Preparing for a first elk hunt

Well, I thought I was going on my first elk hunt next year. A nephew has access to 1,500 private acres in northeast New Mexico, somewhere near Brazos Peak. We had discussed me going next year when he would have a cow tag available. I had a high stress job and let my physical condition really go to pot. A few months ago, I weighed 280+ and 1.5 miles was all I could walk in a day. Thinking I had plenty of time, I had already started prepping by upping my walking substantially. I'm now up to 5 miles a day with some sporadic days of up to 8 miles. The plan was to get to 8 miles a day, get my weight down to 200 lbs and maybe add some light weightlifting or stair climbing. Regarding a firearm, my nephew had told me that my 30-30 would be enough gun, a little short but it would be enough. I shoot the Hornaday LeverRevolution ammo and can reliably make 200 yard shots on deer. I thought I had plenty of time to figure out if my old Mauser could be scoped and made to work.

As you can probably guess, plans took a substantial change this week. One of this year's bull tag holders backed out. My nephew offered it to me and I committed. The second week of October this year, I'll be spending 5 and a half to 6 days in a 10,000 foot elevation base camp. The cabin is off-grid but does have solar power for lighting. Wood stove for heat. We have to truck in water. We'll return to the cabin each night for sleeping, I think. (I need to confirm that.) They have been hunting this ground for at least 10 years. My nephew claims a 90% success rate and judging from his pictures he isn't exaggerating.

So pressure is now on. I'm really excited and looking forward to this but I now have only three months to prep. My biggest concern is conditioning. I haven't weighed myself in several weeks but the last time I did, I was down to 259.5 lbs. I don't think I can make 200 in three months but I'll feel pretty good if I'm walking 8 miles a day with three time a week weightlifting and stair climbing by then. My next biggest concern is my rifle. I love my 30-30 and shoot well with it but realistically it is barely enough gun. With the LeverRolution ammo, 200 yards is the longest shot I think it is capable of. I am basing that off the Hornaday claims of 1,300 ft lbs of force at 200 yards. The third biggest concern is footwear. I'm due for a new pair of boots this year. My current boots will do in dry weather but snow or rain means wet feet in them.

So, the immediate pressure is to begin upping the walking distance and adding the weightlifting and stair climbing. (I already have equipment for both and years ago was in very good shape.) I will get this done.

The rifle is my next immediate concern. I'll be practicing weekly with my 30-30. I'll start with stationary practice and in a couple of weeks start tromping over my ground with targets at 200 yds so I can practice shooting while tired from hiking. I'm sure it won't be like the hunt but it will be better than nothing. And if all I have is my 30-30, I'll be ready to use it to the best of my ability.

So, any recommendations on scoping my old Mauser. It has been highly sportsterized (I don't have the original wood.) so I won't mind having it drilled and tapped. I'm open to a scout scope, especially if I can save the time of having it at a gunsmith for drilling and tapping. It is in 6.5x55 caliber. The tables I've seen have been claiming 1,200 foot lbs or more at 500 yards which is at least 100 more yards than I would be willing to try. My nephew says most of the shots are in the 100 to 300 yard range so if I can cover that 300 yard mark I'll feel adequately armed. A third option would be to borrow another nephew's 7mm Mag. I'm waiting to hear on that but I would prefer to carry my own rifle. But if all I've got is my 30-30, I'll make do.

I'll be picking up a good pair of boots in a couple of weeks so I can have them completely broken in before the hunt.

Obviously there are other things that I need to prep, clothing, camp gear, etc. but for right now I need to work on the first three. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Thanks guys. It is good to hear that fitness is my main concern. To that end, I got in 5.9 miles today and did my first weightlifting in several years. (My weightlifting is more conditioning than strength training. I do relatively low weight, 100 lbs on bench press, 55 on curls and military presses, sets of 15 with no or minimal resting between sets. It's an add to the walking.)

MD and JMR, I think you are right on the old Mauser. I love the gun. It is a soft shooter but there just isn't time to get it sorted. The gunsmith I like has an 8 week back log right now.

JMR, thanks for the encouraging me to look at lower end rifles. One of those might be a nice addition, if borrowing the 7mm Mag doesn't pan out. Have those Salomon Quest hikers really been waterproof for you? Wet feet will be a big concern.

Condition, condition, condition. I will get this done.

Thanks again guys. I do appreciate the suggestions and support. Yesterday's weigh in shows me down another 3 lbs. There is no way I'll make 200 by the hunt but 225 might be doable. To that end conditioning, conditioning, conditioning. I got in 6.5+ miles yesterday. Three of those were on some vacant ground, weeding and spraying weeds. It doesn't sound like much 3 miles of bending, stooping, pulling, chopping and watching to be sure I wasn't about to step on a copperhead in 90+ degrees had me drenched and exhausted. I'm just short of 6 miles for today.

FL, thanks for the stadium suggestion. I realized earlier today that there is a pretty good hill and trail next to the archery range. I'm going to check that out this week, hopefully tomorrow. I'm hoping it is at least a 100' descent/ascent. I hadn't thought of the stadium. I think one of the local high school stadiums is unlocked. I'll check that out as well. First couple of times I'll just hike it and then start adding the back pack and weight.

