Can "You" go hunting in 2006? Will you be fit?

[Siskiyou]

The 10-Ring is the older hunter, but this applies to all hunters.  At one time I was in very good shape.  In fact I was training so hard one year that my Dad was concerned.  He thought I had cancer because my old hunting cloths were hanging lose.  I visited him during deer season to take him out hunting and to stay at his place.  The season before I was in shape, but that winter and summer I did some serious training.  Lots of running on mountain trails.  I was 32 years old and in very good shape.  My job demanded it.  Part of the standards for my job required that I run a mile and half, run a obstacle course, lift 240 pounds, and do a few other things.

The payoff for me came in deer season when hunting steep ground, at high altitude, day after day.  I had the endurance to stay with the hunt.  If I filled my tags early I would stay in camp and help out my buddies.

Thirty years later I am no longer that person.  Two knee surgeries later I am no longer the guy with his clothing hanging lose.  I no longer have to meet a physical fitness standard for the supporting role that I now play.  Retirement is nice, but the heart has to be close to the job.  Part-time that is.

A recent post by DaveOh caught my attention.  His question regard how many guys did not get out this past season.  Not surprising was the answers from the older generation.  Life is catching up us, how many hunting season do we have left.  A number of my friends passed away after age 55 from cancer and heart problems.

My real decline started last spring when a buddy was recovering from hip surgery.  I would spend the same amount of time every day out walking, but it was at his pace.  My doctor told me that I needed to get back to my normal walk, and eat less.  

And during the critical three months before deer season I failed myself big time.  I worked between 12-14 hour shifts.  When I got home it was time for the shower and bed.  When deer season came I had a tag for a poor zone but I still went out.  I got in some good hunts.  I had my gps in track mode and most of them averaged over 2.5 miles.  Most of this was between five and six thousand feet elevation.  Years ago I use to take an older hunter to this area.  We always had to camp at a lower elevation because he could not breath at night above 5000 feet elevation.  I would have had a tough time if I got a buck in back gulch full of brush and blown down timber.  I was tired after a two and half mile hunt.

What is my pre-season fitness plan.  It is still in the making, and I know that things will interfere.  I had a four mile walk(gps measured) planned for this morning.  But the phone rang and grandpa's taxi service was required.  Later in the spring I will lose sometime going to school for that part-time job.  I made up for it a little on the stationary bike tonight.  And I did good the day before.  I walk and while the wife watched American Idol, I rode the stationary bike and watch tapes from the history channel.

During the months that American Idol is on I expect to do rather well on the stationary bike.

So are there some others out there that want to put together there own program and set there own goals for the coming season.  We set our own standards.  As and example we can listed are activities in a weekly summery. SAMPLE

Walking xx mi.
bicycle flat xx mi.
bicycle hills xx mi.
Running xx
swimmingxx
Stationary bike 6 mi.

Key board does not count.

Frankly my knees feel better after getting out, but I am still stiff and cannot jump over tall buildings.  But If I take a couple of Ibuprofen before bed,  the nights are not to bad.  I know that if I do nothing my hunting days will come to a quick end.

[tscott]

I design fitness programs for a living. I plan to Deer hunt on my 80th
twenty years from now. In my 50 years of hunting, I can't recall a hunt as strenous as an average workout.
It is rare when I get a Dr's referral for a male over 50, who is not at least 30 lbs over weight, and on blood pressure medication. Females are not much better... Everyone knows the early death risk associated with untreated hypertension,  coupled with lack of activity. Tons of people ignore regardless!
So from your post here's what I'd do. Find as young a Dr. as possible. One who clearly works out. Have him design a workout program for you.
Hints: 80% cardiovascular activity, 20% strength. By and large nothing burns calories, and conditions the heart as efficiently as resistance bike training.. It's all about big muscles, and big oxygen!!!
I am stunned by the number of people who won't buy into this. The research has been clear for eons...

[longwinters]

Well, I have just started in the last month or so to do somethings different so I can still hunt in my later years.  I now walk on the tread mill for 40-45 min 5 times a week.  Right now I am going 3.5 mph at a 5% elevation.  I have been forced into this as I am 48 with hypertention and bordering on diabetes.  But I work a desk job (10 hours a day) and live in town.  To me NOTHING is so boring as walking in town.  And in the winter it is boring and miserable.  But the tread mill works well as it is set infront of a tv so the time goes by rather quickly.  I figure in a month or less I will be averaging 4mph for 40-50 min.  Now if I could just cut back on my eating . . . I hate that thought, it makes me hungry.

Long

[Siskiyou]

I have to agree with you.  I know the program that will work for me.   And I have found that riding my bike is a very good way of building up the whole body.  I also realize that the only person that will make a program work is the one I see in the mirror.

