I've shot both and seen quite a few animals killed with both (I have not used LRX, so can't comment there). The Hammers, to me, are the perfect balance of tissue damage and minimal meat damage. They are also really accurate, for whatever reason.
Ask yourself this question...Would you rather have the legislature deciding everything when it comes to Fish and Wildlife or the current Commission?
I get the process isn't ideal, or ever will be, but having it be elected, IMO, has a higher probability of making it worse.
Here's a one from "back in the day" when we packed in late November with horses and shot these 2 bulls. They slid 200 ft down the mountain and hung up with each other, providing a sweet photo.
Ugh, fine.
I don't have a daughter, but my dad died when I was 19 and my younger sister was 12, so I was the one that brought her up hunting. I was there when she shot her first deer, antelope, elk, watched her dump damn near a box of shells standing in the same place during the youth pheasant...
I know you said not dehydrated, but I make a rice and beans meal, with 2 tortillas and an once of cheese. Total weight is 7-8 oz and 1000 calories. Cost per is about $1.50 - $1.75 and no gut ache. I ate around 30 of them this year and never get tired of em.
This thread makes me glad I have Meopta. Sure, they are heavy, but the are built like a brick shithouse. I can't count the number of times my binos have fallen, including a 75 ft tumble out of my harness and down a steep hill chasing a turkey. Still working like a champ.
For CO this year I just spent an hour with screwdriver by hand liquifying the brains then washing out with some water until it ran clean. Worked great.
For Euro's I use a souv vide set to 140-145F and a couple 24 hr sets. Wash off in a manual car wash after the first set then a garden hose...