Fitness for moose hunts.

[AK Troutbum]

I wouldn’t over think it or over do it with your exercise regimen. Like what’s already been stated, it’s going to take multiple trips so there’s no reason in trying to excessively reduce the number and potentially injuring yourself. Just figure on packing out one quarter per trip, then neck meat, back straps, tenderloins in another trip, and cape and antlers in another trip or maybe even two trips for the cape and antlers (if you plan on doing a shoulder mount and depending on how big it is). It’s pretty surprising how heavy a wet/green moose cape can weigh. Your best bet is to let them come to you, via calling, etc., and don’t plan on hiking a long distance to find ‘em. I’m with the same mindset as Becca regarding never killing a moose very far away from my vehicle of transport.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mcseal2]

Thanks for the advice. I definitely want to let them come to me if at all possible. I'm definitely not figuring on trying to tackle more that a quarter in a trip, a bone in quarter will be heavier than I probably want in a load already. I just want to make sure I'm as capable of getting the load back without injury as possible. I'm going to do a skull mount also so the cape is a load I don't have to make. I just hope I get one down so I get to do all the hard work!

 

[stevevan]

Book a hunt in Newfoundland. Last year I shot a big bull in the middle of nowhere. No problem, my guide called in a helicopter with a long line and in a matter of moments he was hooked up and the whole moose took a 20 minute flight back to the base camp. Much simpler than my Yukon bull that took 3 horses and a days ride through crappy conditions to get him out. Pack a bull out on your back. Not for me. I've put elk and mule deer on a pack frame and that was more than enough.

 

[cnelk]

If I were to do another AK moose hunt, to train for it Id take a 4'X4' piece of plywood, load it up with 80+lbs of sand bags, attached it to a pack frame, find a stream full of willows and start walking thru it wearing hip boots.

Do that for 8 hrs and see how you fair

 

[Back Country Hunter 2]

If I were to do another AK moose hunt, to train for it Id take a 4'X4' piece of plywood, load it up with 80+lbs of sand bags, attached it to a pack frame, find a stream full of willows and start walking thru it wearing hip boots.

Do that for 8 hrs and see how you fair

Haha! Love it!

 

[mcseal2]

I think I'll have to be in Alaska with a big bull on the ground to embrace that kind of suffering. I figure I should train enough to survive it, not kill myself before the hunt. I might not want to go on the hunt if I tried that first, knowing what I'm getting into might not be a good thing!

 

[cnelk]

I will never, ever forget packing 525lbs of moose meat in 5 hrs and then going back for a 60" rack and head.

Total. Complete. Exhaustion.

 

[rwmorgan48]

My recommendation is to find a foam pit nearby. Now put on your pack and try walking through it while having somebody spray you with a hose and freezing water. You will also need another helper to whip you repeatedly with willows, paying special attention to your cold ears and face. Do this for a few hours daily and you will be all practiced up!

LMAO, thanks

 

[Short Track]

My method is to tip the guide really well.

 

[TheGrayRider]

Packing heavy military equipment in an Alice pack while serving in the US Army was great training for moose hunts. I surely enjoyed packing moose quarters over packing a heavy military radio or ammunition for am M60 machine gun. Its all good. Can’t wait to moose hunt again soon, TheGrayrider.

 

[*zap*]

As far as training for this I like the incremental approach. Long distance with 35% body weight incrementally increased distance at a good consistent pace. heavy shorter rucks with up to 50-70% body weight for 10-15 minute sets with a rest between sets. Heavy basic posterior chain lifts with perfect form and incrementally add weight as you get stronger. I think 10% at a time for increases across the board works well after a week or two at set distances/weights. A tempo run once a week to round things out.

Coach Chris posted this and I think it is a good program which is where the suggestions I posted came from:

Mike Prevost: Ruck Training Programs - PART 1 - On Target Publications

Interested in the potential offered by ruck training? Because of its history as a means of military conveyance, there’s plenty of information out there on rucking. Mike Prevost sorts through it with you to help get you started.

www.otpbooks.com

Mike Prevost: Ruck Training Programs - PART 2 - On Target Publications

Interested in the potential offered by ruck training? In Part One, Mike Prevost covered the research. Here he puts it all together in two programs to get you rucking.

www.otpbooks.com

 

[*zap*]

 

[thinhorn_AK]

My main focus this year was on moose, I did a ton of weighted jumprope, at least 30 mins a day along with a lot of kettlebell work and chin ups.

 

[SaltySailor]

I've handled a lot of moose in my life now, most of them we were able to get wheelers or other vehicles right up to, but the handful that I had to put on my back taught me a few things even after getting in 'good shape'.

1. Stamina is more important that strength. I once had a relative who came to help me pack a moose a mile through a swamp back to the wheelers. He was on the wrestling team, he also power lifted at the time. We put a hind quarter on his back and he made it maybe 400 yards before he gassed and asked for something lighter. I ended up getting both hinds out that moose.

