The Mountain Hunting Thread
- Thread starter Ardent
- Start date
I took my daughter hunting in the South Chilcotin mountains a week and a half ago. We camped at Taseko and hiked into highter country looking for mule deer. It was very hot though, 25 degrees in the day but at night it got cold enough to put 3/4 inch of ice on the water bucket. Lots of tracks and sign but no deer for us yet. Good hiking though in beautiful country.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Belated welcome to BC Evan, you’re certainly making the most of it with the fam. Matt, awesome living happening with the 185, I’ll be following your example just putting a new interior in and debating paint on ours.
Inspiring seeing young families out and really living in the mountains.
Inspiring seeing young families out and really living in the mountains.
Have to be in decent health, and learn your way around the mountains. It can be very tough, but planning is key. Remember, you're not carrying all your stuff in on an atv. Everything you need to live and hunt up there is going to be on your back. Its a beautiful, different environment to hunt in. I wouldnt try it now, for health reasons, but I know a couple of guys my age (mid 60s) who still go. - dan
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Biggest thing is get in shape. We guided many 60-70 year old clients for goats, the best routinely weren’t the tough of mind but the fit that at first glance wouldn’t appear “tough” in the classical sense. We had a 150lb guy in his early 70s who could put the hurt on his guides in their 30s and 40s. Turns out he’d done the Pacific Crest trail in his late 60s. He didn’t start the physical challenges in earnest until he retired.
Never too late, and most can get through a goat hunt as is, it’s just how much you enjoy the experience.
Never too late, and most can get through a goat hunt as is, it’s just how much you enjoy the experience.
Thanks Ardent, you inadvertently played a larger roll in me moving here then you know. All these pics(you BC guys posted) and lots of your posts across the forum, I just had to come see it in person. It did not disappoint!
You going with the utility interior? I sure would given the choice. I called the other week, I've been poking around trying to find different 3430 barrels, mine blew up with corrosion/exfoliation this year. I found some now though, they're coming in from Selkirk.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
####! Probably the call I missed from ya, I have a spare set of barrels. 
Keeping mine pretty utility, but ordered a Generation Global interior. Vinyl floor, bush seats in the second row so I can reconfigure quick.
Keeping mine pretty utility, but ordered a Generation Global interior. Vinyl floor, bush seats in the second row so I can reconfigure quick.
####! Probably the call I missed from ya, I have a spare set of barrels.
Keeping mine pretty utility, but ordered a Generation Global interior. Vinyl floor, bush seats in the second row so I can reconfigure quick.
Better to hang on to your spare barrels anyway. I'm finding that running aluminum floats on the coast is a bit like being a Surrey man who's always running a used car into the ground while simultaneously keeping an eye open for his next used car to run into the ground.
Being in good health and decent shape is a good place to start when hunting in the mountains.
But even if a person may not be in "sheep shape", they can have an excellent time and memorable experience hunting in the mountains.
I used to be in much better shape and health, and spent a bunch of time hunting in the mountains, and when time afforded made hikes in the hills to get in shape for those hunts. I also used to take the stairs instead of the elevator at work to work on conditioning.
The biggest thing is to be honest with yourself (and your guide or hunting partner) about your health and physical conditioning. Know your limits, and stay within it.
These days, I am not in the shape that I used to be in, and with a desk job that keeps me busy 10+ hours a day, by the time I get home and tend to daily chores, I spend more time sitting at the end of the day, just as physically exhausted from the mental stress of my day job.
But his does not stop me from mountain hunting even when I am not in "sheep shape".
I am built more for comfort at this stage of my life than I am for speed! LOL
The first lesson learned hunting in the mountains; Pace yourself! It really becomes a mental game! Perhaps even more than a physical one!
Just because your hunting partner can get to the top of the hill in one push, does not mean you have to. A good guide, or hunting partner, will work with you, while helping keep you motivated to get there. But this should not come at the price of your physical health and condition.
You win more by having an enjoyable adventure, whether you are successful in getting your game or not, and getting home safe and sound, with memories of the enjoyable hunt and shared experiences with friends old and new! While the challenges are great, and many of relish in having conquered them, it should not conquer us!
You need to arrive at the top, still in good enough physical state (muscles, mind, heart and lungs not exhausted and struggling to stabilize) to be able to hold your binos steady for glassing, or better yet, calm enough to steady your breathing and body, to hold your rifle steady for a shot at your target animal, should it be there within your comfortable shooting distance.
You may be able to shoot comfortably at the range from the bench or improvised field positions when you are relaxed and rested; but can you do this after climbing a few hundred feet in elevation when your muscles are trembling from exertion, and your heart rate and breathing rates are elevated?
During the climb, take your time. If needed, make shorter pushes and take more short rest periods of a few seconds or a few moments to catch your breath and keep your muscles, mind and breathing at a more controlled and relaxed level. You will find that you will actually reach your destination quicker and in better condition to make a shot than otherwise. Many worry that they will not get there in time for a shot before the animal is gone, and push harder because of this.
While this may be true, is it worth killing yourself to get there for an opportunity if you have a heart attack before getting there? Or get there and are not in good enough condition to take a shot? If the animal is gone, then you will have to keep pushing to find it again anyways. Hopefully you will still be able to keep pushing on instead of giving up because you are exhausted and cannot push on.
You will find that you require longer periods to rest and recoup by making longer, harder pushes, that will have you completely exhausted when you get to your destination, or worse that you will not be able to catch your breath and steady your heartbeat and breathing enough to be able to take a shot while the opportunity is there.
The other thing here that most do not think of or realize, is that when we are hurrying, tired and/or exhausted, we tend to become careless and take chances we shouldn't in steep, rough terrain, where you need to be mentally sharp to keep from taking a mis-step or unnecessary chance that could result in slip/trip/fall and distratrous injury (or worse). Know too many guides who had this happen to their hunters, or worse, had their hunters die of heart attacks on the mountain.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Think you raise a good point, don’t put off the adventures, tackle them and push through it. Life won’t wait.
This said, you’ll find routine workouts help with the stress of the day job and decompressing. If I don’t work out, I get more exhausted, more stressed and the science backs that up. A workout that breaks sweat, especially mid winter becomes a lot like that morning cup of coffee you look forward to the night before. With the same tenacity and pacing you use on the hunts invested into a year round workout regime, you’ll find yourself working into a place you feel like you’re missing something the days it’s skipped.
Doesn’t have to be a classic loud music packed gym stair climber routine, can start as simply as indoor lunges, squats, sit ups, push-ups and pull ups at home, with a good walk, snowshoe, or treadmill with a HBO series. And the next sheep or goat hunt you’ll go further, enjoy it more, and have greater chances of success. But like you say, definitely don’t put it off for another year for when you’ll be in better shape. Just get after it, getting out and getting fit.
This said, you’ll find routine workouts help with the stress of the day job and decompressing. If I don’t work out, I get more exhausted, more stressed and the science backs that up. A workout that breaks sweat, especially mid winter becomes a lot like that morning cup of coffee you look forward to the night before. With the same tenacity and pacing you use on the hunts invested into a year round workout regime, you’ll find yourself working into a place you feel like you’re missing something the days it’s skipped.
Doesn’t have to be a classic loud music packed gym stair climber routine, can start as simply as indoor lunges, squats, sit ups, push-ups and pull ups at home, with a good walk, snowshoe, or treadmill with a HBO series. And the next sheep or goat hunt you’ll go further, enjoy it more, and have greater chances of success. But like you say, definitely don’t put it off for another year for when you’ll be in better shape. Just get after it, getting out and getting fit.
