Man, I've gotta get in shape, now!

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MCgunner

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Pastor James (my church's pastor and a hunter) called me this morning. He wanted to know if I wanted to go on a Texas elk hunt. My answer was "Is the Pope Catholic?" You may recall we went to Uvalde on a deer cull hunt this past season. I ended up with 6 deer in my freezer. :D Well, he says this place needs to cull elk, cull bulls and cows. I'll be real happy with a cow, myself. The bulls are $1200 and cows are $1000. This includes bunk facilities and guides and game will be quartered for us. THAT is a DEAL, well, when you realize what it costs to get a guide with pack animals in the Rockies anywhere.

This is on a huge ranch measuring in the square miles in the western hill country in what is a little mountain range near Carta Valley, Texas. It's all spot and stalk and the game isn't tame. This is wild, rugged country that I'm itching to see anyway. :D I've not been in THAT little area and I've contemplated ranches for sale (small) near there via landsoftexas.com . There's lots of escaped exotics out there, too, like Axis, but I just want an elk. I think this will be just as cool as hunting the Davis mountains and not as far to drive. :D

I've been pretty ill with severe anemia from a bone condition known as "myelofibrosis" but I'm on very expensive meds now and getting better, getting some strength and endurance back. I nixed an Arizona trip with friends earlier because of this, but I HAVE to make this one. It's a bucket list item I've had for a long time to kill an elk and this one I can afford. :D
 
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Hope this works out for you! Good luck!

Just Googled that. Didn’t know elk or axis were that far south.
 
Hope this works out for you! Good luck!

Just Googled that. Didn’t know elk or axis were that far south.

Heck, there's axis around here 10 miles south of I10. Haven't seen any elk, though, but before the white man moved in it's said that we had 'em....and bison and black bear and other cool stuff. But, we have lots more import exotics now days. :D
 
The bulls are $1200 and cows are $1000. This includes bunk facilities and guides and game will be quartered for us.
That's insane! The cheapest I priced a guided Elk Hunt was around $2500.

Good luck! Start getting some cardio in :barf:
 
Good luck with your hunt. Under those conditions you can still be in less than perfect condition, but it never hurts to get in better shape and that is pretty good motivation. If hunting for meat or a smaller rack the price can't be beat and I'd not rule out something similar in the future.

But the experience of a Rocky Mountain hunt is something to experience if someone is physically able. I've been putting it off for years, but finally made it happen in November. I did a DIY hunt on public land at 8000-11,000' elevation in Colorado. It was just my wife and I. She didn't hunt, but was great company and would have been a big help packing meat out if I'd been successful. I didn't see an elk, but I know I was in a good spot. They had been there a day earlier and I didn't figure out that I need to move with them until it was too late. With more experience I think I'd have had a chance for a shot.

That's insane! The cheapest I priced a guided Elk Hunt was around $2500.

That is just for the guide, and most expect at least 10% tip.

Just for reference it cost me just under $700 for a non-resident elk tag. I drove 3700 miles round trip including 6 days of running around in the mountains and had to pay for lodging. I didn't figure food, I would have had to eat if I stayed home. Even going DIY I spent nearly $2000 total. And would have still have spent most of that on top of paying a guide $2500-$10,000 depending on the location. So $1200 for a bull is a bargain.
 
Texas has some elk in the Glass Mountains by Marathon; a few in the Davis Mountains, and a few in the mountains SE of Alpine. They're all feral, descended from imports. The original Texas elk sub-species is extinct.
 
Is there a Planet Fitness near you? Starting out slow and working your way up on a stair stepper may be the way to go.
 
"Planet Fitness?" :rofl: Hell, I've got to drive 5 miles just to get gasoline. :) Used to have to drive 20 miles, but they built a new store in Sheridan. I take my walks in the woods. I ain't holding up real well to THAT, yet, but I'm improving. The new medication seems to be getting my erythrocyte count up, too. It should for $13000 a month. :scrutiny: But, I've got insurance and financial help. If I stop getting that help or the insurance stops covering, I guess I can always call off the hunt. Cancer sucks.
 
I need a pastor like yours!

Good luck.

I have found nothing compares to running bleachers for getting ready for elk country. I'm also in TX and although it's usually 100 degrees when I'm training for elk season, a few dozen trips up the HS stadium bleachers help me more than anything. Once it starts feeling "easy" I add a 30 lb. pack. If that doesn't do it, nothing will.

