Seeking advice!

[Ouachita Walker]

Good morning! I am in my 40's, and I am a teacher. I have not had a chance to elk hunt because I can't take off a week to head out west. However, I have 6 years until retirement!!!! I have a few questions for you all. I don't smoke or drink. I mountain bike except during deer and duck season. I hike a lot with my pack. I lift weights (low weight high reps). I watch my diet.

What else would you all suggest so that I can comfortably hunt later in life?

I want to use my 5 remaining summers to backpack and scout. Should I scout 1 area 5 times or scout 5 different areas of interest?

Because I'll be a novice elk or mule deer hunter at 51, what other advice do you all have?

Thank you!!!

 

[GuyinIdaho]

I would lean towards scouting 5 different areas but there are a lot of factors. Scouting 5 different areas wiil get you more familiar with the area/roads/country. Are you for sure going to get a tag in this area or areas? My advice would be to do as much online scouting that you can but be prepared to be mobile once you get a tag and dont get stuck in one spot.

 

[Ouachita Walker]

"Are you for sure going to get a tag in this area or areas? "

Not sure. That is the tricky part. I notice tags are changing so much now (because east side folks like me..I get it). Things will be very different in 2029.

Thank you for the suggestions

 

[philos]

Start buying preference points in the states you will likely be hunting.

 

[tuffcity]

After "X" number of years teaching.... how's your patience holding up?

I say that 'cause long sits behind the glass can be your biggest asset, especially if you're targeting alpine deer. Online scouting is fine but if you're close enough nothing compares to boots on the ground. Satellite images aren't going to reveal a lot of the tiny things that can make a difference- a small seep, a little hollow against a bluff that's a mineral lick. Sometimes the devil is in the details.

 

[Ouachita Walker]

"After "X" number of years teaching.... how's your patience holding up? "

I teach in the little rock arkansas school district. Look up our crime stats. Look up the last few years news stories of murders/murdered. I taught or had contact with approximately 10 of the kids in those stories.

I say this to say....I am not bragger...Believe me when I say I have no problems with patience, all day sits, glassing, waiting for a shot. I still get excited when I draw my bow or shoot ducks, but I typically don't melt down. I think because I've been so aware and keyed up to the behavior/potential violence i'm around.

Praise God! I moved to a different area, and I'll be teaching in a very small country school the last 6 years!

 

[GuyinIdaho]

"Are you for sure going to get a tag in this area or areas? "

Not sure. That is the tricky part. I notice tags are changing so much now (because east side folks like me..I get it). Things will be very different in 2029.

Thank you for the suggestions

Then I would start scouting different areas that you could get a tag eventually. You will notice a big difference from google earth/maps to the actual country.

 

[AKDoc]

You have a career of countless teacher/learner relationships, so you're practiced/skilled at learning which is an advantage for you. BTW, thanks for being a teacher.

That said, there are lots of different ways of learning, e.g., asking, listening, reading...and also observing and doing with feedback (from self and from others). Therefore, see if you can meet someone/people in your new setting who are practiced AND skilled hunters. Most important IMO is aligning with those who hunt in a manner that you are seeking to experience...hunting is a broad term. I'm sure that I'm not saying something new or novel to you, but I do think it needs to be an intentional focus...and finding someone who is a good match for your desired hunting experiences and willing to teach could be a challenging search, hopefully not.

Best of luck to you in your new learning! Hunting is a very special time for many of us...being totally immersed in the world of the animal I am pursuing...always a total reboot in life every time I do it.

 

[*zap*]

Lift very heavy things (often) .....keep/increase your T and bone density.

Keep your body fat % low (under an actual 15%).....increase lean muscle mass, do shoulder health exercises and stretching (yoga) for the whole body.

 

[ElkNut1]

Zap, please define 'heavy things' -- We all are not 200 plus # in body weight but I've seen you use this phrase many times, please clarify! Thanks!

ElkNut

 

[Ross]

I pick things up and put them down circa the 80s…hammer that is

 

[ElkNut1]

LOL, Ross that was the same phrase I was thinking of, that's awesome!!!

ElkNut

 

[*zap*]

Zap, please define 'heavy things' -- We all are not 200 plus # in body weight but I've seen you use this phrase many times, please clarify! Thanks!

ElkNut

As heavy as you can lift for 5 reps.....or so.
You gotta strain....

I see no point to do light weigh for high reps as I aged and wanted to improve bone density, increase strength, maintain and increase test, produce hgh, and so on.

I do 80% of my strength training in the 5 rep range....and that last rep is not to failure but to 95% of ability. I also do periodization with my training so I am not going balls to the wall all the time. Plus 3-4 minute rest between sets.

Stretching/yoga is also important.

 

[ElkNut1]

OK! As an example, how much do you weigh & what are you lifting per exercise? Curls, bench, others? Thanks!

ElkNut

 

[*zap*]

@ peak of base period:
202# and 100# standing curls thigh to chin-3 sets of 5, e-z curl bar.
85# dumbells flat 3 sets of 5 full reps no baby reps. Touch chest to full extension. 80# on the incline same 3x5. My squat is not good right now but working it out..do not forget farmers carries. Pump up your t and hgh.
67 yoa.

Ya know you need to have proper form....get form right and then go heavy.

But heavy for me may be light for someone else....it is all relative to your exertion level. Last rep of last set you want to be just below failure. 3-4 minute rest between sets.

Most people I see do not want to work that hard or be a little sore/tired.

