conditioning & Success

IRONMAN1 · 07-19-2003, 08:33 PM

I have been lucky enough to draw a Big Horn tag this year and want to know what you as deer,elk or any other big game sport hunter does to be sure to handle the difficult task of bagging your trophy animal? Please give me any of your work outs for high country and any thing a hunter might not think about when going on the hunt of a lifetime.Thanks for any input you may have,and I'll be sure to share my experience with all of you.

No Wishin Just Fishin · 07-19-2003, 09:33 PM

As a person who has had His hunt of a lifetime and bagged His Bighorn, do not, I repeat DO NOT do this hunt without the services of a guide. There are a couple of game biologists who guide these hunts and I would not go without one. Also when Yougo to the class for your tag, pay attention. The biggest fault of most people in the high country is they do not pack in enough water for the duration of the hunt. I know 2 others from Hillsboro who have had this tag and bagged their ram, one with a guide and one without. The one with got #3 all time in Oregon. The one without almost died trying to get His animal back to the rig from the heat and altitude. The big boys weigh 300#+ and are not easy to pack by yourself

[ 07-20-2003, 08:01 AM: Message edited by: No Wishin Just Fishin ]

LIMIT LANDER · 07-19-2003, 10:29 PM

One thing you can do is make sure your leggs are in good to excellent shape, and i dont mean jogging a mile or to a day, i mean riding a bike up hill or going to find alot of steps and running up the steps many times with a 15 - 20 lb pack on your back. i never will forget 3 yrs ago when i went to one of my favorite Blacktail hunting spaces early in the season when the big boys were hanging out in the high alpine country. 5 weeks before Before the season i would jog appros a mile or two and do some upper body weights. so i thought that was good enough shape. Opening morning i rode my Mt. bike approx 3 miles and went up a rocky side slope and down a ridge approx 2 miles all by my self in some of the most wonderful country this side of the Cascade range you could imagine. then i spotted this very nice 3x4 and down he went. i boned what i could out. and caped him out put him on a pack frame and by the time i got to my Mt bike my legs were like rubber. i had a heck of a time getting out of there. let alone feeling it for the next 4-5 days. it was a great adventure. but i wish i was a tad bit in better shape. and you are going to a heck of a lot steeper country a lot higher and a lot hotter, so dont let your lack of conditiong hamper you. climbing high country can take a toll on you , you can pull a hamstring buy crossing over rocks. hyperextend a thigh mussle, and many different things, so do every thing you can to make you legs and lungs are in excellent shape.

willametteriveroutlaw · 07-20-2003, 02:01 AM

Make friends with a stair master.. Start at 20 minutes a day and work up to 45 minutes. Than do a lot of scouting.

Bendman · 07-20-2003, 08:58 AM

Find a good hill, somewhere close so you can stick to your routine. I put a sand bag on my pack board. Not sure how much weight but whatever you can handle. Works well.

pdxkevin · 07-20-2003, 07:18 PM

Take as many trips as you can up to the top of Mont Hood or similar high altitude mountain near by. Bring along a extra loaded pack. Go for some long hikes up and down, up and down. Get used to the thinner air at altitude. If you train more weight than you are going to hunt with, you shouuld have an easier time when out on the hunt.

As with all exercise programs, make sure to see your Dr. before beginning any new routines.

Know your limits.

I went to school down in Albuquerque NM. Spend many weekends hiking up into the mountains. Albq. is at one mile above sea level. The mountian went up to around two miles above sea level. It always amazed me how much harder it was to climb when you gained some serious altitude. So getting a few miles behind you during training will help later on. The goats do not live in the valleys after all... Good luck and bring a camera.

horseskull · 07-20-2003, 08:09 PM

Put a lot of miles(hours) walking with a light pack. The country down there is steep in places, but not to high in elevation. You will be spending a lot of time hiking and glassing. I killed a bighorn in 2000 in the Alvord Peak unit.
Make sure what ever you will be sleeping on is as comfy as the bed at home. Sore backs make for a long day. Be positive,glass and hunt hard,and you will have the hunt of a lifetime.

tailchaser · 07-20-2003, 08:45 PM

I do three things in the beginning months before bow season, so they'll be similar for you and the time of year. One is get going on a stairmaster and jogging hills. There are definite muscles in your legs that burn to no end on that first hill of opening day. The quicker you can make it up that hill and be prepared to get to the top the better your chances at making a good shot when you get there. Secondly, I start trimming my diet and weight on both my pack and myself on things I need in the backcountry and gadgets I can live without. Every pound saved is crucial.

Third thing is the most important, get very accustomed to where you'll be hunting through heavy research. Call multiple game bios, guides, and anyone else that knows a smidge about where you're going. Ask things about water sources, pack trails, emergency contact numbers, and get a detailed map (both aerial and one showing landmarks). Don't expect a guide to show you everything the night before if you're using one. Come prepared and it'll make the time learning a lot shorter and that means more productive time in the field. Have these landmarks already programmed in a gps in the case something happens, you can find a way out. If you don't have access to a mapping program, just ask and I can get you coords off of mine for places of interest. The backcountry is no place to be dependent upon a single person. You should be as prepared as you possibly can before you step out of the truck.

Good luck on a great hunt. I wish I could only draw one of those stinking things one day.

tc

onstep · 07-21-2003, 03:55 PM

I'm preparing for a mountain goat hunt in the hurcaine unit. I try to workout 4 to 5 times week. Most of my workouts consist of running 3 to 4 miles followed by 15 minutes of stairmaster for the cardio portion. I open and close each workout with abs and pushups to failure. At first my goal was to run x distance or burn x calories. Now based on what I have researched I do my workouts by heart rate. I stay at 80% to 85% of my max heart rate during my workout. There is a book I believe it is Sheep Hunting in Ak that has a chapter on conditioning. You can also get info on conditioning for back country hunting from the guy who wrote Trophy Hunting Blacktail. I will post his name if it comes to mind he is the editor of eastmans bowhunting.

tailchaser · 07-21-2003, 08:52 PM

You're probably talking about Cameron Haynes. I've met him several times and discussed backcountry hunting with him both by email and in person. His book is a good reference of how to prepare yourself and I respect his way of hunting very much. He rarely uses calls, just plain old effort gets him a lot of animals.

tc

onstep · 07-22-2003, 07:39 AM

Tailchaser,
That would be the guy. Cameron is a bit of a throw back to days when hunting wasn't so techno oriented. Very few people have the desire and work ethic to really prepare for a big game hunting season like Cameron.

[ 07-22-2003, 08:45 AM: Message edited by: onstep ]