 My post is an invite to others to create their own program.  And post their accomplishments.  I know that in my job many employees from the office to the field took part in such a program.  The bottom line is that it is up to the individual.  My doctor knows what I do and has placed no limits on my activity.  

It is recommend that everybody discuss their activity with their doctor, but it is not a requirement.  They can spend the day at the key board and say they bicycle from the Northrim of the Grand Canyon to Flagstaff.  Nobody is going to check on their post.

It is no secret that walking has it benefits.  Fifty years back my Dad spoke with admiration one afternoon when we watched an older neighbor start out on his afternoon walk.  

I live in an up and down neighbor hood.  Getting resistance for my mountain bike is not difficult.  We have wore out one good stationary bike.  That bike did a lot to speed up my recovery from two knee surgerys. We spent the extra money and purchased another good one after wearing out the last one.  The nice thing about having the stationary bike at home is that I can work out after dark, when it is storming, or 110 degrees outside.  No excuse.

I am doing something.

When I was working full time I joined a gym because I drove by it everyday.  But that no longer works for me.  I am not going to make a 34 mile round trip to work out.

Many people cannot afford a gym membership.  But you do not need a membership to take a walk, ride a bike, or workout with light wiegths.  I encourage everybody to do that.   I have a family member who was a tough marine, went to war, and could hike the mountains.  He is no longer that person.  He has a nice stationary bike which he uses to hang cloths.  He loves to hunt and shot.  I doubt that he will live to his 80's which is normal for both sides of our family.  He needs to get on that bike and ride it.

If there is no interest, I will drop it.  And continue to do my thing.

[rockbilly]

It pays to stay in shape.  Several years ago I had to haul a friend off the top of a mountian after a heart attack.  I was 32 years old, in the Air Force, and on flying status, my job required me to stay fit.  Had I not been in good shape, both of us would have been buzzard bait.

That was a lesson, for years I worked out almost daily, but about two months berfore hunting season I increased the sessions and worked on the weights more.  But the sad fact of life, as we get older we are limited to what we can do.  I had to turn down a FREE elk hunt last year because I didn't want to take a chance in the thin CO. air, especially hunting from a remote wilderness camp.  

This old 1940 model has a lot of miles, the fuel lines have been replace (triple by-pass) and both shocks (knees) have been cut on.  I have a couple of fenders flapping in the breeze, but as long as I can drive to my place in the country I will continue to hunt. :wink:

[Siskiyou]

Longwinters:  Our tread mill is currently the resting place for the wife's project.  The main reason is that I need to fix it or dump it.  Another great home tool.  Even my 82 year old mother-in-law uses hers daily.

The climate around here is not as cold as the U.P.  I enjoy getting out for a walk this time of year.  Nothing like seeing a few deer, a flock of Northern Ducks or geese to make me feel good.  Of course sometimes the walk does not work out.  Yesterday I was about 1/2 mile from the house and my old hunting dog and buddy had a seizure.  I had to call the wife to come and get us.  

So yesterday I gave my self credit of .5 mile walking, and 2.6 miles on the stationary bike.

rockbilly:  I am sure it is tough to pass up a elk hunt.  I noticed the fine print in a outdoor magzine grand price hunt had a fitness reuirement.  Only fair.

[Graybeard]

Probably not. I've made no attempt to hunt this season and only got out once the previous season. Unless the doctors can find and fix the shortness of breath issues I'm having the hills are just not do able for me any longer. Even on a rise of 6'-8' per 100 yards I do good to make 50 yards before having to pause to get my breath. Dragging out a dead critter would not be do able at all. Some times just walking from the living room to bath room and back has me totally out of breath.

I'm hoping the doctors at the UAB Center will find a fix for me at the end of month when I go over.

[Redhawk1]

I will be out there. Not in the best of shape, but I still can climb them hills.  

[dougk]

Bill,
I hope they find the problem and a cure.
Doug

[od green]

as above, i plan on being there, i've set a date to quit smoking and plan to keep it !!! also my hunting partner is recovering well from a fall from a stand this year he broke both calcanus ( heels ) and is now from a wheel chair to crutches ,he also quit smoking so if he can do it i can. with the weights and all he is accually in better shape than i am. he did hunt during nov, dec and jan ( tough guy season ) tho it was mild this year so now i do have incentive to get back in shape.

[skb2706]

I am in shape .....year round. Hard core gym rat and don't have to worry about 'getting ready'.....I stay ready. I will turn 50 in two months and have no plans to stop doing the routine. Hunting the mountains and the plains of Colorado ....and being successfull every year require it.