2. Get the hinds out first! After processing the bull you are going to be whipped already, you will never be fresher than you are right at that moment, so get the hinds out. If something bad happens and you can't get the rest out, at least you got the biggest pieces of meat out, and all other trips will feel better compared to those.

3. A good pack frame makes all the difference in the world. You can be superman, but if your pack or pack frame sucks to wear its gonna be a real crappy day.

4. Rubber boots suck to pack moose in. I've done it, it sucks, i'm prone to rolling ankles. The last few times I knew I was going to put moose on my back, I put the good hiking boots on, got my feet wet, and praised the lord that I had them on instead of rubber boots during the pack out.

5. Mentally tough is more important than physically after the first load out. There is nothing more sobering than getting that first load to the wheeler or camp, feeling your shoulders rejoice after shedding the weight, then realize you have to do that 3 or more times. I've known guys who got the first load out then 'went to get help' or waited 'until tomorrow after they rest' because they didn't think they could do it. There are other critters out there that would love a moose feast for free, time is of the essence. Eat a snickers or take a snort of that Fireball whiskey, and get back in there.

 

[Trial153]

I've handled a lot of moose in my life now, most of them we were able to get wheelers or other vehicles right up to, but the handful that I had to put on my back taught me a few things even after getting in 'good shape'.

1. Stamina is more important that strength. I once had a relative who came to help me pack a moose a mile through a swamp back to the wheelers. He was on the wrestling team, he also power lifted at the time. We put a hind quarter on his back and he made it maybe 400 yards before he gassed and asked for something lighter. I ended up getting both hinds out that moose.

2. Get the hinds out first! After processing the bull you are going to be whipped already, you will never be fresher than you are right at that moment, so get the hinds out. If something bad happens and you can't get the rest out, at least you got the biggest pieces of meat out, and all other trips will feel better compared to those.

3. A good pack frame makes all the difference in the world. You can be superman, but if your pack or pack frame sucks to wear its gonna be a real crappy day.

4. Rubber boots suck to pack moose in. I've done it, it sucks, i'm prone to rolling ankles. The last few times I knew I was going to put moose on my back, I put the good hiking boots on, got my feet wet, and praised the lord that I had them on instead of rubber boots during the pack out.

5. Mentally tough is more important than physically after the first load out. There is nothing more sobering than getting that first load to the wheeler or camp, feeling your shoulders rejoice after shedding the weight, then realize you have to do that 3 or more times. I've known guys who got the first load out then 'went to get help' or waited 'until tomorrow after they rest' because they didn't think they could do it. There are other critters out there that would love a moose feast for free, time is of the essence. Eat a snickers or take a snort of that Fireball whiskey, and get back in there.

This guy gets it!^^

 

[mcseal2]

We got both our moose out last year. We packed them to the raft and then floated them to camp. It came out to 8 heavy backpack loads and 2 raft loads. Neither of our packouts were over a half mile even the way we weaved around, but they were through very swampy terrain where we sank in every step pretty deep. There were boggy areas like walking on a giant submerged trampoline that you would sometimes break through. The further toward the middle of each one we got, the more it stretched and the deeper we sank. One boggy area we had to cross with my buddy's moose we used our frames like stretchers and each carried an end rather than have them strapped onto us. We figured that was much safer than having the load strapped onto us if we went under. Slow and steady wins the race once a moose hits the ground (or water)! Also each trip made the ground worse, it was better not to re-use the same path each trip.

 

[AK_Skeeter]

A rope winch can be a big help...moose float if shot in deep water and can be winched to shore.

When shot in shallow water, the rope winch can be used to move a bull for efficient butchering.
I solo butchered my last bull in waders (3 feet of water), using a rope winch and jet sled to get each quarter to shore.

 

[wingmanchris]

I was told work on legs and lungs. i Need to up my cardio/endurance game.

 

[E Butler]

Don’t forget your trekking poles.

 

[AK_Skeeter]

Endurance is very important. Also dependent on what type of moose hunting (ridgetop versus river bottom).
The farthest I have solo packed my moose is 3 miles but that was mostly ridgetop and it took a total of 4 days.
Would I do that again...you bet!

I have a friend from Wasilla who solo packed his moose 5 miles and it took him 7 days...same ridgetop a few years after me.

One suggestion is that after the kill shot adrenaline is soaring, and if possible that is the time to quarter and pack up to the top of a ridge (if ridgetop hunting). It takes me 4 hours to solo butcher a bull, so ideally a morning kill,
that way the rest of the day is packing fueled by adrenaline.

Endurance is important because you can shuttle...pack to a highly visible location, repeat (for me it was 10 packs boneless meat for supercub) so at the end of the second day all the meat is that much closer to camp. Each day your closer to campe with all loads and one less load as you take a load all the way to camp at the end of each day.

So endurance is really important!