Physical training status for elk hunting?
 

How is everyone's physical training to prepare for their fall elk hunt going? Speaking for myself, if I didn't elk hunt I would want to pretend I was an elk hunter just to motivate myself to exercise hard and stay in good condition! I really feel good -- almost wish the elk season started Saturday. Notwithstanding, I still have a few more pounds to trim off, and I plan to boost my training regime just a bit more.

I am 57 years old. I don't train to marathon shape or to super athlete shape. I train to be able to maintain and work for the duration of a 5 day elk hunt and the set-up day on the front end, the take-down day at the back end, and the meat pack-out somewhere in between. This depends more on endurance than maximum power. I do like to work on strong legs for climbing hills. This is an area -- strong climbing legs -- I never feel satisfied with on the hunt. We hunt at about 11000 feet elevation, first rifle season, SW Colorado.

How is your training going?

The best training for me is to simulate the hunt. That means hiking the mountains at high altitude with a heavy backpack.

Then the hunt is just another day of what i've been doing for months.

You are fortunate in several ways. I live in Texas, north of Dallas, at about 600 foot elevation. We don't even have noteworthy hills around here. I'm stuck walking with a pack with weight in it on relatively flat ground with ankle weights on, running up the modest hills we do have, and doing strength exercises.

You could also wear one of those masks that cuts your oxygen during training. It simulates being at high altitude.


http://www.trainingmask.com/

Are you kidding me?!!! If I wore one of those things the cops would shoot me thinking I was trying to perpetrate some terrorist deed!!!

I had never heard of such things. I may look into that further. It does not look very pleasant. I can't imagine reducing the air I have available when I'm running, as I'm sucking air pretty hard at the ends of my runs.

I don't think any mask will fully acclimate a flatlander (like me) to the physical changes that happen at altitudes above 10,000. I do lots of cardio, hike with a pack, and get into elk country a week before the hunt. After a couple of days my body starts becoming more efficient with oxygen, and by the end of the first week things start to feel almost normal.
The central part of my training is to spend an hour or two each day on a stationary bike, and do some sprints up a steep 100 yard incline. Long distance running hurts my knees too much to be of any value.

The advantage of the mask, or training at altitude is it builds up your red blood cells. You can't get that effect by any other kind of training.

Coming a week early helps, but not everybody can do that.

I don't do anything different to get ready for hunting season nor do I know anyone around here that does....................... we just get up and go hunting on opening day

Easy at low altitude when you can drive your truck next to the kill. :p :poke:

I looked at the linked website for the mask. I must say that if it is approved by both MMA fighters and Northern Alberta Institute of Technology it must be the real deal!


That is so much better than being approved by the US Olympic Team and Stanford.


I suspect that I just fell for the joke.