If you haven’t prepared yourself physically you’re not going to be able to take advantage of that opportunity when it presents itself and the truth is most hunters don’t.

 Playing football in high school meant daily practices which started by running drills and plays for the first part of practice then toward the end, the coach would gather us up and say, “The game has just begun, the score is zero to zero.”  He would make us run, do pushups, sit ups, up downs, monkey rolls, wind sprints, etc.  Then depending on how we were doing he would yell out a score “Colts 7, Rangers 3, start of the second quarter.”  We would do the same drills until half time, where he would give us a pep talk while we sat in a seated squat (not much of a break).  Then we would go into the third and fourth quarters the same as the first two.  Occasionally the coach would be in an extra foul mood and tell us to get ready for overtime, which meant we had a lot more ahead of us.  These practices were both physically and mentally grueling and at the end we were always dead tired but happy, knowing we were that much more prepared for the coming game.

Hunting shouldn’t be any different than football practice.  We should train year round to get our bodies in good hunting shape and to be both physically and mentally ready for the hunt.  A hunt can be ruined if you cannot keep up with your partner or if they’re slowing you down.  You’ve each invested a lot of time and money into the hunts and being able to physically make it happen is just as important as having the proper gear or being in the right area.  You never want to see that big buck and just not have enough “go” left in you to close the gap and make a successful kill.  So many times the roughness and steepness of the terrain can discourage an opportunity. 

Even when you’re hunting near a road a wounded animal can go a long ways and usually into the thickest and steepest stuff around, and part of being a successful hunter is being prepared for that to happen.  When you spot that big bull several miles away on the last evening of the hunt or when you’ve reached the seventh day of a tough backpack hunt and discouragement is starting to set in, that’s when you need to be ready go into “overtime”.  If you haven’t prepared yourself physically you’re not going to be able to take advantage of that opportunity when it presents itself and the truth is most hunters don’t.

Being in good hunting shape is more than just walking or running on a treadmill in your gym shorts and shoes.  Strap on those hiking boots, put your pack on and carry your gun into the mountains.  Maybe even go into your favorite hunting area and get in some extra scouting and remind yourself what it takes to hunt in your area. 

With the holiday seasons, cold weather and shorter days we need to remember what it takes to win in the game of hunting.  For those of you who are in what I like to call “good sheep shape” good for you, for the rest of us in the field let’s start practicing harder both for yourself and for your hunting partners.

Written by: whiteeye