I've had the same experience so good to know. I didn't think of trying to sneak in closer from fear of them seeing me and scaring them off. Worth a try.
I have a wider foot and own two pairs of innov8 . I would go 1/2 to 1size up if your worried about width sizing.
This is what I got from inov8
I can confirm that each shoe has 1 specific fit ranging from 1 to 5 with 1 being the most close fitting and 5 being the widest fitting. The Roclite...
Yes I believe it was because of elk101 that me and my hunting partner we're able to take two bulls two seasons ago. There is some info you will already know and some stuff you will not care about but overall it is worth it. Plus you get entered for drawings and you can usually find it on sale...
Try trail cams as well. I have found that about Aug 22 they tend to move to rutting location s and are not as prevalent in their summer grounds. Pressure from hikers , dirt bikers , hunters ECT. Can impact their movements as well as finding water.
I like the 6.5 as well but I think your fine with .243 in those ranges. Also that caliber might be more versatile for predator and deer. And like you said your kids can grow into it.