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More details to follow...but without a doubt the toughest and one of the best outfitted hunts I have been on... The details... I hunted with Pass Creek Outfitters booked thru Keith Atcheson. A truly first rate operation who works hard for their clients. The hunt starts from their base headquarters just west of Cody, WY where you commence a 9-10 hour horseback ride into Pass Creek. This hunt is physically demanding up at 4am and back at 7:30 pm most days. You should also be comfortable shooting to at least 300 yards and 350-400 would be even better. To prepare for this hunt you should get in some saddle time prior to the hunt. I went for a couple two hour rides but that is not nearly enough. Try to get in at least some 4-6 hour rides. 10 hours on horseback can be hard on your knees and inner thighs if you are not use to it. I took 12 advil a day and was still sore after two days of rest. It was even tougher the day after the 10 hour ride out. But all well worth it. The days are filled with alternating between riding and hiking up and downhill. Expect to spend 6-7 hours a day on horseback using muscles you don’t normally use. In general the weather was not cooperative on my hunt - day time temps were in the 70s and we had a full moon and the elk were not moving much. Day 1 was a travel day consisting of the aforementioned 10 hr. ride. We only saw 1 grizzly on the way in. My trusty horse for the ride in...stock was rotated every day during the hunt.  On hunt day 1 we were up and out of camp just before day break and rode to Scatter CreeK. We saw fresh sign both scat and scrapes and a couple of cows. Late that afternoon we found a great vantage point and bugled and we had a bull come in behind us but never saw him. Only heard him bugle from about 50 yards and then take off when he winded us somewhere around 25 yards based on how loud his hoofs were hitting the ground. On hunt day 2 we went to the same area and went to the top of Petrified Ridge at just over 10K feet. We spent the day working the entire ridge glassing the canyons on each side. There were even some “mountain goat” exercises where we had to drop off the top of the ridge and traverse about a 250 yard rocky face of the ridge.  We spotted three cows but no bulls in the early afternoon and then started to work are way back to the horses. On our way back we stopped to glass a big bowl and this is where trouble began. We spotted a big bull at 550 yards and moving away. Probably in the 325 plus range. When getting up to move I dropped my rifle and it landed on the scope adjustment cap.   We quickly moved down the back side of the ridge and I was able to hit a softball size rock at 100 yards but you are never quite confident after that. We moved back up to the ridge top but never spotted the bull again. So he hunted are way back to camp. On our way back we decided to hunt the same area the next day given all the sign, the cows, and having seen the big bull.  We were out of camp before 5 am on Day 3 in the dark and headed to the general area where we had seen the bull. It would take between 2-2 ½ hours to get to the ridge top depending on where we chose to go up. The ride was uneventful until we started up the slope then we heard a sound that made our hearts sink. A long, loud and multi-note howling of a large pack of wolves to the west. In the same direction as we wanted to head. Jared, my guide (and the outfitter) was clearly disappointed. We debated on just leaving and heading to another area but decided to move about 1/3 of the way up the slopes and see if we could spot elk moving out of the area given that the wolves were on the far side of where we had last seen the elk. So we dismounted, tied up the horses, and moved to a glassing spot. Not ten minutes went by and Jared said “big bull on the opposite side of the canyon”. Followed by “cow, calf, and another big bull.” We spent the next few minutes trying to determine which way the bulls were head and decided they were going to go up and over the ridge further to the east. We hurried up to a new vantage point and confirmed that they were going over the top of the ridge to the east and down into one of the steep canyons on the other side. As we continued to glass the ambling elk and evaluating how we would either set up an ambush on this side of the ridge or get above them and then decide what to do next, I spotted movement to my left on our side of the canyon coming out of the timber in the bottom. A cow and two young bulls were headed east but leaving via the lower end of the canyon. I continued to scan past the two young bulls and “what is that?” a mature bull coming out of the timber. I whispered “Jared there is a mature bull in that group.” He replied “if you like him, take him”. I quickly checked again and could see five points on the near side and maybe a tail 6th point on the far side. I made a quick decision to take him based on this bull was at about 125 yards, I was not 100% confident if my rifle was still on out to 300 yards, and the hunting had been tough so far. I leaned across a long tree limb found the bull in the scope. I was having trouble steadying the crosshairs and when it all felt right I squeezed of a shot and missed. I quickly cycled the bolt, settled down, and fired again. The 200 grain Nosler Accubond out of my 338-06 at ~2700 fps struck just behind the shoulder. The bull shuddered and I fired again putting one into the high lung area. The bull then turned and ran downhill (a good sign) and Jared saw him pile up. I then realized why I was having trouble steadying the crosshairs. My legs were shaking. We waited several minutes for everything to settle down then walked over to the downed bull. Jared went back to camp and retrieved the pack animals. We quartered the bull and took the tenderloins and backstraps. In this part of the Bridger-Teton National Forest downed game is quartered and recovered quickly because of grizzly bears. I saw two grizzlies during the trip but the other hunters saw more and we had bears come into camp several nights. I recovered 1 slug with a retained weight of 128.4 grains that mushroomed from .338 to .585.  