Planning my first elk hunt (Colorado)

[Pig_Pen]

I'm still torn between two areas (flat tops and gunnison area). I have two sets of maps marked up and tons of points of interest in them. I still have some time to decide as I'll be waiting until 2nd rifle season. First hunt with my dad in over 10 years. I'm pretty set on gear finally. I'm still working on getting my Illinois flat Lander lungs and legs ready. I am thinking I should go Forest Gump on my training and just run from Illinois to Colorado to make sure I'm ready! Have you guys settled on an area yet or is that still in work?

 

[Finch]

Went to the ortho doc this morning. I've got a torn AC ligament (shoulder). Good news is that's grade 1 which is the least severe. Bad news is I tried pulling my bow back today and couldn't due to the pain. I guess I'll give it another few days to a week but I don't have much time after that. I changed rests on my bow right before the injury and still need to get it tuned. I really only need a good day to do this and I'll be set. Guess I'll be fine tuning my bow a couple days before my trip. It's kinda funny in a way because I've been shooting since early spring thinking I'd be well prepared. At least the fundamentals are down. Wish me luck! Trying to stay positive.

If nothing else, I'll still go for the experience and save the cost of a non resident tag.

 

[COlineman78]

That sucks man! I've torn my ac in the past. I was out of football for a week. If all else fails you could come during muzzle and try and get a leftover tag.

 

[Finch]

Good idea but I absolutely have to be back to work on the 17th. I have two weeks before leaving to heal. Keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[bwlacy]

Man that sucks! Hope you are well enough to draw your bow in a couple weeks. I will be leaving in a week for my first back pack elk hunt. Can't wait! The year of planning and research has gone by quickly. I wish you the best of luck on your trip.

 

[DWinVA]

I hope you heal up fast. We leave in 3 days.

God Bless.

 

[Northernpiker]

Hopefully you will heal up. I would think about dropping my bow down about 10 pounds and trying that. I don't know how many pounds you were pulling now for dropping 10 pounds sure probably wouldn't hurt anything, you would have to redo your pins but it would be nice to be able pull back on something if you do get a chance.

 

[Shrek]

If your shoulder will hold the weight and not tear the ligament more then it's only pain and that's a mental thing to overcome. Believe me when I tell you that you can take a lot more pain that you think when you decide you can. If you decide the pain is more than you can endure then it will be and vice versa if you decide the pain isn't bad then it isn't. So the question for your doctor is will pulling my bow further injure my shoulder ?

 

[Finch]

Thanks guys. I specifically asked the doc about drawing my bow and he said give it a try. I just got a little scared when I felt that pain and didn't want to worsen it. I'm coming up on 2 weeks since the injury. Thinking about giving it this whole week to heal and seeing how it feels after that.

...and dropping my draw weight is definitely an option.

 

[COlineman78]

Shrek, I agree most of the time and have played through torn hamstrings, sprained MCL and ACL, rotator cuff tear, broken fingers, broken nose, AC ligament tear with a bone chip and a Lisfranc injury with displaced bones in my foot. I have a high pain tollerance and I can tell you that while the Lisfranc was the most painful, especially after the game; the AC ligament tear just makes your shoulder not work the way it should. It's the equivalent of a broken collar bone with hopefully a faster healing time.

Finch, I'd look into Neoprene shoulder braces. I wore one for years playing football and they certainly help hold your shoulder in place. Unfortunately only the super bulky ones do a whole lot, so you will have to deal with some discomfort there.

http://www.braceshop.com/shock-doct...Ct63wrtR0T_ohMPT6Ah4YYRQvIoIZv5wUkaAkql8P8HAQ
http://www.amazon.com/Zamst-Shoulde...id=1440254419&sr=1-47&keywords=shoulder+brace
http://www.amazon.com/EVS-Shoulder-...id=1440254462&sr=1-83&keywords=shoulder+brace

If all else fails just bring the fishing rod so you can at least kill something while you're out here .