Be glad however that you'll have plenty of O2 where you're going. When I go to CO in Sept., I'm usually above 10K and the air gets hard to find up there!
 
I need a pastor like yours!

Good luck.

I have found nothing compares to running bleachers for getting ready for elk country. I'm also in TX and although it's usually 100 degrees when I'm training for elk season, a few dozen trips up the HS stadium bleachers help me more than anything. Once it starts feeling "easy" I add a 30 lb. pack. If that doesn't do it, nothing will.

Be glad however that you'll have plenty of O2 where you're going. When I go to CO in Sept., I'm usually above 10K and the air gets hard to find up there!


Yes, pastor James is a good man and a Godsend for our church, even more important than hunting. :D

With my anemic condition due to a bone marrow disease,just walking 100 yards requires a brief rest stop. Before I started this five figure a month chemo treatment, it was more like 25 yards and a rest. It's like walking at the top of Denali or something. This is my main goal, to get my erythrocyte count up so my blood can at least carry the O2. I'm 66 years old, not dead, but I'll never again be able to run very far or gracefully. LOL Hopefully, we'll be getting around with the guide in a 4 wheeler of some kind. But, I know there'll be some foot work on the stalk. Right now, I probably couldn't handle it, but I'm hoping I'll be back in decent condition by then. The battle for now is in my bone marrow, though, not the gem Once I can get to where I CAN "work out", I'll figure something out. Fortunately, I don't think this hunt will be as rough as Silverton or somewhere. It's rough country, but like you say, considerably lower elevation. :D
 
I went on a "get stronger" program a bunch of years ago. A dozen bar-bell exercises, ten repetitions each. Started with 50 pounds; worked up to 100. The half-squats and the toe lifts were probably the most useful from the standpoint of a hunter in your situation. Whatever weight bar seems right; I'd guess anything you can handle at 20 or some more pounds.

The drawback for me was that after I got all bulked up, folks kept after me to help them move furniture. :)
 
Yes, pastor James is a good man and a Godsend for our church, even more important than hunting. :D

With my anemic condition due to a bone marrow disease,just walking 100 yards requires a brief rest stop. Before I started this five figure a month chemo treatment, it was more like 25 yards and a rest. It's like walking at the top of Denali or something. This is my main goal, to get my erythrocyte count up so my blood can at least carry the O2. I'm 66 years old, not dead, but I'll never again be able to run very far or gracefully. LOL Hopefully, we'll be getting around with the guide in a 4 wheeler of some kind. But, I know there'll be some foot work on the stalk. Right now, I probably couldn't handle it, but I'm hoping I'll be back in decent condition by then. The battle for now is in my bone marrow, though, not the gem Once I can get to where I CAN "work out", I'll figure something out. Fortunately, I don't think this hunt will be as rough as Silverton or somewhere. It's rough country, but like you say, considerably lower elevation. :D
Sounds like you found the right place to hunt elk then.

I watched our 20 year old son recover from Wegener's disease. Chemo treatments and many surgeries and procedures. There was a period where walking to the bathroom took him 5 minutes or more. Lost 65 lbs. in about 4 months. His recovery has been an inspiration. He goes elk hunting with me now up above 10K feet and we both appreciate every minute of it.

Hope you get your elk and have the hunt of a lifetime
 
Yes, pastor James is a good man and a Godsend for our church, even more important than hunting. :D

With my anemic condition due to a bone marrow disease,just walking 100 yards requires a brief rest stop. Before I started this five figure a month chemo treatment, it was more like 25 yards and a rest. It's like walking at the top of Denali or something. This is my main goal, to get my erythrocyte count up so my blood can at least carry the O2. I'm 66 years old, not dead, but I'll never again be able to run very far or gracefully. LOL Hopefully, we'll be getting around with the guide in a 4 wheeler of some kind. But, I know there'll be some foot work on the stalk. Right now, I probably couldn't handle it, but I'm hoping I'll be back in decent condition by then. The battle for now is in my bone marrow, though, not the gem Once I can get to where I CAN "work out", I'll figure something out. Fortunately, I don't think this hunt will be as rough as Silverton or somewhere. It's rough country, but like you say, considerably lower elevation. :D

You'll be a low altitude and I'm sure if your guide knows your situation he'll do his best to get your hunting vehicle within range. That's the way I've hunted on huge ranches here in NM, drive around in a pickup, spot a group and take your shot. Hunting a half million acre ranch on foot isn't the way to go.
 
