Elk Country Athlete: 5 Ways to Train for Better Hunting

MISSOULA, Mont.—Wilderness elk hunting is an athletic endeavor but you don’t need to kill yourself getting in shape. Cameron Hanes, fitness and bowhunting authority as well as TV show host and columnist for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, says moderation in exercise is a key for most hunters.

“You don’t have to be a world-class athlete to build up amazing endurance, but you do have to get started with some sort of workout regimen. Every day you spend in inactivity, you get weaker. Every day that elk move through high country, they get stronger. And the longer you wait to exercise, the wider the gap grows,” said Hanes.

Here are five ways to start closing the gap.

1. Try a “commercial workout” when you’re sitting around watching TV. Do push-ups and sit-ups during the commercials. Over the summer months, this exercise can make a big difference.

2. If you’ve been doing nothing recently, there’s no point in running. Going overboard right out of the gate will only make you too sore, cause you to hurt yourself or burnout quickly. Go for a brisk walk instead. Walk for 10 minutes and slowly jog for five. Do this back-to-back for 30 minutes, four times a week, for a couple of weeks. Slowly begin to lengthen the overall workout, then start increasing the jogging time.

3. You needn’t spend tons of time. If you’re at your ideal weight, you need just 30 minutes per day of exercise, minimum. If weight loss is a concern, experts say it takes an hour of exercise each day to lose weight without going on a diet. Thirty minutes will do for weight loss if you both diet and exercise.

4. Hard workouts are not always better. Some of the world’s greatest athletes exercise at “conversation pace,” meaning their pace is easy enough to have a conversation while running. Even many Olympians workout at a comfortable pace 90 percent of the time. As you get into shape, try long (45 minutes or more) comfortable workouts three or four days a week. Then, one day a week, do a harder fast-paced workout.

5. Mix it up. Add some variety to your walking and jogging with cross-training and lifting weights—but keep in mind that almost everything you do in elk hunting begins and ends with your legs. Throw on your pack and climb hills or bleachers. Get on a bike. In the weight room, emphasize squats and lunges. Lots of reps are more important than heavy weights, because for elk hunting you need lean muscle, not size.

When hunting season arrives, Hanes says, remember to pace yourself. The endurance you’ve built over the summer will allow you hunt longer, not necessarily faster or harder. Many hunters tend to overexert at first and hit the wall quickly. Slow, steady hunting for longer periods gives you your best chance to take an elk.

While he admits it’s not for everyone, Hanes prepares for elk season by training for and competing in ultramarathons, races up to 100 miles or more across high-elevation trails. His advice on workouts for hunters spans from basic suggestions for average people to highly technical info for elite athletes in elk country.

Hanes serves RMEF as host of “Elk Chronicles” on Outdoor Channel and as a columnist for “Bugle” magazine. His second book, “Backcountry Bowhunting, A Guide to the Wild Side,” is available at www.cameronhanes.com and is currently in its fifth printing.

Elk Foundation Voices Support for Wolf Management

MISSOULA, Mont.—The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week hopes to remove wolves from endangered species lists in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. But with anti-hunting emotions and lawsuits threatening to forestall sound conservation science, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is reaffirming its longstanding support of hunter-based wolf management.

Wolf populations are now well above federal recovery goals and increasing.

The time has come to manage wolves like other game animals, says Elk Foundation President David Allen.

“Long before anyone dreamed of an Endangered Species Act, hunters were restoring and managing elk, mule deer, whitetails, wild turkeys, black bears, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, mountain goats and a host of other wildlife. In fact, it was hunter-funded big-game populations that made wolf recovery possible. You’d think the people who argued longest and loudest to bring wolves back would be slapping backs and saying thanks. Instead, they’re filing lawsuits,” said Allen.

Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said, “We strongly support hunting wolves. Look at the success we’ve had with hunting mountain lions and maintaining strong lion populations. There is no reason wolf management cannot be just as successful.”

Regulated hunting has never reduced any species to threatened levels. It is, however, the premier tool for balancing game populations within carrying capacities of habitat as well as public tolerances. Allen said wolves in certain areas have exceeded those tolerances.

