Preparing for an elk hunt

[madeleine]

I can't speak to elk hunting since this upcoming season will be my first as well, but I think it is worth mentioning you might prepare for lots of sidehilling.

 

[PunkRockDoc]

Living at sea-level and then immediately going to high altitude can gas you even when you're in incredible shape. Before your trip consider talking to your doc about acetazolamide prophylaxis. It's cheap and is a game changer.

 

[razorsharptokill]

Thanks guys. I spent a few years in the Corps in an infantry unit, so long hikes and mentally sucking are something I grew accustomed to. I know the mountains are a different beast, and it's just prepare to the best of your abilities and it will suck less, which is what any of us can hope for.

Semper Fi!

 

[Tailz190]

Living at sea-level and then immediately going to high altitude can gas you even when you're in incredible shape. Before your trip consider talking to your doc about acetazolamide prophylaxis. It's cheap and is a game changer.

Acetazolamide works well !! It just made my face go numb everytime I took it lol


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[Aginor]

Keep doing tons of cardio. Make sure you're getting some kind of hill or incline training in. That's what's going to kill you. I'm from Montana but when I lived in the midwest I ran a lot of stairs to get ready for when I came home. It worked okay, but the altitude is always going to make a difference too--especially the first few days.

+1 to what he said. When I lived in Ohio I would do stadium workouts with weight, which helped a lot. I’ve lived in Washington for five years now and backpack around 1,000 miles per year. Even with all that hiking, the elevation always hits me. When I get up around 4-5,000 feet it gets really hard to breathe no matter what shape I’m in. Can’t really train for that, but definitely work some sort of incline into your workouts


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[sjanderson117]

What did you use for weighted hikes? All I have is a day pack for white tail and put 30lbs in it. Back ended up killing me because I couldn’t get the pack to sit right.


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[Wapiti16]

What did you use for weighted hikes? All I have is a day pack for white tail and put 30lbs in it. Back ended up killing me because I couldn’t get the pack to sit right.


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If you're training for a backpack hunt, you need a proper hunting backpack with a frame. They are built to carry alot of weight. Load it up with sand, water, concrete, whatever to simulate weight and hit the hills.

 

[sjanderson117]

I’m just training to be more fit in the woods


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[BigCountry49]

Hill sprints, hiking with a heavy pack, and shooting.

 

[jnwebb45]

Thanks for your service sir. Been training for my first elk hunt this fall and glad I found this thread. Good pointers and stuff for me to work on. Good luck this fall!

 

[Stubborn_bowhunter]

NOTHING prepares you for walking up and down steep hills under weight better than walking up and down steep hills under weight.

This is the biggest thing everyone should preach.

Even if your body is wrecked, and you're
carrying elk out. Just knowing you already have walked up so many steep hills with weight is vital for your mind to go "I've done this s**t a ton of times before. I can do it."

 

[Carr84]

build a hyperbaric chamber

 

[Carr84]

 

[4rcgoat]

Keep your legs in top shape,if your lungs aren't there you can take a rest or slow the pace,if your legs give out.....well....

 

[Ross]

Put one foot over the other and go…good info legs, heart, lungs and Desire…..if you don’t love work, pain and the Suck elk stuff may not be for you…..the brain has a way of forgetting the misery so we are ready months later to do it all again

 

[SaltyBowman]

It takes 3 days to acclimate when you get there. I live at sea level and always feel so much better midway through the first week. If you can arrive in a high altitude it’s like Denver a few days before your hunt you’ll be in good shape by the time you get in camp

 

[Southforkguy]

Run marathons and shoot every single day lol

 

[jangst98]

I am going to be doing a western hunt for the first time soon and these tips are great

 

[Tikka90]

The stairclimber works very well for me

 

[Bigwilly556]

Strengthen your feet and don't forget to train your calves directly. Weighted Bulgarian split squat with a 10-20 second isolation hold 3/4 the way up on the last rep.