Hey Guys,

I am preparing for a guided Archery Bull ELk Hunt in Idaho this Sept from the 21st thru 28th of Sept. My question is two fold. First does hunting at 9000-10000 feet in elevation effect arrow flight due to the thin air, in other words if you use your 30 yard pin at sea level and use the same pin at 9000 feet will it hit the same spot? Is is enough to need to compensate for? Second question is at that elevation how difficult is it to really hunt. Do you ever really catch your breath? Should you expect to shoot while breathing heavily? I am 38yrs old and 240lbs. I can get up the mountains pretty good at 3500ft but I expect to be sucking wind come this Sept.

Any input will be greatly appreaciated.[/align]

I have never heard of any altitude related issues with the arrow's flight. I'm sure there would be some at extreme ranges - several hundred yards - but nothing that would affect the bowhunter shooting at responsible distances. The sucking wind part of the high altitude experience is a tough one. Even going from 6,000 feet, where I live and work every day, up to 11,000 feet causes some shortness of breath. For someone coming out from sea level, it would be a big deal. They say it takes about 30 days to become completely acclimated to altitude, so it ain't going to happen during a normal hunting trip. But the worst of it is the first day. Many folks experience a bad headache and have trouble sleeping. A couple of times I have wondered if a little oxygen wouldn't be helpful at night.

I cannot urge you enough to start conditioning as much as you can now if you have not already started. Some people make the transition beter than others but being in as good as shape as you can will help. High altitude is a tricky thing, I use to take people on 14'ers here in Colorado and there is really no way of knowing who will get altitude sickness and who won't but you need to read up a little and be able to recognize the symptoms and how to treat it. I have even known some to get high altitude pulmonary edema (spelling?) which is scary but rare. One thing to make sure you do is stay hydrated. You will be huffing and puffing a little but the views alone are usually worth it. P.S. try to get to reputable site like web md or something similar as their are a lot of wivestales regarding treatment of altitude sickness. Have fun!!!