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Big Deal Hunt: Physical fitness plays a role in elk hunting
By Tim Renken Of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
07/13/2002
A St. Louisan headed for the mountains of Montana to go elk hunting this fall is bound to be concerned about physical fitness.
Elk hunting is an active sport, much more demanding physically than Midwestern deer hunting. And most elk hunting takes place in steep country at high altitudes.
Outfitters tell horror stories. One was about the overweight guy who felt very ill on his first day in New Mexico. He had a pounding headache, tightness in his chest and couldn't get his breath. He had altitude sickness. His outfitter rushed him to the hospital. He survived, but his hunt was ruined.
More common are tales of hunters who are so exhausted after a day or so of hunting that they lose all desire to hunt. How important is fitness? Griz Montoya, a veteran hunting guide with U.S. Outfitters, Taos, N.M. a large guide and licensing service, said:
"If you are in reasonable shape, aren't grossly overweight and reasonably active, you'll do OK. But the better shape you're in, the better your chances of bagging an elk and the more fun you'll have."
He said guides tailor the hunt to the client.
"It's supposed to be fun, not a death march," he said. "If a client can run 10 miles, fine, but most can't. Most guides can't, either. But in elk hunting you'll typically hike and climb 5-15 miles a day."
Lauri Clanahan at South Fork Outfitters, Kalispell, Mont., said that if the client is really out of shape the guide will "just put them on a hillside where they can glass for elk. But their chances really go down if they can't get around."
Montoya said that the one thing a Midwesterner can't do in advance is to get acclimated to high altitude,. St. Louis is at only 300 feet or so above sea level. Most elk hunting takes place at 3,000-10,000 feet. Our Montana Bob Marshall Wilderness hunt will be at 4,000-6,000 feet, which is fairly low for mountain hunting.
"The only way to get acclimated is to go to that elevation," Montoya said. "Of course, the person who is in good shape physically will have much less of a problem with altitude and will acclimate much faster."
How about getting into shape for horseback riding?
Outfitters generally don't make much of that, observing that most of the people they take aren't riders.
Our outfitter, Fred Haney of Spotted Bear Ranch, Kalispell, Mont., said that a person can reduce soreness by riding several times in the weeks just before the hunt, but not to worry about it.
He also noted that the people who are in good shape otherwise usually aren't bothered as much by saddle soreness.
******
Next: Advice on getting into shape from a fitness expert and personal trainer.
This is the eighth in a series that will appear every other Sunday about a once-in-a-lifetime elk hunt my son and I will make, our Big Deal Hunt.
By Tim Renken Of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
07/13/2002
A St. Louisan headed for the mountains of Montana to go elk hunting this fall is bound to be concerned about physical fitness.
Elk hunting is an active sport, much more demanding physically than Midwestern deer hunting. And most elk hunting takes place in steep country at high altitudes.
Outfitters tell horror stories. One was about the overweight guy who felt very ill on his first day in New Mexico. He had a pounding headache, tightness in his chest and couldn't get his breath. He had altitude sickness. His outfitter rushed him to the hospital. He survived, but his hunt was ruined.
More common are tales of hunters who are so exhausted after a day or so of hunting that they lose all desire to hunt. How important is fitness? Griz Montoya, a veteran hunting guide with U.S. Outfitters, Taos, N.M. a large guide and licensing service, said:
"If you are in reasonable shape, aren't grossly overweight and reasonably active, you'll do OK. But the better shape you're in, the better your chances of bagging an elk and the more fun you'll have."
He said guides tailor the hunt to the client.
"It's supposed to be fun, not a death march," he said. "If a client can run 10 miles, fine, but most can't. Most guides can't, either. But in elk hunting you'll typically hike and climb 5-15 miles a day."
Lauri Clanahan at South Fork Outfitters, Kalispell, Mont., said that if the client is really out of shape the guide will "just put them on a hillside where they can glass for elk. But their chances really go down if they can't get around."
Montoya said that the one thing a Midwesterner can't do in advance is to get acclimated to high altitude,. St. Louis is at only 300 feet or so above sea level. Most elk hunting takes place at 3,000-10,000 feet. Our Montana Bob Marshall Wilderness hunt will be at 4,000-6,000 feet, which is fairly low for mountain hunting.
"The only way to get acclimated is to go to that elevation," Montoya said. "Of course, the person who is in good shape physically will have much less of a problem with altitude and will acclimate much faster."
How about getting into shape for horseback riding?
Outfitters generally don't make much of that, observing that most of the people they take aren't riders.
Our outfitter, Fred Haney of Spotted Bear Ranch, Kalispell, Mont., said that a person can reduce soreness by riding several times in the weeks just before the hunt, but not to worry about it.
He also noted that the people who are in good shape otherwise usually aren't bothered as much by saddle soreness.
******
Next: Advice on getting into shape from a fitness expert and personal trainer.
This is the eighth in a series that will appear every other Sunday about a once-in-a-lifetime elk hunt my son and I will make, our Big Deal Hunt.
