1. Fitness
It is day 5 of 7 of a high elevation archery elk hunt in September. You have hiked 10-12 miles per day, up and down canyons chasing elk bugles and you are exhausted. You’re about to enter the fourth quarter of elk hunting and need to go hard to close the deal. At this point in the hunt, your success is dependent on the training you did several months before you entered elk country. I often relate hunting to my past of playing competitive sports growing up. My football coach once told our team, “we may not be the best team, but we’ll be the best in shape team.” Turns out being the best in shape team leads you to success. We ended the season undefeated. Use this same mentality towards your elk hunt. Not every hunter will be successful in elk country but being in the best shape possible is half the battle and will certainly lead you to success.
My favorite workouts:
- Lifting weights 4-5X a week (Legs, Back, Chest, Legs, Shoulders)
- Cardio 3X a week, (2) 30 min sessions of high intensity and (1) 2hr+ cardio session of medium intensity
2. Perfect Practice
Often, I see tv personalities and popular social media bowhunters talking about the number of “reps” they are getting in with their bows per day. That’s great, but just as important is to practice how you play. A great technique is to shoot a cold bow (no previous reps) and pretending you have one arrow to make the shot. Also important is to always practice with the same clothes, bino harness, and backpack you will be hunting with. This will allow you understand how your gear reacts as you draw and shoot your bow. You may have to make modifications to your gear to have a comfortable draw, and make sure there is nothing that interferes with the strings during release. Furthermore, as you come closer to the hunt (say 4 weeks out) I recommend practicing with the broadheads you are planning to use. No more field points for practice. I have a set of fixed blade broadheads to use for practicing the final weeks before a hunt. This will improve your confidence and confirm the broadheads you chose are still hitting the center mark.
My favorite practice:
- Outdoor shooting range at long distance, or 3D archery courses
3. Scouting
Scouting is crucial in the preparation for a successful elk hunt. Especially if you are hunting a new unit and/or new state. However, with the tools available today on e-scouting such as OnX maps, there is no reason not to be prepared. OnX provides tons of resources for you to understand access roads, water tanks, and countless other information. With that being said, e-scouting can only tell you so much. If time permits, it would be ideal to make a trip to the area and get your eyes on the landscape and see for yourself what you are getting into. If you live out of state or time does not permit for scouting, use other resources such as Game & Fish, Wildlife Biologists, and even the locals. I would highly recommend staying off the forum sites as a lot of false information is circulating. One of the best ways to scout is casually striking up a conversation with a local in a diner or at another local spot. You would be shocked at how many local diner waitresses have heard the stories of big bulls being harvested near their town and will provide more insight than you ever imagined. Also, many of these smaller towns thrive off the hunting general public. They want to make sure you have a successful hunt and come back year after year. Start a conversation and ask open ended questions, you may be surprised where it goes!
My favorite scouting tool:
- Onx Maps
- Striking up a friendly conversation with a local
