My hunt is a DIY elk hunt first rifle season in Colorado at about 11000 feet.

My preparation involves (a) trimming my weight down to a preferred value, (b) walking 2.5 miles every day with ankle weights and a 30 LBS pack, (c) doing strength exercises every other day, and (d) interval running on days when I'm not doing strength exercises. I climb the stairs to my 5th floor office every day also. I throw some other stuff into this mix, but not regularly -- rowing machine, dead lifts.

My most important requirement is to have endurance. The elk hunt is not physically intense for any particular 30 minute interval . . . but it goes on all day long and for about 7 days (set-up before, tear-down after, and possibly game carry after season is over). My second important requirement is to have strong climbing legs. I always find I get out of breath at some point during the hunt, but I just live with that. By having my weight down where it ought to be, I think my endurance is better.

I can't imagine doing my elk hunt without working very hard on this training regime before I go out.