Only have one Dall sheep hunt to my credit but I believe the best thing, as others have stated, is to train with the backpack I used. I bought a Barney's as that was what my guide was using. I got permission from a local ski hill owner and used that for my training. Not as good as "mountains" but it worked better than nothing. Going uphill is harder on the muscles but going downhill is harder on the joints. I worked my way up to 65 pounds as that was the estimate from my guide. I am certainly not a youngster anymore but did not have any problems with my legs or feet. Alot of good advise here.
I dd not take a spotting scope with my as my guide had his Swarovski. I wish I had taken my own, a lowly Leupold, as it was a little frustrating to look at the white specks with my 10X binos while the guide was counting the rings!! That was about all I really wanted extra.
Drink lots of water. I got leg cramps one night and guide said I probably wasn't drinking enough water. Sure was nice drinking straight from the streams and I drank more from then on.
Good luck and have fun. Alot of the fun is the excitement and preparation of these hunts. I know as I have drawn a tag for a long awaited Utah elk hunt this year.!!!!!
