I can honestly say that I never hunted anywhere in Alabama that I needed to be in shape, that's why I asked the question of how far you guys walk. Our elk season starts the end of August so, I gotta get some hiking and biking in. On our day hunts, we bike/hike anywhere from 2 to 16 miles, depending on if/where/when we get on the elk. The pack out if we kill one is what's killer.

Knowing how easy it is to clean an animal in the field, I'll never drag another deer. I clean and pack on the spot, 100% easier to get them out. Mother nature gets the scraps. Unless there's a club rule I gotta get the whole thing out I guess.

Here's how I get ready for the hillbilly huntin!

Yeah, I'd think that would be a must if you were hunting somewhere you couldn't get an atv/utv within 100yds or so of where you were hunting

It depends on where and how i will be hunting, if I am just sitting in a shooting house then I might only walk a hundred yards but if I am using my climber I might have to walk a 1/2 to 1 mile up and down some BIG hills which in and of it's self is not the problem it's having to drag a deer out of where I am and up the hills so it can be loaded up..

Hunting private land, not very far. It's usually just half a mile to my short spots. My long spots are only about a mile with a little pirogue paddling at about the half way mark.

Y'all really want to make some changes, sign up for a High Intensity Interval Training session at a local gym for about 6-8 weeks and stick with it and the diet change. 2-3 days a week along with walking, stretching and losing weight, and you'll see some difference.

Two years ago I killed a large doe high up on a ridge in Little Coon. I drug her down through 6-8 year cutover (below), nasty thickets, rocks, etc ... everything you would expect to see up there. GPS showed the drag was 1294 yards long, 920 feet elevation drop. I enjoyed every minute of the 3 hours and 15 minutes it took me to get her to my truck!

I guess I'm quite a bit madder at em than most but then again I'm just now entering my 4th season



This is why I try to stay in shape for it ..

Yep and HIIT has proven to be a much better weight loss tool than long distance cardio

I have been sitting in my chair for 5-6 hours at a time, trying to get my ass accustomed to not moving.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but it’s food that I have an issue with more than exercise. It’s not hard for me to get motivated to walk or excercise but leaving the doughnuts alone is a whole nuther test in will power. BTW….if you’ve never tried the little wheel with handles on each side where you get on your knees and roll out and back……it’s a very simple but very, very effective exercise. You’ll feel your abs start sucking back in with a quickness if you do it every day.

You and that doe look like you may have gotten a little to intimate on the trail home based on the well you are cuddling with her.

If you stay ready you won't have to get ready. Easier said than done.

I've found this to be true, too, along with nearly eliminating terrible foods, pounding the water, and doing cardio that makes me feel well. If I want to walk 3 miles, I walk 3 miles. If I want to walk 2 miles and jog three, I do that. I may do a 10-mile bike ride through our 'hood, or a trail run with the local group. But being absolutely rigid, depriving myself of some pizza or Doritos, that doesn't work for me.

The HIIT more interesting and engaging than "OK, going for a run" on the same route, too.

The last two seasons have been far less taxing walking in, climbing, etc.

Don't forget to get something to simulate a tree trunk in front so you can lean forward with your head and practice cat napping.

I hear ya' on that one. I'm trying to eat more salads but all that does is make me get the shakes for some red meat.

I was gonna say they look like they are sharing a tender moment.

I would've loaded her up in a backpack and walked out. That's what I do when I hunt public land. The days of me dragging one out are over.

You definitely earned it. If you hunt like that a lot, do yourself a favor and buy a frame pack. Makes that stuff a lot easier.

I’m good for the first half of the day….but from about 5-10 in the evening, I start feeling hungry as a hostage. Sweets just compound the desire to eat too. It triggers something in the brain to make you want to eat more. Sugar has to be the first to go for me. I’ve been trying to drink more water ever since Clem mentioned it in PF thread. I was knocking down a gallon a day for a while but I find it kind of hard to keep just consciously drinking large amounts of water without intense outside work and sweating to go along with it. It feels like I’m just chugging water and pissing all day long. I’m trying my best to stick with it though because I know that’s likely one of the best things you could do for your body is to keep it hydrated.