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I wouldn’t let having to rest stop you from going. Heck, I see more stuff when I’m still vs walking anyway. The slower you move the better.
 
Heck, 25 yrs ago I learned on my one and only elk hunt, that rest is a good idea.
Can't hear crap when that blood is surging in your ears.
Think it best to chop the hill down to shorter stretches and not max heart out.
W bad back and jacked up foot, no way I can DIY hunt one now. Gonna have to pay somebody else for me being older.
Less altitude and flatter ground overall..............sounds like the best way to hunt elk :)
I did Google earth the unit I hunted in CO, the couple of shacks down the way is now a subdivision.
I suppose the hippies could spook em over to the next drainage.
Heck the hunters back then did that (public land).
Same thing as hunting small parcel ground for deer back home, guys next door can influence your spot.
Problem is, out west to set up next door to have them do that........is a long ways off.
 
BTW, no shot on my trip.
Did see a bull and a few cows.
Only one in my group without an ATV.
They didn't see any elk.
Hmmmmm.
 
Pastor James (my church's pastor and a hunter) called me this morning. He wanted to know if I wanted to go on a Texas elk hunt. My answer was "Is the Pope Catholic?" You may recall we went to Uvalde on a deer cull hunt this past season. I ended up with 6 deer in my freezer. :D Well, he says this place needs to cull elk, cull bulls and cows. I'll be real happy with a cow, myself. The bulls are $1200 and cows are $1000. This includes bunk facilities and guides and game will be quartered for us. THAT is a DEAL, well, when you realize what it costs to get a guide with pack animals in the Rockies anywhere.

This is on a huge ranch measuring in the square miles in the western hill country in what is a little mountain range near Carta Valley, Texas. It's all spot and stalk and the game isn't tame. This is wild, rugged country that I'm itching to see anyway. :D I've not been in THAT little area and I've contemplated ranches for sale (small) near there via landsoftexas.com . There's lots of escaped exotics out there, too, like Axis, but I just want an elk. I think this will be just as cool as hunting the Davis mountains and not as far to drive. :D

I've been pretty ill with severe anemia from a bone condition known as "myelofibrosis" but I'm on very expensive meds now and getting better, getting some strength and endurance back. I nixed an Arizona trip with friends earlier because of this, but I HAVE to make this one. It's a bucket list item I've had for a long time to kill an elk and this one I can afford. :D
My mother-in-law has that condition. It's crazy how much energy it drained from her.
Surprisingly CBD oil has been helping her deal with the side effects of the medication.
I hope you are well enough to make the hunt.
 
Body weight squats sound like your best friend for a while. I don't know your condition but a few sets(3-5) of 5-8 squats every other day will do wonders for your whole body strength and endurance.
 
Sounds like a great hunt. Hopefully it is stand hunting water or food. Spot and stalk would work also. wish I could do one like that.
 
It will all be spot and stalk, is my worry for holding up to it physically. If it was stand hunting I'd have no problem, but I'd rather spot and stalk, especially out there in THAT country. I've had many fun spot and stalk hunts out in West Texas and SE New Mexico. All memories now, all deer hunts, never for elk. :D
 
It will all be spot and stalk, is my worry for holding up to it physically. If it was stand hunting I'd have no problem, but I'd rather spot and stalk, especially out there in THAT country. I've had many fun spot and stalk hunts out in West Texas and SE New Mexico. All memories now, all deer hunts, never for elk. :D

When you get tired, just rest. You can do this.
 
Well, I guess I'm getting stronger. I worked out, but not in a gem. I mowed today, not tough to do on a 46" cut Cub Cadet. But, around a couple of trees in back, saplings were growing up around the base of the trees. Several of 'em were 3 to 4" in diameter and OAKS, not some pansy soft wood. I could have broke out the chain saw, but I says to myself, SELF, you need to work out, how about the ax? So, I grabbed my 8 pound maul ax and went to work. I got winded and now my back feels like someone was using that ax on it, but by GOLLY I did it!

Now, the question remains, will I be able to get out of bed in the morning. That's another problem. :rofl:
 
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