Rutherford Weekly

Page 10 - Rutherford Weekly 828-248-1408 www.rutherfordweekly.com Thursday, April 13-April 19, 2017 Friday 4/14: • Hike NC! Fire Hike: 10am South Mountain State Park in the Jacob Fork Park- ing Area. • Spring Migration Bird Hike: 8:am Lake James State Park in the Ca- tawba River Area. • PAC Hike to Ashbury Trail, Great Smokey Mountains: 8:30am–4pm meet at the Columbus Bi-Lo (651 W Mills St, Columbus). Go to http://pa- colet.org for more info. Saturday 4/15: • Naturalist Niche: Spring Early Bird: 8am–11am Chimney Rock State Park. • Spring Wildfl ower Hike: 10am South Mountains State Park in the Jacob Fork Parking Area. • Skulls & Skins: 2pm South Moun- tains State Park in the Visitor Center. Sunday 4/16: • 62nd Annual Easter Sunrise Ser- vice: 6:30am Chimney Rock State Park. Monday 4/17: • ROC's Couch to 5k: 5:30pm- 6:30pm at Forest City-Dunbar Track on Education Ave. Email dana@ruth- erfordoutdoor.org for more info. • PAC's Kudzu Warriors: 9-11am. Call PAC at 828-859-5060 or email landprotection@pacolet.org for more information. • NC Science Festival Reptile and Amphibian BioBlitz: 10am Lake James State Park at the Holly Dis- covery Trailhead. Wednesday 4/19: • ROC's Couch to 5k: 5:30-6:30pm at Forest City-Dunbar Track on Educa- tion Ave. Email dana@rutherfordout- door.org for more info. • Salamander Soiree: 1pm Lake James State Park at the Holly Dis- covery Trailhead. ***Upcoming Events: Friday 4/28: ROC Bearwallow Sun- set Hike: 7pm at Bearwallow Moun- tain Trailhead (4854 Bearwallow Mountain Rd, Hendersonville). Email trails@rutherfordoutdoor.org for info or to carpool. Saturday 4/29: ROC Race Series: LLCA Raptor 5k: 8:30am at Morse Park in Lake Lure. Info or to register www.rutherfordoutdoor.org/events. Sunday 4/30: ROC Rail Trail Clean- Up: 11:30am meet on left side of Spindale McDonalds Parking Lot (810 W Main St, Spindale). Email trails@rutherfordoutdoor.org to RSVP or for more info. Email: Email: photos@rutherfordweekly.com photos@rutherfordweekly.com Mail or Drop-Off: Mail or Drop-Off: 369 Butler Rd • Forest City, NC 28043 369 Butler Rd • Forest City, NC 28043 *Publisher has fi nal decision of which photos appear in print, per available space. We Want Your Kids Sports Photos! •Basketball •Baseball •Softball •Soccer •Archery •Equestrian •Etc! We Want Your Outdoor Photos! We Want Your Outdoor Photos! Hunting, Fishing, Playing Ball, Etc. Hunting, Fishing, Playing Ball, Etc. Sportsman's Corner Sportsman's Corner Email: Photos@RutherfordWeekly.com Mail: 369 Butler Rd. • Forest City, NC 28043 Phone: 828-248-1408 *Publisher has the fi nal decision of which photos appear in print, per available space. OUTDOOR TRUTHS As I was loading my vehicle after a morning in the turkey woods, a truck slowly passed by. I could see it was other hunters. They slowed long enough to tell me of their successful morning. Because I wanted to hear more about it, they pulled over long enough to show me two nice gob- blers each had taken. They had doubled that morning in, what they described as, a perfect hunt where both birds came in just as they had hoped. After a few more inquiries I discovered this team was one of father and son. It seems for a few years now they had punched a tag on opening morning and this was an- other opening day that would add to the streak. The son looked to be a young man in his early twenties. He undoubtedly had made many other trips before with his dad. I always try to rejoice with anyone who brings the game home that he or she goes after, but it is extremely satisfying when I en- counter a father and child in the woods or on the water together. I know this meeting will have benefi ts far beyond the trip itself and far greater than the prey that is brought home. It's amazing how very little will be said during a hunt but how much will be gleaned from this time together. A father will silently show his love by allowing his child to pull the trigger instead of himself. The youth will see a side of his father the may otherwise never see. These kinds of moments together will make indelible marks on a child. These are moments where the words "I love you" are fl eshed out. This is when the light goes on in our boy or girl's head and they say "Oh, that's what love