The rock chucker press has been the standard all other single stage presses are judged by for a very long time. If the rock chucker kit is still available, that is where I would recommend you start. A digital scale is a nice upgrade but you can get by for a long time with the balance scale...
I started my boys with a Teton sports scout 3400. It is not fancy and you have to stuff the meat inside the pack, but it can handle all they need for the day and a boned out elk front. And it cost less than $100. My oldest has helped pack 5 elk with his.
I have used interlocks in .243, 7mm08, 308, 30-06, and 35 whelen. They have always seemed to be one of the easiest bullets to develop an accurate load with.--R
This year we had a scale in camp. Here is what we carried off the hill for the cow I killed.
Fronts= 31.5 and 27.5
The goodie bag with the tenderloin, backstrap, heart, liver and neck meat =44.5
I think we accidentally weighed the same back quarter twice but I have them down as 48.4 each.
After...
Weatherby vanguard wilderness in .308 win shooting 168 grain TTSX. Switched from a 300 win mag last year because I was tired of the recoil and was looking for a lighter rifle.
Depending on where you plan to go, the NRCS snotel sites have close to real time data on snow totals. The sites are all in the higher country, but there may be one close enough to the area you plan to hunt to be somewhat useful. Doesn't help with road conditions, but gives you some info for on...
In November, the elk are starting to move from the east side of the unit towards tex creek wildlife area. My best luck was tracking the day after a snow storm. It doesn't take much snow to start the cows moving, 4-5 inches is enough. There was a non-motorized area on the east side of 66. Walk up...
421 can be a madhouse during archery season. Most folks don't seem to venture far from the atv trails, of which there are plenty. I have hunted that unit almost every year for the last 11 years and keep going back because we always see elk. My advice, which is worth even less than you paid for...