Not recovering week to week...

[Arrowslinger]

Sure this is regurgitating what Aaron and others said, but what you eat/drink after a long day in the field is what fuels and repairs your body for the next day. Carbs for energy, protein to repair, and water to ensure all systems are working properly.

 

[JNDEER]

no expert, but I really feel electrolytes (gatorade for ex.) are a must. I notice a HUGE difference after a long hike or mid-day when I pound a gatorade to help replinish everything.

As AS and others have said. A good combo of Simple/complex carbs, protein, h20 and extra electrolytes should help along with a good nights sleep.

 

[JPD350]

I also am no expert but I eat the heck out of raw almonds and walnuts mixed with dried cranberries while I hunt, mostly because it adds LOTS of calories, fats and proteins in each handful. They are a little heavy to pack with but I think the benefits outweigh the weight issue.

 

[Shrek]

Mike , you were going to try and get more calories in you on your next hunt. Well , how did it go ? Were you able to increase the intake and did it help with recovery and stamina during the hunt?

 

[HellsCanyon]

Mike , you were going to try and get more calories in you on your next hunt. Well , how did it go ? Were you able to increase the intake and did it help with recovery and stamina during the hunt?

Glad you brought this back up!

I started bustin out elk steaks for as much protein as I could eat during the week, focused on eating straight 100% whole wheat bread, and lots of butter, peanut butter, honey, and some fruits...etc Also tried to consume much much more overall food. I was forcing myself to eat 4-5 meals a day plus snacking.

The last weekend wasn't a very strenuous hunt, but I can tell you that I finally felt like my batteries were recharged. 3 mile hike in in the dark was cake, even carrying gear up a steep slope to camp from the river was noticeably easier. Muscles felt strong and stamina was great. Packing out my buck wasn't all that fun but the mental side of having notched a tag always seems to make it easier.

Mike

 

[Shrek]

Thats great to hear ! Looking at your photo thread I can see how you could get worn down. Heck of a good year for you !

 

[HellsCanyon]

Thats great to hear ! Looking at your photo thread I can see how you could get worn down. Heck of a good year for you !

Thank you! Yeah it has been quite the year for sure... think I may even have a WA late archery hunt left to top it off!

Mike

 

[gobbler1662]

This is a great post, this hits us all. Hells Canyon first off I share your pain, we hint spring turkeys back pack style and spring bear on the Oregon side of that canyon and man what a workout. First question I would want to know from you is your age? Being an older guy 56 seasons old I have noticed that while last year in hells I had some 14 mile days, that my recovery is a lot slower and seems to increase each year. To combat this I have increased my workouts, hike 3.5 miles a day up hill lift weights, mountain bike I work harder than I ever have. I noticed this year archery elk hunting on one particular day we had a killer morning hunt 5-6 hours chasing a herd, then packed up and hiked another 3 miles uphill back to base camp. I was fine on the morning elk hunt and infant out hiking the younger guys up hill. But when it came to hiking out to base half way out I was whipped. The other guys were a good quarter mile in front of me. I to as becca has stated have reviewed my daily caloric intake and definitely need to adjust it up ward a few hundred calories. And like your self I have a lean body type not much fat anywhere. Just a thought if you are in your late 30's or early 40's it could be that your recovery time is just getting a tad longer each year with age. That seems like some pretty intense hunts you are going on. No one on these forums can understand the type of terrain your in not even pictures do that area any justice. When you can roll a rock and it rolls for 1000 feet then you realize how steep that area really is. I've had guys say yeah I hunted the wallows or the strawberrys. But when we take them into hell, it's quite an eye opener.