means. It means put- ting others fi rst. It means sacrifi ce. It means wanting the best for someone else." These are lessons that move from the head to the heart and stay there forever. Dads, I hope your love is being fl eshed out to your children in some way. I hope you understand it's not enough to put food on the table and to simply say words of affi rmation. Our chil- dren must see where they stand in our lives. They must see us giving up the things we love the most for them. If we do that they will see the right picture of God and will know by experi- ence the kind of love He has for them as well. Then what they have learned about God with their mind will have moved to their hearts and they will understand the amazing grace of God. Gary has three books that are compilations of the articles he has written for nearly 15 years. He also speaks at game dinners and men's groups for churches and associations. By By Gary Miller Aiming Outdoorsmen Toward Christ ller ller ller ller GARY MILLER gary@outdoortruths.org ~ www.outdoortruths.org Not Just Oil, Pennzoil Brought to you by: Brought to you by: 828-245-0434 293 S. Broadway St., Forest City FAST FAST FAST FAST WAY WAY WAY WAY ©Community First Media Community First Media SPORTS SPORTS As of now, East Rutherford (10-2, 8-2) and R-S Central (12-2, 9-2) baseball are still battling for second and third overall in conference play and for the fi rst 2A seed in the SMAC. Central may have the pitching edge, but East is probably better from an offensive standpoint. Still, both are really good baseball teams as we get into the last 6 games or so of the regular season. East Rutherford's girls soccer team is a solid third in the SMAC and threatening for second. R-S Central sits fourth, but injuries and tough losses have plagued them so far. They are in the mix which makes them interesting as the season winds down. Thomas Jefferson is in the Southern Piedmont 1A, but holding their own with an 8-3 record and third in the SPC. MacKenzie Hamrick (18 goals) leads the charge at TJCA. However, softball this year has been the most confusing among SMAC play this spring. Let me try to illustrate this if I can. R-S beat up on East Rutherford, R-S was held down by East Burke (8- 4, 5-3) in a loss, East Burke lost by fi ve runs to East Rutherford, Draughn has beaten East Rutherford (6-5, 4-5) by fi ve runs, Shelby (fi rst SMAC win) has beaten Chase (6-6, 5-6) and now Chase shelled Draughn (9-6, 5-6) by 11 runs. Anybody get all of that? What we have learned is that no night is an easy one in conference play this season. Despite the confusion, R-S Central (13-2, 10-1) softball continues to roll lately as they have won six in a row since being dealt a jaw dropping loss to East Burke at home. It's not that East Burke beat them, it's that East Burke held them to one run. The Lady Hilltoppers sit atop the board with a 2.5 game lead. Haley White and Madison Crain are solid pitchers, but their bats continued to impress. Everybody in this lineup can hit the ball and it wasn't quite like that a year ago. Senior, Taylor Koon leads with a fi ery .528 batting average and they are hitting .312 as a team. Not too shabby! East Rutherford has the youngest team, but they just picked up the biggest win of their season when they upset East Burke, 6-1. East Burke had won fi ve in a row and were marching toward the top of conference until East Rutherford derailed that train. Thanks to Brooklyn Henderson, Jordan Gray and Biddy Sayre, they have fi nally gotten some confi dence amongst their teammates to go out and just play ball. Chase is starting to come around too. Freshman, Faith Harrill has done a spectacular job of pitching while ace Cassidy Pinkerton is almost ready to come back from injury. Maggie Robbins is also recovering from injury. Still, Makayla Gordon, Sam Craft and Brittney Bomer are all hitting at a .375 average or better. What's sad is that four of the fi ve 2A schools from the SMAC will likely make the playoffs. All fi ve in reality should considering how wide open and tough the SMAC is this year. At this point, East Rutherford, Chase and Draughn are fi ghting for the last two spots. There is a ton of good coaching in the SMAC and if Draughn failed to make it, I'd