Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Elk hunting after total hip replacement?

I may be looking at getting a hip replacement at some point in the next couple of years, given the way mine is going. I was wondering if any of you have experiences with getting back to elk hunting after THR. The surgeon I talked to didn't seem phased -- he's more worried about contact sports, running and jumping, and NOT too worried about carrying a pack and gun. But I'm prone to stepping in holes and falling on ice and tripping over stuff, and there's always the possibility of needing to carry a load of meat out of a canyon. Do people get back out there with a fake hips? With what kinds of limitations?

You need to PM Coyote Hunter. He just had his done. In one day, out the next. Hardly any pain with frontal replacement method.

My wife had both her hips replaced. There are a few restrictions initially but most go away pretty fast. Certainly nothing to keep you from hunting.

I don't know if I would be thinking about packing heavy loads of elk meat though. Things like that probably didn't help your own hips to begin with.

I have had 40 pound weight restriction since 2007 due to major back surgery and I have not missed an elk season because of it.

One of my elk hunting partners has been functioning on 2 bionic hips for years. You can't tell that he has them. He's 68 now.

Not to scare you out of surgery...but have a buddy who had his replaced over a year ago. He is worse off now than before. Dr's insist there is nothing wrong and can't find anything wrong. I keep telling him to get a second opinion. Just make sure you go to a DR who does lots of replacements a year or is a specialist. Do some checking around. Ask others who have had it done where they went and how it went.

Have had 3 hip replacements. 4th scheduled this summer. My original Ortho convinced me to get hip resurfacing vs total hip and both hip components failed. ( My hipsvwere beat up after a helicopter crash in military, a few bad jumps and being hit by a car as a child) Had to have revision surgery with conventional total hip replacement on left 2 years ago and right hip to be redone this summer. Based on personal experience and speaking to many respected orthos go with ceramic on plastic. Watch closely for blood clots after op. Get in best shape before surgery and do the PT religiously. I was up and walking, painfully, day of surgery. I

ski, play tennis racquet ball water ski. I just take it easier now. Of course the more you use it the faster it will wear out. Avoid jarring activities.

I packed amule deer buck out a mile in some pretty steep terrain 3 months after last operation. I still elk and deer hunt in mountains and pllan on being out again this Fall. I became a big believer in using hikingnpoles. I like lekis.

Yep
Go with experienced Ortho . ask how long and how many surgeries. I travelled 150 miles to find a good Ortho and hospital. The two weeks after surgerry sucks then the road to recovery begins. IMO

Mine is 26 years old this year.
S-Rom Prosthesis, which is a titanium implant and Poly cup.

One comment I'll make is not based on personal experience with a hip replacement, but watching others both with hip replacements and similar (if lesser) surgery: The physical therapy afterward has as much or more to do with the success than the surgery itself.

One example is the carpal tunnel surgery my wife had a couple years ago, on both hands. It turned out a local rancher we know was going to have the same surgery within a few days of Eileen's, with the same surgeon. When we ran into the rancher a couple months later, Eileen asked how he was doing, and all he did was bitch about how he was as bad off as before, if not worse. BUT it turned out he had never done the PT, whether icing his wrists to reduce swelling, or exercising as they healed. Instead he'd just gone back to ranch work less than two days later.

The same thing happened with a friend who had knee surgery, and a relative who had a hip replacement. All somehow thought the surgery by itself was a cure-all, and it ain't.

Having gone through knee and now shoulder re-hab after surgery, I would second that. It also helps to be in as good of shape as possible before the surgery.

The advice to find a surgeon who does a lot of the same procedures and has been doing them for years is good. And if the surgeon is not concerned about your continued elk hunting, that's telling because as a rule, they tend to be very conservative on both the pace of your re-hab and the activities they "approve" for you.

On the carpal tunnel I had both wrist done, but the doc told me the left hand had more nerve damage in it and would not ever be as good as the right. Which turned out to be true. Darn thing still bothers me, even with the PT.

On hips and knees. The PT after the knee is very important. MY wife's left hip did great and she did the PT. On the 2nd one, the femur cracked at the end of the spike and she had to be on crutches for 6 weeks while that healed. She did PT after that, and there is no difference between the two.

One thing that sure helps is to get the upper body strength up before the surgery as a person has to lift themselves out of chairs after surgery.