 

[Shrek]

I'd not pull the bow until the last possible minute to give it all the time possible to heal and I also wouldn't change the draw weight because then you'll need to shoot a whole bunch more to get the pins set. If you can pull the bow and tune the rest in when you get to Colorado then buy the license and if not then go call , pack , help your partner and learn all you can. I bet it's still going to hurt to draw but I'd also bet you can get it done.

 

[Finch]

Ha, I hear ya on the fishing rod. Get some meat one way or the other!

The good news is I don't have any pain doing day to day activities anymore. It's just when lifting my arm overhead or a couple other specific movements. I started doing some band exercises yesterday. I'm holding one handle of the band as I would my bow and drawing back with my right arm and it really doesn't feel too bad unless I shorten up the band too much. I feel this is promising and hoping a few more days of healing will be the ticket.

The DR referred me to a physical therapist in which I have an appt for Tuesday. Normally, I'd probably blow off his suggestion knowing that it will just heal on it's own BUT I'm taking every precaution and want every advantage to get this healed quickly as possible. All they'll do is show me more band exercises. I'll go the one time and do the rest at home.

 

[COlineman78]

Have you tried putting on your pack? I'd think that may be more painful than drawing your bow. If you have your load lifters correctly adjusted it may not be a big deal but worth making sure at some point. If you need some fishing pointers for high mtn lakes let me know. I'm also usually a fan of dealing with my own PT, but sometimes they can do things you can't do yourself. The best ones for the shoulder are sitting on a workout ball with one leg on the ground and rolling a ball between your hand and the wall: up/down side2side and circles and the other one that helped the most beleive it or not was an ab roller.

 

[Finch]

I can believe the ab roller. I basically get down in that position and stretch as far as I can and it feels pretty good. Another one that probably sounds odd to some if just hanging from a pull up bar. It really doesn't hurt and stretches me out pretty good. Now washing my hands or face or putting deodorant on is a different story!

I actually loaded up my pack for the first time with all my gear yesterday. Probably should have done that sooner because that Exo 3500 is filled to the max. I had everything in there except food and water and maybe a few other odds ends and came out to 27 lbs. That weight didn't feel bad at all. I'm expecting (hoping) to be right around 40 lbs when it's completely ready for the trip. I'm hoping I'll be healed more then and can tolerate that weight.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[Jens]

Im not sure how you draw but if you draw with elbow high or level you might give this a shot. I have bad ac in right shoulder and if i draw with elbow lower and then raise arm up i have a lot less pain. Its a little more movement but Keeps me in the game. Its painful to draw my sons 25 pound bow with a conventional draw but 70 with a low elbow is less pain. Good luck.

 

[rideco]

Finch my thoughts are with you and wishing you the best of luck. Sept. is getting closer and season opens on Friday. I am sure pre trip anxiety and last second preparations are filling lots of peoples heads right about now. The good news is Colorado is not on fire so we got that going for us. Feeling really bad for the OR, CA, and WA hunters right about now.
rideco

 

[Travis1984]

I can believe the ab roller. I basically get down in that position and stretch as far as I can and it feels pretty good. Another one that probably sounds odd to some if just hanging from a pull up bar. It really doesn't hurt and stretches me out pretty good. Now washing my hands or face or putting deodorant on is a different story!

I actually loaded up my pack for the first time with all my gear yesterday. Probably should have done that sooner because that Exo 3500 is filled to the max. I had everything in there except food and water and maybe a few other odds ends and came out to 27 lbs. That weight didn't feel bad at all. I'm expecting (hoping) to be right around 40 lbs when it's completely ready for the trip. I'm hoping I'll be healed more then and can tolerate that weight.

Thanks for the tips!

How many days are you going for?

 

[bz_711]

Donnie,
Hang in there - I still think there's plenty of time to heal enough...Hoping all goes well!

