West Virginia
Group coming to West Virginia gently suggests considering a change in hunting ammo – WV MetroNews
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The adage about teaching an old dog new tricks can often apply to old hunters too. Sometimes we become so set in our ways, the thought of change disrupts our entire approach. But one organization has dedicated itself to using gentle persuasion to get hunters and sportsmen to at least consider rotating away from traditional lead ammunition for hunting season.
The North American Non-Lead Partnership is a non-profit group which travels the country helping explain the conservation motive behind their suggestion.
“We know that lead hunting ammunition has been around for a long time and one thing we’ve realized is whenever that lead bullet hits an animal while hunting, it fragments. Those fragments, a lot of times, get fed upon by scavenger birds or other wildlife that are feeding on gut piles,” said Adam Miller with the organization during a recent appearance on West Virginia Outdoors.
A ballistics comparison of a 30-06, 180 grain Federal Trophy Copper on the left vs 30-06 180 grain Nosler partition (lead) on the right
When those lead fragments wind up in the food change of vultures, eagles, or other scavengers they can cause lead positioning and a host of detrimental effects on the birds and much of the ecosystem. Some have previously advocated for forcing the change through legislation or ballot initiatives. Miller and his organization believe the carrot is a much better way to persuade sportsmen than the stick.
“Hunting is part of people’s heritage and the way we work with people is getting them to make a choice to preserve that heritage, rather than lead ammunition bans or ballot box initiatives,” he explained.
Testing has proven the lead fragmentation to be fact and not theory. Miller uses seminars across the country to lay out his presentation for influential members of the hunting public to help them understand the facts and to suggest alternatives to lead. The most widely accepted choice is copper. The effort to shift away from high powered lead rifle ammo is comparable to the transition made from lead to steel or other non-toxic shot for waterfowl hunting.
“Just like when that change happened for waterfowl hunting, people had to learn to use different ammo because it performs differently,” he explained. “Copper ammo is less dense than lead. So if you have a 30-caliber bullet that’s lead and a 30-caliber bullet that’s copper and they’re the same grain, it’s going to be a longer bullet for your copper load.”
Miller travels the nation demonstrating the performance of copper vs lead. He’ll conduct such a seminar for a select group of DNR and Sportsmen’s leaders this weekend in West Virginia.
“Sometimes you have to change the ammunition you’re using to make sure it performs just as well, if not better, than what you traditionally use,” he explained.
Miller said typically they recommend sizing down from lead ammo by 15 to 20 percent in grain weight when transitioning to copper.
“That makes for similar aerodynamics so it has similar performance. So, there is a learning curve to it,” said Miller.
The other big consideration hunters will raise about a change is the cost of copper ammo vs. lead. Miller had researched those possibilities as well. He acknowledged in some parts of the country copper ammo might be harder to find. He also advised sportsmen would need to read labels and packaging carefully to make sure they selected the correct material. However, it’s becoming more common to find lead as the push to make the transition grows.
As for the price, Miller said it is comparable depending on what brand and quality of ammo you select. You’ll be hard pressed to find copper ammo at the same price as the base lead ammunition. However, he suggested if you go up in quality the price tended to level out.
“I don’t think you’ll be able to find a copper bullet that would compare to your Remington “Core-Lokt” which has been around for years. But when it comes to premium hunting ammunition like a Nosler Partitioned lead bullet, they’re actually comparable in price,” he said.
Another successful weekend for the West Virginia Mountaineers results in another slight bump up in the top 25 rankings. WVU took two of three from Kennesaw State on the road, allowing them to slide up to No. 23 in D1Baseball’s new batch of rankings.
D1Baseball’s Top 25 for Week 3
1. UCLA
2. LSU
3. Texas
4. Mississippi State
5. Georgia Tech
6. Arkansas
7. Auburn
8. North Carolina
9. Florida
10. Southern Miss
11. Georgia
12. Oklahoma
13. NC State
14. Clemson
15. Wake Forest
16. Coastal Carolina
17. TCU
18. Oregon State
19. Tennessee
20. Florida State
21. Kentucky
22. Texas A&M
23. West Virginia
24. Miami
25. UTSA
Missed opportunity
West Virginia had a 6-0 lead in game three of its series against Kennesaw State, looking well on their way to a clean three-game sweep of the Owls.
Unfortunately for Steve Sabins, the bullpen imploded following another strong five-inning outing from the big lefty Maxx Yehl. Bryson Thacker, Carson Estridge, and David Perez combined to give up four runs on five hits over the final three innings, allowing the Owls to steal Sunday’s game.
The loss frustrated West Virginia fans and rightfully so, but there’s no need to panic. The name of the game is to continue winning the series. You do that, you’ll find yourself in a position to make the NCAA Tournament and earn a high seed. Obviously, you don’t want to blow the opportunity of a sweep, especially when you’re up 6-0, but it’s not a loss that is going to ruin their resume. Losing the series, on the other hand, would have.
What’s next for the Mountaineers?
No single mid-week game this week for West Virginia. Instead, they’ll play a quick two-game series against Radford at home beginning Tuesday. They’ll get one day of rest before opening up a three-game series at home against Columbia, which will be the final series of non-conference play. WVU will have a single mid-week game against Maryland on Tuesday, March 10th, before beginning Big 12 action on the road against Baylor.
