million acre area, usually by horseback and four wheel drive vehicles to make his counts. That run will come in March and Increase over last year's rates. Last year the count yielded 14 4 deer per acre in the permanent census area. A high fawn production and survival will be the clincher for the increase. An easy winter, coupled with August rains, has produced does in "great physical condition" and "good fall grasses." The fawns were big when they were born this year, Ward said And does produced a lot of milk for their young. After aboul three months, the fawns start foraging for themselves and that's where Mr. Kip Coyote usually takes his toll. But predator losses this year were light, Ward said. He said that maybe because there were more deer to start with that a few lost to predators wasn't noticed as much as if the start had been low. The deer we saw Friday were in "real good physical condition." The mild weather, lack of snow (there is usually two feet in the area this time of year) has given the animals more foliage to choose from and the deer haven't been kegged up in any one area looking for food. While the mild winter has been nice to the deer, the drought that the area faces, if it continues, could throw a bind in the deer's spring and summer habits. "If we don't have spring forage, the does won't be in as good a ihysical condition and we won't have as good a crop of fawns," Vard said. The lower milk supply will mean smaller fawns and a higher mortality rate in the winter. The does drop their fawns in May and June. Area farmers and ranchers already have a problem with scrounging deer in their fields, but if the drought continues, it will get worse. The deer will concentrate on the agricultural lands, near the creek beds, for And because many of the creeks highways, you can bet highway mortality will be up, too. This summer, between Lexington and Heppner alone, 35 deer were (Cont. on TV .1 V'lJL AND WEATHER for me to figure out why Van middle. Gates. of deer all along the hills from Ward commandeered a small bucks still with antlers, and we was doing to them. of the John Day, was in fact, a the ground in that area, is is bare. The deer herds are were already upon them. In the nice and sunny it is when you Well, they aren't fibbin' to you 53 degrees at Penland Lake to Cutsforth Park, then past 4. auKf ttt. Htm:. . Summerfield. part of the country, the sun what Mother Nature was doing knows either. big buck (pictured) that had a too big for him. Not that the just had a nice big rack. discussion, that the other buck, too, probably losing his of them kegged up on one big in the old Ditch Creek Burn timber and a bit of snow where luck with the big animals, so the Grave's Creek area. So muddy, in fact, that instead the four wheel drive rig around than 75 animals. The dusk of the heads. I counted all the legs with what I figured to be a to know, mainly because of doe population. and 83 fawns, per 100 does in as high as they've been since the last two years as part of the April, but Ward forecasts an food. in the area line roads and page 9) While it lasted, it was prep basketball at its finest. Mark Huddleston bounded down the floor, pumped and "L rin eitv. Hennnpr takes a 2-0 1 I Til . 1 1 1. 1 mun nvMr r-iifii kiu'h mum- bia Basin Conference league leader. v PR turnover. Brian Marlin cans a 20 footer from the side to make it 4-0. Another PR turnover. Kevin . Haguewood puts the shot up to make it 6-0 and lickitty brindle, the Mus tangs are on fire. Before Heppner was fin ished, they'd canned five shots in a row and had taken a 10-0 lead, the first time it had happened to them all year. But it was not to be. By halftime, the lead was but one and in the third period, the roof caved in and the Rockets blasted off to take a 64-47 win away from cellar dweller Heppner. But the upset thoughts stun ned the Rockets for awhile. Yes, indeed. Brian Marlin shot a pistol hot