First time Elk Hunter from SC worried about Altitude

[Ishootprime]

Really appreciative for all the great insight. Training hard for this hunt with hikes in the mountains and a good bit of cycling and swimming. Also doing some lifting and HIIT stuff as well.

 

[bozeman]

I went on my first hunt last Oct and camp was at 9,800ft and I shot an elk at 10,200ft. I drove thru CO from NM to Meeker in a day and could feel the altitude impact. Day 2 I spent outside of Meeker and took my time but stayed moving. Day 3 headed up mountains in the wilderness and hunted a few days......took it slow and drank plenty of water/electrolytes and gatorade. Had a great time, but cleaning an elk about wore me out....had to stop and rest about every 10 mins during that, but will never forget it. Best of luck!

 

[Disco14]

Thanks for all the helpful advice! I'll be heading out to CO
In Sept from MD and my brother from NC. We'll definitely use these tips.

Anyone take an aspirin a day when out there? I do that when skiing out west and seems to help.

 

[cnelk]

A rewarding aerobic / breathing exercise for elk hunting can be as simple as jumping rope.
If you want to take that to the next level, put a dust mask on and then jump rope

 

[Devonian]

It should also be noted that your level of fitness doesn’t protect you from altitude sickness. No amount of training or use of altitude masks at sea level will decrease your chances of having issues with altitude sickness.

 

[LostArra]

Going slow as you acclimate is actually an elk hunting advantage. I've never busted a group of elk by going too slow but I've darn sure sent them running by hurrying over the next ridge!

Good luck on the hunt.

 

[jm1607]

I haven't read through the whole thread but when I hunt in NM, AZ, or CO I hunt anywhere from 5500-11000 feet.. I live at sea level.. I don't get sick, but I can hardly breathe.. My friends that live there are constantly waiting on me.. Not toooo badly though lol.. All I can say is be in the best shape you can, that's truly all you can do

 

[TNHunter]

I’m from Tennessee and we make our annual elk trip every year. For me, I don’t get the headaches much but what bothers me the most is breathing. The first couple of nights at 10,000 plus makes me feel like I can not catch my breath. A couple of things that has worked for me: start taking Diamox 2 days before we get to our camp, spend the night in Gunnison before camp to acclimate and don’t use sleeping aids. I’ve been told that sleeping aids interfere with your breathing. The one thing that has helped me the most with breathing, especially at night, is to breath warm air. Seems that the cold air causes me to have labored breathing and when I get to warm air, it made a big difference. So I either turn on my buddy heater or camp stove or just put my head inside my sleeping bag for a little bit. That made the difference for me. Get the Diamox... it really helped me. Good luck


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[zrodwyo]

I would go hunt and not worry about it. I’ve seen fit people succumb to altitude sickness just as often as out of shape people. I think genetics play a major role in your ability to deal with altitude.


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[Mosby]

After getting pretty sick last year on a scouting trip to Colorado, I read that one study found that Advil helps to reduce the effects of AS(fewer people % got AS that took Advil vs those that didn't). So I took that daily during my fall hunt. I also took some supplements that were supposed to also help reduce chances of AS. I didn't get AS during hunting season but who knows.

I also found that drinking vitamin water in the morning with electrolytes also made me feel stronger before I climbed. Don't know why but it was noticeable to me. I think it was called Body Armor. I plan on having that for all my trips west this year.

As a worst case scenario, I found an oxygen bar about 45 minutes from where I hunt. If I get sick again, I am going to go get some oxygen, which is about the only treatment available short of leaving and going down to lower altitude. I am also going to ask my doctor for some Diamox to take this year.

 

[philos]

I am from South Carolina as well and I've been out to WY, ID, MT a few times and hydration is important as well as being in shape but nothing beats getting acclimated over a couple to three days-at last for me. I met a guy in Idaho originally from Spartanburg SC. He has lived out there for a few years and said he cannot go over 8K even thought he lives there permanently now.

Just be sure to pay attention to the effects. Although rare, high altitude can really mess with some folks.

 

[AdamW]

We drove from 600 ft to around 10,000 in one day. Camped the first night then hiked in. I was a little dizzy the first day of hiking after strenuous activity, but I sat down, drank plenty of water, ate something and was fine later that day. It's not to be taken lightly and my recommendation would be 1) keep an eye on your symptoms and give yourself a bit to adjust but 2) if they get worse or not better fairly quickly, you gotta drop down.

I think AS is something all of us lowlanders get concerned about, kind of like bears. We just aren't used to dealing with it them and don't know what to expect. Use caution and you'll be fine.

 

[Bill V]

I hunt some high basins between 10,000 and 12,800 ft. and occasionally have a flatlander friend or relative along. If we camp at my usual spot at 11,300 they get headaches and are hurting for a day or so. If we use a lower camp, around 9500 or 10,000 ft., it seems to be a non-issue. Everyone is different, but camping low and hunting high can be helpful for this.

 

[wytx]

Eat lots of carbs and it may be possible to boost your RBC count before hand by eating iron rich foods. RBC carry oxygen in your bloodstream so boosting RBC production may help.
Hydration is alo key.
You might want to get out of Denver the first night and head up to the foothills to stay, get up above 7,000 ft.

 

[7Bartman]

I'm from MD and it definitely gets me the first day or so when I'm out in Idaho. Just go slow the first day or two and do what you can to get yourself in good shape. I'm a pharmacist as well and diamox and drinking lot of fluids can definitely help. I wouldn't waste your money on any supplements that have no proven evidence in this setting. Good luck!

 

[ChrisS]

I hunt some high basins between 10,000 and 12,800 ft. and occasionally have a flatlander friend or relative along. If we camp at my usual spot at 11,300 they get headaches and are hurting for a day or so. If we use a lower camp, around 9500 or 10,000 ft., it seems to be a non-issue. Everyone is different, but camping low and hunting high can be helpful for this.

10k is about my limit, too. ~9k in MT = no problem. 11.5 in CO busted me up good.