My ex-green beret buddy decided to cut weight on one of our backpack wilderness deer hunts and so he only brought a tarp and sleeping pad. I'm certain he will never do that again! It was mid-Sept and temps were in the 90's when we left the trailhead shirtless. It turned winter really fast...
I'd suggest trying to have a good spotting scope on future antelope hunts. Another poster already mentioned that you will eventually learn what terrain/habitat is worth glassing. Binoculars are like pea shooters in big country. For antelope, I try to have two spotting scopes with one mounted...
Thanks a bunch, I'm still pretty pumped about it. I'm thinking I should have had seven or eight kids to drive up our odds of drawing a tag. My 14yo daughter I can tell is pretty distraught having to watch her younger brother go on antelope/elk hunts.
Winchester model 1873 original black powder cartridge.
I also have a .280 Remington. It got me into reloading since availability of factory ammo was spotty. It's great for reloading because .284 is super common. It took me about a year to develop a load that works well but I have enough...
I've been very happy with a Browning X-bolt in 6.5 Creedmoor. It shoots a wide range of bullet weights and lower kick, especially with a muzzle break. My 10yo loves it and shoots 143 grain Hornady ELD X. It's very accurate and 143 grains is sufficient for most stuff.
My 10yo son was lucky to draw his first choice antelope and elk tag here in NM for this year. We just finished up his antelope hunt and I thought I'd share the very few photos that I took during the adventure. We departed two days before season began (Aug 24'th) to check spots before season...