Backpack CO MZ Elk Hunt- Looking for Advice on Maintenance, Elevation, Gear, etc.

[ChurchAl]

First time taking a MZ on a backpack hunt for early September elk in Southern CO. Last year in this area weather fluctuated between ~35F at night and 75-85F in the day (if I remember right). And rained for ~30 minutes of the 6 day trip (I know this could just be luck). Elk were between 9,000-10,500ft.

Here’s my setup;

- CVA Wolf V2 Stainless w/ Western Precision Globe/Peep Sights
-80gr by weight BH209
-Fed. 209A’s
-330gr ELR
-Barrel Baloons over the end of the barrel
-Patches, Solvent, & bullet starter
-Slik Sling to the side of my pack
-7 loads

I’m sighted in 3” high at 100yds right now at basically sea level in Wisconsin; also have no experience at how elevation will impact this. Anyone use this load combo or have ballistics to reference?

We’re going on a 6 day trip - looking for advice, tips, & tricks to make sure it goes bang if the opportunity presents itself.

Also - I picked up a silicone coated gun sock and have a “side saddle” on my Banyan Bridge Hammock. I was thinking that I’d store the MZ in a sock and in the side saddle to keep it off the ground during the night; is this a good idea?

Any advice on gear I should add would also be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ElDiablito]

Sounds like you’re on the right track. I muzzy hunted deer in some very similar country in sw Colorado last year and will be again this year.

I tape my muzzle with electrical tape or duct tape. I sometimes take a spent 209 to plug the breech at night. You should have no issues with your set up as you describe it.

Side note: I’m not a big fan of the ELRs. I think a 300 gr Thor is a much better elk choice.

 

[crgchck]

The little devil has given good advice.. I personally use the fingers off latex gloves for barrel, shoot smokeless powder, and store loads in spent 7mm Rem mag brass with a 3m rubber ear plug sealing it.. works beautifully. I also keep spent primer in place and carry hot ones in an old school 35mm film case.

 

[tdcour]

I've hunted high elevation deer in Colorado with Muzzy and will be again this fall. I keep my gun unloaded with powder in blackhorn tubes taped shut with electrical tape. Don't forget to put a tail on the tape for easy peeling off. I keep the primers and powder in a small snack sized ziplock to keep them dry. For the barrel, I run electrical tape, again with a tag to remove. I know you can shoot with it on, but I don't have that much faith. the latex covers can sometimes be a pain with the globe front end I'm running. Have you tested to make sure your balloons will go on and stay on with your globe sight? Lastly, I don't load my gun until I go on my first stalk. We hunt up in the high country so its more of a spot and stalk situation vs what you might come across.

I've never thought about the spent primer. I will definitely incorporate that into my setup.

Finally, I keep a large trash bag handy for those pop up showers. I just bought a "GunSlicker" rifle cover that I'll use this year in place of the trash bag, but I may double wrap mine at night.

I'm no expert, but the times I've needed to shoot the gun went bang.

 

[crgchck]

The little devil has given good advice.. I personally use the fingers off latex gloves for barrel, shoot smokeless powder, and store loads in spent 7mm Rem mag brass with a 3m rubber ear plug sealing it.. works beautifully. I also keep spent primer in place and carry hot ones in an old school 35mm film case.

Anytime I’ve had a failure to fire, was because of something stupid I did.. one time no primer at all missed out on a whitetail and yet again… pulled the trigger (3) times before realizing I’d not switched out the spent primer with a hot.. this was after a spot from road, jumping into a wash, running through wash for a couple hundred yards, climbing out other side while keeping a very unplaced boulder between me and bull, rolling off the side of boulder down on ground using my pack as a rest and placing my crosshairs on a perfect placement on a beautiful bull within 120 yards.. rifle capable of 400… literally watched him ease further and further away and finally out of sight by the time I realized my goof and fumbled around trying to dig the hot primers out of my pocket… all that to say, As silly as it sounds, I would run a drill on where you are going to keep everything and make it systematic.. over and over so when the moment comes, you don’t F up

 

[tdcour]

Also, I don't have ballistics on a load like you have. I've shot anywhere from 90 grains to 110 grains (currently) of blackhorn with two different guns. Always with a Thor 300. Never any complaints on shooting consistency. Anyway, on my high altitude hunts I haven't seen much of a difference in trajectory. I'm coming from 1000 feet with high humidity in Texas. I see 1-2 yards difference at 60-70 with my bow and negligible difference with muzzy out to 150. I do still shoot at the highest elevation possible prior to packing in though just to be sure.