Originally Posted by christine_208 (Post 682962)

Thanks!

I always say that elk make you earn it one way or the other! This was as far as elk go, still a relatively easy recovery. At worst I would have boned her out and lugged the meat up the 60 feet to the truck. Some folks after the boning out still have miles to go to walk.

The one I got two years ago was 30% larger but it was easier to get to. However I had forgotten to fully inflate the trailer tires and blew one out, thankfully while still on the back roads. I had to drive back home, find the spare, get it inflated, drive back to the trailer, mount it, then slowly drive the the closest town that had a gas station that (hopefully) had an air pump, then inflate the other tire, and then go home. I did have a pump but it had broken and as you might notice, I carried my spare trailer tire this time. The blown tire cost me about 2 hours at least. LOL

As for the gun, it is 7mm Rem. Mag in Mauser 98 action. The shot was 168 yards. That is a long shot for me as I normally hunt in more timbered areas. For some people 250 yards out to 450 is more typical.

Around here (N. Idaho) for dedicated elk rifles people like the 300 mags and .338 mags. I like the 7mm for its flat shooting, plenty of energy for the ranges I would hunt, and milder recoil. The '06 and .308 are pretty popular too for those who want a deer/elk gun.