There are many activities that can put men with a weak heart in danger. Some of them might take place in the bedroom. You have to try to stay in shape and act accordinglyy.

As far as outdoor activities go, hunters are by far in the WORST shape of any so this article doesn't surprise me in the least. Hikers, bicyclists, skiers are in way better shape than most hunters. It boils down to the mentality of the two groups. Other outdoor enthusiast are generally more concerned with what they eat and regular exercise, while hunters can eat high fat, greasy foods and need ATV's to get them to their tree stands only a few hundred yards away from the road. Who do you think is a better candidate for a heart attack here?

All the more reason to buy a deer cart, which I finally did this year.

Let's see...
Somebody paid for a study to determine if trodding through the woods and dragging a 150 pound deer carcass raised a person's heart rate more than walking on a treadmill. One word...duh.

I think the "study" was a group of 25 doctors that took government money to go hunting instead of being in the office, then charged the "study" $200 an hour to sacrifice their time to go trudging through the woods.

But honey, I'm participating in a very important medical study.

Wish I'd thought of it.

I've read something similar... hunters getting heart attacks because "buck fever" significantly raises heart rate.

Study or no study, all one has to do is to look at hunters to get the picture. Many of them are more than a little overweight. Add to this a bit of excersion and excitement and we know what can possibly happen.

I guess it depends on where you hunt. I hunt in the Adirondacks in NY several miles from roads (no ATVs allowed either).

I occasionally see an overweight hunter at night when i get back to the car - never out in the middle of the woods.

Two years ago I heard a shot and found an old man had shot a fat fork horn. Having done that long drag (which traverses 2 decent hills) I offered to drag his out. He took offense and said if he was too old to drag them out then he didn't belong in the woods.

I have seen him several times since and we always have a nice chat. I aspire to keep myself that fit.

We have all seen many similar studies:
- People dropping dead while clearing snow
- People dropping dead while watching a football game
- ...

Hunters are like the rest of the population. Some of them are not in good physical condition and if they do too much something bad will happen.

Everything in moderation.

If you feel dizzy and short of breath, stop for a short bit during the drag, sit down and have a cigarette.

Not!

I dragged out my first deer last year, about 100 yards up a steep incline, and thought i was going to die once or twice, my heart was beating so fast. I finally got the hint and took it slowly over the next mile I had to drag the deer. And to think that I used to ride mountain bikes 35+ miles a day only three years ago.

Just don't rush things, take your time,and it wouldn't hurt to walk the dog at a brisk pace once every day.

Oh, bring some aspirin with you into the field...just in case.