Good advice Art,

You reminded me of another "lost" adventure.

About 18 years ago I bought a Remington Model 7 rifle in .308, I changed the walnut stock over to a black Bell and Carlson Synthetic Stock.

One rainy dark day my partner and I were hunting deer about 2 miles in the bush. At lunch I set down my unloaded rifle, made a fire, toasted my sandwiches, boiled the tea pail, told some stories ... then spent we 15 minutes looking for my rifle!

It turned out to be a lot closer to where I was sitting than what I thought and I had missed it the first time I quickly checked the area.

An old guy I used to work with told me that people spend a large portion of there lives "looking for something", and I can believe this because I search for stuff all the time. I keep a running list of things I cannot find (currently my L.L. Bean boots, Altoid PSK, brass Silva Pin-on Compass, light axe head, trolling minnow bucket ...).

The same guy used the saying, "Look Once, Look Well", that way when you were done checking one spot you did not doubt youself and go back to check the same place again.

Yup, live and learn.

Mike