The Truth about OTC in CO

[MesaHorseCo.]

He lost me when he said he was going to tell me the gospel after only being in the mountains one time.

Common theme these days.

 

[Poser]

What happens when you team the know-it-all-even-though-he’s-only-been-once-millennial with the super over entitled boomer?
Do you think that Generation Elk could put the vastly more experienced Steve Quint on an elk?

 

[njdoxie]

Rough crowd- guess you old timers forgot what your first backpack hunt/trip was like. I can totally relate to what he said and just like Thurnberg we are all experts on any given topic given our life experiences up to that point in time.

Hell, I've been elk hunting CO for 25 years and I don't talk like I'm an expert, so he shouldn't be. I have ideas and I know what works for me, but far be it from to say it's the only way......he never stops saying this is the way it is, no ifs, ands, or buts. He goes on an on about brush busting, but I do very little where I hunt, but he declares that elk hunting must involve brush busting.

I have a bad allergic reaction to know it alls like him. Yeah, he's just way too certain for even an experienced elk hunter, and he's far from that, I can't stand watching it really, had to turn it off. It's like meeting someone in the gym and they start telling you the best way to workout and they've only been at it a few months and you've been doing it for years.

Also glad he's not picking out gear from me, I'm an ounce counter and I got that way from hard, painful experience, but if he wants to get his stuff from Walmart, well so be it. And the older I get, the lighter I want my pack to be. Just sold a 7.75 lb 338 WM rifle and replaced it with a 6 lb 300 WM Tikka Superlite....just couldn't take that boat anchor anymore....and a bonus, I get tighter groups from the Tikka.

He knows of what he speaks and is not to be questioned because of his vast experience, he should be giving elk hunting seminars and writing articles for Bugle magazine. Maybe he can get a job acting as chief adviser to Elknut and become a rokslide prostaffer bro and put out his own line of flat brimmed hats.

The ONLY thing he says that I agree with is to be in the best possible shape.

 

[njdoxie]

Strength training. Because it’s a general adaptation.

That’s not to say that you don’t need to hike with a pack, because you do. Also, “strength training” should not be confused with powerlifting (that’s a sport), bodybuilding or hypertrophy type training for aesthetics. It also should not be confused with exercising. “Strength training” is training to make the body stronger. “Training” is a systematic and logical progression. “Exercise” is doing something random to get sweaty.

There's no one size fits all, some folks that use running as their primary fitness exercise do quite well. It's not for me, but there are no hard and fast rules about running and elk hunting, works for some, not so much for others. I've even known a few hunters that never worked out and could hunt steep country all day. I have to work out or my elk hunts are miserable, short affairs as my deconditioned state is pitiful.

 

[mwebs]

I live in Idaho, don't work out, play in the mountains a decent amount but definitely spend more of my time fly fishing throwing back beers. Every September I hit the elk mountains and work as hard as I need to and my fitness never holds me back. I read what some guys are doing and think it's so over kill it's laughable, but do what makes you more confident. I also started with a Walmart 0 degree bag and every other budget item you can think of. I have spent a lot of money upgrading for a reason, stating your pack weighs 85 pounds to brag is the stupidest thing I can think of (involving elk hunting brags haha).

 

[MuleyFever]

That’s not to say that you don’t need to hike with a pack, because you do.

I disagree. I have never trained with a pack and I haven't had any issues.

 

[IN_Varmntr]

If he was as jacked about going as I was my first time, he would have already known his little 1 person tent wasn't going to work for him AND his gear when the rain came. He must not have a yard large enough to pitch that little thing and try to shove his gear inside with him?

He talked like that trip was the first time he spent any time with any of his gear. For being as prepped as he said he was, it doesn't sound like he was at all.

I'm glad I didn't watch the whole thing...

 

[Poser]

I disagree. I have never trained with a pack and I haven't had any issues.

You don’t do some scouting or similar before the season?

I don’t specifically “train” with a pack on in that i put weight in my bag and go hike a hill to “get in shape”, but I do spend a lot of weekends out scouting as overnighters and 2 nighters before the season, definitely enough to “get in shape” for hiking with a pack.

