Colorado Luckydog

I live in the mile high city (Denver), and the altitude can still kick your ass when you go up. I really believe getting there a couple of days early helps as much as working out, but will not replace working out. Good Luck!!!

homers brother

This is a great question, and I see some great responses already. Luckydog's right - it whips even those of us you wouldn't think would have problems with it.

Hunting under big skies is a bit different than hunting in the midwest - you walk a LOT more. Though altitude is an issue, if you're not in shape for the walking, you're already at a deficit. The best training I've found? Running.

You might consider coming out a few days early and get a few SHORT hikes under your belt. If you can't do that, absolutely don't go nuts hunting the first day, or you may spend the rest of the hunt in camp with a splitting headache and sore body.

I snowmobile in the winter with lots of "flatlanders". What always strikes me as odd is, stuck on the side of the mountain, how many of them pull out a ciggie and have a smoke before they try to haul a 500-pound sled out of the snow. They've usually had a beer or two as well, and probably could've done without the triple-cheeseburger gut bomb they had at the lodge for lunch.

Avoid alcohol - Drink water
Quit smoking - If I can smell it in the woods, I'll bet the game can, too
Don't overeat
Get in shape

elknut1

I agree with many of these comments. Your ace in the hole though is that elevations here in Idaho don't remotely compare with CO type elevations. Idahos general elevations fall into the 5000'--7000' range, those are much easier to acclimate to than 10,000+ feet. Get in shape & be prepared to have a great time!!!! (grin)

ElkNut1

Indiana Ace

That is true! We will be hunting the "Frank". So hopefully it's altitudes won't kick my butt quite as bad. These fella's I'm goin with drink the hell out of whiskey while they're out there. So the alcohol abatement program will probably prove difficult. Not that I don't have the will power to refuse.
I'm looking forward to one fine trip.
Thanks to all for the pointers and recommendations, and by all means, keep 'em coming.

Alsatian

Most of the good advice has already been given. Additionally, time may be short now for significant progress along the lines of best advice. Still, I will repeat and offer the advice.

(1) Get your weight down to an optimal level. If you are 10 LBS overweight, it is like carrying a 10 LBS rock in your pack up and down hills, maybe worse. Decrease your weight gradually, and combine weight loss with exercise program so you are differentially losing fat instead of both fat and muscle. Be sure to eat enough protein to maintain and feed your muscles, especially because you may be increasing your physical workouts at the same time. Some useful things that may help lose weight and control your eating, if this is an issue for you, drink more water, measure portions, don't eat out of a bag of chips or other unmeasured quantity, don't snack in the evening after dinner.

You can get protein from canned fish (tuna, salmon), fresh fish, meat, and beans. You can also get protein from protein supplements, such as protein powder such as pre-digested whey peptides. I use such a protein powder that is chocolate malt flavored, I blend it in the blender with milk, and it tastes very good. I have enough to get 24 grams of protein right after my workouts, once a day on those days. I am not a body builder or weight lifter. Those guys probably take more protein per serving and more times per day. I have heard that if you have too much protein at once your body passes it as waste. I have heard that it is possible to ingest these protein powders to excess and cause some damage to your body, so don't over do it if you go this path, do not exceed recommended quantities of label.

(2) Increase your aerobic fitness -- running, swimming, whatever works for you. Some exercise that raises your heartbeat somewhere to around 150 to 170 beats per minute (consult your doctor, yadda, yadda, yadda . . . ) and keep it there for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 40 minutes 3 to 4 times per week. This may help with your ability to cope with thinner air, but more importantly it increases your stamina and endurance.

(3) Increase your leg strength to help you get up the hills. Squats are pretty good. Even better are lunges. In case you don't know what lunges are, stand up-right, lift your right foot off the floor while concurrently pushing forwards with your left leg, catch your weight on your right foot far ahead of your left foot, bend your right knee until just about the point your left knee touches the ground, push off hard with your right leg to return to the standing position with both feet close together. This may sound complicated, but you'll figure it out. Also, do about 20 of these (or less if you are not used to doing these) on each leg and you will know how to do the exercise -- you will find your legs very tired. Also, the next day -- again if you are not used to this exercise or not in good physical condition -- you will know what part of your legs this exercise works on. I think lunges are one of the better exercises for mountain hiking. I just finished climbing 13,160' Wheeler Peak in New Mexico (August 7), starting from 9,500' hiking 8 miles up, 8 miles back, and the principle muscle pain I felt the next day was in the muscles the lunges develop -- the ham string at the back of the leg. I am increasing my lunges in my exercise program. If feasible, walk up stairs at work rather than taking the elevator. Walk as much as possible, for example parking at the far side of the parking lot rather than the near side.

Don't try to make too much progress all at once. If you are not 18 years old -- and even if you are! -- getting into good physical shape takes time. Get your sleep. Eat right -- plenty of protein. Be careful about overdoing it, because pulling a muscle (which seems to come with the territory of over stressing, over training) will set you back further than just taking your time and being content with steady progress. If you do run, and you begin running longer distances, you may find that you need to take greater care of your feet to avoid injury, pain, or blisters. If this is the case, consult someone with knowledge (for example, a salesperson in an athletic shoe store) about proper shoes and socks.

When you go to altitude, the advice about drinking plenty of water is sound advice. Also, I have heard much talk about headaches at altitude. I haven't had many altitude headaches, but my son schooled me recently that he thought he got headaches from downhill walks where he tended to hammer his feet into the ground on each step and this induced a blow to his brain, granted a moderated and dampened blow, which had an accumulative affect of giving him a headache. I had never heard this theory before, but thought it might make sense. I'm not sure how to avoid getting that kind of headache, other than trying to absorb your body weight gently when going downhill rather than just catching your weight stiff legged in a single jolt. I also think the advice given by others of keeping yourself fed while in the mountains is probably good advice. On the climb I made to Wheeler Peak, mentioned above, I didn't eat enough (cereal at 4 AM, some granola with trail mix at about 9 AM, but skipped lunch in favor of getting down off the high ground ahead of the customary noon-time clouds and attendant lightning) and experienced a severe lack of energy when having to climb an about 300' hill on the way out. I thought it was just fatigue linked with too much easy downhill walking immediately prior to the hill, but now I suspect the lack of recharging food had a significant role.

I find that when I'm in the mountains I just get winded, even when conditioned, so I have to stop and catch my breath -- probably more often than people who live in the mountains or spend a lot of time in the mountains. I just accept that. Don't make the mistake of ignoring your discomfort and just pushing onwards. Stop and catch your breath, knowing you are going to catch your breath quickly and get back on the trail again.

Enjoy your hunt.

onebigelk

Good info Alsatian, appreciate the effort and time to type all that. I'm 45 and going for my first elk hunt this fall at 9-11,000 feet. I've been runing and trying to eat better. This is good info i can put to immediate use.

Alsatian

onebigelk: I went on my first elk hunt, at about 10500' to 11700' last fall, at the age of 50. It was a little hard starting but got easier as the hunting season progressed. Good conditioning is worth the trouble. I used to think to myself while suffering during my conditioning sessions that the pain I was experiencing then was going to diminish the pain that I would otherwise feel on the hunt if I didn't condition. Just a minor point of interest . . . I had my weight about where it ought to be and had conditioned a lot before the hunt, but nevertheless I lost about 10 LBS of weight during the 5 day 1st rifle season in Colorado and the couple of days of scouting/camp set-up preceeding the season. That suggests the rigors of mountain elk hunting. Also, I thought I was well conditioned, but I still got very tired and beat. I was able to keep after it every day, however, and that is a big part of the battle. Just keep after it, keep on going.