Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Elevation gain

Work on your abductors and adductors. you'll need them in the nasty thick stuff.

My comment was directed to Frozentexan..

Going on walks with your pack is good, but in addition to that you should spend TIME with your pack on. In the off season here in Texas, I do morning hunts for pigs. Not the most fun way to hunt with these 100 degree temps, but I’ll have my pack on for several hours at a time. It’s not just the miles travelled with the pack, but familiarizing your body with having your gear on to the point of complete comfort.

I live in GA. My home is about 900' elevation and I hunt some places here at 3000-4000'. I can feel the difference at 3000'. But after a day or 2 I can get used to it.

I've traveled, hiked, camped, and hunted in Colorado numerous times over the years. A lot depends on how quickly you gain the altitude. On one trip I drove straight through from GA in about 24 hours. Camped one night and drove up to Pikes Peak at 14,000' the next day. I had a bad headache and was light headed until I got off the mountain. BTW it's still around 7000' at the base.

We drove to Rocky Mt National Park the 3rd day and camped there. By the 4th day I didn't feel any different than at home. I even jogged about 1/2 mile near the top of Trail Ridge Road at around 12,000' in order to get into position to get a photo of a Bighorn sheep.

The times I hunted varied between 8000-11,000'. Each of those times I struggled at 1st, but after about 3 days at that altitude I felt fine.

To get ready I'd strongly suggest getting in some steps. Walking up and down stadium steps is a good place to go if you live in flat land. Or use the fire escape inside a tall building in your town. EVen if it is only 2-3 floors going up and down several laps a day helps. And going down is just as important as up.

I'm at 4000'. We live only a few miles from the county fairgrounds where I can climb the stairs at the rodeo arena. They're steep and a few times up can get me puffing a bit.

Lived in CO a couple years, around 5500 feet. Would go in the mountains fairly often. Camped out at 9000', and hunted between there and 11,000 feet. Even a light pack made a huge difference at 11k, and after a few hours I'd get a headache. Below 10k my head was fine, but you still drag ass when getting about.

Idaho is a little lower. Usually the hunting is at 9k and below. It's steep and rugged, though. You'll be sucking a lot of air even if it's not the altitude.

Nobody has mentioned hands and arm conditioning for rifle carry.
The problem with carrying a rife on you work outs is sure to have you talking to law enforcement

I've found that a Boony Packer Safari sling is the easiest way there is to carry a rifle...if you can't afford a gun bearer to follow you. The one problem with the Safari sling is muzzle control. It's very easy to have it pointed in a wrong direction.

Escouting is a great way to see the country but be ready for the shock of reality. I live and hunt in the west and I still find spots that I fall in love with on the computer and say "Oh fugk!" when I see it in person. If you have a spot you think "it doesn't look too bad" it probably will be a biotch. Just be prepared for the shock and have as many spot options in the country you plan to hunt.

I well know one of those spots. It looks great on the maps with no roads or trails and a good creek down the bottom. It's an out of the way draw, a bit steep but little easy access to attract hordes of hunters. There are plenty of elk in the area. Then you go in for a look. The maps don't show that it burned out 20 years ago. It's a mass of underbrush and deadfall. Yeah, the elk are there and they're likely to stay there. It's hell to hunt and even hotter hell if you're dumb enough to shoot one in there. Forget the horses or llamas. They'll break a leg trying to get through that crap. The elk sure can get through it, though.

I’ve seen these slings before and heard from some people who I respect that they are quick on the draw, very quick and don’t slip around. But they also said they are different and you have to get used to them. So let me ask you, having never had a rifle across my chest, how are they climbing and crawling around ? Doesn’t your rifle hang down when you’re bent over or does it stay put ?

Thanks
Rick

It pretty well stays put. I've never had a problem with it. Remember that it's always right in front of you where it's easy to get a hand on it, unlike a shoulder sling. I have a lot more problems keeping a shoulder sling in place, especially with a pack. I always use a single trekking pole when hunting. I had more problems getting used to using it with the sling than anything. I don't worry about it being quick on the draw. I've never needed a draw faster than what I can do with a shoulder sling. Once you get used to it, it's very handy.

I should mention that before a bought a Safari, I looked at how they hang then used a strap and some paracord to rig a temporary one to try. After a couple hunts and some adjustment, I liked it and bought a real one. I'd suggest that anyone considering one do the same as they are different and many won't like it. I've been using it for about 5 years now.

In my experience pressured elk will go to the same slopes that sheep and goats call home.
Aside from cliff faces, nothing is too steep for pressured elk.

And they have 4 wheel drive with front and rear lockers. They have enough power to not need ultra low gears. They can climb them in high gear.

"Work on your abductors and adductors. you'll need them in the nasty thick stuff."

Yep, going over deadfall will tax them mightily.

Watch the wilderness areas, no need for trouble from the GW.
Nice and green this year, was just over there but to the north a bit.
Plenty of folks will be hunting that other week too but not quite like opening.

Get a game bird license, grouse are great eating.

Thanks to everyone on this thread. Tons of great information and i appreciate all the responses.

When we first made these plans and started out planning, i felt a little overconfident. Not so now. I'm prepared to be humbled by the mountains and the animals, but open to learning and getting better!

Not everybody acclimates to altitude at the same rate. Most people in decent shape can handle 4-5000’ quite easily but I know from experience and from a doctor friend that 6000’ is where most low landers start having problems. Normally a couple days of activity at 6K will let a person adjust then the biggest obstacle to the body is 8-9000’ . Once you hav3 that made I think most strong healthy people can make 10-11000’ with not much problem.

True story: I lived in Idaho for a number of years hunting fishing going to school and working for the UPRR. I was single and lusted to travel and left God’s country and went to sea for about 3 1/2 years. Returned to Idaho, hooked up with a couple old hunting buddies and got an over the counter elk tag with my old Idaho drivers license at Pep Boys. Well I’d been in Idaho less than two days and we were off to this high meadow honey hole they knew about. We parked the truck at 8200’ , two pack horses, full back packs and an about 5-6 mile hike to a camp site. My heart never slowed down that night beating like a hummingbird with a dull headache. I couldn’t eat not even Raman Noodles everything came back up. After two days my body was still in deficit and I couldn’t get past it. I walked off the mountain and got a ride to a doctor. My buddies thought it was hilarious and put the wood to me for years, everybody heard about it. But I got even when I had a yacht delivery job from San Diego to San Francisco and ask my buddy if he wanted the trip of a lifetime. He drove right down and was really jazzed about the fancy 65’ yacht and making the passage. We got underway and sea conditions were mild but forecasts showed twenty to thirty knots out of the SW for a couple of days but nothing to worry about the autopilot could handle it. He didn’t show up on the bridge so I went below to find him in one of the crew cabins curled up and smelling of puke. I offered him some sardines.and walked out chuckling. He stayed that way two more days and man he was sick. When he got his legs back I told him hey Dave this isn’t 8200’ but it’s sea level think about it.

Hope my stories are okay cause it’s about all I have to share these days.

Rick

Requirements for elk: food, water, concealment and when hunting pressure is on, finding safe heaven. Doesn't matter if it is 5000 feet or 10,000 feet.They will go where people don't.