hate for an outstanding senior in Jordan Hawk to go out like that. Chase and East Rutherford are playing better though and if they continue, then I feel like they will make the playoffs. They will also be a tough out too. R u t h e r f o r d W e e k l y R u t h e r f o r d W e e k l y By KEVIN CARVER SMAC Softball confusing...in a good way this season Email your questions, pictures, scores, etc. to photos@rutherfordweekly.com ©CommunityFirstMedia ©CommunityFirstMedia MOTORCYCLE/ATV MOTORCYCLE/ATV RACE RACE For Race Information call 704-477-3375 call 704-477-3375 ANTIOCH RACEWAY ANTIOCH RACEWAY MORGANTON, NC Bring Bring The Family! The Family! Primitive Primitive Camping Camping Available Available Great Great Spectator Spectator Track! Track! 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M-F 8am-5pm • Sat 8am-12pm Storage Buildings, Gazebos, Carports, Garden Flags, Man Cave Decor, Concrete Statuary, Concrete Steps, & Poly Outdoor Furniture! We are a We are a Big Green Egg Distributor Big Green Egg Distributor. . Grills • Accessories • Supplies Grills • Accessories • Supplies We Finance & Rent To Own The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission reminds its constituents to practice safe and ethical hunting as wild turkey season opened April 8 and continues through May 6, preceded by a youth-only week from April 1 through April 7. The daily limit is one turkey and the possession and season limit is two turkeys per hunter, only one of which may be taken during youth season. During the youth season, hunting is only allowed for those younger than 16 years of age. Each youth hunter must be accompanied by a licensed adult at least 21 years old. An adult may accompany more than one youth during a particular hunt, but the adult cannot harvest a turkey. Each youth must report a harvest to the Wildlife Commission through a Big Game Harvest Report Card. License-exempt youths should report their harvest using a Big Game Harvest Report Card for License-Exempt Hunters. The Commission encourages turkey hunters to follow basic safety guidelines, such as keeping their fi rearm muzzle pointed in a safe direction and positively identifying their target before pulling the trigger. Top 5 Turkey Hunter's Safety Tips Never stalk a turkey, which only increases your chances of being mistaken for game. Leave the area (wearing blaze orange) if you think another hunter is already there. Alert another hunter to your presence by saying "Stop" in a loud voice. Never wear red, white, blue or black in the fi eld — the colors of a tom's head and body. Make sure your decoy or harvested turkey isn't visible when walking through the woods, wrapping them in blaze orange to avoid misidentifi cation. Top 5 Turkey Hunter's Regulatory Considerations Report harvests using the Big Game Report Card. Use of pistols, rifl es or black powder rifl es is prohibited. Dogs are not allowed for hunting wild turkey. Hunting is not allowed where bait has been placed until 10 days after all bait has been consumed or removed. Electronic or recorded calls are not allowed for hunting wild turkey. Anyone who witnesses suspicious activity such as poaching or baiting may be eligible to receive a reward (up to $1,000) by reporting information that leads to a conviction to the Turn-In-Poachers program. For more information on eligible violations and how to submit a tip, visit http:// www.ncwildlife.org/wildtip. Regulations and restrictions on turkey hunting, including information on youth season, are available in the 2016-17 Inland Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Regulations Digest, beginning on page 57, and available online at www.ncwildlife.org. Practice Safety and Ethics as Practice Safety and Ethics as Turkey Season Opened in April Turkey Season Opened in April Article provided by: http://www.ncwildlife.org Rutherford Outdoor Coalition Schedule Article Provided By: Hallie Zeedik AmeriCorps Trails Coordinator Town of Lake Lure and Rutherford County Email Rutherford Outdoor Coalition at trails@ruth- erfordoutdoor.org or call 828-625-9983 ext. 505 if you would like to sign up for any of the ROC work- days, clean-ups, or group hikes/river fl oats.

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