I will hopefully go elk hunting this fall in the Wind River Range of western Wyoming. I will be equine-enabled so no back-pack hunts anymore for me. However, I do have a "back-pack" type rifle in a very light (6.5 lbs ready to go) .284.
I also have a Blaser R8 with three scoped barrels in .243, 30/06, and .375. I will probably take the R8 in '06 (~ 8 lbs) and the .284 and depending in how the outfitter hunts and determine which to use on a day by day basis. Incidentally, I always have a spare rifle as I don't live in the west and it's a one week, one-shot deal. No pun intended.
I have taken about eleven bulls and a few cows on various types of hunts and if one hasn't done it before, the difficulty of carrying 80 lbs of meat and gear over any distance in the mountains, especially if you're not from there, cannot be easily communicated. It's a reason I built the .284.
It's a serious undertaking but an addicting one.
