Fatigue / Pain Management on long hunts

[bow_dozer]

You could do the honorable thing and ride a dirt bike with the rest of us scumbags. To the people saying if you walk 10 miles you will blow all the elk out of the country. I ride 30 in an afternoon, and we get into elk almost daily… weird.

 

[PaBone]

I'm 62 and spent 14 days last year sleeping on the ground in a tent. I think first and foremost you have to want it and enjoy what you're doing. When I'm camping in the mountains there's no other place I want to be and really could spend a month. I go to bed early and get up at 3:30 every day, so when I'm hunting it's no different. I try to eat clean and exercise year round and I do take Ibuprofen every day when hunting just to help with the joint pain from all the walking.

 

[highcountrymuley]

I like to eat a lot for dinner first night and breakfast the day after packing in to restore what I lost on the pack in. Lots of water and take it easy after a few days of hitting it hard...
2019 I was really sore after not much scouting or preparing that summer (had just moved and had to work alot getting established in New area). Killed buck on 1st day of mz season, packed him out and drove home then back out on day 3 for elk. I was pretty beat both physically and mentally. I took a day off and did a lot of stretching, eating and snoozing. Went and sat a waterhole and had fun seeing a nice buck. Didn't get an elk but got my head back into it and tried for a few more days... recharged enough to keep at it!

 

[cnelk]

This day and age there’s no reason to live with pain.

Last Aug I had steroid injections in both my lower SI joints because of pain and discomfort. Went to the chiropractor to make sure I lead in alignment also.

Best thing ever. Haven’t had any pain since. Haven’t been back in either.

If if that did more harm than good I could care less. It helped

 

[5MilesBack]

I had a steroid injection in my lower back in January. For two weeks it flared everything up down there on both sides......back, lower abdomen, hips, thighs, groin......and then settled back to where it was before the shot......mostly right side and just regular 24/7 discomfort.

 

[BCSojourner]

I finally figured out that at 70 I couldn't keep up with my sons (mid 40s) and started hunting by myself for a day or two every 3-4 days. I take it easy, go slow, don't climb as high, etc., may even sleep in a bit. Rejuvenates me and then I go back to pretending that I'm not slowing them down. It's been working for the last couple of years now. Also, I started taking Gingko Biloba a month or so before archery season, helps going from sea level to 7-9K'

Really good advice. I'm 70 as well now and don't feel that I have to cover miles and miles or wear yourself out to find elk. I also like the saying (which is very true with elk) that "you overlook more then you overtake". I like to learn an area inside-out and when the hunting is slow I take in and enjoy the surroundings-still learning the forbs and grasses. Heck, most hunters can't tell the difference between a pine tree and a fir or spruce!

 

[cnelk]

The biggest cause of injury to older guys is them thinking they’re younger guys

 

[idcuda]

Salt stick capsules work well for endurance and cramps. They were a game changer when I discovered them. They're electrolytes that enable you to drink clean water without mixing.

This is what I've used forever. I think a lot of issues stem from dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, so I hit these throughout the day if I'm exerting effort. Results have always been good for me, and I hand them out like candy to my buddies.

 

[Still Hunter]

Lots of good information in this thread. I am 63. It gets a bit harder each year. Rest is critical to your day to day recovery. I always precook my basecamp meals, shrink wrap them, and hard freeze them. All I have to do is boil water drop them in. I cut 3/4 across the top of the vacuum pack and dump it out. No cooking smells. Minimum mess. Minimum dishes, no long "Food Prep". The boiled water is used for small amount of dishes and a sponge bath and then bed. I am usually in the sack within 30-45 min of hitting camp. This allows for more quality sleep.
I tend hit it too hard. The last two years in a row I slept in the morning of my fourth or fifth day. I do a Liquid IV Hydration Powder Packet every morning and a serving of KOS USDA Organic Super Greens Powder mixture along with my breakfast. They seem to help me with my energy levels throughout the day.

I try to be in pretty good shape before I get there so I have been pushing hard weeks before the actual hunt.
However going from 660 feet elevation to 10400 feet on after a 17 hr. straight through drive and then up hitting it hard the next day tends to start the week a little on the rough side. I start off hard trying to find the elk.
Biggest thing is you have to listen to your body. Occasionally one knee or one hip may start getting a little tender or sore so I will change tactics and hunt a meadow or wallows a little closer to camp. Get away from the heavy blowdowns and try to hunt along benches rather than up and down across drainages. Hardest thing is to find the elk. Once I find the elk, I try to stay in elk. Good Luck guys. Just stop and smell the pines and the Aspens. Enjoy being out there. Find a shady spot next to a stream and take a power nap!

​

​

 

[Blowdowner]

Matcha. It’s also one of the best remedies for overcoming elevation sickness. Got to be the real stuff though:

https://www.instagram.com/nagatani_tea_factory/?hl=en

 

[LuvsFixedBlades]

You could do the honorable thing and ride a dirt bike with the rest of us scumbags. To the people saying if you walk 10 miles you will blow all the elk out of the country. I ride 30 in an afternoon, and we get into elk almost daily… weird.

I just ordered a Stark Varg electric dirt bike. It should be way sneakier than my 4-stroke.....I guess that makes me a treehugger and a dirtbag.

 

[PurpleDriver]

Aleve, hydration packets and double my normal water intake.
ever since 40, stretching is my long lost friend

 

[willy]

Voltaren has been a miracle drug for inflammation caused pain. I couldn't recommend it more. On a negative note it can be hard on the kidneys if one has kidney issues. My cousin has spina bifada and his doctor wanted him to be able to use it but it would be to hard on his donated kidney.

 

[WBrim]

I’m relatively young, but starting to develop a weird pain in the right knee occasionally… I better take a few notes from this thread.

 

[trophyhill]

Alot of truth to certain pain relievers being bad for livers and kidneys and such. I would venture to guess that those who live on them in the elkwoods are also living on them the rest of the year.

 

[chasewild]

Slow down. Don't get bored or impatient. Take a nap. Do whatever keeps you excited.