When you look south, you will see a green hue in the night sky. That is the envy shining out from my mind. And I'll bet I'm not alone. While I am happy for you, parts of me are very jealous. Grats on a successful hunt.The rifle and scope were no issue. Not sure of the exact weight.
The smartest thing was use a great sling that stayed in place. I used a Quake Claw sling. The gun never moved.
Also really limited what I carried in, ounces lead to pounds and pounds lead to pain. Sucked it up, if it didn’t fit in a pocket it didn’t go for the day. Much different than walking a corn field to my deer stand with a loaded day pack. Makes you think about what you really need and what you could do without.
Overall this was an incredible experience all around from camp to the hunts. Already planning an antelope hunt and maybe an archery hunt for another bear.