PeaEye,

You don't have to quit elk hunting after a total hip replacement. I had both replaced last year - one in April, the other in late June, and was out hunting elk the 3rd week of September. I was pretty careful at first, and had to avoid getting into much blowdown. By mid-November I was getting around pretty well, though was still not in great shape due to so much debility beforehand, and nearly 6 months of downtime during healing and recovery.

I would certainly recommend the anterior hip replacement. Less downtime, faster recovery, virtually no chance of dislocation. The only thing is that they do cut through the hip flexor to get the job done, and the Doc did caution me to use care to not overwork the hip flexor with leg lifting while it was healing so I would not build extra scar tissue. High-stepping over tall blowdown, and other things that really work the hip flexor can make it sore after a hard day. I started some relatively tame xc skiing at 6 months out on the second one.

You do have to remember that the bone will be healing to the implants for quite a while after the incisions have healed. My Doc said it would take about a year to reach “normal”.

By 8 months out you can do most stuff you want to, but you will still probably want to be a bit more careful than you used to be. Hard falls would probably not be good. I didn't get an elk, so can't speak directly to packing meat. I do know I would not have tried a whole hind quarter a time (or more) as I used to do. My strength was not up to that yet, and common sense said don' t push it.

I did use a walking stick for help in balancing, and also aid on getting up slick hillsides. But then, with the amount of disability I had for the couple years beforehand, I had been using some kind of stick for aid anyway.

Deer hunting was actually fun again, and successful.

Don't wait so long you are really in bad condition and too stove up. Recovery is easier if you have not been a long-term couch potato because walking hurt too much.

Oh, and as mentioned - like Mule Deer said - make sure you do the PT. There is less for anterior hip replacement, but the surgery alone does not make it all better you have to work on range of motion and rebuilding strength. Mine did not make me 20 years old again, but it made me feel about 20 years younger than I had been feeling. You need realistic expectations, and you do have to do some work after the surgeon does his part.

You can PM to discuss further if you wish.

PT seems to be a big key. Grandma was a nurse for over 40 yeras.

Said the first knee hurt to bad to do PT. Ended up not much better than before.

She vowed to differ on the 2nd and did her PT no matter.

Said she made a bad mistake on the first.. not doing all the PT as hard as she could.

PT does not need to cost money and take a long time.

My surgeon is legendary in orthopedics to the point he is rarely referred to as "Dr", his name is enough.

He told me to go to the local swimming pool and walk the edge in the 3ft end balancing with a hand on the pool edge. The buoyancy of the water takes the weight off the hip and permits you to walk your way to strength.

Times change since my THR 26 years ago as do PT methods and recommendations, but free is free and I will do this again when revision becomes necessary, if ever.

I have hunted for years with an outfitter who had his hip replaced at an early age, and he does great. Riding, hiking, packing -- he does it all, and usually better and faster than the rest of us. I would say you have nothing to worry about, and actually will make it so that you can hunt longer and farther than the alternative.

Also, I should mention, I am an orthopedic surgeon, so I know a little bit about this

S-ROM is a fantastic hip, and one of the best. Not titanium though - nickel cadmium

Bert12
Thanks for the info. The only question I have is whether the modular design of the S-Rom permits partial replacement of the worn componentry such as the poly cup and perhaps ball with the implants remaining in place?

Would this simplify revision surgery and speed up recovery if possible?
John

Absolutely. Most designs allow for replacing poly cup and/or head. The S-rom also allows for easier revision of the stem, by keeping the collar in place (proximal fixation), and exchanging/altering rotation (version) of the stem. It's a great design. Often copied, rarely duplicated.

Thanks Bert.
That's an answer I hoped for, but never got clarification on. Changing countries also changes the rules.
John

To the OP,
I hope we have given you some good info here.
Yes, you can hunt anything you want, ask for a S-Rom prosthesis and you have the best and it would appear one of the longest lasting according to the abuse I have witnessed first hand.
All the best to you,
John

PeaEye -

As saddlesore mentioned, I'm less than a week out of surgery. Was in the hospital under 25 hours total. My surgery used the newer anterior (frontal entry) method, which required a 10 centimeter incision and doesn't cut through muscle, as is done with the older posterior (rear or side) method. There are a lot of restrictions with the older posterior (rear or side) methods but essentially none with the anterior method.