The full remaining schedule
Mar. 2-4 Radford
Mar. 6-8 Columbia
Mar 10 Maryland
Mar 13-15 at Baylor
Mar. 17 Penn State
Mar. 29-21 BYU
Mar. 24 at Marshall
Mar. 27-29 at Arizona State
Mar. 31 at Arizona
Apr. 3-5 UCF
Apr. 7 Marshall
Apr. 10-12 at Texas Tech
Apr. 15 at Penn State
Apr. 17-19 Houston
Apr. 21 Pitt
Apr. 24-26 at Cincinnati
Apr. 29 at Penn State
May 1-3 Kansas State
May 5 Marshall (Charleston, WV)
May 8-10 at Kansas
May 14-16 TCU
May 20-23 Big 12 Championship (Surprise, AZ)
West Virgnia built a six-run lead through five and half innings, but the Kennesaw State Owls (5-5) scored seven unanswered runs in three frames to knock off the Mountaineers (8-2) Sunday afternoon 7-6.
West Virginia captured an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first after sophomore Matt Ineich hit a leadoff single before sophomore Gavin Kelly and senior Paul Schoenfeld were issued walks to load the bases with two outs on the board. Then, redshirt freshman Ryan Maggy line a two-RBI single to centerfield in his first career start.
The Mountaineers extended their lead in the second when Kelly hit a three went opposite field for a three-run home run, his first of the season, for a 5-0 advantage.
West Virginia starting southpaw pitcher Maxx Yehl threw five scoreless innings. The redshirt junior recorded four strikeouts on the day and limited the Owls to four hits.
Kelly added a run in the sixth, clearing the centerfield wall for his second home run of the afternoon and a 6-0 WVU lead.
Redshirt sophomore Bryson Thacker took the mound in the six. After a high and wide throw on a ground ball, a walk, and with two outs, junior Cooper Williams drooped an RBI single in right field to put the Owls on the board. Then, a pitch in the dirt rolled to the backstop to add another run, closing the gap to four, 6-2.
Carson Estridge was handed the ball in the seventh. The senior right-hander gave up a leadoff double before registering the next two outs, including a strikeout, before freshman McCollum line an RBI single just out of the reach of the glove of Kelly. Senior Jackson Chirello cut the deficit one, hammering the 3-1 pitch well over the right field wall and into the Waffle House parking lot for a two-run home run.
West Virginia head coach Steve Sabins turned to the clubhouse leader in saves David Perez to get the Mountaineers out of the inning. The freshman returned to the mound in the eighth. Senior Jamarie Brooks reached after hitting a sharp ground ball over to first that went between the legs of senior Ben Lumsden. Then, Williams blasted a two-run home run and a 7-6 Owls lead.
In the ninth, senior Matthew Graveline nearly tied the game with the swing of the bat, driving 0-2 pitch off the top of the left field wall for a one-out double to put the Mountaineers into scoring position. However, redshirt senior Harry Cain sat the last two Mountaineer hitters to collect his second win of the season as the Owls completed the comeback with the 7-6 decision.
West Virginia is back in action on Tuesday for the first of a two-game series against Radford. Game one and game two (Weds) are both scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and the all the action will stream on ESPN+.
Delegate Larry Kump of Berkeley County has died, state officials announced. Kump was 78 years old.
Kump, a Republican, served in the House from 2010 to 2014, again from 2018 to 2020 and finally 2022 to the present. He had announced plans to run again in the coming electoral cycle.
“As a battle-tested and liberty minded Christian and Constitutional Conservative, my consecrated action principles of good governance remains solid and steadfast,” he wrote to supporters in January.
He had been serving in the ongoing legislative session, but had been absent in recent weeks.
The daily prayer in the House of Delegates this past Wednesday included an expression of concern for Kump: “A special prayer for Delegate Larry Kump. Lord, you know where he is in the hospital now, and I pray right now that you would send your angels there to touch him, to be with him.”
Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Kump’s death on social media, calling Kump “a devoted public servant who dedicated many years of his life to improving West Virginia.
“Delegate Kump served with a deep commitment to the principles he believed would strengthen our communities and protect our freedoms.
“On behalf of the First Lady and myself, we extend our condolences to Larry’s family, friends, former colleagues, and all those who had the privilege of knowing and serving alongside him. His legacy of service and his love for our state will never be forgotten.”
Secretary of State Kris Warner also posted condolences to Kump’s family. “Larry was a conservative Christian and a true Mountaineer! He will be sadly missed by his friends and colleagues,” Warner posted.
The West Virginia Democratic Party also put out a statement to offer condolences, saying Kump’s work reflected a lifelong commitment to accountability, public policy, and the effective administration of government.
“Delegate Larry Kump devoted his life to his family, his community, and to his state. He brought experience, independence and thoughtfulness to his role, and he never lost sight of the people he served,” said Mike Pushkin, the Democratic Party chairman who is also a delegate from Kanawha County.
Kump was known for his turns of phrase, for example kicking off his comments on the House floor with “Great googly moogly” for emphasis. He often described his adoration for his “beloved and bodacious wife Cheryl.”
He regularly concluded interactions and written communications this way: “Meanwhile, and for sure and for certain, may God bless you all real good!”
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