Deerhunting and exercising

Red Lion · 02-09-2007, 11:29 AM

Who here exercises, at least in part to improve quality of hunting? I jog/run 3-4 times a week, and walk the days I do not jog/run. I also do push-ups and crunches the days I walk. I do other activities, such as play tennis occassionally and walk carrying a bag when playing golf as well. I don't do any weightlifting, but maintain the same exercise program that I started 19 years ago, right before first going into the Army. I am adamant that exercising makes my hunting better. What do others have to say.

Red Lion · 02-09-2007, 03:05 PM

So nobody exercises?

KoBear · 02-09-2007, 05:25 PM

i do.

i have found by strengthening my back muscles and shoulders i am more accurate with my bow. i also run 3 times a week and lift the days that i dont run.

djschuett · 02-09-2007, 07:48 PM

I also run 3-4 times per week as well as do push-ups and crunches plus various other weight training.

Not sure if I think it helps my hunting since I'm mostly a sit in one place and wait kind of hunter, but I know for a fact it definitely helps when the time comes to drag the deer out of the woods!

It definitely helps when it comes to pheasant hunting though, especially through thick brush in the sloughs.

The one area it hurts me is that I'm down 20lbs of fat from when I graduated college now that I workout regularly and I get cold a helluva lot easier than I used to. Wife likes this version better though

Also, a 5 mile run the day before season opener is about the only way to guarantee I'll get some sleep that night!

To the older/more experienced hunters out there, does the night before season opener jitters ever go away and give rise to an easy night of sleep?

James B · 02-09-2007, 09:32 PM

dischuett.I have put in 50 seasons now and its still the same as the first. If that changes, I will quit hunting. Good luck to you and many more seasons.

tsoc · 02-10-2007, 06:17 AM

I exercise almost everyday,for a variety of reasons.Most certainly being fit enables you to hunt harder and longer.Disciplines build on one another.Physical discipline carries over to mental discipline.One of my hunting mentors who was as strong as an ox would say to me I never want to get to the place where I think I should hunt in a particular area but I don't because of the physical exertion required to get there.We have a lot of steep mountain area where I am from.
There are styles of hunting that I participate in that are physically demanding,the greater my fitness level,the greater my enjoyment and likely success.

peakrut · 02-10-2007, 06:34 AM

Started again in January to get ready for this fall. I use these bands you get at walmart and it comes with a chart of specific exercises you can do. I watch hunting and fishing shows while doing my workout.

M77man · 02-10-2007, 06:38 AM

I run 3 times a week for about 4 1/2 miles each time, I also do push ups, sit ups and lift dumb bells. I'm getting ready for a DIY Elk/Mule Deer hunt in the mountains of Montana in the next 2 - 4 years. As a former Marine, I'm thinking about wearing my hunting boots and carrying a pack on my back while I hike the trails of our local parks here in Michigan. We don't have many here where I live, but fortunately there is one nature trail that I know of where I can do this becausewhile running on a tread mill in running shoes is great, it still doesn't prepare you for the actual conditioning as much. I don't know what to expect up in those mountains but I don't want to take them lightly. I can't wait to hit the open wilderness and hope to be lucky enough to come across an Elk or Mule Deer or hopefully both.

djschuett · 02-10-2007, 10:02 AM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: James B

dischuett.I have put in 50 seasons now and its still the same as the first. If that changes, I will quit hunting. Good luck to you and many more seasons.

Outstanding! I've only taken 3 deer in my life at 24 and I still get the same jitters the night before opener that kept me awake the night before my first hunt when I was 12. I hope that feeling and the thrill of hunting as well as just being outside in nature never goes away!

Thanks for the input and here's to 50 more for ya!

Gunslingergirl · 02-10-2007, 10:09 AM

Exercise is really important, especially for hunters. Many don't realize how much strain walking through snow in cold weather can put on your heart. I worked with a guy who went hunting and had to wade through some snow and had a heart attack and died in the woods. Obviously he was out of shape, but it does point out the dangers.

GSG