lancetkenyon

Hope she kills a toad! Love seeing kids, girls especially, getting into the sport.

Check the classifieds on www.snipershide.com . I would also look into the SWFA 3-15x42. Awesome scopes for the price, but over the $500 mark unless you can find used.

Sitting or hiking? Being active gives a lot more leeway to how much insulation you might need. Also depends on the weather. My last personal elk hunt was freaking crazy cold back in 99. We were seeing -20° or colder, and never got above 20° the entire hunt. Miserable weather to sit all day in, but not too bad when hiking. Last year on Taylor's hunt, it was 14° in the morning, but in the 50s during the day. I have the 200 gram Irish Setter Elk Hunters, 400 gram Irish Setter Vaprtrek, and non-insulated Danner Gila. I also take my Sorels. Depending on the planned activities determines what I wear. A good wool sock (not necessarily the heaviest) works wonders on keeping feet warm in boots that do not have a lot of insulation. Also not tying the laces too tight to let circulation flow helps a ton too. If you go too warm, your feet will sweat, and then get cold from being wet unless you have wool. One other thing. Construction is a big factor in warmth too. My 200 gram Elk Hunters are just as warm, if not warmer, than my 400 gram Vaprtrek, but heavier total weight wise. A couple pair of boots is my suggestion. Most importantly, get COMFORTABLE boots early and break them in. Hard to hike when your feet hurt.

Amazing success story and if you know the whole story, a true testament to the power of prayer and God.

what risks are involved in "rushing" this process? as long as you don't blast enough rounds back to back to overheat and shoot out the barrel, what risks are involved in not cleaning after every shot? i recently made a big purchase on a LR rifle. i shot about 10 rounds and cleaned it well. i'm on about shot 50 after the initial cleaning and my groups keep getting better every trip to the range (.3 MOA last trip) Who is to say that they might not be grouping even better had you done a more thorough break-in? Who is to say it would shoot better? What-ifs are plenty. Everyone has their opinion on this subject, and there is no way to try both with the same barrel to test which is better unless you have the time travel thing figured out. Some barrel makers swear by cleaning between shots, some swear by not to clean. Some custom rifle builders swear by breaking in. Some swear by just shooting away. I have tried both. My method of barrel break in I use now is as follows: 1. Shoot 1 2. See #1 I have done at least 5 new barrels (factory and custom) with the shoot and clean method. I have done my last 3 (factory and custom) with the shoot & shoot method. My 6.5 SLR was done with just shooting, no cleaning, and shoots consistently in the .2-.3s with the nut behind the bolt. Best 3 shot group has been in the sub-.01s. I had a witness, the stars aligned, not a breath of wind, super accurate target load had been worked up, and I was warmed up. I doubt I could duplicate it again, ever. But it shows what the rifle is capable of. I have a Bushmaster Varminter w. factory barrel that shoots in the mid .3s-.4s routinely. Best group was 5 shots @ 100 in the low .2s, & @ 200 in the mid .4s. Hard to duplicate, but again, the rifle will shoot it. I should have my newly barreled/worked .300RUM back from Phoenix Custom Rifles in the next week or 2, and will do the shoot & shoot method with this one too. Just need to take time to make sure the barrel cools with this hot rod. I have a .25-06 Ackley that was "broken in" with the shoot & clean method. It shoots in the .2-.3s. My .300RUM with the factory barrel was shoot & clean too. Shot in the .4s once I found the load it liked. I think proper load development is FAR more influential on accuracy and barrel life than barrel break in, regardless of which way you choose to go.

Increase your scope budget with the quality of your other components.

Also depends on WHICH rifle season. Early or late? If you drew a coveted early rifle tag, we saw big bulls everywhere from 6600' to 8950' last weekend. Scrub to pine/aspen. If you drew a late tag, I think it totally depends on weather. Last year was warm, and we saw WAY more bulls in the pines and transition areas. We actually saw very few elk at all in the lower elevations.

I think this one is very fitting at this time.... http://dialedinhunter.com/hunters-vs-hunters/ I have been guilty of it too. I try to stay positive, but sometimes people do such asinine things you gotta speak up.

You will need to set up your die to bump the shoulder back for your chamber. Just because chambers are cut to SAAMI specs, doesn't mean they are all cut the same. You can FL resize your brass to your chamber specs (shoulder bump back), and they might differ to someone else's chamber. I would just FL size them with the shoulder bump back you need, and don't worry about them being shot in someone else's gun first. They chamber easier when you FL size them anyway, which is important in a hunting rig.

Amazing bull!!! Congrats, and way to stick with it.

Awesome bull!

A buddy sent this to me this morning. I thought these days were over? I am all for displaying your trophy as you are in the field or on your way out, but a little decorum please! Plus, how bad is this for the meat? Nice job, giving more ammo to the antis.

Great bull. I bet he has been fantastic eating this past year too.

Beautiful buck, beautiful sentiment, beautiful scriptures. Thanks for sharing everything. God REWARDED you with a great buck, not punished you by breaking off 3".

Buy with confidence. Straight shooter. Bump.

Bummer. Hit it hard, and you might get lucky and get another shot at him. My buddy hit an elk last year on opening day of archery season. Looked for 2 days and could not find him. Just an arrow broken off about 6" from the broadhead. On day 10, he saw a bull limping a bit but seemed fine, as he was chasing a cow. Got another shot at him and put him down. Found his broadhead in the elk. If he is not dead yet, he should survive, unless you get a second shot at him.

What are you putting it on?

2 1/2 days left. Go get him!!! Trail cam photo?

You are supposed to lay your cowboy hat upside down when not on your head or a hat rack......what a nerd. Other than that, you are OK.

My wife, sister-in-law, brother, 13 year old daughter Taylor and I packed out Taylor's bull last year too. Awesome to hear of women helping out like that. Congrats to the hunter and the "pack mules".

Better to have passed on the shot than to take a bad shot and wound an elk. Sounds like a great hunt to me. Even getting an opportunity is an achievement. Congrats, and enjoy the memories you made.

So glad it is not IC/M choked.......or I would be buying it.

Good luck in the last few days. Hopefully the hunters are laving the area, so movement might pick up. I know I did not see many hunters in 7W this weekend, and saw a lot of the guys that were still out packing up camps on Sunday.

Headlamp here too when I can't see without it. White while covering a lot of ground, switch to red as I get closer. As for burritos, I wrap them up and throw them on the engine manifold when I leave the house. If you have a 2+ hour drive, they are piping hot when you get to the trailhead.

Very versatile. From sitting on your butt, to sitting on a stool, to a Jr. standing, to full size 6'+ adult standing.