RE: Conditioning for hunting season.
Excellent thread, particularly since the past three years, I have lost two friends to heart attacks during hunting season. Both were dragging deer, both under 60 yrs, old. Too many hunters IMHO, don't condition themselves properly. In my 20's, after getting out of the service, I competed in the Decathlon for ten years. Needless to say, one develops a pretty rigorous routine for such competition. Most of my cardio was from swimming and mixing sprint/jogs of 1/4 miles. Since then, I work out, mainly cardio twice a day, three times a week, Bike and treadmill, getting my heartrate to 130-140 BPM, sustained for several minutes. For 57 yrs old, I have a very good recovery time, only a few minutes to get back down to 65-70 BPM. I wouldn't dream of doing what I do in the Adirondacks without conditioning, particularly since much time there is spent solo for days at a time.
First consult your doctor, but very important to condition yourself. You owe it to your family, but more important, to yourself!