Physical or Mental?

[5MilesBack]

I dont care what you say, you can always catch your breathe and have the desire, but if the legs give out, you are done.

........until you kick them in the ass, and get them working again. I refuse to let my legs, knees, back, neck, or whatever keep me down. If I throw in the towel, it's a mental choice.

This year I took a fall on a snow covered rock field while running to cut off a ram on my sheep hunt on day 13. I hit hard on my right shoulder, ribs, thigh, and knee, but the thigh took the worst of it. I saved the bow however. I could barely move the next morning, and the wind was howling, but I still went out because the end of the season was closing down on me. I settled, but I shot my ram at 0830 that morning. My thigh and knee were still swollen and bruised 6 weeks later........but I have all winter, spring, and summer to heal up before elk season.

 

[Carrera72]

Sitting on a bull this year for two hours definitely was a mental challenge for us. Spotted him a long way off and made it within range only to watch him walk into a patch of trees and disappear. We were sweaty and it was cold as heck. I had to remind my partner that the hard work was done and all we had to do was let him show himself. We discussed options on how we could get tot he bull but the cover was not right for that. Luck would have it that another bull was scared by some hunters and ran into the same valley we were sitting in. The bull, we were after, stood up to look at the running bull and gave us a good shot.

 

[DawnPatrol]

It's like Yogi Berra said: it's 90% mental and the other half is physical.

My father in law is one of the mentally toughest people I know, but after 70 years of treating his body like an ammusement park and a crab block, and losing a foot in a commercial fishing accident, he just wasn't able to drop off one ridge, climb 1000 feet up another, an get on this group of cows we glassed up 2 years ago. I really wanted him to kill one; but it just wasn't gonna happen.

You need some of both. But if forced to pick one, I'd say mental is more important. Mental toughness is what keeps you hunting/glassine long enough to find elk.

 

[Michael54]

Definitely mental. Its the reason most guys are chasing 4lb rifles with no recoil that will drop an elk in its tracks. Its also why everyone is so big on gear as a whole. They already have themselves convinced it will be easier once they buy "x" or they failed because they needed "z".

 

[RCB]

I think my biggest barriers so far have been mental, so that's what I picked.

There is an interaction here, though. The more mentally strong you are, the less your physical fitness matters. And the more fit you are, the less mentally tough you need to be. To a degree, anyway. So improving both is always a good idea.

 

[Rich M]

We used to sit in the bunkhouse at the ranch and look at client contracts before picking them up at the airport and decide which guide was going to be guiding what hunters.

For the most part the guides would fight over the younger clients. If one contract said the hunter was 23 and his dad was 58 everyone figured the young guy could go faster and further. That didn’t always turn out to be the case. Lots of times it was more like the tortoise and the hare. The young dudes might come out of the gate like a bucking bronco. But I’ve seen lots of them crash and burn. Two hard hunting days without seeing a bull can break a flat lander down. That’s a mental thing. All of the sudden it wasn’t like the tv shows but more like looking for Bigfoot.... on the moon!

We also got our share of surprises. Guys in their late 50s, already old by elk years, and in their 60s and 70s would be solid as a rock. Getting up on time every day and doing their best to stay in their guide’s back pocket with a smile on their face. It wasn’t physical as much as mental. They seemed to know that time was everything and even though they might not be winning any foot races as long as they were out in the field with a positive attitude it could happen at any minute.

But let’s face it if you’re legs can’t get your ass up the hill all the mental fitness in the world ain’t going to help!

I believe that mental and physical are related. The mind drives the body. If your mind is talking to itself saying omg this sucks and we’re probably not going to kill anything anyway you are doomed. Your legs and lungs will give out shortly after your state of mind.

I guess the best answer would be there’s a balance. Being in average shape with a fair amount of confidence probably describes a good many elk hunters.

So the question is, even if it’s close as 51/49.... which do you think is more important? Having a hard body, or being hard headed?View attachment 246882

Excellent post.

I'm in my early 50s - took my skinny 25 yo stepson out last year for a weekend hunt - I drove us 5-6 hours up Friday morning, got us settled in for that evening. We waded knee-deep swamps but also walked roads. Gave him a 6 mile walk on Saturday morning, 2-3 miles Saturday afternoon - Saw plenty of deer. He begged out for Sunday. I went anyway, did about 3 miles that morning, saw 2 but nothing I wanted to shoot then got him and drove home. He didn't want it enough.

Took my 80 yo dad a couple of times this year - ran him closer to stands in 4 wheeler and truck, had him hunting 20 ft ladder stands and shooting houses. He was the one who was up first and to bed last, I do the work and lug him around but he's got the drive to go. Dad is never late or not ready when I show up to take him off on some adventure.

Climbing a mountain is one thing but the will to go comes first. You gotta want it, then you figure out how to make it happen.

I've only been on 2 western hunts and found that my mindset was what got the game - knew was gonna be a lot of walking and a lot of seeing nothing, but also knew that there would be a (1) shot opportunity in the mix as well. So - i conditioned for that opportunity. Walked 4 miles a day before work and some days after, shot the rifle at every opportunity for about 6 weeks before the hunts. Had a shot opp each hunt and got what i went for - Make the shot count and you get to smile in the pictures.

EDIT:

I totally forgot about the guys who quit after 3 days of subpar results. It is a foreign concept to not hunt when going hunting. Last trip was to CO - shot muley buck on day 6, buddy missed bucks on days 7 and 8. He decided that he was gonna sleep in on day 9 cause getting the buck ready to fly would be too much effort if he shot it in the evening on day 9 of a 10-day trip. Dad and I left the morning of day 9 after we all breakfast. Would have hunted w him thru day 10 if he wanted. That was a great trip - felt so alive, rested & vibrant until driving straight thru for like 33 hrs to get home. LOL!

 

[Scoot]

I agree- Indian Summer is spot on. I hunted elk with a guy who had just finished a 1/2 marathon a couple weeks before our hunt. He was an absolute pussy. He whined and pissed and moaned the whole trip. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and got us on elk most days. He just kept repeating "We're just not cut from the same cloth..." because he was tired and beat up. He couldn't handle the mental grind and dealing with not killing an elk right away. He's a great example of the fact that even if you're physically tough, if you're mentally weak, it doesn't matter. What a damn pussy he was!

The same is true for physical though-- if you're mentally tough as heck, but your physical health (conditioning mostly here, but other physical limitations may be a big deal for some) is a mess, it doesn't matter. Your mind won't overcome at some point. That being said, a stubborn ol' mule can overcome one hell of a lot if he just puts his mind to it, takes his time, and keeps on putting one foot in front of the other.

I stay in pretty good shape all year long, working out about 5x/week. But mostly, I'm just that stubborn ol' mule who absolutely hates to admit defeat and hates to fail. I HATE it! I'm persistent as the day is long and that has been why I've found whatever successes I have in my life. But I know plenty of guys who are a hell of a lot tougher than me too...

 

[Scooter90254]

Another vote for mostly mental but being in bad physical shape will wear on you mentally. So it's both.

To the 40% rule.... I was climbing straight up a dessert mountain last year with 2 other guys in 90 degree weather. Felt like I was dying but I was telling myself my body was only at 40% when my legs literally locked up and stopped working. It was scary. Lesson learned. Dehydration can be powered through.

 

[Huntnnw]

Ive seen more guys give up mentally than physically