While I've been told not to drive for 3 weeks, I currently have less pain when walking than I did before surgery. And it has been that way almost since the day after the surgery.

My hunting plans this fall include taking all three daughters on a Wyoming antelope hunt and Daughter #1 on her first elk hunt. Doc says it won't be any problem at all, although I do plan to take it easier when elk hunting than I do most years.

The surgery has been a learning experience and something I put off for 6 years. The main thing I'd look for are the experience and reputation of the surgeon, the method used (anterior/frontal is the only way I would go) and the hospital record on post-op infections. Saddlesore made a surgeon recommendation to me and, after seeing three and researching a fourth, that is the one I went with. PM me if you're interested in that info. I see you're in NM, my surgeon and hospital are in the very south Denver metro area so not necessarily out of the question for you and highly recommended by myself, every nurse and the three physical therapists I've talked to since the surgery. Definitely worth looking into even if you go another route in the end..

Coyote Hunter,

Pretty much reflects my experience. Both times I was out of the hospital in under 24 hours. Low level of pain, though some moves did hurt, and the 4 inch incision is pretty tender to start with. You must have a standard transmission like I do. I was able to drive sooner with the right one.

You should be in fine shape by elk season. I had a harder time because of having the second one just under 3 months later, so my elk season started just over 2.5 months into the second. Doc wanted me to wait that long so I would not over stress the first. I was pretty careful the first 6 weeks since there was so much bone healing during that time. You will find your limits at various stages of healing, but even barely a year out from the first one, I am still noticing improvements over what things were like beforehand. It is sooo nice to walk normally again, even if I do need a new knee.

Finding a place with an ultra low infection rate should be right at the top of the list - totally agree. And a proven good surgeon.

I hope OP finds this all reassuring.

I had my left hip done in 1988. I hunted elk for years in Colorado and did 10 years on state fire hand crews and 10 more on fire engines. 27 years after the procedure I probably need a rebuild, but no problems doing what you want to do ......

I'm one of those guys who refuses to be cut up. I've observed friends who have bad experiences, and i've had some bad experiences of my own.

So, at the moment I have a hip that needs replacing, a ruptured disc in my lower back, and a meniscus tear in my knee.

I say screw it, take some Advil, and go hunting. I did give in to getting all the meat out alone though. I have a friend that comes out to help me now.

I'm not recommending this to anyone else. I'm just saying it's my way.

I can appreciate that. A lot of people go that way,but finally subcumb to the pain.

For me it was either wheel chair or the knife. One of the problems with back injuries and others is permanent nerve damage.

I agree it's not the best way. However, i'm still hunting, and it's hard to give that up for a chance for less pain that might end up keeping me from hunting.

Sort of playing the odds.

I'm 43 but had broken back, neck, with rods and fusions and right rip replacement in '97. Got in an accident.

Since then I live my life and still kill elk. I am not as strong or cardio solid as I was as an kid but I'm still doing what I want and am still hugely strong.

Good surgeon is half the battle but streching, conditioning, and recovering is the other half.

Have goals and keep actively walking or biking.

Great info, I was told I need a hip replacement. Didn't bother applying for an elk tag this year because of it.

If you are in any kind of shape when you go in - and have an anterior technique used - 3 months recovery should be enough to allow you to hunt elk in the fall - though probably not like you once did. (On the other hand, the season before I got my hips done, I could not hunt like I used to be able to anyway.) Based on where I am at now, a year of recovery, like the Doc told me, is probably close to getting back to "normal".

I have to admit, this year I may not be up to par yet come elk season because I just had a knee replaced - after both hips last year. But I am buying a tag and will be out there. A double whammy on a single leg is a little harder to rehab, but I am hoping that 5 months will be about enough.

It is important to find a good surgeon, and a good low infection facility. Both are worth traveling to for your best outcome.

I have 8yrs on a double hip replacement, I'm 61 and hasen't affected my Elk hunting in the least.You MUST stay on the exercise program !!! "It is important to find a good surgeon, and a good low infection facility. Both are worth traveling to for your best outcome." Very true, and one of the tools to finding a good surgeon is to talk to the physical therapists , in your area, they have to get people up and running after surgery and they'll usually be straight up with ya.

You will find youself hunting slower because of taking the time to select good foot placement and taking longer routes instead of just bailing off the top of the mountain.

