My unprofessional opinion is CO. Utah is in rough shape right now. Areas I’ve hunted in northern Utah for 10+ years that have consistently produced, are no longer producing. I think it’ll be a few years till we see a rebound, if we see one.
I shoot Bergers out of my Tikka 300 WSM and have killed an elk at 350, and a handful of deer ranging from 40 yards out to 450. I've been impressed with how well the Berger performed on each animal.
I had a couple of times the last few years where as soon as I’d given up on a setup, and started moving to the next one, I’d blow out the elk that I didn’t know I’d called in. I’ve had a lot better luck giving setups close to an hour before I leave them.
I haven’t used either of the packs you mention in your original post, but I have used a kifaru reckoning for everything for the last 5 years. It’s about a 6000 Cubic Inch pack. I’m able to cinch it down so it’s not too bulky for day hunts, and it’s really nice to have when I need to carry more...