I'm posting this here because this thread/subject involves a Marlin 444SS. I posted it over at marlinlovers.com and thought you guys would like to hear about it too.
Late yesterday afternoon I decided to go to a place out in the Modoc National Forest where I do some deer hunting and I took my 444 Marlin SS with me. Since I wasn't primarily hunting but rather scouting, I took a couple of boxes of factory Remington 240 GR SP with me.
Well, I was walking along side a small clearing just inside the tree line when I spotted a coyote coming into the opposite side of the clearing from where I was. I stopped immediately and it continued toward me. I had raised my rifle when I first spotted him and when he got about 70-yards from me, I pulled the trigger. Hit him square in the chest and he just dropped dead in his tracks. Now, I don't take coyotes for the pelts so I went out to check on him and drag him over to the tree line to leave him there. Once I got him to the tree line, I sat down and leaned against a tree to see if anything else would turn up.
While I was sitting under that tree and looking around, I kept spotting a rather odd looking piece of what appeared to be a fallen tree limb leaning against a tree about thirty-yards away. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me and I went over to see what the strange looking tree limb was. Good Grief!!!! It was a factory, full camoflaged, Browning A-Bolt rifle in .325 Winchester Short Mag with a camoflaged Weaver 6X scope. The bolt was opened with an empty chamer but with one round in the magazine. The rifle had been there for some time as it was covered with rust -- especiall the inside of the action where the bolt had been opened.
We only have two small gun shops in town and only one of them sells Brownings so, I called the owner this morning, told him my story and asked if anyone had reported a missing rifle to him. He said that some guy had and I gave him the serial number and he checked and low-and-behold it was that guys rifle.
The story told to me is that the guy was out deer hunting last year, had stopped to take a crap, leaned the gun against a tree and that after he had dropped his load he had walked around the area for a bit to see if he could find any deer sign. When he decided to work his way back toward his vehicle, he couldn't find the rifle. Looked and looked by no luck. Even went back a couple of time over the last year with no luck.
So, I'll be leaving the house pretty soon to take the gun down to the gun shop so it can be returned to the owner. He is suppose to meet me there.
Just goes to show that you never know what you'll bag when you go hunting with a 444 Marlin. Oh, the Weaver scope is in absolute, perfect, as new condition.
