5.5 miles of loaded pack hiking yesterday with my kids, playing in the snow in July, along with some fishing.
Funny how you can't wait for winter to be over, then when it gets hot you run up high to be where the snow is because its cooler.
This is what the OP is referring to. This antlerless cow tag is not valid on the national forest. All other land is wide open with the exception of getting permission on private.
For a couple bucks of flat black webbing and a couple buckles I built a knock off the exact size and length for my pack, rifle, and my height so it sits right where I want it.
I have the Just One pack and I only use it as a spare. I'm only 5' 7" I've got it maxed out for length and still think it should be a couple inches longer.
Lots of larger bags compress down to almost nothing without adding much of anything in weight. I'd recommend looking at a larger bag because of that, for the just in case times.