gnoahhh and flintlocke are on track! The Mannlicher-Schoenauer's were developed for exactly the usage the OP is taking about. There are many other suitable designs that work as well, but none better in my opinion!
flintlocke, I've had good luck accuracy wise with several bullets in my 1903 but now stick with the 160 gr Hornady RNs and 156 Prvi RNs because they both feed properly and others don't. I have also settled on JB's load of 40 gr of H4831 for both bullets. I wish I could still slip through the woods like I used to do, but at age 74 with very poor balance and bad knees I tend to spend 95% of my time looking at where I step instead of where the deer are. But every now and then the M-S still gets it done!
I thought they were designed primarily for alpine hunting, easy to carry while climbing and the long forend makes using the rifle as a climbing aid easier. That doesn't reduce their virtues as brush guns.
You are correct, Pappy. The thing is that alpine hunting conditions require much the same features as those of the OP's, only the terrain is more vertical. Both favor short, light, well balanced rifles. I had seen pictures of 1903s for years and thought the bolt handle being amidship would make the rifle awkward and clumsy. About 4 years ago I ran across this one at an estate sale and picked it for some reason. When I did, the clouds parted, the sun shined through, and the birds began to sing. The thing felt like a fine shotgun for upland birds...like it was a part of my arms.
This handling characteristic is the common element for alpine and stalk hunting in close cover. There are many rifle configurations that meet this characteristic and the M-S is only one of them. I have several others that generally fit this description but the M-S is my favorite.
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/4VMyA25l.jpg)
