daystalker

i was just wondering since we never talk about people who are not in the shape that they SHOULD be to hunt effectivly.

what are some of your routines pre season or during the season? i like to run all year long, however i dont get a chance to run all year long. and im not a distance runner just a mile a day or so. just to keep the old lungs in check. but about may right around my birthday i hit the row machines, untill i get pretty good at it.. this helps with holding full draw.
then i use a 15 pound weight and hold it straight out in front of me as if i were holding my bow, thsi helps steady your bow. i hold it for as long as i can or untill it burns. then i work on my traps, and lats, this helps with climbing the trees . how many times have we all had a hard time getting up a tree? i know i have. then about the time 1 month out i start running hills... so i head off to paytons hill for those of you hwo know what hill that is. and run iup and down that for a month till i get used to moving up and down the ridges of where i will be hunting. this helps when yoru dragging that "MAKESTIC, MASSIVE BRUTE" out of teh forest up and down ridges

however i did injure my rotator cuff last year and have had to do much more physical theropy, which i think has helped prepare me early for this season. the biggest thing is the back muscles. you would be surprised how many muscles you use in yoru back while drawing the bow. just to keep your body stabalized... but i think the key to always being ready for the hunt is stretching, you want to stretch out all your muscles, before and after the hunt. this especially key for elk hunting, i went last year and i realized that kinda hunting is not for the out of shape. many others on here will attest to the strenuous rigors of hunting, and how important it is to be in PEAK condition for this.

good luck fellow hunters and lets hear some imput

silentassassin

If I were going elk hunting then I would most certainly get into shape. However, I don't elk hunt and I don't get into shape and I am a pretty smart guy and I have yet to figure how being in better shape would have helped my hunting. I can not think of one single experience where pysical conditioning was a factor in my bagging an animal. It helps when dragging a downed animal but still a non-factor in my opinion. For a great deal of my hunting career I was in excellent shape but not so much anymore. I am more successful now than I have ever been. I just don't see how physical conditioning could play a factor in my style of hunting (white tail tree stand hunting). Could you elaborate on some of the ways that a hunter in excellent pysical condition has an advatage over a hunter that is not? Maybe you can point out some things that I have over looked.

daystalker

Silent IM glad you brought this up. one example is just plain helth reasons. but the other example would have to be this, if persay you were to FALL out of yoru tree (PURELY HYPOTHETICAL) and you hit the ground hard, a more physically fit person someone Who has been conditioned will MORE than likley have a better chance at getting help or avoiding more serious injury... now again im saying this with NO medical PROOF, but just common sence, i dont have any findings or writings that would BACK my babblings up, BUT i think that if say my best friend who isnt in BAD health but isnt in as good as shape as me where to get injured, or hurt during a hunt (ie fall out of his stand) i would more than likely be in much better shape or my injuries from that drop would possibly be less significant than his. I guess what im saying is not as much the HUNTING persay as it is the actually chance of injury. obviously coordination and age come into play but like i said i think a more physically fit person woudl sustain less serious injurys does that make more sence?

Texarkanimal

I am a fitness director and I am sure you don't want to here me rant and rave about the many ways being in good physical shape can help you be a better hunter. Me being a avid bowhunter I have some clients that I personally train that came in just so they could strengthen their shooting. After 6 weeks many of the people I have trained have gone from shooting a 50lb draw bow to a 70 lb bow and shooting that 70 lb bow with ease. Ever draw on a animal and have to hold because it hung up behind a tree. Beeing physicaly strong and able to hold your bow steady will have a big effect on how steady you are when it comes time to release your arrow. Not only have many of these people gone up in draw weight but their groups have became much tighter due to added strength and steadyness with their bow. One of the first things I do is have the person I am trainging bring their bow to full draw and time how long it takes before they start to shake. It would blow your mind at the difference in time from the start of their program to the end before shaking occurs. I could go on and on but I am sure you guys don't want to here it. So in short being physically in shape can help your hunting in many ways.

silentassassin

Tex,

I would be very interested to hear all the ways that it can help me. I haven't touched a weight in 5 years and although I hunt with 70lbs I can draw well over 100 lbs. I drew a Sampson the other day that maxed out at 92 lbs while I was setting down with my feet off of the ground. So, I don't really see where excercising is going to help me in that regard. If anything having the ability to draw that kind of weight is a liability because the temptation is always there. Holding the draw for and exteneded period and shaking also not an issue. I got a radio, a cell phone, a 4-wheeler, and friends so dragging has never been an issue. I trust God to do what ever his will is if I happen to fall and get injured, which by the way I don't personally believe has anything to do with physical conditioning. I hunt with a couple of guys that are in fantastic shape and they are good hunters but they don't kill more game than I do and probably to the contrary. The absolute best without a doubt bar none bowhunter that I have ever known is a guy in his late 40's with a potbelly. This guy is a legend in his own time. He has killed more big dder than all of the rest of the guys that I have ever know put together and he kills them year in and year out just like clock work and has done so for the last 25 years. His ability to consistently is one of the most aww inspiring things that I have ever seen in my 30 years on this big rock. But, there is know way Tim could jog a mile. He can walk all day long but you don't have to be in any kind of special condition to do that. Of the 5 best bowhunters that I have ever known only 1 works out and he is 4 or 5 in that list. I guess I am failing to see you guys point. I am not saying that it's a bad thing because it certainly isn't. However, it certainly isn't a necessity.

Texarkanimal

Silent I am not saying it is a must for people but it certainly does help. Your buddy that has a big pot belly and is a great hunter when he is sitting in the hospital with a heart by pass on the menue and is no longer able to hunt. That guy that is now 4 or 5 on the list is going to still be killing deer. Not wishing anything bad on your buddy but just a example of what can happen down the road. That is great that you are able to pull and handle those draw weights but the average hunter can not and being physically strong does help them a great deal. Go for a elk hunt in the mountains and then tell me being in shape does not help a hunter.

drstalker

Daystalker I know exacltly what Paytons hill isYears ago I trained to try out for a semi pro football team here in northern IL,and used the same idea.Walter was a great man.Anyhow I have for the most part always trained to an extent but not a riggorous as I did a few years ago.I don't run anymore but do a two mile vigourous walk lift free weights and do a couple hundred crunchers about three times a week.Sadly though I haven't done much of any of these the last 5 weeks because of a broken legThese excersizes help to keep youre heart somewhat in check when that critter get's within bow rangeBill D>

drstalker

I agree on both parts Silent&Tex.It is not a prerequisite for harvesting game,Yet if you do hunt mountain terrain or want to have the staying power or endure extreems like tempeture,long stalks,staying on stand all day because youre back doesn't hurt from having a pot belly or beerbelly in my caseholding steady and possibly patiens I believe being in decent shape is a big help and does not hurt at all.It also can be a big help even if you hunt some of this flat lpublic land in Illinois where you have to walk in for ever, and drag a critter out cause they don't allow you to bring in any wheeled carts or anything like that.Bill D>

wihunter402

I know that in WI many years more hunters die of heart attacks then gun shot wounds. This happens everywhere from getting excited over seeing the "Monster Buck" to dragging the deer out. If they had been in better shape they may not have had the heart attack in the first place and most certainly would have had a better chance to survive. Maybe you should tell their families that being in shape makes no difference. I'll bet they would disagree.

Double Creek

I try to jog for 20-30 minutes about 4-5 days a week year-round. Before hunting season I do pushups and situps 3 days a week. It makes getting up and down the tree a little easier.