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I first hunted Colorado for elk in the fall of 2013...and never saw a thing. Cervus canadensis may as well have been Latin for unicorn, because we’d seen just as many of the latter as the former. And, despite my best efforts, that outcome remained in the back of my mind as I returned to the Centennial state in October 2015 for redemption. I was due to join Leupold Optics, Ruger and Nosler for a five-day adventure in the mountains of southeastern Colorado, alongside the fine folks from Fred Eichler's FullDraw Outfitters. As I came to find out, however, the story couldn't have gone any differently. How so? Check out the photo gallery embedded above for more.
What is it about the .270 Winchester that remains so appealing to hunters? Sometimes the designers get things right the first time, and if you wanted to develop a cartridge to rival the venerated .30-06, the .270 comes about as close as is practically possible.
As anticipated, the first family flock of Canada geese lifted off their nearby river roost, nearly skimmed the big-leafed cottonwoods and set their wings. I called once, letting the half-dozen full-body decoys do the rest. Five birds came in, three left.