Sept 28
I am down near Maple Creek Saskatchewan and the drought conditions are pronounced. I am camped alongside a major staging slough where the birds almost double daily. I guestimate that there will be 400,000 to 500,000 geese, ducks and cranes within the next week all talking like a knitter corner. The minor sloughs are dry but the birds are numerous where concentrated.

Time to extract the Model 21 Duck one of the finest shooting weapons in my collection. I am trying to obtain most of the English PM's "Best" weapons and have been sucessful with the help of Purdey and Holland but this 30inchWinchester made in 1947 is a real treat for waterfowl. There is American history to this beauty. It was made for General Omar Bradley who mamanged to acquire several French Walnut blanks right after the Normandy Invasion. He orders it with a 13 3/4 lop typical for cold weather shooting. The drop is 3/8 and the cast off is 1/4. The tubes are 30 inch and when she is called upon to gather mallards, canvasbacks, geese and now cranes she repsonds like the smart%