As I have mentioned before, I have known and worked with several older guys here in B.C. who guided both O'Connor and Page in the "glory days" of the '50s and '60s. I think that you would be very surprised by the attitudes these bushwise old chharacters, all of whom are long under the sod, had about these famous gunwriters.
O'Connor, in particular, was a very good writer and had the opportunity to travel widely and hunt exotic game in divers foreign lands. This does NOT mean that he actually was much good at locating, stalking, tracking or gutting said game; in short, he was a "dude" hunter who paid others to do the real hunting and packing for him.
This is not intended as a slight against JO'C or anyone else, dead or alive, that chooses to hunt this way, but, I prefer to do it myself and read others that do as well, at least for practical advice. O'Connors lasting legacy is the fact that his writing is very entertaining and worth re-reading; the other thing I admire him for is his promotion of the American Classic Rifle, one of the great contributions of the USA to world culture, IMHO.
Bowman's antics concerning hunting with only a single cartridge do NOT impress me, in fact, I consider such stunts to be foolish. If, you try this sort of macho b.s. here in B.C., you may very well end up as a small pile of Grizzly poop, on a lonely horse trail up the Prophet River. It's all about realistic appreciation of the conditions you hunt under and adjusting your behaviour accordingly, again in my opinion.
I agree wholeheartedly, this is a tremendous resource with some fantastic and knowledable folks on it, of whom you are one. It is so helpful to me to be able to interact with guys who actually have rifles that I think I want and it makes my wife happy, too! This is because I am buying fewer guns these days and part of that is due to the wise advice I find here. Of course, I will still cheerfully "look after" any lonely old Mod. 70s, Legends or even British double rifles that need a good home!
