davidmil

Rybohunter... I was playing with a little tongue in cheek there old buddy. But, now that you mention it, if we can't talk about Xbows because it may be controversial, maybe we would be better off talking about over weight fat guys in tights.

Double Creek

LOL, I know what you mean....

I've packed on about 10lbs in the last few months.....Time to hit the street again and try to jog 3 miles every morning........

CapDog

Getting in shape for hunting is easy for me. I have to be in shape as a necessity of work. Minimum of a 30 min. cardio workout before shift plus weights. What really helps for hunting the hills is walking up and down the stairs of one of our offices with weight, anywhere from 40-60lbs. Regarding calorie intake you have to factor in your starting weight and figure what your goal is, losing weight or putting on muscle. Personally I weigh about 190lbs and consume about 3000 to 4000 calories a day depending on what we are doing at work. Some of the heavy guys on the team will approach 6000!. Don't be so concerned about calories as about quality of food and yes you need to consume fat! The key is moderation and getting to know what your body likes.

rybohunter

Yea, and it was pretty funny too davidmil, I just hadn't had my coffee yet when I wrote that so I wasn't thinking too clearly.

adams

Most of my fitness comes from my other passion, Mountains. I hike on a regular basis and being able to cover 15-20 miles a day with 60+lbs on my back isn't a big deal. I'm certain that noone needs to be in the shape I'm in but in the example you give I would want to be able to walk 20miles a day for a week straight if I needed to. One thing I've learned in the hills is sometimes things go wrong. Be it a wrong turn, a slip and fall, a rolled ankle. The list goes on but bottom line is you need to be fit for the task and self reliant.

I've never been but I'm sure chasing elk @ 10,000' is strenous even on a fit body. Get out often and walk a few miles, add some weight on your back and do it regularly.

For nutrition I load carbs before I go hiking. Lots of pasta and I like to load protein while I'm working out. Chicken or turkey sandwiches loaded with meat. Avacados are great too. They are full of amino acids and will help to build mussles. Hey, if you're working out you might as well benefit from it.

Dose this mean you'll be hunting elk the year wolf killer?

GRIZZLYMAN

I lost 25 lbs last year in the four months before deer season. Unfortunately I gained back 20 lbs since New Year's. I run/walk 2-3miles, 3-4 times a week usually. I don't have an excuse; I have a running track right across the street from my house. [:@]

I haven't been working out on weights consistently for the last couple of months. My usual routine is 30-40 pushups, 30-40 situps, and a hand weight routine on alternate days from my run/walks. When turkey season is over I will probably hit it harder.

tocs

This is a great topic! Hunting is very physical or certainly can be.What you bring to your hunting in the form of fitness is only going to benefit your enjoyment and results. How many of us has looked at terrain or saw the way animals headed out of an area and had second thoughts about going after them because of how rugged the terrain was or how tired we were."The mind was willing but the body was weak".
A clean diet,lean meats,fish and poultry,lots of fresh vegatables and fruits,good fats.Stay away from sugar,salt and processed foods.Exercise based on the fitness level you wish or what your hunting demands.I fear the day that I wont be able to go after an animal that I have an interest in!
Most people feed their pets and livestock better than they themselves it!

silentassassin

I know we have had this discussion before but I will say it again. I think excercise is great and I don't think it's a negative to anyone that does it but I also thinks it has little relevance in hunting success. That is subjective of course and depends largely on the type of animal, the type of terrain, and your style of hunting. But for treestand hunting whitetails, particularly in flat to relatively flat terrain, I think it has very very little relevance. I know a few guys that are good bowhunters and are very accomplished bowhunters. The best of all of them in terms of accomplishments as well as woodsmanship and just overall knowledge of whitetail deer is a guy name Tim Mc*******. Tim is in his late 40's and has a pot belly and likes his beer. He is in shape..............round. But he is without a doubt the best deer hunter that I have ever known. He isn't lazy and he has excellent work ethic in the woods and he spends a lot of time in the woods scouting and walking and he won't hesitate to walk a mile or two into the bottoms to kill a deer. But he certainly isn't what you guys would call in shape. But, really most anyone that isn't bed ridden can walk a couple of miles back into the woods on flat ground. You don't have to be in any particular shape to do that. When he has to drag he gets a cart and wheels the deer out. Now if he were in the mountains chasing elk then I could see how physical conditioning would be a major factor. But hunting the the way he (and I) hunt then I don't really see it as a factor. Now it probably would help to be in good cardio shape if you ever saw his trophy room because there's a good chance that it could send you into cardiac arrest

wesbowhunt

thank God i'm 16.

Mattiac

To TRULY stay in shape takes A LOT of effort. Its a lifestyle change.

For those of you looking to drop weight, Ill give a few tips. I went from 260# to 145# a few years ago, so you can trust me this works.

Drink LOTS of water! Work your way up to a Gallon minimum. Strive for two gallons. The more water you drink, the less food you need to eat, not to mention it speeds up your metabolism by easing the livers job.

Eat more but smaller meals. Eat like 6 times a day, but never a big meal that makes you feel real full....just enough to re-fuel your body. No serving should be bigger than your fist. A wendys side salad with fat free dressing is the size of the avg meal you should eat. Tuna fish, chicken, cereal, fruit, vegetables, venison, etc.....all good choices.

Eat slow---Takes the body twenty minutes to realize its full....so try and take your time if and when eating larger meals.

Find an excercise that you think is fun. Could be hiking or scouting the steepest hillside you can find. As long as you do 12 or more minutes of it with your heartrate raised to your fat burning level. (where you sweat, and start to get out of breath, but can still talk while excercising).
Fat-burning aerobic workouts are best to be done before eating, and done for between 12-40 minutes. After 40 the benefits of the excercise decrease because the body goes into a different stage. You will still burn fat after 40 minutes, but not nearly as much. SO its up to you if you want to keep riding the bike or hitting the hills for longer. At first you may not be able to do 12 minutes even, dont get discouraged. Just keep going!

Find a motivator....something that will keep you going.

Write down short term and long term goals.....it really helps you stay on tract.

Allow one day a week or one day every two weeks, where you are allowed to eat some sweets or junk food, or pizza, or your favorite icecream...something. Just dont overdo it. You will fail if you dont allow yourself some treats. Guzzle water after you eat it and the effects of that food will be minimum. The water dilutes the digestive acids, and allows the food to pass without much of the "nutrients" (fat) to be retained by the body.

Ok, I might think of more later, but I have to leave for work....so....

Best of luck to you guys trying to get in shape! Wish I was going on an Elk hunt....that should be enough motivation right there.