Allen urged Elk Foundation members to support hunter-based wolf management controlled by respective state wildlife agencies, saying, “I hope all of our members will voice their support for de-listing wolves as prescribed by US. Fish and Wildlife Service, and continue to show how hunters lead the wildlife conservation process.”

Winter Feeding Program Draws Support, Warning from Elk Foundation

MISSOULA, Mont.—Responding to an emergency declaration by the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is sending funds to help feed thousands of elk, deer and antelope starving in deep-snow conditions.

But the Elk Foundation’s financial support comes with a warning about severe winterkill as a symptom of an even more debilitating disease—habitat loss.

“Artificially feeding elk is a poor substitute for protecting their native habitat,” said Jack Blackwell, vice president of lands and conservation for the Elk Foundation. “In general, some winter mortality is normal. It’s nature’s way of balancing herds with their habitat. But when too much winter range is lost to urban development or invasive weeds, a harsh winter can be a catastrophic reminder of our obligation to conserve land.”

Colorado’s wildlife habitat is being lost at alarming rates as cities sprawl and ranchettes consume open spaces long used by wintering elk.

“If we don’t act urgently to protect habitat, especially Colorado’s winter range, eventually the balance will tip so far against wildlife that severe winterkill will become the norm, not the exception,” predicted Blackwell.

Biologists say Colorado is experiencing brutal weather in many areas, with Gunnison Basin listed as the worst. Snowpack levels are among highest ever recorded with many weeks of winter remaining. At the same time, nighttime temperatures are falling as low as 35 degrees below zero.

Pronghorn antelope and mule deer are hardest hit. Emergency feeding is underway for approximately 6,500 deer and 500 antelope at 105 locations on federal and private lands.

About 2,500 elk are being fed weed-free hay dropped from helicopters. Though elk are faring better than deer and antelope, some biologists worry about fewer births and greater calf mortality next spring.

Kentucky Veterans Enjoy Elk Hunts of a Lifetime

MISSOULA, Mont.—Five veterans returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were recently welcomed home to Kentucky with news that they’d been selected for elk hunts of a lifetime, sponsored by grateful volunteers and supporters of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Kentucky servicemen receiving cow elk tags, fully guided hunts, tent camps, meals and more include:

1. Lt. Col. Gene Hughes of Union
2. Matthew Armstrong of London
3. Maj. Tim Culver of Cox’s Creek
4. Jeff Ford of Lexington
5. Lt. Col. Mike Farley of Corbin

Hughes’ hunt will be held later this month in New Mexico. The other four were held last month in Kentucky, with each hunter successfully taking elk.

In a letter to the Elk Foundation, Hughes wrote: “My father shared with me the sport of hunting…He taught me to respect the land, the landowner and the importance of fair chase…Since I was a young teen my dream has been to hunt elk…Your organization has tied two of my greatest passions together—my lifelong dream of hunting elk and my military career.”

The special hunts were made possible through a partnership between Elk Foundation volunteers and Kentucky’s Ataya Land Company, which receives elk tags from the state for herd management purposes. Normally sold at auction, this year’s Ataya cow tags were instead earmarked for Kentucky veterans. Elk Foundation members nominated servicemen and women, without distinctions of branch, grade or rank. Over 80 veterans were nominated. Hunters were selected through a random drawing with Kentucky Congressman Geoff Davis presiding.

Following the drawing, Hughes was re-deployed and unable to attend the Kentucky hunt. The upcoming hunt in New Mexico was scheduled around his return to the U.S.

Dennis Edmondson of Dry Ridge, Ky., the Elk Foundation’s volunteer state chair, said the hunts were gratifying for the hosts as well as the hunters.

“This was a unique opportunity to show our appreciation for servicemen and women of post-911 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In camp, we had volunteers from four different Elk Foundation chapters across Kentucky. They did everything from guiding hunters to cooking to maintaining camp. It was so rewarding to see dreams come true for these veterans,” he said.

Edmondson expressed appreciation for strong support from Natural Resource Partners Inc., James River Coal Company, Taylor Orr and Green Hill Mining, and Frank and Anita Allen.

Sponsors also included the Elk Foundation, Ataya Land Company, Lancaster Outfitters and Outdoor Channel.