Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting 2017 Fitness- Workout thread

I think Jeff's problems with "cows" refer to bovines he ran into in the back country.

As a side note, we had a herd of wild cattle. The last roundup was 1962. At the end of the 2nd day they checked the corral for a head count: 2 deer and 1 jackrabbit. The cows were officially AWOL. Subsequent "roundups" were conducted with a '06 or .30-40 one cow-brute at a time. No rustling involved.

Tom

cattle rustling is still a hanging offense here

Yep, understood, but like I said, we owned the ones I shot so there was no rustling involved.

What I wouldn't give to get a piece of THAT action.

Phil. Dude.

yeah that was a joke- we actually don't hang rustlers

3.5 good trail miles with Tiny E- he kicks my a$$ on the uphills!

chasing bulls tomorrow- the wapiti variety

Jealous .. good luck elk huntin'.

Tom

Yeah no kidding. Got get one!!

Didn't pull tags this year, guys want to do a OTC 2nd season spike tag but I'm not feeling it.

Yes I know. Whenever I run into cattle on public land, I'm always outraged. It's like the rancher thinks he has the same rights to the land as I do.

There's an interesting and nuanced debate to be had there but this ain't the place.

Good luck on your cow hunt, SP.

5 mile walk

30 mile ride

Aaaahhhhhhh

Still at it. Been getting in 15-17,000 steps per day-at least that is what the phone app says-bird hunting. To the astute that means Birds are few.

Until now have avoided being around any bullshiit....

You stepped in in now. Hope you went unscathed this time.

DId a few miles with the dog yesterday.

As I said: "Until now...."

Nice to see a few things stay the same.

no bull yesterday; just 13 miles and 16 hours tiptoeing around, over and under blowdown, scrambling up and down steep slopes and even slogging through some knee deep snow- you know, the usual!

I'm not sure if there is anything one can do to get conditioned to going around/over/under blowdown- it sucks the life out of me

got a nice 4 mile recovery hike with Tiny E yesterday, just what the doctor ordered

Blowdown is brutal and dangerous, especially in the frosty morning, and again as the day wears on and a guy gets tired and sloppy. One unit we hunt elk in in Eastern Oregon should simply be called "Blowdown" unit... not fun. Hang in, and good luck!!

My buddies are lobbying hard to get me to camp here this weekend. I'm still deep, deep in the machine parts salt-mine but should finish tomorrow. My main beef (see what I did there?) is that it's a spike-only tag. I [bleep] hate spike tags. You want a lock that you'll see a huge bull broadside in a meadow, there it is. I've had to watch at least 4 wall-hangers saunter by.... with a [bleep] spike tag. And the only time I've pulled the trigger on a spike, is the only time I've truly screwed up on a big game animal. Long ago, long story. Not a fan.

But I do love elk hunting in a Eastern Oregon. Might go up anyway.

you hinted at I think, but the other thing with a spike tag is they are almost always mixed in with cows- makes it tough to discern when to squeeze the trigger

That's true, though my rodeo didn't involve shooting through a spike and hitting a cow, or injuring another elk at all. Long story. Just a tough tag.

So, i was posting a while back about prepping for an elk hunt. Hunt is done.

My buddy and I hunted 1st Rifle in CO. I shot a cow the first day, he shot a bull the 2nd day.

My cow was taken at 10,500' and deep into a big burned area. Crossing those deadfalls is a special kind of he11.

Packed out a hind quarter and straps/loins first trip out with my gear. Next day I came back and got both fronts and the remaining hind (she was a young cow...bigger than a calf, but not a huge cow). Coming back through that burn was just nasty. Downslope on the way out with weight and crossing those trees, with snow in the mix, that was enlightening.

Good news is...my physical prep paid off. Altitude definitely had my pulse quicker and breathing a bit harder than at home at 500' above sea level, but I feel like I handled it well. Shot my cow late in the day on Day 1, so hunted all day, then did a pack out to end things that day. Another pack trip the next day, and then on the third day, back to 11,100 to help my buddy get his bull out.

So....my prep work seems to have paid off. Yeah, I got winded and tired. That comes with hiking and packing weight at altitude. But I got it done, wasn't trashed in the process, either. Felt pretty good on the mornings after each day, so I'll take all that as a win. An elk on my first day of elk hunting...ever....was pretty cool, too. I'm sure I'm doomed to years of unfilled tags in penance.....

nicely done! sounds like some well earned elk meat and appears your pre-season work paid off