And I thought I had it bad with possible cataract surgery in the next few. Prospects of eventually having hip surgery worry me less then having a knee replaced.

BarHunter -

Grin and bear it was my method for 6 years after I tore up my hip. Last year, after driving 40 miles back to camp I stopped to gas up. I could barely make it from the truck cab past the back door to the gas cap. Not just once but multiple days. Ended up hunting from the truck the last couple days because I couldn't do anything else.

Now I am almost 6 weeks past my replacement surgery. Yesterday I bought a hybrid bicycle and look forward to riding when the doc clears me to do so. While I still have minor pain (that that decreases daily), I can now look forward to hunting like I did years ago.

Like my doc said a couple years ago, you will know when the time is right for surgery. Afterwards you will probably be like so many people I know, including myself, that wonders why the H they waited so long.

Good luck.

That may be true, but i'm in my 70's, and still hunting elk solo. I've learned to deal with pain pretty good.

I just feel if I had my hip, knee, and lower back operated on my hunting would be over. One of them wouldn't turn out well, and they all need to be fixed equally. So, it's all, or nothing. I'm going with nothing.

It's only pain.

Might work for some but I always without fail step into a hole while walking in the dark.

Don't walk in the dark.

There is "pain" and there is "PAIN". I spent a month in the hospital with burns to both legs from the bottom of my shorts to my boots, both arms from my shirt sleeves to my knuckles, both ears and my face. Until the morphine came almost two hours later, the pain was by far the worst I've ever experienced. My pre-surgery the hip pain was minor in comparison but it was still affecting my daily life in very negative ways. It reached a point where I couldn't get up off the floor out of a stuffed chair without help.

If you can still do it, go for it. I reached a point after 7 years that a truck hunt was the best I could have done and that was questionable. I was down to a cane and crutches, depending on the day. Next stop was a wheel chair. Time to retire and head to better fishing country if that was the case.

Wife had leukemia and the chemo ruined several of her joints. So far she has had a hip, both shoulders and a knee replaced and her doc said the left hip has dead bone that is just waiting to collapse, at which time she will need another hip replacement. She had to get them done serially but she gets around very well now - far, far, far better than before.

There is a big downside to NOT getting the surgery done - comorbidity. In my case my hip was causing me to limp which in turn was affecting other things, including a bad knee I've had since I was a teen. Muscles were atrophying and my back was stressed and hurting so much that at the time I decided to get the surgery I was walking bent over at a 45 degree angle. Now my back is much better, I walk standing straight up and my knee isn't bothering nearly as much.

Instead of your hunting days being over, getting help through surgery might well extend them. It has for me. Two of my girls and my wife told me if I didn't get the hip done I couldn't go hunting this year. The sad part was I had finally reached a point where I agreed with them. Last year, as a precaution, I got a "Help, I've fallen and can't get up" satellite beacon. When I couldn't get from the truck cab to the gas cap to refuel without holding on to the truck, and then only slowly, I knew it was over, even if I didn't admit it at the time. Now I'm looking forward to a WY antelope hunt with family this fall, followed by a week-long CO elk hunt with a daughter and one or (hopefully) two sons-in-law. And many more hunts in years to come.

And, for the first time in 7 years, I will be free of hip pain. Doc says I'll be able to hunt, water ski (I gave up snow years ago but could ski that too if I wanted), swim, bike or do anything else I want - no restrictions. All of those were far too painful before. Before I gave it up several years ago I used to swim 5 miles a week. Now I look forward to getting started again. I haven't biked for years, either, but yesterday I bought a new hybrid bicycle and plan to start putting a lot of miles on it to build my leg muscles and endurance back up. My boss, for what it is worth, has had both knees replaced and is now a very active mountain biker.

The point is, surgery isn't necessarily the end, it can be a new beginning.

Like you, I had some fears surgery might be the start of a downhill trip and found multiple excuses for putting it off. But as others told me I would, I'm really glad I got it done. Now I realize I put up with years of pain for no good reason other than doubt.

Again, your choice. I hope it all works out well for you.

Thank you. I'll be thinking about it.

Coyote hunter makes some good points. Like CH,I waited longer than I should have and subsequently caused issues with my back and good knee. But when no one wants to be around you because you're miserable with the cronic pain It's time to do something.
.