With a baseline, I notice that it takes about 10 hours of actual time “doing the sport” (for me: hunting, backcountry snowboarding, Mtn biking) spread out over about 10 days to get into sport specific shape. I usually Mtn bike about 1500-2000 miles a season, a good chunk of that mileage in the high country, some of it in the same country I elk hunt. Even then, I strap on a 35-40# pack, hike 5 miles into the mountains to glass, spend the night and hike 5 miles back out the next day, I feel it pretty good the first time out: my feet and ankles are a bit sore as are my hips. The adjustment tapers pretty quickly from there, but it’s noticeable, for sure. For that matter, the first 10-20 days of Mtn biking season SUCKS, as does the first 10-14 days or so of skinning up mountains in the winter. It’s hard, but the adaption is pretty quick. It doesn’t matter what else you do, there is always a sport specific adaptation factor. While, as a “sport”, hunting is a very low skill, stupid- simple function as all you have to do is walk and carry some weight on your back. You’ll want to walk and carry some weight on your back to be adapted to the specific demands, though, simple as they may be, or it’s going to suck for awhile -in many people’s case, the entire length of their hunt.

You’re saying that when you go out hunting, that’s the first time you put a pack on that year and you feel ready and “in shape” for hunting?

 

[Poser]

I live in Idaho, don't work out, play in the mountains a decent amount but definitely spend more of my time fly fishing throwing back beers. Every September I hit the elk mountains and work as hard as I need to and my fitness never holds me back. .

I live in Durango, CO. I totally get this mentality as I see it ever day. Virtually every person in my office has this same exact mentality with their respective sport or sports: cycling, skiing, climbing, trail running, paddling etc. there’s a kid who’s a tremendous Mtn biker: does enduro and XC races. He weighs all of a 130 lbs and will tell you that “Mtn biking is the BEST way to be in shape.” It’s all he does, year around and sees no reason to go to the gym.

And so, the questions of durability and resilience emerge here. Particulary as you age and things like bone density become factors and all you had to do was put in some intentional work to slow down the decline. Maybe you get lucky and your body makes it through well into old age, but most people who do serious mountain activities and sports, including hunting, don’t last a significant amount of years of serious pursuit without training outside of their discipline to keep their bodies strong and healthy. I like my odds of durability with a posterior chain that it as strong as I can absolutely make it within the context of the endurance based sports/activities/hobbies I pursue. Dismiss it, write it off, brag about not going to the gym.... whatever. Makes no difference to me. That being said, when it comes to hunting elk in the mountains, I’ll take the partner who spends a lot of time in the mountains AND also has a 300 lbs Backsquat because I know he can reliably pack 135 lbs of meat on back, we don’t have to worry about him slipping a disc during the process from over stressing his body AND who can confidently wake up the next day and not be destroyed by it. Not to say that a guy who has never squatted with a barbell can’t do that, because they can, but I have more confidence in the other guy’s physical reliability.

In situations where the body is being stressed tremendously, risk of injury is great and there are heavy loads involved, wouldnt you rather have a stronger body vs. a weaker body? If the answer is “yes”, then why don’t you intentionally make your body stronger? If the answer is “no”, then, well, there’s nothing else to discuss. It’s really that simple, so it’s fairly amazing to me that some people are so adamantly resistant to the notion of strength training. This elk hunting shit is difficult, challenging, hard, HEAVY, and sometimes very dangerous: It is only logical that any person would want to be stronger instead of weaker. Yes, yes... mental toughness and blah blah blah. That’s a given. I would expect that mental toughness AND physical toughness are the absolute goal and I would rather rely on them both instead of just one. When one of these breaks down, the other will eventually follow. so don’t put yourself in a position where you are going to potentially break down physical and have to rely exclusively on “mental Toughness.”

And that just hunting. The benefits of your quality of life as you age are undeniable. If for no other reason, you should spend time strength training throughout life in order maintain absolutely the highest quality of life for as long as possible.

