5900 is a great choice!!! I've packed a lot of meat in mine and also have a Sky Guide 7900 for long extended trips.
Pretty hard not to do almost everything with a 5900 though. Great pack!
If willing to check out Canadian breeders, check out Oak Lane Retrievers in Saskatchewan or Gunworth Kennels.
I have a 10 mos BLF from Gunworth and she's been amazing.
We took a week and hunted antelope only, but there were 6 of us and we put the time in to make sure we were looking for the 'exact' buck that everyone wanted.
I found it nice to spend the time to do it right, but I've had some great mixed game hunts as well.
I've got 7 or 8 deer points in...
I've hunted within a 50 mile radius, and although a lot of elk winter on the Canadian side down low, its not what I'd call prime area for elk if I was choosing.
I have a TT Stratosphire 1 that I have brought into several areas of Northern BC, the Kootenays, Alberta, etc. Its withstood a ton of wind and weather and always done well. I have the 'pole kit' as I like to have my trekking poles with me for hunting, but for an overnighter I'd just use my...
I used to live in SE Alberta (right north of Havre) and saw 2 groups of them in my life. Although I know the populations are delicate, I still have a desire to hunt them at least once (in MT or WY, or even ID) and would love to have one mounted in my house as a reminder of my time living on the...
My wife has 12 points and we have considered 61 as well. I've had a few conflicting reports (and read the report from years ago when Randy hunted it) but overall I think any of the zones in that area in those couple counties can hold equal trophy quality for sure.
I have a pair of Kelvin Lite bottoms that I love. Just the right amount of warmth for some really cold weather glassing and they pack down pretty decent. I don't bring them on a ton of trips but late season sheep they get the call for sure.
Not dragging an antelope is a very important step obviously. Equally as important is not 'grabbing' hair while you do it and being as gentle as you can when handling. I don't find that the face has issues, but in the neck and shoulder area you can have hair loss easily if you over handle...
Congrats! Area 64 came up in research as a possibility to burn a lot of PP's that my wife has. Still doing some research.
Great buck and sounds like a great experience for a hunt!
Good luck down there cacty!!! Amazing buck for Alberta and hopefully you can keep him located until October. I shot a 78" buck in 102 last year that had great mass, but that buck is a shooter without doubt!!! Greenhorn knows his pronghorn, so I'd be watching that sucker darn close for the...