Hunters and anglers carry a lot of gear. My buddy Meatstick, and I, get made fun of from Handy Randy about how much “Stuff” we take when heading afield. We take what we need plus what we may need, just in case. Its all good “Stuff” and could be useful.
Sometimes our “Stuff” doesn’t find its way home. Driving down a Pennsylvania farm lane, I once found a Belgium Browning 20 gauge over under shotgun. It was a bit dirty but not damaged. The shotgun fit me like a glove, and I shot dozens of pheasants with it.
Later I discovered that a friend that hunted the same farm had lost his shotgun. It turned out that the gun was his. He had placed it on the roof of his Wagoneer and forget. As he drove home, the gun bounced off and into the dirt road. He even had the correct serial number, so I returned the gun to him. He said “thanks” but somehow, I expected more for returning a shotgun worth a couple thousand dollars.
I once lost a fly box full of great ties. There must have been over a few hundred trout flies in the box. At a couple bucks per fly, that is an expensive loss. I never knew where it went but I had placed a mailing label with my name and address inside the box lid. Several months later the full fly box showed up in the mail. A note said that he had found it along Deer Creek, where I had fished. It was on a bank that I had climbed over. As a thank you, I tied up several dozen flies and put them in a new fly box that I mailed back to him. Today, every tackle box and gear item have a mailing label on them.
One of my friends made a great shot at an antelope. His 270 caliber Remington stretched out the kill shot at over 500 yards. He was so excited that in the retrieval, the rifle must have bounced off his game cart or was left at the kill site. That was 10 years ago, and he still is looking for his lost rifle. This reminds me of the stories about rifles that were laid on a tree and the tree grew around and encased them after decades.
One of my favorite trout streams back east is called The Gunpowder River. While fishing I found a spinning rod and reel. It had been submerged for a while. The line was shot but the rod just needed cleaning. The reel took a full disassembly and repair, but I managed to get it ready to fish. The rod and reel combo are now the property of my grandson. Re-homing lost gear is the right thing to do.
Keeping track of your “Stuff” is important. When things get exciting, we need to calm down and slow down, so we don’t miss or lose something.
What was the Something that you have Lost?
Montana Grant
