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This year the plan is for four of us to hunt a (RFW) Ranching For Wildlife ranch, Snake River, in NW Colorado. If all goes as planned, we will be using the following:

.300 Win Mag, WW 180g Power-Point, 1903-A3 custom (SIL)
.308 Win, handloaded 130g TTSX, Ruger Hawkeye (Daughter #1)
.300 WSM, Barnes 165g TTSX, Winchester rifle (model unknown (to me) (SIL)
.300 WM, handloaded 175g LRX, Ruger MKII (me)
.338 WM, 225g AccuBond, Ruger MKII (me)

One SIL may not be able to go due to a business conflict and Daughter #1 may not go due to a bun in the oven conflict. Worst case I figure there will be two of us. Since I plan to go last as a shooter, that may actually be the 'best case'.

Good choices....all! memtb

Good hunting! I’ll be in Moffat County south of you 2nd and 3rd Rifle seasons.

Are you around Craig? Is that Snake River Outfitters?

Elk, not sure what I will use... Here around home maybe the ,25-06, 7mm-08, .270, for cows... If I go for a bull, my old .300 WM..

We have a cow hunt with friends in eastern Wy,, Probably my late wife's 7mm RM..

I think I'll use my full-stocked M98 Mauser Carbine in 9.3X57 for elk and probably my 303 Lee and Marlin 30-30 for deer. I will probably try my M46 Husky 9.3X57 on my last 2 antelope this season too.
My wife will use her Mauser M98 in 30-06 for her elk.

We will also be helping out other friends with their hunts, and with helping them pack them out.

Friend Randy is going to go with a 7-08 Christensen Arms with 160 grain Nosler or a 6.5 CM Ruger with a 140 grain Noslers. He will try his Redhawk 44 with 320 grain LBT bullets if he can get close enough. Elk and antelope both.
Friend John is going to use his 7-08 Tikka with a 154 Hornady or 160 gr Nosler. Elk and antelope both.
Friend Steven is wanting to use his Winchester M95 in 405 with Hornady factory ammo, but if his eyes will not work with the irons (he is 80) he is going to fall back on his old Remington M721 in 270- with 150 grain Noslers. Elk, deer and antelope.

Friend Cas is going to use the "death wand". It's a custom CZ 550 Mauser in 270 made by me, with 150 grain Nosler Partitions. What he shoots with that rifle just dies. Hence it's nick-name. Elk only this year.

Friend Wes is using his Custom Mauser 98 in 9.3X62 with Barnes 250 grain bullets for elk, and his new 6.8 SPC AR15 for deer, with Hornady 120 grain bullets.
Friend Jeff is using his Ruger M77 in 270 with factory 150 grain Remington ammo for both elk and deer.
Lady Friend Megan is using her custom M96 Swedish Mauser in 6.5X55 with 125 grain Nosler Partitions. Both rifle and ammo put together by me. She picked it up this morning and will be hunting now, as I write this.
My wife and I are waiting for a test to see if she kills a bull tonight. She has about 20 minutes more shooting time as of right now.

Snake River Ranch. Won't be using their outfitter services.

The way the RFW (Ranching For Wildlife) program works is that for every cow license a qualifying ranch allows Colorado to sell (at normal prices), the ranch gets one either-sex they can sell at whatever price they can get.

For Snake River RFW cow hunters like us, Snake River employees don't do much more than guide the hunters to their area - if needed - and point out the property boundaries as best as possible. We use a GPS and property maps to determine where we are because the descriptions provided in the past have been so vague.

I'll start my hunting season next week with a pronghorn antelope hunt in SE Montana with my .257 Ackley shooting my 115 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip handloads that I just chronographed last week at 3233 fps.

When rifle elk season opens next month I'll be using my .300 Weatherby shooting my Barnes 180 grain TTSX handloads that I chronographed at 3248 fps.

If I see a buck that I like while hunting elk, he'll fall to one of those 180 grain TTSX elk loads. Otherwise, I'll head back to SE Montana in mid-November with my .257 Ackley and 115 grain Ballistic Tips for a buck.

