Cell4soul

Prayers heading your way. Good luck to your daughter

In the photos above it looks like you are cooking in the tent. Do you have any issues doing so (excessive smoke, odors, etc.)? No issues cooking in the tent, but I do open the windows a bit to allow fresh air to come in while cooking. I also used my propane Little Buddy heaters but again, windows were opened a bit. Good to know. I thought about buying a 10 x 14 so I have one to sleep in and one to cook in. I already have a 10 x 10. I love the tent and it is worth every penny.

This is the set I bought prior to my Wyoming trip and couldn't be happier with the purchase. Warning....the blades are sharp! I gutted and skinned 2 antelope and didn't even go through 1 blade. The bone saw worked great for the chest bones and pelvis. The gut hook sliced through the skin like butter. I highly doubt a custom or high end knife would do a better job and I don't have to ever sharpen this.

My hunts in Wyoming this year taught me just how miserable it can be hunting with people that are not like-minded. My normal hunting buddy brought his son-in-law and I can tell you that will NEVER happen again. I'd rather hunt completely solo than deal with that sh!t ever again. Needless to say, son-in-law is not invited back. BS'ing around camp with good buddies is definitely enjoyable, but not my primary reason for being out there. I have an early December tag in 24B and as of now, I plan on backpacking in for my first completely solo hunt. I have not hunted the unit and unfortunately, work is crazy right now, so not sure how much time I will have to scout. I am not gonna let the lack of scouting or a good hunting buddy stop me though; for me, it will be about the experience I will take from being in the beautiful outdoors this state has to offer. I say go for it and good luck on your hunt. Also, maybe post your hunt dates. Maybe you'll find some folks that are either hunting the unit or would be willing to head down with you.

Good job

Beer or Whiskey by a campfire usually prepares my eyes for glassing the next day.

Do you load for seating depth before powder charge? Curious because I go the opposite way and I am probably doing it wrong.

Good luck out there

That is my truck. I don't really like the truck. If you see it again, please slash the tires, scrape rocks down the side of the paint, break the windows and put sugar in the gas tank. Thank you.

Good work. Love that picture of the sun "waking him up"

I just returned from a successful hunt in Wyoming. I am setting a new goal for next year to lighten up both myself and my hunting equipment so I can more easily get further into the back country where hunting pressure is less. Prior to this season I dropped 20 lbs, which definitely helped. By next season I want to drop another 25 lbs off myself and shed at least 10 lbs off my gear. For the gear I am going to start with the rifle. I have a Remington Model 7 in .300 SAUM that I am going to build. My hunting buddy in Wyoming is a long time machinist and happens to build rifles as well, so he will be doing the work. I left the Model 7 in Wyoming and will be sending him build parts as I can afford it. The build most likely won't start until after the first of the new year so I have time to save some money. For the build, I am going to likely go with a Proof Research barrel and haven't fully decided if I will go with 22 or 24". I am leaning towards a 24" barrel. I will most likely chamber it in 7 SAUM to shoot either the 162 ELD-X or 168 VLD Hunting. The other option I am considering is a 270 SAUM chambered with a 1:8 twist to shoot the 170 grain Berger EOL's. I am leaning towards the 7 SAUM just because of the numerous 7 mm bullet options. Brass will not be an issue....between loaded rounds and once fired cases, I have over 500 pieces of .300 SAUM brass to work with. The model 7 action is stainless and it has a laminated thumb hole stock that came from the factory. I really like the thumb hole stock and not sure I will change that. I will likely just free float and bed it. Then, I plan to remove some of the wood from behind the thumb hole to reduce weight a little. I will add a side ported brake to reduce recoil. I will add a fluted bolt. For the scope, I have been researching options. I really like the Zeiss Conquest HD5, but hate the elevation turret, Zeiss dropped the ball on that. As of right now, for weight and options I want, I am leaning towards the Vortex Razor HD LH 3x15-42. It has the features I am looking for, a decent price and comes in at about 16 oz. For the trigger I am considering Trigger Tech. My buddy shoots them on his rifles and I really like the crisp, clean break. It doesn't hurt that they are a little over $100. So after that long winded opening, I am looking for thoughts and opinions: 22 or 24" barrel? 7 SAUM, 270 SAUM or ???? Vortex Razor HD LH or ???? The following is the only photo of the rifle I have as it currently sits. It shoots 165 grain factory bullets at about 2975 FPS out of a 22" barrel.

