Cross Country Cow Elk Road Trip with the Maven RS.3 – Part 1
Andy Husek 12.23.20
In what has proven to be one of the craziest years on record, there is only one thing you can be certain of in 2020; that is nothing is certain! Maintaining a “normal” travel and hunting routine has been difficult due to pandemic-induced regulations. As a result, I’ve had many hunting trips canceled this year, which had me worried my freezer was going to be pretty sparse heading into 2021. Taking matters into my own hands, I was able to lineup a late season cow elk hunt in hopes I could come home with a delicious freezer queen to redeem the year!
Later this month, I will set out on a cross country road trip from Michigan to New Mexico to try and save my fall and fill my freezer with some of the tastiest meat you can find on the planet – elk! Not to mention it’s about as organic as it can get, and I know everything that happened to this meat from field to table. With all that is going on in today’s world, I like that this trip will allow me to escape for a minute, feel somewhat normal, and also (hopefully) provide my family with many meals to come.
Embarking on such a road trip is a big endeavor! With so many things going wrong in 2020, I am planning on doing everything I can to make sure this trip goes right. Which includes bringing the BEST gear I have at my disposal. Good rifles and good bullets don’t mean squat unless you can precisely tell them where to go, and have the confidence they will listen. So many times, hunters try to “save some coin” when it comes to putting glass on their rifle. This is rather counter-intuitive, if you ask me. You just spent an arm and a leg on buying the rifle, you chose premium ammo to make sure you get the best ballistic performance, and then you say to yourself, “now what is the least I can spend on a scope to complete the package?”
Seriously?! You’re going to be frugal with quite possibly the most important piece of equipment in your setup?
Why does that fancy rifle and expensive ammo even matter if you can’t properly place the bullet?
I’ve said it once, and I’ll keep on shouting it: OPTICS ARE KING!
Knowing the importance of quality optics for a successful hunt, I chose the Maven RS.3 5-30 x 50mm First Focal Plane for this cross country cow elk hunt. Now don’t get me wrong, the rifle is still a very important part of the equation, so the Maven will be sitting on top of a .300 Weatherby Mag Mark V Backcountry TI.
After all, premium glass deserves a premium rifle and I am excited to see what this comb can do!
A little bit on why I decided to go with the Maven RS.3;
When hunting out west, the term “country mile” is not lost on someone like myself from the Midwest. Sometimes shooting out to 500 yards can be a daunting task for someone who can usually see less than 100 yards from their stand in a Michigan swamp. So, having a scope that gives you the flexibility to zoom from 5-30X is a must. Additionally, the massive 50mm objective is great for those low light situations when all animals move. Again, doing whatever I can to stack the deck in my favor for this late season hunt.
Just like all scopes in Maven’s RS Series, the RS.3 features clear ED glass for tack-sharp clarity, a silky focus mechanism, precision milled adjustments, solid click detents, and durable anodizing to stand up to heavy use. That is directly from their website, but I can tell you much less eloquently that this thing is AWESOME! My initial range session was great, and I already have a ton of confidence in the optic.
The only challenge now, is locating the elk..
For more information on the RS.3 or any other optics in the Maven lineup, head over to www.mavenbuilt.com. Be sure to check back in as I continue to dial my setup in preparation for this late season freezer filling mission.