nine for 12 for 75 per cent and led the Mustangs to a 26 for 58 night for 44 per cent. From the field, Heppner bettered Pilot Rock, 26-25. At the line was the dif ference. PR made 14 of 21 tries while the Mustangs settled for nine tries and canned five. It was a stunning first half. Heppner jumped to the 10-0 lead behind shots by Marlin, Huddleston, Haguewood and Grieb. At the end of three minutes. Pilot Rock called time out, ' trailing the last place team in the CBC by two digits. Heppner kept the ball from Jeff Lavender, the league's leading scorer, who finished the contest with 18 points. With 3:57 to play in the first period, the Mustangs were whistled for their first turn over, a walking violation and PR finally cracked the scoring ice when Lavender sunk both ends of a one for one foul shot with 2:43 in the first period. When the ice broke, Hep pner froze. But it took the Rockets a full two periods to bust the crack big enough for the Mustangs to fall in. Marty Perrine hit five first period points and boosted the Rockets to an 11-10 lead, the first PR lead of the contest with less than a minute to play in the first. Huddleston and Haguewood canned fielders in the waning first period seconds to bring the crowd to its feet and pull out a 14-11 first period lead. It was only the second time this year, in 14 games, that the Mustangs had held a first period edge. (They led 16-14 over Sherman County two weeks ago.) It was a never say die effort. Even when they trailed, 53-38 with four and a half minutes to play in the game, the Mus tangs were out firing. They whittled that 15 point edge to five in the fourth period before having to settle for the seven point difference. Wayne Seitz, who ended the contest with 15 points for Heppner, scored eight in the second quarter, keeping the Mustangs' heads above water and paddling for a 28-27 halftime lead. Coach Chris Borgen said his squad was a little bewildered at halftime. They'd never been in that spot before. "It was one of our best team efforts," Borgen said. "I was really pleased with Brian (Marlin), he had a fine game. Wayne Seitz and Jerry Cuts forth had good games and Kevin (Haguewood) did an excellent job on the boards." Borgen was pleased, too, with the defense of Huddles ton. The junior forward held Jeff Lavender to six first half points, two of those coming at Jr. Hi tourney set lone Cardinal Club will sponsor a junior high boys' jamboree basketball tournament in mid-February in lone. The tourney, a four team contest including lone, Heppner, River side and Umatilla, will Marlin the line. The CBC scoring leader finished the night with 18 points, making six of 12 shots and six free throws. Heppner threw a box and one at Lavender and the Rockets that worked through out much of the tilt. Filly first half blunders thwart victory hopes Heppner's Fillies looked up at the scoreboard at halftime and found themselves trailing by 19 points last Thursday. Hermiston took a 23-4 inter mission lead and rode it to a 39-25 triumph. It was Hermiston's win in outings. The Bulldogs and Pendleton are vying for the sub-district title in the Inter mountain Conference. y ... (XL If9 l I tear I j Lisa Martin pops a jumper from the side during Ione's loss to Arlington Saturday, 24-22. Martin had eight points to lead the Cardinals. (Gazette-Times photo) Martin leads lone girls in slim defeat A sluggish first period and a cold third proved disastrous to Ione's Cardinal girls last Thursday, trailing to Arling ton, 24-22. lone watched a seven sec ond chance slip away. With , just the few seconds left in the contest, Arlington held the 24-22 edge, but lone had the ball. The ball didn't make it through the hoop and the Card ladies had to settle for the set back. be played on Saturday. Feb. 19. The A and B class slate is set for a 9 a.m. start. . .Junior high girls from the same schools will meet in Umatilla on the same day for an A class