I'm from NC and at an altitude of 250ft or so. I hunted the first week of November in SW Montana anywhere from 6500 to about 9000 ft and it took a couple of days for me to get acclimated to the altitude. This was with me arriving 2 days before my hunt. At no time during the hunt was I muscle sore so it wasn't a conditioning issue. If you can't train at altitude there isn't much you can do other than be in the best shape you can be in.