[tscott]

Yeah... Isn't the gym rat life great!!! I'm retired, but need / want to work, so I run a very classy upscale gym. The owner knows I'm not some goofy kid who won't pull his pants up. I get hands off to do what I want, and deer hunt according to my wishes. Also allows tons of time with my 6 and 9 year old girls. The day I become eligible for SS in 2years I plan to be 2 - 3 miles deep in a national forest pursuing whitetails. The only later day convenience is a cell phone. I workout 7 days a week, and stay within 5 lbs of 200, (6'5")... Wouldn't have it any other way! Dr tells me I'm the only patient he knows over 55 with no meds....Stay in shape!!!

[skb2706]

tsc - I can relate 6'5" and 220 lbs. I try to get my friends involved in the gym but they always have more important things to do (normally that involves beer and a couch). No meds here...except for the occasional adult beverage. I make it to the gym at least 5 times per week....even when I was on vaca last month in Mexico I still went.

[DavOh]

This topic really hits home with me. As most of you know, I'm a young'un by the standards of these forums(23 yrs old). 3 yrs ago I was living in Colorado, working at a mortgage company. It was a desk job, but a rocky marriage, money troubles, job stress and a 2.5 mile each way(1000 verticle ft down in morning, up in evening, cross coutry no roads, rain snow or shine) walk to work had me in fairly decent shape. Plus running and playing basketball with friends on a regular basis. In 6 months I went from 285 down to about 220. My goal was to get to 200 before joining the army. When I moved back here to Houston, that all went out the window. No more walking(let alone up hills, there are none), or activities. I work come home, eat, sleep and do it all over again. Now I'm 350+ lbs and have hypertension and heart palpitations(yes as 23).

I missed a year at the ranch with my dad. One of the few I fear I have left since he's a drinker(6er a night), a smoker(2 packs a day), and works 16-18 hrs a day, and generally refuses to see a doctor about a cough that hasnt gone away in 4 yrs.

I made a promise to myself to never go another year without spending as much time as possible OUTSIDE. Fishing, hunting, even yard work or building that new porch I promised my wife... Just being physically able to pick up my kids(when we finally have em). And of course teach them everything about the outdoors that my dad taught me.

My plan, to get active. Not necessarily working out, but just out doing stuff. Swimming, softball, basketball, archery(soon I hope), hunting, fishing, building, planting... Get the 18 oz tbone instead of the 24 oz porterhouse... the regular whataburger instead of the double, and pass on the extra large fries with that.  And not work myself to death.

Let's see if I can get better at keeping those promises....

[skb2706]

Go for it. After several years of being a pretty regular gym rat I find that if I don't go I feel like I am missing out on something.....kinda like missing a meal. One of the things I see that keep people from working out regular....they assume they can pick lifting/working out whereever they thought they could comfortably lift "back in the day". Thats not how its works........as with any kind of work out......start very low and very light and make the progression slow but steady.

[MGMorden]

Pfft.  I'm never in shape when hunting season comes in.   Having played football for a few years in high school though, I've learned that at the start of a season you can almost always keep trucking on, no matter how tired you get.  You might slow down and you'll hurt like hell the next day, but you can keep going.  Just stay hydrated.

Of course, by the end of deer season I'm always a few pounds lighter :lol:.

[horseman308]

Toughest thing was watching my dad not be able to hike and hunt like he used to during the last year or two. He lives in a pretty hilly part of Tennesee (not like out west, but pretty steep in lots of places). He's 60 now and has always been a teacher, so mostly inside. My family has always been pretty lean types. Not much brute strength, but good endurance. It's just not there for him anymore. It made me realize how important the constant, life-long exercise is. I did so much hiking and mountain biking in HS and college, I never needed to exercise solely to keep my endurance up. Now I'm in grad school, studying and indoors all the time. Darn near impossible to make myself actually go to the gym.

I read somewhere that while most hunts are not nearly as tough as the average workout, the combination of adrenaline that comes when we see that big buck will double our heart rate or more in seconds. This change puts incredible stress on the heart. Once we get that deer, dragging it out (if we don't have trucks or 4wheelers nearby) is more strenuous than most workouts. So we spend hours sitting statue-still, only to go from 0 to 60 in next-to-nothing time with no warm-up. No wonder staying in shape is so important. Of course if you're still hunting or tracking, you're better off, but here in the East and Midwest, there's not as much open land to do that and stand-hunting is much more popular. So those of us on this side of the Mississip need to really keep working at working out.

[corbanzo]

And it's not all about the workout either, its a lifestyle difference too.  If you hike 5 miles a day, but still eat a bunch of crap food, drink lots of beer, whatever, it's not going to help you a lot.  When I train for hunts, and also a mountian race I do every year, I change the way I eat, what I drink, and then worry about a workout.