Personally, I would really be considering lowering poundage all I could on my bow. I know some think that throws off spine and other variables, but in an emergency like this...you could back it down and at least site in 20, 30 yards quickly and give yourself a chance. Long range is great for elk, but if you find them in the dark timber...20-30 covers most all shooting options in my experience.

I work for a PT system and would also recommend getting in for a consult with a licensed PT...they would be best for helping you speed this along and offer opinion on what to avoid for reinjury.

I get nervous enough this time of year with the planning, prep...and getting the household ready for my absence...I'm sure this added stress could be enough to do me in...don't forget to still smile and have fun along the way!

 

[Finch]

Im not sure how you draw but if you draw with elbow high or level you might give this a shot. I have bad ac in right shoulder and if i draw with elbow lower and then raise arm up i have a lot less pain. Its a little more movement but Keeps me in the game. Its painful to draw my sons 25 pound bow with a conventional draw but 70 with a low elbow is less pain. Good luck.

Hey, thanks for the suggestion. I've been trying this with my stretchy band and it actually works when I get to "full draw" but then while at full draw and raising my elbow/arm up, it hurts. Still haven't tried with the bow but if it hurts with the band, didn't want to chance it. Gonna give it this week to heal and I'll have a few days next week to get my bow dialed in.

Finch my thoughts are with you and wishing you the best of luck. Sept. is getting closer and season opens on Friday. I am sure pre trip anxiety and last second preparations are filling lots of peoples heads right about now. The good news is Colorado is not on fire so we got that going for us. Feeling really bad for the OR, CA, and WA hunters right about now.

Thanks man!

How many days are you going for?

We leave Sept 4th and have to be back in VA on the 17th. So like a good 7 days of solid hunting.

Hang in there - I still think there's plenty of time to heal enough...Hoping all goes well!

Personally, I would really be considering lowering poundage all I could on my bow. I know some think that throws off spine and other variables, but in an emergency like this...you could back it down and at least site in 20, 30 yards quickly and give yourself a chance. Long range is great for elk, but if you find them in the dark timber...20-30 covers most all shooting options in my experience.

I work for a PT system and would also recommend getting in for a consult with a licensed PT...they would be best for helping you speed this along and offer opinion on what to avoid for reinjury.

I get nervous enough this time of year with the planning, prep...and getting the household ready for my absence...I'm sure this added stress could be enough to do me in...don't forget to still smile and have fun along the way!

Ha, I'm trying to smile. I've been considering turning the poundage way down but wasn't sure how far I could go on my Elite E35. The manual states 2 turns is the farthest you can go but that only puts me a 61 lbs or so. I know there's a lot more limb bolt than two turns worth. I'm assuming they say that for liability purposes? Still hoping I'm magically healed by this time next week and have a good solid few days to get it dialed back in. Honestly, I shouldn't have changed rests before leaving for vacation. I was dialed in out to 60 with the whisker biscuit but I always like to tinker and change stuff.

 

[Finch]

Well, I have some good news. Yesterday was my day to try pulling my bow back and I didn't have a lot of pain. My trap muscle is irritated by me drawing my bow but the AC ligament didn't seem to mind. Went rather well.

Other issues arose however. Before I got injured, I had changed rests with the anticipation of having plenty of time to get it dialed in. Well, since I didn't have a lot of experience with the trophy taker I had put on before and the fact I'd have to tune it anyway, I put the trusty biscuit back on. Got the bow pretty much dialed in but then my spot hogg sight failed. The windage adjustment wouldn't work. Finally got it to turn and decided to take it all the way out to tighten up whatever may have been loose inside. Well it got stuck in that position. Called Spot Hogg and they can't get the micro adjust piece to me in time. NO one in Virginia carries this sight evidently either. So I ordered a new sight from amazon and have it in hand now. Thank goodness for amazon and their cheap 1 day shipping.

Maybe I'll get a big one for all my troubles!

We leave Friday.