David, Robert, thanks for the specific boot suggestions. I'll definitely check out the Danners. I've read the elk hunting gear thread several times, dreaming of the day I might get to go. Looks like that day is fast approaching so it is time to prep and not dream.

Mr. Hill, thanks for the suggestion. I've already tried to locate the area on google maps but I'm not certain yet. My nephew is trying to send me a pinned map with the 1,500 acres marked on it. If I read the the NM hunting regs right, we are going close to the end of their season. My nephew says this has worked well in the past as most people hunt lower and pressure the elk to where we'll be at. This is going to be fun. I will take lots of pictures.

Thanks again, all.

Just spent my first $$ on the hunt. Ordered a pair of Schnee's Hunter II Pac 13" boots with an extra liner and some Seam Grip. My current boots are okay when it's dry (I started feeling the moisture leaking in during last season's whitetail hunting.) Wet feet when I'm a 1/4 mile from my truck in eastern KS is one thing. Wet feet at 10,000 feet and maybe several miles from the cabin is another. I'm going to enjoy this hunt and not worry about my feet. The boots should be here Friday so I'll have plenty of time to break them in.

Robert, thanks for the encouragement on these boots. Like you I have a bad ankle so good footwear is very important. One thing that has really helped my ankle is hyaluronic acid. It is a naturally occurring substance in the body that is a joint lubricant. I couldn't find any definitive research on it, just anecedotal reports. The first mention I saw on it was in another thread here on The High Road. This hunt would be extremely difficult for me without the HA. I would be swallowing a fair amount of anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen, naproxen, etc). I still have some pain but is minimal. On my rural ground I was always using a walking stick before the HA. About a week after starting it, I found myself a 1/4 mile from my truck without my walking stick. I never even thought about it until I realized I was in the deer blind without it. I only use the walking stick now in the neighborhood to keep the occasional off-leash dog away and alert the occasional skunk that there is a person coming. I have been using the NOW brand, just HA, not glucosimine or other additives. It's about 10 cents a pill. I take two a day, one in the morning and one at night. Hope this helps. And thanks again for the boot advice.

Mr. Hill said:

Sorry about that, don't know how I mixed up cousin for nephew.

If you can get there a little before opening and walk the areas your nephew knows to be good, you'll be a lot more familiar and comfortable on opening day. 1500 acres is a lot of acreage. And you won't be a "walker", which is what I started calling hunters who had obviously rolled in the night before, had no idea where they were or where the elk were, and resort to wandering around and occasionally glassing for nothing. They'll tromp right through the middle of a meadow, stop in the middle, use the binoculars (???) and then continue randomly tromping around, hoping to run into a deaf, blind elk without a nose. They do occasionally serve the purpose of driving animals into your area, though.

To an extent you'll just roll with whatever your nephew wants to do because you're his guest and he can teach you a lot.

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Mr. Hill, thanks for the advice. We have a long travel day arriving late on the 7th staying in a hotel. Next morning we head to the cabin and spend the day acclimating, learning the property and relaxing. As soon as I learn where the property is, I'll definitely be studying the maps.

Am I correct that elk are like whitetail in that you don't want to be in the open. I've only been hunting a few years but I've learned, and have a definite preference for traveling the edge of forest around openings. If possible, I like being a few feet in the woods. The less chance of being seen and spooking deer. Are elk likewise skittish at the sight of humans? Am I correct that they also have a keen sense of smell so hunting with the wind is highly advisable?

Walkers??!! Great, the zombie apocalypse comes to hunting. On a serious note, I hope there are no walkers that wander onto our ground. My nephew is 6'4", 240 lbs of big, pony-tailed Irish boy. I've never seen it but heard that if those eyes stop smiling you don't want them focused on you. He apparently has a way of making people take him seriously if he tells them they are trespassing.

I hear you on the shot selection. I've only got 40 acres to hunt whitetail on but am very careful that any bullet I launch stays on my property. My neighbors know that and know that I expect the same of them. I don't want any hunt ruined by a shot coming anywhere near another human being, livestock or pet. I've not had a problem yet and won't make a problem for someone else. Okay, rant mode off. This is going to be a fun hunt. I hope everyone has a great hunting season this fall.

No, I don't have a decent day pack. I'll look at the Osprey packs. Thanks for the suggestion.

I like the idea of trekking poles, especially as the terrain becomes more challenging or the fatigue factor creeps in as the day wears on. Can trekking poles double as a standing shooting rest? I started using an old camera tripod as a shooting rest last season. I used that as a trekking pole/walking stick but it wasn't particularly strong. I'm not sure how well it would hold on an elk hunt.

Thanks for the mountaineering rest step suggestion. I'll be sure to use it. Seems like a version of still hunting or that it would be easier to incorporate some still hunting with it.

PS. Just shy of 6 miles walking/hiking yesterday. I tried a local park that held some potential for steeper walking but the paths really toned down the incline. I would have loved to have walked the dam face but there were signs and barricades telling people to stay off.. I did find a local high school stadium that is open to the public so I'll start climbing those bleachers tomorrow.