Any elk hunters getting prepared

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5 year old buck +
Have another elk trip this year and normally by now I've been lifting weights and running to get in shape. This year not so much. After having chronic shoulder issues and surgery plus knee pains, I'm looking for some motivation. My best year I lifted 4 days a week and ran two half marathons but now I just want to get my running shoes on and go for a jog. Anyone else out there go through the mental suck of getting in shape for hunting western states?
 
I am going to Colorado this year and I am the least prepared as I have ever been. I usually bike a lot with a little running mixed in. I have only biked about 6 times in the last two weeks. Work has me on the road too much to get into a good routine.

This is my first trip since 2008. It will also be my first trip with mules. They will do the heavy lifting of packing camp and hopefully meat. But I will still suck wind while hunting. No matter what happens with the elk, we will have a good trip because my dad will be there. He has had multiple surgeries and two rounds of chemo in the last two years so we will be blessed just to be in the Rockies. I expect I will have a hard time keeping up with the old man. He is tough as nails.
 
Have fun hunting with your dad. I hunt with some guys that are hardcore and although we have fun I wished we took more time to enjoy the little things. I've hunted in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana and the thing I remember the most was taking a lunch break at around 10,000 ft on a mtn lake full of trout. It was awesome!
 
Unfortunately I did not get drawn this year and unless I figure out something different I’ll probably be sitting this year. I do know of a group of retired guys who bow hunt Colorado I Could probably go with but I don’t have the luxury of their schedule so I would have to fly out and meet them. I did that one year, flew from Denver to Telluride in what amounted to a large crop duster, hell of a flight.

How about you fellas, bow or gun, are you using points or are you going over the counter? Where are you headed?

Western hunts are allot of effort but a great adventure.
 
We bowhunt and everything is on foot no wheelers or four legged helpers. General tag Southwest Montana. We found a really productive area last year that had decent terrain with less predators. We used to hunt north of Jackson Hole Wyoming and that was tough country with lots of bears and wolves but also had big elk.
 
We bowhunt and everything is on foot no wheelers or four legged helpers. General tag Southwest Montana. We found a really productive area last year that had decent terrain with less predators. We used to hunt north of Jackson Hole Wyoming and that was tough country with lots of bears and wolves but also had big elk.

Yep, if your on foot you need to be in shape, no doubt about it.

If you need something to get you motivated take a look at FITBIT.com. I just bought one, $100 bucks and it syncs with my droid. A buddy of mine purchased one last year and he lost 40 lbs. The unit is basically a pedometer with some extra features but it does provide realtime feadback on your progress to your goals and thats enough to get you up and motivated. I have been wearing the Flex model for a week and plan to lose 15 lbs with it this fall.
 
That looks interesting. I think Nike makes a similar product that attaches to your shoe and tracks and monitors your movements. I typically maintain a decent weight and only need to lose 5-10 lbs but I run mainly for conditioning my lungs, legs, heart and mental toughness. I've found running to be the most advantageous to mountain hunting. Hopefully this thread is all it takes for me to start soon.
 
I’m tall; basically 6’8” so running has never been good on my joints. I did most of my running in the form of was wind sprints from back in my playing days.

I’m a big believer in walking hills with a weight belt and ankle weights. I live near a ski hill with some serious vertical so I start with just workout clothing and add weight so I get to 2.5 lbs. per ankle(5lbs) and a 15 lbs. fanny pack (20 lbs. total). I combine hiking with hip sled/leg press work and it has worked well in providing me with good climbing strength.

Agree, catching your breath can be difficult the first 3 days or so but unless you arrive early its tuff to train for low oxygen.

Good luck and take pictures.
 
I’m tall; basically 6’8” so running has never been good on my joints. I did most of my running in the form of was wind sprints from back in my playing days.

I’m a big believer in walking hills with a weight belt and ankle weights. I live near a ski hill with some serious vertical so I start with just workout clothing and add weight so I get to 2.5 lbs. per ankle(5lbs) and a 15 lbs. fanny pack (20 lbs. total). I combine hiking with hip sled/leg press work and it has worked well in providing me with good climbing strength.

Agree, catching your breath can be difficult the first 3 days or so but unless you arrive early its tuff to train for low oxygen.

Good luck and take pictures.
Ankle weights are bad for your knees....a guy I know in sports medicine told me that so I never use them. He said the best thing is either a belt, vest, or backpack to add weight
 
Training for a elk hunt last year had me hiking with a 60 pound pack on my back. (I just loaded up a pack frame) I was glad I did when we were hauling my dads elk out. That was a change for me from previous years when I would do more running. Hiking with the pack worked my legs, my back, shoulders, and my cardio. I was doing probably 2-3 miles at a time 4-5 days per week.
 
I would think a good training routine would be long distance running and also hill training by slowly adding weight to your routine. Doing hills alone would not cut it for me because I need to train my heart rate and breathing to be under control.
 
I biked hard for a summer 2 years ago for an elk/moose hunt.

Covered as much as 18 miles a day on foot from 9,000 to 11,000 and could have covered more.

Bikes are easy on the joints.
 
18 miles a day at that elevation is some serious work. I backpacked in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area one year in college and we walked 20+ miles one day and we got lost and ended up hiking all night until it got light. We lost trail on the corner of our map and the trail split off. It was a hell of a night worrying about grizzlies and no water.
 
Some of this depends on your body type. If you are naturally light, smaller framed and light on your feet running and biking would be a good fit. If you are taller, larger then I'm a big fan of strength training for hiking. Do a combination of strength and aerobic and you should be in good shape.

Make certain you have broke-in your boots as you want to take care of your feet. I'm a fan of a light liner sock under your outside sock. Bring bandaids and other foot care stuff as you may need it.
 
Well the time is almost here and I head out this week for Montana. Finished up with my final 6 mile run tonight and feel like I'm in pretty good shape for the hunt. Every year we end up going on a 'death march' at least one day and my buddy has already planned to break camp to head over to a remote drainage where he thinks the big ones are.:confused: Oh well it should be an adventure regardless. Good luck to those hunting on the opener. Wish me luck!
 
Best of luck, take pictures.
 
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