 

[MuleyFever]

You don’t do some scouting or similar before the season?

I don’t specifically “train” with a pack on in that i put weight in my bag and go hike a hill to “get in shape”, but I do spend a lot of weekends out scouting as overnighters and 2 nighters before the season, definitely enough to “get in shape” for hiking with a pack.

With a baseline, I notice that it takes about 10 hours of actual time “doing the sport” (for me: hunting, backcountry snowboarding, Mtn biking) spread out over about 10 days to get into sport specific shape. I usually Mtn bike about 1500-2000 miles a season, a good chunk of that mileage in the high country, some of it in the same country I elk hunt. Even then, I strap on a 35-40# pack, hike 5 miles into the mountains to glass, spend the night and hike 5 miles back out the next day, I feel it pretty good the first time out: my feet and ankles are a bit sore as are my hips. The adjustment tapers pretty quickly from there, but it’s noticeable, for sure. For that matter, the first 10-20 days of Mtn biking season SUCKS, as does the first 10-14 days or so of skinning up mountains in the winter. It’s hard, but the adaption is pretty quick. It doesn’t matter what else you do, there is always a sport specific adaptation factor. While, as a “sport”, hunting is a very low skill, stupid- simple function as all you have to do is walk and carry some weight on your back. You’ll want to walk and carry some weight on your back to be adapted to the specific demands, though, simple as they may be, or it’s going to suck for awhile -in many people’s case, the entire length of their hunt.

You’re saying that when you go out hunting, that’s the first time you put a pack on that year and you feel ready and “in shape” for hunting?

I do try to get out hiking and camping. Hunting is not usually my first trip out with a loaded pack but it has been close. Plus I'm hiking the mountain often. I can hike for 1 mile from my front door and gain 1000ft. I know what you mean though. My local archery season is my conditioning for the later CO season. By September I'm feeling good with my pack and have no worries about CO.

 

[Beendare]

Good comment Poser....it also help that you live at 6500'...vs sea level like some of us.

____

 

[Lelder]

To me, him giving so much “advice” was the worse for new or would be hunters. A lot of guys watch those videos preparing for there first western hunt I know I did and to tell people that 3lbs here and 3lbs there doesn’t matter infuriates me! I realize the price of some of that gear will keep some away but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a place. I remember a mid September Idaho hunt where the temps dropped below 30 degrees every night so telling people to buy a $50-100 sleeping bag is not only irresponsible it’s dangerous. Just my $2c

 

[dtrkyman]

Running mountains certainly helps! Flat land not so much but better than nothing for sure.

Not rocket science here, carry heavy chit up a mountain, hill or stairs!


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[RickH]

I'll have to admit I couldn't watch it all, too much expertise there for me. Let's see what he thinks of his Walmart tent after one of those wet September snows and he wakes up with the roof of the tent 2 inches from his face, (been there).

 

[WesternHunter]

What a clown.

To any other newcomers out there who would like to take two packs into the backcountry filled with water when there will be streams close by, more power to you! Just helps my odds of being on the elk before you ever get to camp.

 

[Split toe]

I remember a mid September Idaho hunt where the temps dropped below 30 degrees every night so telling people to buy a $50-100 sleeping bag is not only irresponsible it’s dangerous. Just my $2c

This past September (2nd-3rd week) at 10k in the Weminuche it was below freezing two nights of our hunt. Had our water freeze solid.

 

[GregB]

Well I got really bored and wasted a few minutes watching the video. Thought I'd repay the favor and share his latest.

 

[PurpleDriver]

I didn’t think it was possible but, I made it through less of that one than the first video.

 

[EKyhookr]

From all the posts you took away that your not strong because you run??
No wonder you sound like such a blowhard in every single one of your videos. Your not an expert elk hunter, your not an expert bow mechanic or an arrow builder you need to stop giving out all this terrible information before you get someone in trouble in the backcountry in their Walmart tent and sleeping bag.

Sweet selfie btw


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[Zachjmiller424]

Thanks man love you .