That's why I hunt solo.

I do move a bit slow, but I get there.

^^^^ Perfect ! ^^^^

The main point is, as said above, there is pain and there is PAIN. When you are clutching everything you can in your path to support your weight and each step, is a hot knife into your pelvis and, you are long past trying to hide the limp, there is a time when you will know.

Such pain and discomfort is not necessary. That is truth.
Been there, done that, as they say.
John

Coyote Hunter tells the story well, and in perfect detail. For years I had needed a new knee, but with a brace was still functioning, and with a high pain tolerance it was working. But...my range had dropped off, and I started to carry heavier meat packs versus making more trips because every extra step counted more than the heavier weight as far as the after-effect.

Finally a couple years ago I got to the point where I could see them, but I was running out of the go I needed to get to them. The spirit was willing, but the pain was shutting me down. It was an involuntary thing - I would push, and my nervous system was pushing back. I was good for one day, but after a big push, not the next day. You can't hunt like that.

I decided it was time to get the knee done since it was making everything else hurt too from favoring it. That was when I got the surprise of my life. I needed a new left hip much more than I needed a new left knee! And I needed a new right hip, too. That explained a lot. No wonder I was feeling so crippled up! Last year I timed the hips with hopes to hunt elk, and I was out there, even got close but did not close the deal due to conditions. Even with the bad knee my back felt way better - less walking out of kilter, and the hip bursitis was gone. What a relief. But I still needed that new knee. As I gained strength this winter I hated the idea of going back under the knife so soon, but the knee was failing worse. I am now a little under 4 weeks out, and coming along. A knee is slower to rehab, so I am glad I did it in April.

Was I apprehensive for each? You bet. You never know. But I couldn't continue to hunt unless I got some repairs done. As Coyote Hunter says, when it is time, you know.

As far as having to take more care, go slower, etc., well with the bad joints, I have been doing that for years now anyway, so a lot of that is habit. But once I could actually walk again, what a difference. I hope the knee is in good shape by October, but even if it is still not fully recovered, it is not likely to be worse than last year, and I put in about 19 days last year. (I am a foot hunter, no horses.)

All I can say BarHunter is do what you can. We are clearly all pretty stubborn. But at some point, if you want to keep it up, you may have to get some repairs done. When/if you do, find the best surgeon you can, make sure they are using the most advanced techniques, then work your tail off in PT, and it will take years off your self-perceived age. By November last year I was feeling 20 years younger than I had the year before. Right before I went in for this knee, I felt even better than that.

Don't forget there is still the rest of your life, too. As my 91 year old Mom, veteran of 4 hip replacements told me, "Don't hesitate, get it done. Don't wait until it is too late." She now wishes she had had her knees done 15-18 years ago. Now that is what is limiting her mobility. Remember to look ahead.

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I'll know when it's time, and make sure it's not too late. I've always had a high tolerance for pain, and if you were walking with me you probably wouldn't know I had problems. Except when I have to squat down, or pick something up. Then it might be obvious.

A couple of things work for me. For one i'm a still hunter who hunts the timber. So, i'm not moving fast except to get to my hunting spots.

The second thing is I have a 30 year old neighbor who comes out to help me get the meat out. I couldn't hunt anymore with out him. I'm way past getting all the meat out from a bull alone. It hurts to even think about it.

I think of the mountain men from the old days. I'm sure they had plenty of injuries, but just kept going. I'd like to think I can do the same. I'm trying anyway.

Thanks again guys.

Being a Mountain Man wasn't a long time career job for the most part. Most didn't last all that long and for those that did they were pretty bunged up by 60 and out of work.

The "Old Mountain Man" is pretty much a myth. A few made it, but essentially it was middle age work.

Addition: And average middle age came quicker than today.

Addition 2: Thinking about it, for a variety of reasons nor was it work for the slow and creaky which could get you killed when moving quickly became important. Hobbling around the Mountains wasn't an asset.

My Dr. was most concerned about post surgery falls. It made sense when he explained that the area where the socket portion of the replacement is attached to the pelvis is thin bone and prone to shattering in falls. Going in and fixing a shattered pelvis is very difficult. Thinking of all of the plumbing and blood veins in that area I can understand that.

