Thanks for the kind words everybody. "My loss" actually began quite some time ago, and the slope got steeper and more slippery the farther Dad and I went. He hadn't hunted in a few seasons-the photo of he and I in the DGJ was the second to last time he made it out. That is the Silver Snipe I inherited in that photo, a gun he never warmed up to, and one he should have used more.
He knew how I felt about his autoloaders.
Recoil Rob, you have my absolute best wishes and condolences. My Mom and my little brother were pretty much puddles of tears on the floor when decision time came, and were of little help during the aftermath. Not bragging, please understand, but, that is where the chips fell. I couldn't have changed it if I wanted to, and I didn't. I wrote and read the eulogy for Dad.
Thanks again. Bird season is going to be different this year.
Best,
Ted