In December I'm heading to Kodiak Island, Alaska for Sitka Blacktail deer with my .308 Win shooting 150 grain Hornady or Sierra bullets handloads.

All three of these rifles are capable of 3 shot MOA groups, and I've been practicing every week on the 200, 300, and 430 yard gongs at our local range.

buffybr -

Good luck on your hunts.

I start next Thursday with my .257 Roberts and 110g AccuBonds at 3163fps (+P load and brass). Unless I get one Thursday afternoon, before others arrive, I'll be shooting last again.

Coyote Hunter,
Good luck on your hunt! You have a stable of fine elk rifles there. I am still debating which rifles to travel to CO for deer and elk. I have a 2nd Rifle Buck License and a private land cow tag good until the end of November and I can hunt the ranch for as long as I need to. I know I’m taking my 7mm Weatherby and trying to decide between the.35 Whelen and .300 Weatherby. Crap, I guess I could take all three. Decisions, decisions......


I understand your letting the others in your party shoot first. Every time I have tried such, someone balked, held out for better, missed the opportunity, and no other good opportunities came later. Guess it depends on how you guys hunt. I’m not being critical, just hasn’t worked for me. Happy Trails

Daughter #1 has the best elk rifle and load........

The best thing about a .308 you can take the barrel off and make something worthwhile!!!

What would be worthwhile in a rebarrel? Are you talking all .308 bores? Can't tell from your comment. Assume 308 Win is what you meant. Exactly what can't a 308 Winchester kill well shooting 110 gr. - 200 gr. loads?

He could have been talking 300 WM too, considering it is a ".308".... I'd chit can the pos 300wm myself. He's got a good point..

On the 20th our elk/deer season opens and I'll carry a 300 win mag with handloaded 180 gr accubonds

There's the plan (shoot last), and then there's the actual events.

In 2015 i was hunting with my long-time (1998 to present) hunting buddy. Told him he could have first crack at the elk that were coming toward us. They passed 100 yards in front of and below us, then disappeared below the crest of the hill we were on. We moved a few feet to where he had a 50 yard shot. The elk turned back, we moved back, and again he had a 100 yard opportunity. I couldn't stand it any longer and took a shot. Unfortunately I had a .280 Rem chambered in my .338WM, which I had loaded i the dark. (Not an excuse, just an explanation. My bad.) The .280 Rem/.338WM combo went bang but the bull I was going for just walked away. At 400 yards my buddy fired and missed, and said he couldn't do it (make the shot). I borrowed his rifle and took it at 411 yards.

Have had a couple other experiences where I've waited and waited and finally taken the shot myself. This year we'll have 5 shooters (Daughter #1, two sons-in-law, hunting buddy and myself) with 7 dos antelope tags. Six non-shooting family members (wives and kids). The weather is looking like rain and snow. Should be interesting.

Leaving tomorrow at oh-dark-thirty. Should hit Lusk about 10AM and be hunting shortly thereafter. Assuming I don't start west of there.

I like the 300 WSM!

3 bulls,34 cows in 40 years,living in Mt. 1 bull was from Ut. Started with 30-06 w 190 hornady 190btsp. Then 300 win mag, w/200 swift a frames. Drew a trophy bull after 9yrs of trying. Wife was drawn 3 times in same period. she got 3 6pts w/280 w/154 hornadys. Didn't put her name in this year,and I got a tag. Switched to custom Sako 338-06 w/210 partitions. Will be going out in next 2-3 wks. Love chicken fried cubed elk steaks! Randall

My elk season ended 3 weeks ago. I drew a controlled cow hunt. Used a 1963 Remington 700 factory carbine in 30-06, loaded with 200 gr partitions. It is topped with a Leupy ultralight 2-7 gloss. Lung shot the cow at 230 yds, she went about 60 yds and piled up. Dressed 340 lbs. My biggest one to date.

Good deal bigswede. Those 200gr. partitions are becoming one of my favorite bullets to use in the ol 06..