How do you prepare for elk?

[huntingbaldguy]

Curious how others prepare for elk hunting country, and the pack out.  Last year was my first hunting year, and my friend killed a 4 point rosey in SW WA.  It tested both of our resolve, and while neither of us broke, we need to condition better for this year.  Do you guys weight lift, hike with a heavy pack, etc?  Need some ideas.  I will be scouting quite a bit for deer which means a hike, and probably scout a bit for elk as well.  I just don't think that will be enough preparation.  We have 2-3 elk to get this year as we added a guy to our party.  We are determined to fill at least 2 of the 3 tags, so i can't be destroyed after the 1st pack out like last year.

[Bean Counter]

Consider a game cart if your terrain will allow for it. Much less exhausting then a pack frame. 

[RadSav]

Go down to the Home Depot parking lot and buy yourself a few Mexicans!

Other than that hike a lot with jugs of water on your back.  And get the best dang pack and best footwear you can afford!

If you are under the age of 21...buy a belt and pull your dang pants up  

[huntingbaldguy]

32.  Pants are up.  I'm in decent shape, but i had a hindquarter, the bag of backstraps and tenderloins and a rifle i packed out from a 600 lber or so (i'm guessing).  So not even a monster rosey, 3 year old or so i was told.

As for a cart, the terrain last year would not have allowed one i don't think.  It's switchbacks of soft ground and extremely steep just to get in to where we shot it.  Probably a mile in from the road. 

I'll probably hike and do core exercises like squats.  Keep the responses coming though.

[RadSav]

  on the britches

Stay very well hydrated.  Most don't drink enough fluids or eat enough calories throughout the day making it difficult to recover quickly.  Nuts, dried fruits and a snickers is not enough when working that hard.  Throw in a Jet Boil, some noodles, some Kippers, foil packs of tuna or salmon, maybe something like PowerGel and creatine powder.  As disgusting as it is at 3:30 AM...EAT BREAKFAST!!

Drinking to excess in the evenings will cause all kinds of problems with hydration, recovery and energy the next day.  So limit your intake of alcohol maybe even diuretics like coffee and soda too.  You can celebrate after all the tags are filled or you get home.

[metlhead]

Getting prepared for elk season to me is something I take very seriously. It must become part of your habit. Many miles of hiking to prepare the legs. A good place to do this is any river with summer steelies. Upper body strength? Same rivers in the drift boat! Need to build core strength for moving equipment, build another shop o r put in a garden. Cardio- lots of time swimming with the kids at the same steelie loaded river! See where I'm going with this. Some folks prepare for elk season as one would for the olympics. Good for them, and too bad for the elk. If you don't have that competitive drive and begin a regimen that requires one, failure or little return. Our summers are so short that I spend as much time goofing off as possible. Get off our butts, get outside, and become human doing. Seems to work just fine for me.

[RadSav]

Some of these Hoyt Fitness videos are pretty good.  http://www.hoyt.com/videos/index.php?c=26bb61561e734275b861554f63c12365   I've tried a few and realized I'm too old and decrepit and shouldn't even attempt   But I was able to adapt many to my broken physical limitations.  Took about a month to get used to the pain, but I felt better during hunting season.

The Daughter of my NWT guide is working with these guys.  When I was in camp it looked like most of the sheep guides were using it on their off days.  I've never used it, but Bailey is in some pretty dang good shape!
http://www.sportsmanstrainingsystem.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=featured&Itemid=101

Of course I spent a ton of time in the woods and on the water while in Oregon guiding.  But when I knew I was going to be working extra hard, like hunting Catalina, I spent a good amount of time riding bicycles plus splitting and stacking firewood.

[Nice Racks]

Wanna get in shape? Get a DVD that you may have seen on TV called T25. It's from the guy who created the Insanity program (Shaun T). Only 25 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Although I didn't get the six pack I was hoping for; I did lose quite a bit of weight, my core is as strong as it's ever been, and my cardio is better than it was when I was in my prime. I'm 50 now. The whole program only takes about 3 months. Get it now, give a 100%, stick to it, and you will be in shape to pack out an elk; if not the best shape of your life. If that doesn't convince you to try it; the woman in the workouts are pretty hot too. 

[JLS]

T25 is good, although a little too "dancy" for my taste.

I do Insanity and P90X3, trail run, mountain bike, hike, spin classes, backpack, weights.  I try to stay away from too many heavy pack training sessions.  Overdoing it with those can lead to some injury issues if you're not careful.

The biggest favor you can do for yourself is stay in shape year around.  It will go a LONG ways towards preventing training injuries.

[Wazukie]

Feed the Mules well 

[steelnducks]

 Hit the weights cleans, squats, dead lift. Calves, thighs, abs, and back mixed with some good hill runs and you will be ready for those tough packs.

[troyspinetar]

I know some like to hate on Cam Hanes, and dont want to go there again...but if you watch any of his training videos on youtube you can definitely get some great ideas. As he likes to say "train hard...hunt easy"
I do what I can when I can...working 12 hour days and kids sports on the weekends is tough for me now to get in all I want, but often I try to sneak up to a mountain for a 6-7 mile hike with the weighted pack.
Good Luck

[Lingcod]

I read a good article Jason Phelps did in a magazine last year on how he gets in shape for Elk season, so he would be a good one to ask. Running and cycling will get you in shape but not necessarily mountain shape. During the spring and summer months when hunting turkey or Bear I always fill a heavy pack about 60lbs and carry it on all my hunts. Also any hikes I go on including short day hikes I carry a heavy pack. Even when I go fishing in Alaska for two weeks this summer I will be packing a heavy pack around. I try to fill my pack with useful items I may need not just random stuff.

It's all about getting your legs and back in shape.

[jason stevens]

Load the riffle fill the pack and get up to the area you'll be hunting make as many trips as possabble all summer.lots of scouting and you'll be ready.

[JLS]

It's all about getting your legs and back in shape.

There's a little more to it than that 

If you are hunting high elevation you should try to incorporate some interval training.  There are several different components to cardiovascular conditioning that hunters should consider.  The first is obviously your base aerobic fitness (i.e long duration moderate intensity), the second is raising the point your body goes into an anaerobic state (lactate threshold training), and then interval training/high intensity interval training that spikes your heart rate with periods of recovery (allows you to go longer/more efficiently in an anaerobic state).

Leg and core strength is very important, but not everything.