It was a fantastic experience and if you want a true horseback wilderness hunt I would highly recommend Pass Creek Outfitters.     Mike  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | ||
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Oh heck yeah! Looking forward to the long version. Congrats to you both! Graybird "Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after ... it's the reckoning." | |||
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Mike , That looks a lot like the Thorofare river country or maybe Hidden Crk. Am I close? Daryl. | |||
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Nice bull Mike. And it looks like great country. Nothing adds to the memories of a good trophy more than a hard hunt. | |||
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Looks to be successful so why are you whining???LOL Nice bull! | |||
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DIs, We were hunting east of the Thoroughfare but it is not in the pic above. Here is a pic of the Thoroughfare from the ridge we glassed from that was just over 10k feet.  All it will take me a couple of days to write up the story. Mike What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Beautiful! I can't wait to hear the rest of the story.  Jason "You're not hard-core, unless you live hard-core." _______________________ Hunting in Africa is an adventure. The number of variables involved preclude the possibility of a perfect hunt. Some problems will arise. How you decide to handle them will determine how much you enjoy your hunt. Just tell yourself, "it's all part of the adventure." Remember, if Robert Ruark had gotten upset every time problems with Harry Selby's flat bed truck delayed the safari, Horn of the Hunter would have read like an indictment of Selby. But Ruark rolled with the punches, poured some gin, and enjoyed the adventure. -Jason Brown | |||
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Neat! Congrats, I grew up hunting the wilderness area around Dubois with my family horseback. I'd give anything to do an elk hunt that way again. Or I guess about $6500-8500. That seems to be the going rate. | |||
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Way to go! Have gun- Will travel The value of a trophy is computed directly in terms of personal investment in its acquisition. Robert Ruark | |||
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I can imagine the rest of the story from memories. 10 hour ride in, got to love that as a horse guy. "The liberty enjoyed by the people of these states of worshiping Almighty God agreeably to their conscience, is not only among the choicest of their blessings, but also of their rights." ~George Washington - 1789 | |||
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Way to go, Mike. | |||
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Lots of saddle time, I would need a good walk after that. Frank "I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money." - Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953 NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite | |||
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Congrats Mike! Tough hunt but I'm sure it will be remembered as a very fulfilling adventure. Congrats again! Thanks! Brian Clark Blue Skies Hunting Adventures www.blueskieshunting.com Email at: info@blueskieshunting.com African Cape Trophy Safaris www.africancapesafaris.com Email at: brian@africancapesafaris.com 1-402-689-2024 | |||
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Well done Mike. The hard won trophy is most prized. Congrats on your success. "You only gotta do one thing well to make it in this world" - J Joplin | |||
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DITTO BOTH:
and
BEAUTIFUL scenery!! Well worth the long ride in the saddle. Makes it all the better. We look forward to the full story, Mike! | |||
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Pretty bull! gorgeous scenery! NRA Life Member Gun Control - A theory espoused by some monumentally stupid people; who claim to believe, against all logic and common sense, that a violent predator who ignores the laws prohibiting them from robbing, raping, kidnapping, torturing and killing their fellow human beings will obey a law telling them that they cannot own a gun. | |||
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btt with story Mike What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Mike, Really nice bull and a great story! I leave this coming Thursday for CO 1st rifle season hunt. We will only have a 4 or 5 hour ride in and probably no more than a couple of hours each day on horseback. The last two years, we have had longer rides and I know what you mean by using muscles you don't even know you have. But then again, I'm a city boy and only ride once a year when I hunt. Start young, hunt hard, and enjoy God's bounty. | |||