I never took pics. Antelope tags were doe only. The first one shot at 330 dropped in her tracks. My buddy went back to get my truck while I went to the antelope to start gutting her. When I crested the small ridge I spotted the herd and dropped to the ground so they wouldn't spot me. My buddy pulled up close in my truck and I waived him down to stop. The herd was feeding up a hill. I waited til they crested the hill and went over, out of sight. My buddy gutted my antelope kill while I put the stalk on the herd. I almost had a shot 2 different times, but was busted both times on the stalk. They finally pushed into private land and I had to end the stock about 1 mile away from the first kill. The day was running short. We decided to drive out to get the first antelope to the processor before they closed. We figured if we saw another herd on the way out I would put a stalk on and whack one. We saw a herd about 5 minutes into our drive out. They were at 740 yards and really no easy way to put a stalk on. There was a cattle gate in the road with a fence line that ran towards the the herd. My buddy and I just walked the fence line straight towards the herd, banging the fence periodically hoping they would just see us as ranchers. We closed the gap to 533 yards and couldn't get closer without disturbing the herd as there was another cattle gate we would have needed to go through. Wind was blowing pretty hard, guessing 15-20 mph. I used StrelokPro to dial elevation. My buddy called the wind and suggested holding on the antelope's butt. I used my backpack for a solid rest laying prone. I let the bullet fly and the antelope dropped in its tracks. The bullet hit about 1" behind the shoulder and about 1" high of where is was intending. The antelope dropped in her tracks, never took a step.

The new rifle performed great in Wyoming. One antelope shot at 330 yards with the antelope straight downwind, so no hold for wind. Second antelope at 533 yards with a 15-20 mph 90 degree cross wind. Bullet had a little over 2' of wind drift in that wind. I used StrelokPro to dial MOA. I have a Leupold VX6 on this rifle, which comes with a free custom elevation dial. I ordered the dial before I left to Wyoming. It was delivered while I was gone on my hunt. I took it out last weekend to verify the accuracy of the dial. I shot it out to 633 yards. Shots were about 1.5" high at 633 yards, so I think the dial will work at least to that distance. Should save me a step out in the field and eliminate the need for my cell phone and the StrelokPro. I just need to practice more shots in the wind.

In the photos above it looks like you are cooking in the tent. Do you have any issues doing so (excessive smoke, odors, etc.)?

It is really hard to read posts from someone that has absolutely zero grasp of the English language.

My Norma brass has been great. That said, if I ever shoot through the 200+ pcs of brass that I have (gonna be a long time), I would probably go with the Lapua brass.

A custom rifle from Axis may be in my near future. Looking for something in the .308 caliber variety. Thinking I can't go wrong with the tried and true .300 Win Mag, but for some reason a .300 Norma Mag is REALLY calling my name.

Antelope is my favorite game meat, but I haven't tried moose yet. I heard great things about moose.

Now that's funny stuff, what want to know is what happened after you scared the crap out of her? Was you in the dog house or on the couch I proceeded to pour her wine that she was fetching from the fridge, followed by more wine, then more wine....and everything seemed to work out just great.

Been wanting to try those Grinds Coffee Pouches. I even bought 5 can last year, but haven't brought myself to try them yet.....I just can't seem to give up on my Skoal.

Contact Hunt for Heros through the Arizona Elk Society. I believe Tom Wagner runs the program or is heavily involved. He is in this forum, I think he goes by Liv2hunt, but can't remember for sure.

My stepson and I were doing a trail cleanup out by 4 Peaks. We were loading a refrigerator into the bed of my truck to haul to the dumpster. We lost our grip while loading and the fridge dropped to the ground. A rattle snake came crawling out of the bottom of the fridge as soon as it hit the ground. The snake lost it's head shortly thereafter. We took the snake home and placed it in my dining room with nothing but it's chopped off head sticking out of the doggy door. Then, we waited patiently. My wife eventually got up to fetch some wine from the fridge and about lost her sh!t when she saw the snake. She REALLY lost her sh!t when my stepson proceeded to go pick the snake up.

I just took my Kifaru Nomad with Camp Bag on it's first hike today. I loaded it with all my gear as though I was going on my hunt later this year (all overnight gear and 3 days supplies). The loaded weight was a little over 40 lbs, which included 8 liters of water for a little added weight (I'll be purifying on my backpack hunt, so won't need to pack that much normally). The pack handled the weight incredibly. Prior to this I was using an Eberlestock Just One pack. The Kifaru absolutely blows the Eberlestock away. They aren't even remotely in the same class as far as how comfortable they are when loaded with weight. I only put in about 4 miles round trip and was at about 6,000' elevation to prepare for my hunts....the pack did better than my legs. It was about 96 degrees out, so the heat was the biggest challenge.

Nothing wrong with your Outdoorsmans pack, be happy with your decision and go enjoy your hunts.

Chupacabra