All right, folks. Welcome to the backcountry hunting podcast. I'm Joseph on Benedict, and today it's just me and my lab Dixie in the recording studio. She's sleeping in front of the heater. It's a cold winter day.

We're going to talk about setting up a Western big game backcountry hunting rifle for best success.

There are some features and tricks to tuning your rifle that will enable you to make the most of difficult

opportunities when they arise because the West is never, or I should say rarely generous opportunities come dear and

mistakes happen often they're the lack they're due to a lack of preparation.

So first, why is correct setup so important?

Just mentioned one of them, limited shot opportunities.

Often in the West you work long and hard for a chance at a really good

animal. There are exceptions but typically you're going to hike camp, backpack, filter water, sleep on the hard ground some more, do a lot of glass and cover a lot of ground before you find a really exceptional animal, and sometimes before you even just find an animal

to put in the freezer.

So that's one reason, limited shot opportunities. Some folks would say, why do you do it then if it's that hard?

Well, the reward is directly proportional to the challenge.

The greater the challenge, the greater the joy upon success.

Okay, another reason, longer distances.

Here in the West, sometimes you'll shoot close,

sometimes you'll jump an elk out of thick timber at 30 yards and you got to be prepared for those shots too but typically

most of your shot opportunities are going to be between about 150, 200 yards and, gosh, a quarter mile,

quarter mile precisely is 440 yards, but I tend to think of it about 450 yards.

And I encourage all guys hunting the West

or preparing to hunt the West to be prepared

to competently and ethically shoot to 450 yards.

And some guys, well, if they can shoot further, the more power to them.

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