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Great stuff Mike! Thanks for sharing the great story and pictures with us. Congrats! | |||
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Very nice elk Mike, congratulations... Jim  "Life's hard; it's harder if you're stupid" John Wayne | |||
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Very respectable bull Mike, great hunt, and great fun. What more can a guy ask for? | |||
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A hot redhead for a camp cook Mike What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Nice bull mike. When I went on my hunt in B.C. we road as much as 17 miles in one day. Oddly enough my knees and shins hurt a lot more than my backside. I have walked in the foot prints of the elephant, listened to lion roar and met the buffalo on his turf. I shall never be the same. | |||
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I got one of those, the problem is she likes to camp in the RV not a tent. However, when she's camping with me I do eat much better. | |||
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I am also married to one of those. Problem is she was a vegan chef before I met her and can't cook anything. Makes a hell of a salad though. | |||
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Thanks for sharing a great hunt! Jim "Bwana Umfundi" NRA | |||
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Sounds like a great time, Mike. Sorry I missed your visit | |||
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Thunderhead, That means you had the pressure where it goes, on the legs for balance and support, as well as sitting on the butt. Most folks just plop and stop and fall when old Trigger leaps the log. Legs are what make a fellow into a rider. The Knees and ligaments in the legs will take a beating on a non rider as all new leverage on them. Knees are also affected by the shape of the horse. Mule guys will tell you that their skinny mules are much more comfortable to ride because of that. Makes sense. My brother regularly rides his mules all day long on mountain and desert terrain and his body is no better than mine, which is well worn... in the knee, leg, and back department. Thanks for the report, pictures and smiles! "The liberty enjoyed by the people of these states of worshiping Almighty God agreeably to their conscience, is not only among the choicest of their blessings, but also of their rights." ~George Washington - 1789 | |||
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Great photos and nice bull. looking for the extended version. | |||
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I always enjoy horseback trips! Nice bull... congrats. On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! - Rudyard Kipling Life grows grim without senseless indulgence. | |||
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Nice Elk! congrats.. Handmade paracord rifle slings: paracordcraftsbypatricia@gmail.com | |||
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Nice bull Mike! I agree with you when it comes to confidence in a rifle after a hard fall. I am always in doubt without being able to check it. Horses kill me.....I don't ride enough and 6 or 7 hours in a saddle would hurt any non cowboy. Thanks for a great story and congratulations ________________________________________________ Maker of The Frankenstud Sling Keeper Proudly made in the USA Acepting all forms of payment | |||
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I found riding a bicycle helps a lot. Not perfect as riding a horse. But bets nothing. | |||
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Good bull and a great writeup..I spent 45 days in the Throughfare some years ago on a grizzly project, its beautiful country. Gotta love those Noslers, partitions or Accubonds. Bullets usually perform best at the velocity you shot them at, 2800 FPS seems magical to me. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Sounds like a great hunt ending like they all should but seldom do. Today I met up with one of the hunters I used to join, 9 of them didn't even see an elk, two got nice bucks in the lower country though so it wasn't a total bust. Nice bull Mike, enjoyed the story. George "Gun Control is NOT about Guns' "It's about Control!!" Join the NRA today!" LM: NRA, DAV, George L. Dwight | |||
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Great story. I understand the riggors of the long days on horseback. As a 71 year old that had not been on horseback in 20 years, the outfit I hunted with a few weeks ago had no sympathy. We spent 12 to 14 hours each day traversing up and down those Wyoming mountains. A couple of questions: How many hunters in your camp? Were there any horse related mishaps? Where did you have the elk processed? Bob Nisbet DRSS & 348 Lever Winchester Lover Temporarily Displaced Texan If there's no food on your plate when dinner is done, you didn't get enough to eat. | |||
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Four hunters in camp. No horse mishaps A place in MT as I was headed that way called Budget Meat processing in Belgrade. Mike What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Congratulations on a great trophy! Thank you for sharing. Ski+3 | |||
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Thank you for sharing. A great bull, congratulations. Have a good day. | |||
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Congrats! ~Ann   | |||
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