tourney. scores 20 It was a poor third period that proved to be the Mustang undoing. Upset hopes were cast aside when the Rockets bullied their way underneath for a 21-8 difference and took hold of the lead, 48-36. PR outboarded Heppner in Heppner, led by Vicki Ed mundson's eight points, were down 12-4 after one period, then were shut out in the second as Hermiston tallied 11. Lisa Kunkel, a six footer, scored 12 points and 5-1 Karin Sobotta added 10. , Hermiston invaded Filly territory with rebound power. Boasting Kunkel and Sheryl Lisa Martin led the Cards with eight points. Jean Frost led the Honkers with 12. Arlington outlasted lone in the first period, 9-4, getting outside shots to find the bucket. In the second, lone whittled a point from the margin but trailed, 18-14. A slow third period baffled both teams, but Arlington came out on top, 22-16. The try in the fourth fell short by a fielder. From the field, lone shot down the Honkers, 9-8. But the Cards' shot fell short in the free throw competition. lone made half of eight tries, but Arlington was eight for 18. lone was whistled for 16 fouls, Arlington 12. lone 4 10 6 6 24 Arlington 9 9 4 2 24 lone: Martin 8, Grace Mc Elligott 6, Robin Leavitt 4, Debora Palmer 2, Janet Mc Elligott 2. Arlington : Wetherall 8, Jean Frost 12, Coffelt 2, Hickerson 2. the third period, 10-3, setting up crucial put up shots against the boards. In the game, the Rockets hit the boards, 33-25 over Heppner. Haguewood pulled down eight rebounds. Jerry Heim gartner had 11 for Pilot Rock. In the final stanza, Heppner cut the lead to five at one point, but it was a vain effort Sfc Woodward, two 6-0 juniors, the Bulldogs outrebounded and outshot the Mustangs. From the field, Hermiston hit 17 fielders to Heppner's 11. The Fillies' biggest drive was in the fourth stanza, where they battled from a 29-10 third period deficit to within 12 at the final buzzer. Outscoring Hermiston, 17-10, the Fillies were paced by Edmundson with six, Cooper with six and Maureen Healy with three. Filly Coach Rebecca Ran dall said it might have been a different outcome if Heppner would have played the first half like the second, lleppner 4 0 6 17 27 Hermiston 12 116 10 39 lleppner: Kenny 2, Myers 2, Healy 2, Edmundson 8, Diane Holland 2, Cooper fi, M. Healy 5. Field goals: 11; free throws: 3-15; fouls: 15. Hermiston: Ada.ns 4, Bar ren 2. Knerr 5, Kunkel 12, Sobotta 10, Woodward 6. Field goals: 17; free throws: 5-16; fouls: 18. Lexington Lumber Yard Lexington, Oregon at a comeback. Marlin added eight more points to his personal best, but the 21-16 out-tally wasn't enough, lleppner 14 14 8 21 57 Pilot Rock 11 16 21 16 64 lleppner: Myers 2, Young 2. Haguewood 6. Huddleston 6, Marlin 18. Grieb 8, Seitz 15. Ill Gazette-Tim es Thursday, Feb. 10 lone Jr. High vs. Arlington, home, 2 p.m. Hep. girls vs. lone, at Heppner, 6 & 8 p.m. Hep. frosh vs. Riverside, there, 4 & 6 p.m. Hep. Jr. High vs. Pilot Rock, there, 2 p.m. ((friday)) Friday, Feb. 11 Hep. var., JV vs. Oregon Trail, there 6 & 8 p.m. lone var., JV vs. Umapine, home, 6 & 8 p.m. ((Saturday)) Saturday, Feb. 12 lone var., JV vs. Arlington, home, 6 & 8 p.m. lone girls vs. Arlington, home, 6 p.m. Hep. var., JV vs. Riverside, home, 6 & 8 p.m. ((sunda) Sunday, Feb. 13 City league: Greenup vs. Ernst, 6 p.m. Sands vs. Pointer, 7 p.m. Vail vs. Eckman, 8 p.m. ((tuesday)) Tuesday, Feb. 15 lone girls vs. Wasco County, there, 6 p.m. lone Jr. High vs. Umatilla, home, 2 p.m. Hep. girls vs. Pilot Rock, there, 6 & 8 p.m. Hep. frosh vs. Sherman, home, 4 & 6 p.m. ((Thursday)) Thursday, Feb. 17 ' Hep. Jr. High vs. Umatilla, home, 2:30 p.m. ' r f v j 3 gS if i J Field goals: 2K-5H; fre throws: 5-9; fouls: 19; r hounds: 25: turnovers: 17. Pilot Rock : ( onnor 4, Post 5, Lavender IX, Christenson li. Ileimgartner 6, Perrine if. Field goals: 25-57; free throws: 11-21: fouls: 13; rebounds: XI; turnovers: 21 .J Sports Slate pa Q9 989-8586 f F -
