Jbergy

Ok guys September is just around the corner lets here some of your stories. How do you prepare? What are you looking forward to the most? What kind of trip you have planned, are you backpacking, packing in on horse, camping out of your camper Etc etc.
I myself am doing a solo backpack elk hunt.

Alsatian

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.

Jbergy

Nice it sounds like you work pretty hard.

Zim

For 53 years old I was on my best pace ever, running 20 miles/week, doing great in a 5K, getting weight down to lowest in 3 years......................then came the BS.

Tripped on a grossly negligent building violation step at a work site, slamming my left knee damaging cartilege no doubt. I am super pissed off. Had to totally shut down workout regiment for 3 weeks! Knee has barely improved over that time. With only 4 weeks to go I cannot rest it any longer so I went out and biked 20 miles today. Sounded like a nutcracker mashing a walnut every time I pedaled. I could audibly hear it cracking.

Ahole government. I was at that site 6 years ago and wrote that dangerous step, but the government was too cheap to fix it due to asbestos remediation on a pipe above it. Forgot to mention the door also features a 6'-3" height to the door jamb!..........headknocker. They won't pay to fix that either. Obviously, employees health is just not worth it. So I get to be in pain the rest of my life instead. But they do have billions available to fund welfare checks.

hurricane1

Jeezum Zim, that is tough news and some dang poor timing to boot. Hope you get on the comeback trail pretty soon.

Nonetheless, if it sounds like cracking walnuts, you may want to rethink this for a spell, "With only 4 weeks to go I cannot rest it any longer"

Hire a horse for this season?

Alsatian

I do work pretty hard at it. I sweat prodigiously also. I do my walking and my workouts in the morning. I can't run outdoors at night here in Texas -- too hot, too much ozone. I used to run on a treadmill inside, but that is more disagreeable than running outdoors. I used to do my strength workouts at night, but too often that would be scratched because of some evening activity my wife or kids lined up for me. Simple solution -- get it all done in the morning before going to work.

But I am under no illusions that I'm super fit -- just good enough to get the elk hunt done without breaking down. I just don't have time to do any more training.

c-rad

I have bear coming up in 3 weeks and muzzleloader for elk mid sept. Staying in shape is the easy part. I hike where I hunt so there no elevation or terrain issues. For me getting enough time in to shoot is the problem. Only got the flintlock out a few times this year so I doubt I will carry it. Probably stick with the inline for elk and bear.

Zim

Here's the brain dead architect's abortion that cost me my knee.

Bullcamp82834

Not ready for the ridges just yet but working on it. Been fighting gout in a knee all spring and summer. Lots of walking and rehab. It's more problematic at 53 than it was at 23.