 

[Maverick1]

Good morning! I am in my 40's, and I am a teacher. I have not had a chance to elk hunt because I can't take off a week to head out west. However, I have 6 years until retirement!!!! I have a few questions for you all. I don't smoke or drink. I mountain bike except during deer and duck season. I hike a lot with my pack. I lift weights (low weight high reps). I watch my diet.

What else would you all suggest so that I can comfortably hunt later in life?

I want to use my 5 remaining summers to backpack and scout. Should I scout 1 area 5 times or scout 5 different areas of interest?

Because I'll be a novice elk or mule deer hunter at 51, what other advice do you all have?

Thank you!!!

Getting a tag:
If you have state(s) that you are interested in, research how to obtain a tag for the species you are interested in. Consider buying preference or bonus points if they are available in those states. Don’t be disappointed if the “rules of the game change” for those points in those states, and have a backup plan. Don’t put all your hopes into one state or species.

Get in reasonably good shape, and learn how to stay that way. Running is cute, but it is not the same as being in mountain shape.

Research gear you may need. Don’t buy what you don’t need. If you can’t decide between two or three items, but all of them, try them out, find the one you like the best, and resell the others on a site like this one. A few dollars will be lost, but better to learn painful lessons at home, in the backyard, or in Arkansas than 1000 miles from home.

Practice the gutless method on a deer, quarter and hang the meat, and backpack out the meat a couple of times. Buy yourself a frame backpack to pack out the meat. Also use this frame backpack to test out your hiking boots and break them in.

If you are considering a backpack hunt, buy a shelter and practice using it in your backyard. Learn how to set it up and take it down in the dark and in the rain.

Buy some good boots and break them in.

If you are going with the rifle, your current setup will likely work just fine, whatever it is. Hundreds of threads online debating “which caliber” when they all work fine at most reasonable hunting shot distances.

Accept that elk and whitetail deer are in the same family, are both brown in color, and have four legs with hooves, and antlers on their heads, but that is about where the similarities end. Their behavior, and how they should be hunted, is vastly different, almost better off if you throw out most things one knows about deer hunting. (Hear a deer off in the bushes? Sit still and don’t move! Hear an elk off in the bushes? Call, move into position, rake a tree, etc. Very different!)

Enjoy your journey!!!

 

[Ouachita Walker]

Awesome! Thanks! Keep the suggestions coming. Yes, I understand that tags and regulations are changing. The reason I became interested in this type of hunting is because my daughter had a softball tournament out west last summer. I thought, "now I get why people come out here!" I also understand that I'm another out of state guy. As I have called and written state agencies, I found out about overcrowding. I also realized this same thing by the amount of youtube videos devoted to western hunting. I don't use Facebook or anything like that (not because I'm too cool lol) because I don't have time. Apparently those platforms have effected hunting. Even though the fate of nonresident tags is uncertain time, I am preparing and genuinely appreciate the advice!

 

[Ouachita Walker]

Getting a tag:
If you have state(s) that you are interested in, research how to obtain a tag for the species you are interested in. Consider buying preference or bonus points if they are available in those states. Don’t be disappointed if the “rules of the game change” for those points in those states, and have a backup plan. Don’t put all your hopes into one state or species.

Get in reasonably good shape, and learn how to stay that way. Running is cute, but it is not the same as being in mountain shape.

Research gear you may need. Don’t buy what you don’t need. If you can’t decide between two or three items, but all of them, try them out, find the one you like the best, and resell the others on a site like this one. A few dollars will be lost, but better to learn painful lessons at home, in the backyard, or in Arkansas than 1000 miles from home.

Practice the gutless method on a deer, quarter and hang the meat, and backpack out the meat a couple of times. Buy yourself a frame backpack to pack out the meat. Also use this frame backpack to test out your hiking boots and break them in.

If you are considering a backpack hunt, buy a shelter and practice using it in your backyard. Learn how to set it up and take it down in the dark and in the rain.

Buy some good boots and break them in.

If you are going with the rifle, your current setup will likely work just fine, whatever it is. Hundreds of threads online debating “which caliber” when they all work fine at most reasonable hunting shot distances.

Accept that elk and whitetail deer are in the same family, are both brown in color, and have four legs with hooves, and antlers on their heads, but that is about where the similarities end. Their behavior, and how they should be hunted, is vastly different, almost better off if you throw out most things one knows about deer hunting. (Hear a deer off in the bushes? Sit still and don’t move! Hear an elk off in the bushes? Call, move into position, rake a tree, etc. Very different!)

Enjoy your journey!!!

Nailed it! Yes. I have been working on what you have suggested. I live in the Ouachita mountains, and I have been practicing with gear I have collected. The ouachitas are nowhere near the elevation or steepness of western mountains, but I Stay in shape so that at least they dont gas me too bad lol. Looking forward to this year backpacking and hopefully using the gutless method. Thank you!

 

[TaperPin]

There’s no reason you can’t go chasing elk right now on your summer break - you just can’t kill one. Everything learned on scouting trips gets you that much closer. Putting eyes on elk day after day helps develop a feel for them. Yes, in the fall things are somewhat different, but if you can’t still hunt timber without getting caught, that’s just not your super hero skill. If back packing in to good elk country doesn’t seem like fun in the summer months, it won’t be fun with a skiff of snow and bad weather. Solitary bulls can be hard to locate, but bachelor pads are interesting. Digiscoping can be a lot of fun - if there’s no video it didn’t happen