I have two hip replacements - hunted from a car blind for the first year and have hunted with no problems or assistance every year since. My best suggestion is this DON"T LET DRUNKS PLOW INTO YOUR CAR AT 70 MPH AT THE DRIVERS DOOR WHILE YOU ARE SITTING STILL AT A RED LIGHT!!!!!!!

Terry

Well, I said it in jest. Sort of. As someone who hunts with a muzzleloader, and shoots at black powder shoots. I have studied the mountain man era. No doubt they were a tough bunch. I can hardly compare myself to them, or the life they had to lead. I can come home at night to a bed and shower for one difference. I also have a much better diet, and don't have to depend on what I kill for food.
However, I do spend a lot of time in the Rockies. It's where i'm comfortable. The only real thing I might have in common with the MM is they dealt with a lot of pain, and so do I. I'm actually pretty good at it by now.
I'm suspicious of anything that will take me from my mountains. I'm doing fine as is. I haven't had good luck with doctors in my life. You have to drag me to one now.
I'm ok. Really!

Amen to that!

Thanks everybody for the very informative posts. I appreciate the open debate about whether and when! It's good to know there are a bunch of you out there with bionic parts roaming the woods, and that the long term restrictions aren't that bad as long as one does the PT and allows time for healing.

I never had PT.
My doc advised going to a swimming pool and walking the shallow end back and forth using the water for buoyancy. It worked very well.

By building the thigh muscles and using the natural walking exercise, recovery was fast.
John

Pea Eye,

I finally logged in and saw your PM. I have sent a rep;y.

Jaguar

If people wouldn't notice you have pain then you probably aren't ready for a hip replacement. Before I got my hip replacement my life was consumed by thinking about how I was going to complete a task with the least amount of pain. Often that task was simply getting out of a chair and standing up. Sometime I would have to wait 10-20 seconds for my hip to get to the point where I could move without the pain reaching very high levels.

I lived that way for 6 years while my hip got progressively worse and my body started having other problems as I tried to compensate. "Co-morbidity" the doctor called it. My hip surgery was 3-1/2 months ago and within a week I was better off pain-wise almost from day one. Now I've reached a point where I rarely think about pain and when I do have it the pain is very minor. In the past couple of months I have ripped down a 65-foot section of my rear deck, dug and poured new concrete footers, put in an 8-foot wall of 6x6 landscape timbers, and started rebuilding the deck. This morning I was carrying 20-foot treated 2x10s and lifting them into place for the rim joists. Very rarely have I had any pain and when I have it was muscle pain, which continues to diminish with time and is very minor in any case.

Everyone told me I'd know when I was ready for a replacement. I toughed it out for 6 years because I was stubborn and in denial. I would have had the surgery much sooner if I'd known how great the outcome would be. The new anterior (frontal) replacement method is awesome and recovery is much quicker. I'll be hunting antelope and elk this fall, pain-free for the first time in 6 years.

The only good thing that came from putting off the hip surgery was I had to learn to hunt smarter - mainly because getting from the driver's seat of my truck to the gas cap for refueling was adventure enough.

Coyote Hunter,

I am really glad to hear your experience has been like mine. Such an improvement. I had to wait until I got the knee fixed for full benefit, but now that leg is catching up. Several hikes of increasing difficulty and increasing pack weight under my belt. Pushing hard for getting into shape.

I am wishing you good hunting this fall. Keep up the good work, just remember the bone healing continues for at least a year.

Concentrating on elk and not a painful hip is a huge step forward.
All the best to you.
John

Hi all,

I just wanted to double back to this thread and thank all of you who provided advice and reported on our own experiences with hip replacement. I had my hip done in late December here in Albuquerque, and have been happily surprised by the recovery process. The x-rays look good, the surgeon got the leg length right, and I've been getting around well since week 6 or 7. I still occasionally have days when the soft tissues hurt, especially after traveling, but I'm able to walk good distances, climb steep trails, etc. I appreciate the encouragement to go ahead. The biggest surprise has been how quickly I recovered range of motion I had lost several years ago.

Thanks again to all of you. Bill

Modern medicine is incredible, isn't it?

PeaEye -
Really glad to hear it worked out well for you. You may never get back to hunting like you once did but hopefully you will be close.

Congratulations! Been there. Learned hard way, just like doctors, there are few good PT. Find a good sports doctor and he knows who they are. Serious hunters are athletes. Find a good PT & a swimming pool.