Quote:
Originally Posted by Francis Morin
I especially enjoyed Jack's great story- his Dad must have been a real deadly shot on birds with that old VH 12- to shoot that well consistently in a mixed bag day back then- ducks, geese and pheasants- sort of belies the old adage of "Beware the man who shoots one gun"--
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Thanks Francis. My father was amazing with the Parker and an Eddystone 30.06. He wrote up a bit of history for the guns that eventually all came my way. For the Parker, after a short dissertation on provenance, he succinctly wrote "This was the best shotgun I ever owned". Some might say a kid's memory may embellish his Dad's prowess but I don't think so. When I finally got a hunting licence, I became aware of how good he really was. Wing shooting was a real challenge for me and he made it look so easy. I can only recall one time he "missed", which was with a newly acquired 20ga single shot. By then I was in my later teens. The pheasant wobbled and dropped a leg but flew on for a long way after. He never used that gun again. I used that 20ga a few years back and only took one shot. The rooster dropped like a rock. I have since given it to a young farmer with three sons coming into hunting age. During one of my infrequent visits "home" about a decade ago, Dad and I reminisced about wing shooting and he explained to me how he had worked the Parker. "Just lay the bird between the barrels and it's yours". I tried doing that and missed most everything, so I don't know what he saw but I didn't manage to duplicate it. When I shoot "instinctively", they drop dead so I carry on that way and have never been able to explain "how to" to anyone else. Your observation on his deadly shooting got me onto a search for a picture. It was published in the Calgary Herald back in the '60's. Dad, me and a "mixed bag" from a day's work that included migratory and upland birds, and a deer. If I ever find that one, I'll post it. I'm chuckling now on what the Calgary Herald would do today. Back then, my Dad drove over to the building and their photog came out and took several pictures and one was published. Somehow, I don't believe a couple of guys game harvest for a day would get published anymore in a "big city" paper. Maybe, but I kinda' doubt it.
Cheers,
Jack