Wilderness elk hunting is about reaching that pivotal moment. This presents a real problem when elk hunting. Even physically fit hunters will end up sleeping in on the third day if they over work their cardiovascular system in the first couple days. I don’t know the science, but I’ve seen it enough to say that it is a statistical fact. When you get exhausted at altitude it is harder to bounce back. It’s the third, fourth and fifth day where they falter. The challenge that most hunters have at altitude is not an inability to get out and hunt hard the first day. It’s not the horses that will knock you on your ass, it’s the altitude. Hence, the visual presentation of our example workouts has benefited from her participation. And that’s as the mom of a two year-old and a 6 month-old! The other undeniable fact is that I am one ugly son-of-a-bitch and she is attractive. Even in the middle of the season, after I’ve been packing and being in the wilderness for months, she can hike me into the ground. She is a long-time personal trainer, marathon runner and has years of experience developing workouts. I asked my wife to help me with this piece. If you’ve got a few months, work yourself into these workouts. Pushing yourself beyond your limits is the easiest way to ruin a hunt. Take it easy on your hunt and enjoy yourself. If you are reading this two weeks before your trip, don’t worry about your physical shape. Also, remember that we are talking about preparation in this article. You should speak to your doctor before performing our workouts and taking on the challenge of our hunts. Hunts where you shoot a deer over the hood of a truck won’t do that for you. Those rewards are part of the return you will get from your investment in a hunt with us. Like marathon prep, preparation for that challenge will bleed over positively in other areas of your life. I genuinely believe when you book a hunt with us, you have committed yourself to a physical challenge. The latter individual will have a higher success rate and enjoy themselves more on our fair chase wilderness hunts, guaranteed. Take the person you are today, regardless of your current fitness level, and compare that to the person you will be after 3-6 months of physical preparation for the hunt. Other variables like weather, the rut, and luck weigh heavy when it comes to your chances of success, but don’t worry about what you can’t change. Physical preparation for that challenge is the most important of all the controllable variables. Hiking a minimum of several miles a day, dealing with inclement weather, and coming to 11,000 ft. Every year guests ask us about physical fitness and our high elevation wilderness hunts.

Cameron hanes elk