hows unit 55 for first week of rifle?
 

ive never hunted Colorado. im in a group to hunt unit 55 in 2017 for the first week of rifle. ive read that this unit can be a madhouse for during the over the counter weeks but haven't heard much information as far as the first week. is it as crowded? are the elk calmed from the bow season by that point?

Never hunted 55 but I do know that the archery season normally doesn't spin the elk up too bad.

thats good to know. i know this area can be very nice for producing decent bulls just interested if there is a lot of hunting pressure

1st rifle season won't be too bad. Nothing else going on that week, except the draw elk hunt.

You'll see hunters, but you can find some solitude if you don't mind hiking.

I definitely don't mind hiking . Working climbing 6 flights of stairs up and down 3 -4 times in a row, 4 days a week right now

Work up to 50 times for our mountains.

well we are using horses too so i should be able to cut that in half

Bad assumption. Horses only take you so far. You may very well find yourself having to make a quick 1/2 mile to a full mile jaunt to get into a shooting position. You won't be shooting from the back of a moving horse. Remember, this jaunt may very well be at 10,000+ feet while carrying at least a rifle and probably a daypack. Can you make that jaunt right now and still be able to shoot accurately the minute you get to where you are going? Be honest about this because elk can live in some really rugged country.

My suggestion is to go to something like a football stadium and jog up and down the steps with at least a 30 lb pack on your back and something close to the weight of your rifle in your hands. Don't forget to wear the same boots you intend on hunting in. Work on that until you can do it without becoming too winded. Then you can really start working out. Get to where you can do at least 30-40 sets of stadium steps (not single flights like in a regular building). You don't say where you are from but hunting the Rockies is going to be a lot different from what you are used to.

yes i can do that. i do it now during long range matches. most of the time we need to run between targets to make up time. ive also competed in 3 tough mudders so i feel im in good enough shape to do the hunt already. ive never been at that elevation so thats my only concern , but i feel it can be overcome that as well. when i said i climb 6 flights of stairs its a continues stair system and im actually running those stairs, not hiking, with 2 45lb plates on my back. run up and down 3-4 full sets.

this is on top of my regular workout

that said im not taking anything for granted because i dont live out there and cant train in that particular environment

Different people react differently to elevation. And it's just something you'll have to adjust to. I've seen some very good athletes get out there and spend the first few days sick. And I've seen out of shape people do pretty well. Make sure you stay conditioned well and when you get out there drink as much water as you can handle. Lots and lots of water. You don't want to miss out on a good animal because you couldn't get to where you need to be. So be ready for anything.
-Jake