[BRL]

Davoh, get out and do it. I lost my brother to a heart attack at age 40 just 3 months ago. I have been in the health and fitness industry since graduating college and a strength and conditioning coach for a few years in there too. You always think you have time. I was after my brother for years to clean up his diet and exercise. He always said, "I will, I have time". Now I won't grow old with my brother by my side and my son won't have his uncle to positively influence his life. It was a real wake up call!

[K.K]

I found out the hard way that you must train correctly.  I was a natural bodybuilder turned competive power lifter for many years.  I was 5'10 and 255 pounds.  I could lift a truck, but when I tried to follow my hunting buddies in the mountains, I'd be huffing and puffing, sweating buckets.  I have since increased cardio and that has made all of the difference.  Just like any sport, you must train to the activities involved. We walk and hike a heck of a lot more than lift heavy objects while hunting.  I love the gym for weight training, but cannot stomach a treadmill.  Instead, I walk the dog on the mountain, carry my two year old boy on my shoulders and walk.  I'm no marathon runner, but it has improved my stamina, decreased my bodyfat, and decreased my cholesterol.

[elmer]

I'm 52 and out of shape, but the things that give me the most trouble are my knees and hips. Heck the gave me trouble when I was 25 and in good shape. The hips are now to the point that I never sleep through the night because of the pain.

That being said I still hunt. My wife went with me once and was amazed at how much I walk when hunting. I told her that I don't really feel the pain while hunting, but pay for it later. I guess it's like not noticing the recoil while hunting that you feel when practicing.

[alsatian]

I'm planning to do both my first elk hunt in a high altitude wilderness area of Colorado (Weminuche Wilderness, Unit 75, SW Colorado) and deer hunt in a substantially less physically challenging area in Oklahoma.  I'll be 50 in a month, and I have worked a desk job all my life.

My weight was never a problem until I quit smoking at 40, and then I began running and exercising at home to keep the weight off.  I love to eat and cook, but I reserve the pleasure of eating like I really want to for Saturday evening dinners.  My diet during the week is very spartan.  My exercise regime in the past has not been particularly excessive -- running 3 days a week for two .8 mile segments, the last .1 mile steeply up hill; doing sit-ups and push-ups every day.  With the substantially greater challenge of the elk hunt in October looming before me, I have substantially increased my exercise regime.  I'm running further and faster, and I'm running on a treadmill as I have had some injuries running on concrete and find running on grass has too many limitations (can't run when it rains, can't run in the dark because I could step into a small hole and pull a muscle, can't run at the end of the day in summer here in Texas because it is too hot AND the ozone level makes strenuous cariovascular exercise dangerous to your lungs).  I'm doing more weight lifting using dumbbells.  I'm going to join a gym in June to have access to their weight training equipment.

It is definitely a pain and an effort of will to do this.  I find the running the most unpleasant, maybe because it involves 30+ minute high-output stretches, where weight lifting sequences do not go on anywhere near this length of time.  I prop a book with a picture of an elk in mountain splendor on the treadmill to look at while I run.  But I can feel the benefits.  I hope to be able to keep hunting well out into life.  As I get older, maybe I can't have as strenuous a hunting experience -- maybe no wilderness backpack hunts at 11,000 feet -- but I hope to continue doing plains hunting of pronghorn antelope and deer hunting.

I am confident that I can keep the will to keep exercising at an appropriate level for my age (I don't expect to carry out the exercise regime I am on now in 20 years), but I don't know if my knees will hold out.  I have no problems now, but I have heard that runners tend to wear out their knees.  I may have to look into the stationary bicycle that was recommended by tscott above.

[Ranger J]

Between the ages 40 and 50 I ran several martial arts schools and was in fairly good shape.  I needed to be because my usual hunt involved dragging a deer over a mile up and down hills and through thick brush.  I would start out with about a hundred-yard drag and each succeeding drag would get progressively shorter.  Dragging these deer out of the woods beat any other cardiovascular workout that I was involved in at the time.  The beginning of my ‘downfall’ was when my father in law built me what I called the DDW, the dead deer wagon.  This was a home made cart that vastly reduced the strain of removing dead deer.  That was in relatively flat Southern Illinois and today I live and hunt in the Missouri Ozarks.  Perhaps I am a little smarter today but I either hunt in areas where I can take my 4W drive or hunt with a friend that has an ATV.  I have also abandoned the 12G-slug gun for a much lighter Handi rifle.  I’m ‘several’ pounds heavier than I was in my martial arts days and while all my parts still work well, I don’t see any reason to overdue it when I don’t have to.  I can see the headlines now..Local man dies while dragging 18 point buck out of woods.  I wish..at least I would die with a smile on my face.  My exercise program consists of walking through the Ozarks along the banks of the beautiful Huzzah Creek. :grin:
RJ